CA2381421C - Reinforced blow-molded bumpers - Google Patents
Reinforced blow-molded bumpers Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2381421C CA2381421C CA002381421A CA2381421A CA2381421C CA 2381421 C CA2381421 C CA 2381421C CA 002381421 A CA002381421 A CA 002381421A CA 2381421 A CA2381421 A CA 2381421A CA 2381421 C CA2381421 C CA 2381421C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle part
- part portion
- blow
- layer
- parison
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 238000000071 blow moulding Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 239000003981 vehicle Substances 0.000 claims description 40
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000004005 microsphere Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000002105 nanoparticle Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- 229920000049 Carbon (fiber) Polymers 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000004917 carbon fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 229910052500 inorganic mineral Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000011707 mineral Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000012815 thermoplastic material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 33
- 239000012779 reinforcing material Substances 0.000 description 11
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000003365 glass fiber Substances 0.000 description 6
- 239000002557 mineral fiber Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005336 cracking Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001125 extrusion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010101 extrusion blow moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000945 filler Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002344 surface layer Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
- B60R19/02—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects
- B60R19/18—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects characterised by the cross-section; Means within the bumper to absorb impact
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
- B60R19/02—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects
- B60R19/03—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects characterised by material, e.g. composite
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/02—Combined blow-moulding and manufacture of the preform or the parison
- B29C49/04—Extrusion blow-moulding
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/22—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor using multilayered preforms or parisons
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
- B29L2031/30—Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof
- B29L2031/3044—Bumpers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
- B60R19/02—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects
- B60R19/18—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects characterised by the cross-section; Means within the bumper to absorb impact
- B60R2019/1806—Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing
- B60R2019/1833—Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing made of plastic material
- B60R2019/184—Blow moulded
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
- B60R19/02—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects
- B60R19/18—Bumpers, i.e. impact receiving or absorbing members for protecting vehicles or fending off blows from other vehicles or objects characterised by the cross-section; Means within the bumper to absorb impact
- B60R2019/1806—Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing
- B60R2019/1833—Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing made of plastic material
- B60R2019/1853—Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing made of plastic material of reinforced plastic material
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention provides a blow-molded vehicle part and a blow-molding process for generating a one-piece vehicle part with improved strength, aesthetic appearance and reduced weight and cost. The blow-molded vehicle pa rt (200) includes a front vehicle part portion and a back vehicle part portion, wherein the front and back vehicle part portions have at least an outer unreinforced layer (204) of thermoplastic that forms a smooth outer surface of the vehicle part and a reinforced inner layer (202).
Description
REINFORCED BLOW-MOLDED BUMPERS
Background of the Invention The present invention relates generally to processes for blow-molding and to articles made by blow-molding. More particularly, the present invention relates to multi-layer blow-molded bumper structures that incorporate reinforcing materials.
State-of-the-art automobile bumpers are typically manufactured by molding thermoplastics using a variety of molding techniques. These techniques strive to provide the best aesthetic qualities and structural strength, while reducing the material costs and weight of the finished product. Many techniques and bumper structures utilize reinforcing materials, such as glass fibers in order to increase the structural strength and reduce weight. While the use of such reinforcing materials is known to provide many desirable characteristics to molded articles, the use of such reinforcing materials in bumper structures produced by blow-molding techniques has heretofore been problematic. One reason for this is that the use of reinforcing materials in blow-molded bumper structures may produce irregularities or read-through in the outer surface finish of the bumper. Another reason is that the presence of many conventional reinforcing materials such as fiber reinforcement may render the bumper surface finish brittle and therefore unable to resist cracking when the bumper is subject to mild deformations.
In addition to the use of reinforcing materials, another known technique for increasing the strength of bumper structures involves the use of tacked-off bumper structures. In such structures, the internal surfaces of a bumper are made to contact and bond with each other to add structural strength.
Typically, however, tacked-off structures result in a thermal sink and read-through to the finished surface. As such, tacked off structures have heretofore required the addition of a separately molded cover to provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior surface.
