JP2004142607A - Impact energy absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an impact energy absorber capable of realizing size reduction and stable characteristics. <P>SOLUTION: This impact energy absorber 1 is constituted by filling a hollow external frame body 2 with a filler 3 as an aggregate of hollow metal balls 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

更に充填体３を各中空部２１、２２に詰めている構造のために、圧縮変形過程で充填体３がリブ２３を両側から支えられるように作用して、薄いリブ２３で、大きな圧縮力を持続的に発生できるようになって、衝撃荷重の吸収特性の安定化にも寄与できる。
【００１９】
【発明の効果】
衝撃エネルギー吸収体を上記のように中空金属球の集合体である充填体を用いて構成することによって、特に固体体積率が小さいために衝撃エネルギー吸収体を小型化ができ、また均質な金属球の集合体で構成できるために安定した衝撃エネルギー吸収体を得ることができるようになる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明に関る衝撃エネルギー吸収体を適用したフロントバンパの斜視図である。
【図２】図１におけるＡ−Ａ断面図である。
【図３】本発明に関る衝撃エネルギー吸収体に用いられる中空金属球の集合体である充填体の斜視図である。
【符号の説明】
１　　　衝撃エネルギー吸収体（バンパ）
２　　　外枠体（バンパリインホースメント）
３　　　充填体
３１　　　中空金属球[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shock energy absorber used for a reinforcement, a crash box or a frame of a bumper configured to absorb a shock energy by deforming, for example, in a collision of an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, such an impact energy absorber has a hollow structure such as a bumper reinforcement, a crash box, and a frame of a vehicle, and the impact energy is absorbed by the vehicle being compressed and deformed together with the structure when a collision occurs. The member is located within the structure. As the filling member, those made of various materials have been proposed in order to obtain an optimal impact energy absorption characteristic. For example, there is a foam metal as one of the filling members (for example, see Patent Document 1). Further, there is a wood material as another filling member (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-59298
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-182770
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional impact energy absorber using a foam metal filler disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-59298, the compression with respect to the volume before compression when designed to obtain predetermined impact energy characteristics. There is a problem that the later volume ratio, that is, the solid volume ratio is large, and the size of the impact energy absorber becomes large. Further, the one using a filler made of a woody material disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-182767 also has a large solid volume ratio and a large size of the impact energy absorber. Further, there is a problem that a filler made of a wood material is easily affected by temperature and humidity, and it is difficult to obtain a stable impact energy absorbing performance.
[0006]
Therefore, an object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to realize a small-sized impact energy absorber having stable characteristics.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first technical means adopted in the present invention is an outer frame body having a hollow portion, and a filling member which is disposed in the hollow portion and is compressed and deformed when the outer frame body is deformed. And a filler is an aggregate of hollow metal spheres.
[0008]
According to this configuration, since an aggregate of hollow metal spheres having a small solid volume ratio is applied as a filler, a small and stable predetermined energy absorption characteristic can be obtained.
[0009]
Further, in addition to the first technical means, a second technical means taken in the present invention is that the hollow metal sphere has a diameter of 0.5 to 10 mm and a thickness of a spherical shell of 20 to 1000 μm, The filler has a solids volume ratio of 2 to 3%.
[0010]
With this configuration, the size of the impact energy absorber can be reliably reduced, and the predetermined energy absorption characteristics can be obtained more stably.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 and Table 1.
[0012]
First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the impact energy absorber according to the present invention is applied to a front bumper 1 for an automobile. The front bumper 1 includes a reinforcement 2 (outer frame) extending in the width direction of the vehicle, and is attached to the vehicle body 10 via a pair of stays 5 fixed to the left and right of the reinforcement 2 by screws 51. The front bumper 1 includes a skin member 4 arranged on the outermost side, and a buffer member 6 is arranged between the front bumper 1 and the reinforcement 2 inside the skin member 4.
[0013]