It would be desirable to provide blow-molded bumper structures which addresses the aforementioned shortcomings in the prior art. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide blow-molded bumper structures that utilize reinforcing materials, such as glass, mineral or carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles and which exhibit suitable surface finishes, even in bumper structures that incorporate tacked-off structures.
Summary of the Invention The aforementioned problems are eliminated and the desired advantages are realized by the present invention, which provides a blow-molded bumper structure that incorporates one or more internal layers that are reinforced with reinforcing materials, such as glass, mineral or carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles. The reinforced layer increases the strength of the bumper while reducing weight, density and material costs. The reinforced layer also provides a thermal barrier that acts to prevent read-through in tacked-off structures.
In one aspect, the invention may be defined as a blow-molded bumper including at least one inner layer containing a reinforcing material. More particularly, the invention may be defined as the aforementioned blow-molded bumper, wherein the reinforced layer is provided with glass fibers, mineral fibers, carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles.
In another aspect, the invention may be defined as a multi-layer blow-molded automobile bumper that includes at least one reinforced layer sandwiched between two unreinforced layers. More particularly, the invention may be defined as the aforementioned bumper, wherein the reinforced layer is provided with glass fibers, ceramic microspheres, mineral fibers, carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles.
Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting.
FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a two-layered blow-molded automobile bumper including an inner reinforced layer;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a three-layer blow-molded automobile bumper;
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of a three-layer blow-molded automobile bumper; and FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle bumper manufactured in accordance with the present invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a blow-molded automobile bumper 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Bumper 100 includes a front portion 102 and back portion 104. An outer layer 106 is provided as an unreinforced layer of thermoplastic which has desirable aesthetic qualities so as to form a smooth outer surface. Outer layer 106 completely surrounds an inner layer 110, which is provided as a reinforced thermoplastic. According to the invention, glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles may be used separately or in combination to provide the reinforcement to the reinforced inner layer 110. The glass may be in the form of glass fibers or glass microspheres. The mineral is typically in the form of mineral fibers. The bumper 100 shown in FIGURE 1 includes a gap space 112 between the front portion 102 and a recessed portion 114, which is formed during the molding process. Clearly the method of the present invention may be used to manufacture, for example, a bumper, a tail-gate, a door, or a running board.
As will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, the bumper 100 depicted in FIGURE 1, may be manufactured by utilizing a multilayered extrusion blow molding process. The first step is the extrusion of the multilayered thermoplastic parison to a length suitable for the size of the mold, wherein at least one inner layer includes at least one of: glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles. The parison is formed by heating thermoplastic material to a temperature where it is very soft but still able to retain its shape. Second, the mold is closed around the parison. High pressure gas is injected into the parison expanding it against the inside of the mold. Contact with the mold cools the material until hard.
Finally the mold is opened and the molded part is removed using appropriate equipment. This process is the same regardless of how many layers are in the parison.
FIGURE 2 illustrates a three-layer bumper 200 according to the invention. The bumper structure 200 includes a reinforced barrier layer 202 that is sandwiched between an outer layer 204 and an inner layer 206. As in the example of FIGURE 1, reinforced layer 202 may include glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles, for example. This particular structure, with the reinforced barrier layer 202 sandwiched between two layers of unreinforced material is useful to prevent the separation of layers upon deformation of the bumper structure.
FIGURE 3 illustrates another three-layer bumper structure 300 according to the invention. The bumper structure is like that shown in FIGURE
2, except that it includes a tacked-off portion 310 where an internal surface of the front portion 314 and an internal surface 316 of the recessed portion are caused to bond together. Tack-off 310 between the front portion 314 and back portion 340 can be controlled by designing the distance in the specified area to be less than the thickness of the parison layers that line the mold.
As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the thermal insulating characteristics of the reinforced barrier layer 302, owing to the presence of glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles, acts to prevent read-through of the tacked-off portion to the outer surface 330 of the front portion. Thus, the blow-molded bumper 300 may be formed in a single step without the addition of an outer surface layer to conceal read-through. Moreover, the tacked-off portion provides increased structural strength to the bumper 300.
The fiber-reinforced layer of the invention provides for reduced material cost, since the fibers therein act as a relatively inexpensive filler material to the relatively expensive thermoplastic materials. Thus, the fiber reinforced layer creates cost savings due to the displacement of comparatively heavy and costly resin materials with comparatively inexpensive reinforcing materials or nano-particles. The result is a blow-molded, one-piece automobile bumper, with improved strength, aesthetic appearance and reduced weight and cost compared to previous bumpers.
FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle bumper 402 manufactured in accordance with the present invention.
Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described hereinabove in some detail, it should be appreciated that a variety of embodiments will be readily available to persons utilizing the invention for a specific end use. The description of this invention is not intended to be limiting on this invention, but is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiment of this invention. Other products and methods that incorporate modifications or changes to that which has been described herein are equally included within this application. Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by referring to the above description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Background of the Invention The present invention relates generally to processes for blow-molding and to articles made by blow-molding. More particularly, the present invention relates to multi-layer blow-molded bumper structures that incorporate reinforcing materials.
State-of-the-art automobile bumpers are typically manufactured by molding thermoplastics using a variety of molding techniques. These techniques strive to provide the best aesthetic qualities and structural strength, while reducing the material costs and weight of the finished product. Many techniques and bumper structures utilize reinforcing materials, such as glass fibers in order to increase the structural strength and reduce weight. While the use of such reinforcing materials is known to provide many desirable characteristics to molded articles, the use of such reinforcing materials in bumper structures produced by blow-molding techniques has heretofore been problematic. One reason for this is that the use of reinforcing materials in blow-molded bumper structures may produce irregularities or read-through in the outer surface finish of the bumper. Another reason is that the presence of many conventional reinforcing materials such as fiber reinforcement may render the bumper surface finish brittle and therefore unable to resist cracking when the bumper is subject to mild deformations.
In addition to the use of reinforcing materials, another known technique for increasing the strength of bumper structures involves the use of tacked-off bumper structures. In such structures, the internal surfaces of a bumper are made to contact and bond with each other to add structural strength.
Typically, however, tacked-off structures result in a thermal sink and read-through to the finished surface. As such, tacked off structures have heretofore required the addition of a separately molded cover to provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior surface.
It would be desirable to provide blow-molded bumper structures which addresses the aforementioned shortcomings in the prior art. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide blow-molded bumper structures that utilize reinforcing materials, such as glass, mineral or carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles and which exhibit suitable surface finishes, even in bumper structures that incorporate tacked-off structures.
Summary of the Invention The aforementioned problems are eliminated and the desired advantages are realized by the present invention, which provides a blow-molded bumper structure that incorporates one or more internal layers that are reinforced with reinforcing materials, such as glass, mineral or carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles. The reinforced layer increases the strength of the bumper while reducing weight, density and material costs. The reinforced layer also provides a thermal barrier that acts to prevent read-through in tacked-off structures.
In one aspect, the invention may be defined as a blow-molded bumper including at least one inner layer containing a reinforcing material. More particularly, the invention may be defined as the aforementioned blow-molded bumper, wherein the reinforced layer is provided with glass fibers, mineral fibers, carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles.
In another aspect, the invention may be defined as a multi-layer blow-molded automobile bumper that includes at least one reinforced layer sandwiched between two unreinforced layers. More particularly, the invention may be defined as the aforementioned bumper, wherein the reinforced layer is provided with glass fibers, ceramic microspheres, mineral fibers, carbon fibers or glass microspheres or nano-particles.
Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting.
FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a two-layered blow-molded automobile bumper including an inner reinforced layer;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a three-layer blow-molded automobile bumper;
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of a three-layer blow-molded automobile bumper; and FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle bumper manufactured in accordance with the present invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a blow-molded automobile bumper 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Bumper 100 includes a front portion 102 and back portion 104. An outer layer 106 is provided as an unreinforced layer of thermoplastic which has desirable aesthetic qualities so as to form a smooth outer surface. Outer layer 106 completely surrounds an inner layer 110, which is provided as a reinforced thermoplastic. According to the invention, glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles may be used separately or in combination to provide the reinforcement to the reinforced inner layer 110. The glass may be in the form of glass fibers or glass microspheres. The mineral is typically in the form of mineral fibers. The bumper 100 shown in FIGURE 1 includes a gap space 112 between the front portion 102 and a recessed portion 114, which is formed during the molding process. Clearly the method of the present invention may be used to manufacture, for example, a bumper, a tail-gate, a door, or a running board.
As will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, the bumper 100 depicted in FIGURE 1, may be manufactured by utilizing a multilayered extrusion blow molding process. The first step is the extrusion of the multilayered thermoplastic parison to a length suitable for the size of the mold, wherein at least one inner layer includes at least one of: glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles. The parison is formed by heating thermoplastic material to a temperature where it is very soft but still able to retain its shape. Second, the mold is closed around the parison. High pressure gas is injected into the parison expanding it against the inside of the mold. Contact with the mold cools the material until hard.
Finally the mold is opened and the molded part is removed using appropriate equipment. This process is the same regardless of how many layers are in the parison.
FIGURE 2 illustrates a three-layer bumper 200 according to the invention. The bumper structure 200 includes a reinforced barrier layer 202 that is sandwiched between an outer layer 204 and an inner layer 206. As in the example of FIGURE 1, reinforced layer 202 may include glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles, for example. This particular structure, with the reinforced barrier layer 202 sandwiched between two layers of unreinforced material is useful to prevent the separation of layers upon deformation of the bumper structure.
FIGURE 3 illustrates another three-layer bumper structure 300 according to the invention. The bumper structure is like that shown in FIGURE
2, except that it includes a tacked-off portion 310 where an internal surface of the front portion 314 and an internal surface 316 of the recessed portion are caused to bond together. Tack-off 310 between the front portion 314 and back portion 340 can be controlled by designing the distance in the specified area to be less than the thickness of the parison layers that line the mold.
As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the thermal insulating characteristics of the reinforced barrier layer 302, owing to the presence of glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres or nano-particles, acts to prevent read-through of the tacked-off portion to the outer surface 330 of the front portion. Thus, the blow-molded bumper 300 may be formed in a single step without the addition of an outer surface layer to conceal read-through. Moreover, the tacked-off portion provides increased structural strength to the bumper 300.
The fiber-reinforced layer of the invention provides for reduced material cost, since the fibers therein act as a relatively inexpensive filler material to the relatively expensive thermoplastic materials. Thus, the fiber reinforced layer creates cost savings due to the displacement of comparatively heavy and costly resin materials with comparatively inexpensive reinforcing materials or nano-particles. The result is a blow-molded, one-piece automobile bumper, with improved strength, aesthetic appearance and reduced weight and cost compared to previous bumpers.
FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle bumper 402 manufactured in accordance with the present invention.
Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described hereinabove in some detail, it should be appreciated that a variety of embodiments will be readily available to persons utilizing the invention for a specific end use. The description of this invention is not intended to be limiting on this invention, but is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiment of this invention. Other products and methods that incorporate modifications or changes to that which has been described herein are equally included within this application. Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by referring to the above description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Claims (11)
1. A blow-molded vehicle part comprising:
a front vehicle part portion, and a back vehicle part portion, the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion having an outer unreinforced layer of a thermoplastic that forms a smooth outer surface of the vehicle part and a reinforced inner layer lying against the outer unreinforced layer, the reinforced inner layer including at least one of: glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres and nano-particles, the back vehicle part portion including a recessed portion that is recessed toward the front vehicle part portion to form a gap space between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion, wherein the recessed portion with the gap space is formed during a molding process, the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion further including another layer of unreinforced thermoplastic that sandwiches the reinforced inner layer between the outer unreinforced layer and said other layer of unreinforced thermoplastic.