As the reinforcement 2, a long hollow material formed by extruding a light alloy such as aluminum into a constant cross-sectional shape is used. The long hollow member is bent in the width direction of the vehicle along the vehicle body. The cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the reinforcement 2 is a hollow rectangle as shown in FIG. 2, and has a rib 23 for connecting the front and rear vertical walls substantially horizontally in the center of the inside thereof, It is divided into an upper hollow portion 21 and a lower hollow portion 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a filler 3 is packed over a predetermined length in the upper hollow portion 21 and the lower hollow portion 22 corresponding to the position where the stay 5 is attached.
[0014]
The filler 3 is an aggregate of hollow metal spheres 31 as shown in FIG. Such a hollow metal sphere 31 is produced by a method disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-39490, and has a diameter of 0.5 to 10 mm, a spherical shell thickness of 20 to 1000 μm, and iron, Or, it is made of aluminum. The hollow metal spheres 31 are heated and welded to each other to form an aggregate. The shape of the aggregate may be appropriately divided so as to be easily inserted into the hollow portions 21 and 22.
[0015]
In the front bumper 1 having the reinforcement 2 configured as described above, when the vehicle collides with an obstacle, the impact is absorbed by the deformation of the skin member 4 and the cushioning member 6 if the collision is minor. . And the deformation | transformation of the reinforcement 2 and the vehicle body 10 is avoided. Further, when a large collision occurs with an impact that the skin member 4 and the cushioning member 6 cannot completely absorb by deformation, the reinforcement 2 is deformed by a compressive load in the front-rear direction as shown by a two-dot chain line B in FIG. I do. With the deformation of the reinforcement 2, the filler 3 also undergoes compression deformation. The impact load is absorbed by the compressive deformation of the reinforcement 2 and the filling body 3, and the deformation of the vehicle body 10 is prevented.
[0016]
The sharing ratio of the impact load absorbed by the reinforcement 2 and the filler 3 is set optimally when the front bumper 1 is designed. For example, if the sharing ratio of the filler 3 is set to be large, the thickness of the reinforcement 2 manufactured by the extrusion method can be reduced over the entire length. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the weight of the reinforcement 2 can be reduced by filling the filler 3 only in a predetermined length portion corresponding to the mounting position of the stay 5 where the impact load is concentrated.
[0017]
As shown in Table 1, the filler 3 as an aggregate of the hollow metal spheres 31 has a solid volume fraction, that is, a volume ratio after compression with respect to the volume before compression when designed to obtain predetermined impact energy characteristics. The ratio is very small compared to other materials. Due to this characteristic, even if the cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction of the reinforcement 2 is made smaller, the required amount of deformation for absorbing the impact load can be secured. It is advantageous.
[0018]
[Table 1]

Further, due to the structure in which the filling member 3 is packed in the hollow portions 21 and 22, the filling member 3 acts so as to support the rib 23 from both sides in the compression deformation process, and a large compression force is applied by the thin rib 23. It can be generated continuously and can contribute to the stabilization of the shock load absorption characteristics.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
By configuring the impact energy absorber using the packing body, which is an aggregate of hollow metal spheres, as described above, the impact energy absorber can be downsized, particularly because the solid volume ratio is small, and the uniform metal sphere can be formed. And a stable impact energy absorber can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front bumper to which an impact energy absorber according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a filler, which is an aggregate of hollow metal spheres used in the impact energy absorber according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Impact energy absorber (bumper)
2 Outer frame (bumper reinforcement)
3 Filling body 31 Hollow metal sphere

Claims (2)

An outer frame body having a hollow portion,
In the impact energy absorber, which is disposed in the hollow portion and includes a filler that is compressed and deformed when the outer frame body is deformed,
An impact energy absorber, wherein the filler is an aggregate of hollow metal spheres. The impact according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the hollow metal sphere is 0.5 to 10 mm, the thickness of the spherical shell is 20 to 1000 m, and the solid body has a solid volume ratio of 2 to 3%. Energy absorber.

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