a front vehicle part portion, and a back vehicle part portion, the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion having an outer unreinforced layer of a thermoplastic that forms a smooth outer surface of the vehicle part and a reinforced inner layer lying against the outer unreinforced layer, the reinforced inner layer including at least one of: glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres and nano-particles, the back vehicle part portion including a recessed portion that is recessed toward the front vehicle part portion to form a gap space between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion, wherein the recessed portion with the gap space is formed during a molding process, the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion further including another layer of unreinforced thermoplastic that sandwiches the reinforced inner layer between the outer unreinforced layer and said other layer of unreinforced thermoplastic.
2. The blow-molded vehicle part of claim 1 wherein:
the back vehicle part portion is recessed toward the front vehicle part portion to form a distance between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion that is less than a thickness of parison layers that line the mold, bonding said other layer of unreinforced thermoplastic of the back vehicle part portion with said layer of unreinforced thermoplastic of the front vehicle part portion during a molding process.
the back vehicle part portion is recessed toward the front vehicle part portion to form a distance between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion that is less than a thickness of parison layers that line the mold, bonding said other layer of unreinforced thermoplastic of the back vehicle part portion with said layer of unreinforced thermoplastic of the front vehicle part portion during a molding process.
3. The blow-molded vehicle part of claim 1, wherein the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion are formed from at least three layers of unreinforced/reinforced thermoplastic.
4. The blow-molded vehicle part of claim 1 wherein:
the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion are formed from at least three layers of unreinforced/reinforced thermoplastic; and the back vehicle part portion is recessed toward the front vehicle part portion to form a distance between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion that is less than a thickness of parison layers that line the mold, bonding an innermost layer of the back vehicle part portion with an innermost layer of the front vehicle part portion during a molding process.
the front vehicle part portion and the back vehicle part portion are formed from at least three layers of unreinforced/reinforced thermoplastic; and the back vehicle part portion is recessed toward the front vehicle part portion to form a distance between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion that is less than a thickness of parison layers that line the mold, bonding an innermost layer of the back vehicle part portion with an innermost layer of the front vehicle part portion during a molding process.
5. The blow-molded vehicle part of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.
6. The blow-molded vehicle part of claim 1, wherein the part is one of: a bumper, a tail-gate, a door, and a running board.
7. A blow-molding process for manufacturing a multilayered portion vehicle part comprising the steps of:
extruding a multilayered thermoplastic parison to a length suitable for a size of a preselected mold, wherein at least one reinforced inner layer includes at least one of:
glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres and nanoparticles and wherein the reinforced inner layer is sandwiched between an outer unreinforced layer and an inner unreinforced layer;
closing the preselected mold around the parison;
heating the parison to a temperature at which the parison is very soft but still able to retain a desired shape;
injecting a high pressure gas into the parison to expand the parison against an inside of the preselected mold; and allowing the parison to cool and, when the thermoplastic material has cooled sufficiently, removing the part from the preselected mold.
extruding a multilayered thermoplastic parison to a length suitable for a size of a preselected mold, wherein at least one reinforced inner layer includes at least one of:
glass, mineral, carbon fibers, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres and nanoparticles and wherein the reinforced inner layer is sandwiched between an outer unreinforced layer and an inner unreinforced layer;
closing the preselected mold around the parison;
heating the parison to a temperature at which the parison is very soft but still able to retain a desired shape;
injecting a high pressure gas into the parison to expand the parison against an inside of the preselected mold; and allowing the parison to cool and, when the thermoplastic material has cooled sufficiently, removing the part from the preselected mold.
8. The blow-molding process of claim 7 further including, before removing the part from the preselected mold, repeating the above steps at least one time using a reinforced/unreinforced thermoplastic material until a desired number of layers are formed.
9. The blow-molding process of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.
10. The blow-molding process of claim 7, wherein the part is one of: a bumper, a tail-gate, a door, and a running board.
11. The blow-molding process of claim 7, the step of injecting a high pressure gas into the parison to expand the parison against an inside surface of the preselected mold, a back vehicle part portion is recessed toward a front vehicle part portion to form a distance between the front vehicle part portion and the recessed portion that is less than a thickness of parison layers that line the mold, and the further step of bonding an innermost layer of the back vehicle part portion with an innermost layer of the front vehicle part portion.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US14888999P | 1999-08-13 | 1999-08-13 | |
| US60/148,889 | 1999-08-13 | ||
| PCT/US2000/021621 WO2001012407A2 (en) | 1999-08-13 | 2000-08-09 | Reinforced blow-molded bumpers |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2381421A1 CA2381421A1 (en) | 2001-02-22 |
| CA2381421C true CA2381421C (en) | 2008-07-22 |
Family
ID=22527880
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002381421A Expired - Fee Related CA2381421C (en) | 1999-08-13 | 2000-08-09 | Reinforced blow-molded bumpers |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2381421C (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2001012407A2 (en) |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH07205264A (en) * | 1994-01-11 | 1995-08-08 | Nippon Steel Chem Co Ltd | Multilayer blow molded form |
| JP3379243B2 (en) * | 1994-10-24 | 2003-02-24 | 豊田合成株式会社 | Blow molded product for automotive exterior |
-
2000
- 2000-08-09 CA CA002381421A patent/CA2381421C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2000-08-09 WO PCT/US2000/021621 patent/WO2001012407A2/en active Application Filing
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2381421A1 (en) | 2001-02-22 |
| WO2001012407A3 (en) | 2001-07-05 |
| WO2001012407A2 (en) | 2001-02-22 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US6692064B1 (en) | Reinforced blow-molded bumpers | |
| Ning et al. | Design and development of thermoplastic composite roof door for mass transit bus | |
| JP4812760B2 (en) | Renewable composite plastic for automotive headliner | |
| US8388020B2 (en) | Inflatable multilayer bolster and method of manufacture | |
| US7410030B2 (en) | Soundproofing material for vehicle | |
| US7264685B2 (en) | Method of manufacturing a composite shoddy | |
| JPWO2010050242A1 (en) | Sandwich panel, sandwich panel core molding method, and sandwich panel molding method | |
| US6454974B1 (en) | Method for vacuum pressure forming reinforced plastic articles | |
| US6592358B2 (en) | Hollow article and its manufacturing method and apparatus thereof | |
| US4859524A (en) | Reinforced composite and method of manufacture | |
| JP2001010542A (en) | Automobile floor and its manufacture | |
| CA2358534A1 (en) | Structural foam composite having nano-particle reinforcement and method of making the same | |
| KR20180133970A (en) | Hood insulation for vehicle | |
| CA2381421C (en) | Reinforced blow-molded bumpers | |
| KR102215710B1 (en) | Acrylonitril butadiene styrene resin foam sheet, method for producing the same, molded article and method for producing the molded article | |
| US5334427A (en) | Stampable reinforced thermoplastic sheet and articles obtained from said sheet | |
| EP0623491B1 (en) | Multilayered product, particularly adapted for use as vehicle interior cover sheets | |
| US6174470B1 (en) | Method for blow-molding an automotive instrument panel having an integral airbag door | |
| JP2009154428A (en) | Automobile interior component, and method for producing the same | |
| CA2888959C (en) | Co-injection molding of the structural portion of a vehicle liftgate inner panel | |
| JPH06247237A (en) | Car bumper and its manufacture | |
| JP2001009984A (en) | Multilayered molded product and production thereof | |
| KR102387971B1 (en) | Panel for luggage board of vehicle and manufacturing method thereof | |
| US5851624A (en) | Soft touch top cover and method of manufacturing | |
| CN208630040U (en) | A kind of lightweight multilayer materials heavy truck door trim panel |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |