JP6904562B2 - Honeycomb structure and mold for forming honeycomb structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure that is also used as a shock absorbing component of an automobile or an aircraft, and a honeycomb structure molding die used for molding the honeycomb structure.
The honeycomb structure of the present invention is not limited to an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a regular hexagonal cylinder shape in a plan view, and is a polygonal cylinder such as a triangle shape or an octagon shape in a plan view. It shall also include an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a shape.

Conventionally, honeycomb structures have been widely used as shock absorbing parts for automobiles, aircraft, etc. because they can improve mechanical strength as well as weight reduction. As a method for manufacturing this honeycomb structure, for example, in Patent Document 1, the honeycomb structure is made of an aluminum alloy in order to maintain mechanical strength, and the contact surfaces of the face plates serving as side walls are brazed and integrated. A manufacturing method for brazing is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-156000

However, since it is made of aluminum metal, there is a problem in terms of weight in automobiles and aircraft that are required to be lightweight, and there is a problem that the brazing bonding method takes a long time to work.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a honeycomb structure which is lightweight, easy to manufacture, and has vibration absorbing and shock absorbing functions, and a honeycomb structure molding die. It is to provide.

In order to achieve such an object, the first invention is a honeycomb structure having a plurality of side walls having at least three faces or more, and composed of an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a polygonal tubular shape in a plan view. Therefore, the aggregate of the plurality of cells is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material or a rubber material, and the thickness of the side wall where the cells are not adjacent to each other is the thickness of the side wall where the cells are adjacent to each other. rather thin than,
The lower surface of the cell
A reinforcing support portion that connects the intermediate points between the side walls facing each other, and a reinforcing support portion.
The honeycomb structure is characterized in that it includes the reinforcing support portion and a thin film bottom portion that covers the entire lower surface of the cell.

The second aspect of the present invention is that, in the first aspect of the present invention, each of the cells is a honeycomb structure characterized by having a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view.

In the third invention, in the first invention or the second invention, the thickness of the side wall where the cells are not adjacent to each other is 1/2 of the thickness of the side wall where the cells are adjacent to each other. The honeycomb structure is characterized in that it is characterized in that.

In the fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of side walls having at least three or more surfaces are formed by filling a cavity with a synthetic resin material or a rubber material and molding the cavity, and a plurality of polygonal tubular shapes are formed in a plan view. A mold for forming a honeycomb structure composed of an aggregate of cells, which has an upper mold and a lower mold having a cavity having a predetermined shape formed on a molding surface, and an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface. However, a plurality of cores formed in a polygonal prismatic shape in a plan view and arranged at predetermined positions in the cavity are included, and the upper surfaces of the plurality of cores have opposite sides facing each other. The cores are arranged in the lower mold so that a first gap is formed between the adjacent cores, and the cores are provided with a groove formed in a concave shape over the midpoints of the above. The groove portion is arranged so as to be located on the same line between adjacent cores, and the upper mold is arranged with a second gap continuous with the first gap between the upper surface of each core. This is a die for forming a honeycomb structure, which is characterized by being formed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a honeycomb structure and a mold for forming a honeycomb structure, which are lightweight and easy to manufacture, and have vibration absorbing and shock absorbing functions.

It is a perspective view of the honeycomb structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the honeycomb structure of FIG. 1 partially enlarged. It is a perspective view of the honeycomb structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the honeycomb structure of FIG. 3 partially enlarged. It is a core (piece) constituting the honeycomb structure molding mold of the present invention used for molding the honeycomb structure of the second embodiment, and (a) is a core (piece) seen from the upper surface side. ) Is a perspective view, and (b) is a perspective view of a core (piece) seen from the bottom surface side. It is a perspective view which shows the lower mold which comprises the mold for forming a honeycomb structure of this invention. It is a top view which shows the state which the core (piece) shown in FIG. 5 is arranged in the lower mold shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the medium mold which comprises the mold for forming a honeycomb structure of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the upper mold which comprises the mold for forming a honeycomb structure of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the pressing lid which constitutes the mold for forming a honeycomb structure of this invention. It is an exploded sectional view of the mold for forming a honeycomb structure of this invention. A cross-sectional view of the honeycomb structure molding die of the present invention shows a state in which a molding material is set in a pot. It is a partially enlarged sectional view of FIG. It is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view which shows the state which the molding material was press-fitted into the cavity of a mold.

The honeycomb structure according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed by, for example, pot transfer molding using the honeycomb structure molding die according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Further, in the present embodiment, a rubber material (silicone rubber) is adopted as an example of the molding material. The molding material may be a resin material as well as a rubber material.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the honeycomb structure of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, and then an embodiment of the honeycomb structure molding die of the present invention for molding the honeycomb structure will be described with reference to the drawings.

"Honeycomb structure"
The honeycomb structure of the present invention can be given, for example, two embodiments of the first embodiment and the second embodiment as an example, and will be described in order with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a so-called honeycomb-shaped honeycomb structure composed of an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view is adopted as an example. Further, the relationship between the numerical values and the dimensions described as examples is only an example, and may naturally change depending on the form of the honeycomb structure and the molding material.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the honeycomb structure 1 of the first embodiment is a flat surface formed by arranging a plurality of cells 2 formed in a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view in parallel on the same plane and integrally molding them. It is an aggregate.
One cell 2 includes six side walls 3 that form a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view, and the thickness W1 of the side walls 3b (3) in which the cells 2 are not adjacent to each other is such that the cells 2 are adjacent to each other. The side wall 3a (3) is formed thinner than the thickness W2 (see FIG. 2).
In the present embodiment, the thickness W1 of the side wall 3b (3) in which the cells 2 are not adjacent to each other is about ½ of the thickness of the side wall 3a (3) in which the cells 2 are adjacent to each other.
Further, the upper and lower surfaces of each cell 2 are open. That is, each cell 2 constituting the present embodiment is formed into a tubular shape with upper and lower surfaces open.

The number of cells 2 constituting the honeycomb structure 1 of the present embodiment is 25 in total of 5 in the vertical direction and 5 in the horizontal direction, and these are arranged side by side in a predetermined direction and integrally molded.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the cell size (width between the inner surfaces of the side walls 3 facing each other) W3 of one cell 2 is selected according to the intended use and the durability. That is, the smaller the cell size W3, the higher the shear strength, and therefore the smaller the amount of deflection. In this embodiment, the cell size W3 is 25.98 mm.
Further, the thickness W2 of the side wall 3a (3) in which the cells 2 are adjacent to each other is 1 mm, and the thickness W1 of the side wall 3b (3) in which the cells 2 are not adjacent to each other is 1 of the thickness W2 of the side wall 3a (3). It is set to 500 μm, which is / 2.

The honeycomb structure 1 of the present embodiment may be used alone, but for example, a predetermined number of honeycomb structures 1 are prepared, and the cells 2 in each honeycomb structure 1 are adjacent to each other. By bringing the non-side walls 3b (3) into contact with each other on the same plane and connecting them, the total area (area of the plane assembly) of the honeycomb structure 1 can be made into an arbitrary size according to the intended use. ..
In this case, since the side walls 3b (3) of the joined portion are adjacent to each other, the thicknesses W1 and W1 of the joined side walls 3b (3) are the side walls 3a (3) in which the cells 2 are adjacent to each other. ) Is the thickness W2.
In this embodiment, since silicone rubber is used as the molding material, even if a plurality of honeycomb structures 1 are connected to form a large area, the weight is lighter than that of a metal honeycomb structure having the same area. can do.
In this way, when connecting the plurality of honeycomb structures 1, for example, a silicone adhesive can be used. An adhesive suitable for the molding material of the honeycomb structure 1 is appropriately selected within the scope of the present invention.

The honeycomb structure of the present invention has a plurality of side walls having at least three faces or more, and is within the scope of the present invention as long as it is composed of an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a polygonal tubular shape in a plan view. The design can be changed as appropriate.

Silicone rubber is highly elastic and can be greatly deformed by bending, stretching, and shrinking as compared with general organic rubber. Such a property can also be used for a curved surface shape, and can be used, for example, for an inner surface member (shock absorbing member) of a helmet in which shock absorption is most important.
Further, since it is possible to impart shock absorption while reducing the weight, the honeycomb structure of the present embodiment can be effectively used even in applications other than the inside of an automobile body, the inside of an aircraft body, or the inside. ..

Further, since the silicone rubber has excellent transparency, it can be easily colored with a pigment, and a colorful honeycomb structure can be provided. For example, by using various colors such as white, pink, red, and yellow, the size of the honeycomb structure used and the number of honeycomb structures used can be clarified at a glance.
It is also possible to use the color and geometric pattern of the honeycomb structure as a wall material for a house, for example, not only to enhance the decorativeness, but also if a child accidentally collides with the wall in the room. The impact can be absorbed and mitigated, and a safe indoor space can be provided. Further, since the honeycomb structure also has sound absorbing property, it can be used as a soundproof wall or the like by adjusting the size of the cell 2.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the honeycomb structure of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The honeycomb structure 1 of the second embodiment has a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view, and has a plurality of cells 2 having six side walls 3 (3a, 3b) having predetermined thicknesses W1 and W2 in the same plane. Since it is the same as the honeycomb structure 1 of the first embodiment in that it is integrally formed by arranging it side by side on the top, the explanation of this point is omitted, and in particular, the unique configuration of the second embodiment and The action and effect will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the honeycomb structure 2 of the second embodiment has side walls 3, 3 (3a, 3b or 3a, 3a or 3b, 3b) facing each other on the lower surface of the cell 2, respectively. It is provided with three reinforcing support portions 4 that are bridged over the intermediate points 3c and 3c of the cells and intersect at the central point 6 of the cell 2, and a thin film bottom portion 5 that includes the reinforcing support portion 4 and covers the entire lower surface of the cell 2. There is.
That is, in the first embodiment, each of the tubular cells 2 constituting the honeycomb structure 1 is composed of only six side walls 3 and is open in both the vertical direction, but the honeycomb of the second embodiment. Only the upper surface of the cell 2 of the structure 2 is open, and the lower surface is closed by the reinforcing support portion 4 and the thin film bottom portion 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcing support portion 4 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a predetermined thickness, and each reinforcing support portion 4 has the same shape. Therefore, the crossing angle at the center point 6 of each reinforcing support portion 4 is 60 degrees.
Further, since it is configured in this way, the reinforcing support portions 4 of the adjacent cells 2 are located on the same line.

In the present embodiment, the reinforcing support member 4 is not bridged over the respective corners (each apex of the regular hexagon) of the regular hexagon in the plan view in each cell 2, but the side walls 3a (3) facing each other. Since it was decided to bridge the intermediate point 3c of the cell 2 and the intermediate point 3c of the side wall 3b (3), the strength of each cell 2 in the horizontal direction (extending direction of each reinforcing support portion 4) is reinforced. As a result, even if the honeycomb structure 1 is deformed or buckled, it can easily return to the original state, and the change / restoration property becomes good.
Further, the central point 6 where the reinforcing support members 4 intersect is hemispherically projected.

Further, the width of the reinforcing support portion 4 is 2 mm and the thickness is 1.5 mm, which is a rectangular parallelepiped, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The thin film bottom portion 5 includes the reinforcing support portion 4 and is formed so as to cover the entire lower surface of the cell 2 with a thin film having a predetermined thickness. As a result, in combination with the reinforcing support portion 4 formed on the bottom portion 5 of the thin film, the strength and resilience of each cell 2 constituting the honeycomb structure 1 can be improved.
Such a thin film bottom 5 made of silicone rubber has good adsorptivity and is suitable for applications having adhesion because it is difficult for air bubbles to be formed between the honeycomb structure 1 of the present embodiment and the member. .. For example, when the honeycomb structure 1 of the present embodiment is used as the floor mat and the honeycomb structure 1 is laid on the floor surface of the flooring, the thin film bottom 5 made of silicone rubber and the floor surface are in close contact with each other without any gap (air enters). Therefore, the frictional resistance between the floor mat and the floor surface becomes high. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the user falls and is injured due to the floor mat slipping on the floor surface.

[Honeycomb structure molding mold]
Next, one embodiment of the honeycomb structure molding die used for molding the honeycomb structure of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 14.
The honeycomb structure molding mold 10 is formed by forming rubber in a cavity 20 formed by a lower mold 11, a core (piece) 12, a middle mold 13, and an upper mold 14 which are vertically separated and vulcanized so as to be overlapped with each other. Silicone rubber 16 which is a material (molding material) is press-fitted by a plunger 15 and vulcanized to form a honeycomb structure composed of an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view. Used.
Hereinafter, the mold 10 will be described first with respect to the core (piece) 12 which is a main part of the present invention, and then the lower mold 11 to the plunger 15 of the mold will be described with reference to the drawings in the order of stacking.

[Core (piece)]
In the present embodiment, the core (piece) 12 has an upper surface 12e, a lower surface 12f, and six side surfaces 12a, and has a main body 12h formed in a regular hexagonal prismatic shape in a plan view and a lower surface of the main body 12h. In the central region of 12f, it is composed of a leg portion 12b that protrudes smaller than the lower surface 12f and is integrally molded (see FIG. 5).
As shown in FIG. 5A, the size (width between the opposing side surfaces 12a and 12a) T3 of the core (piece) 12 constitutes the honeycomb structure 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The one that matches the cell size W3 of one cell 2 is selected.
Further, the core (piece) 12 of the present embodiment is processed by forming a chrome-plated film on a metal material, and is easily inserted by utilizing the hardness and slipperiness of the metal chrome.

The leg portion 12b is fitted into the recess 11a of the lower mold 11 described later, and the core 12 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position. In this embodiment, each corner is chamfered.
The shape and number of the legs 12b are not particularly limited and the design can be changed within the scope of the present invention.

The upper surface 12e is provided with three groove portions 12c having a predetermined depth so as to be bridged between the intermediate points P and P of the upper sides 12g and 12g of the opposite side surfaces 12a and 12a, and the groove portion 12c is provided. The intersecting center point Q has a recess 12d made of a hemisphere. When the groove portion 12c is configured as described above, the angle of intersection between the groove portion 12c and the groove portion 12c is 60 degrees.

The recess 12d is located at the center of the upper surface 12e of the core (piece) 12, has a diameter S1 of 6 mm and a depth S2 of 1 mm (see FIGS. 5 and 13). By providing the recess 12d made of such a hemisphere, when the unvulcanized silicone rubber 16 is press-fitted into the gap (cavity) 20 between the core (piece) 12 and the upper mold 14, the gap (cavity) The groove portion 12c in 20 is filled so as to flow evenly. Since the silicone rubber 16 is evenly filled in this way, the lower surface of the cell 2 composed of the reinforcing support portion 4 and the thin film bottom portion 5 can be molded with high dimensional accuracy.

In FIG. 5, the width T1 of the groove of the groove portion 12c in the present embodiment is 2 mm, the depth T2 is 1.5 mm, and the reinforcing support member 4 of the cell 2 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped. The dimensions of the width T1 and the depth T2 can be arbitrarily changed in the width and depth of the groove portion 12c and the reinforcing support member 4 according to the size of the cell 2. The size T3 of the core (piece) 12 of the present embodiment is 25.98 mm.
Further, the length (height) H1 of the core 12 is about 10 mm, the length (height) H2 of the substantially trapezoidal leg portion 12b projecting from the lower surface 12f is 5 mm, and the length H3 of the short side is Although it is 5 mm and the length H4 of the long side is 16 mm, it is not limited to the dimensions of the present embodiment (see FIGS. 5 and 13).

Further, when the thicknesses W1 and W2 of the side wall 3 of the cell 2 of the honeycomb structure 1 to be molded are changed, the sizes of the lower die 11, the middle die 13 and the upper die 14 are different without changing the dimensions and structures. It is only necessary to replace the core (piece) 12. That is, the thicknesses W1 and W2 of the side wall 3 of the cell 2 can be easily changed by changing the size of only the core (piece) 12 (replacing the core) according to the manufacturing requirement of the honeycomb structure 1. It can be rational and economical.

In this way, even when the thicknesses W1 and W2 of the side wall 3 of the cell 2 are changed, it is not necessary to change the lower mold 11 (shape of the recess 11a) because the size of the legs 12b is the same. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of lower dies 11 having different sizes, and it is not necessary to reconstruct the dies 10, which is rational and economical.

When a plurality (25 pieces in total) of such cores (pieces) 12 are inserted into the lower mold 11 one by one in the process of assembling the mold 10, the plurality of cores (pieces) 12 It is arranged so as to fill the hollow space region 13d of the medium-sized 13 having the outer shape of the outer contour.

[Lower type]
The lower mold 11 is detachable in the vertical direction and is arranged in the lowermost layer of the mold 10 (see FIG. 11).
As shown in FIG. 6, the lower die 11 is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular plate having a predetermined thickness as a whole, has a set area 11b of a core (piece) 12 in a central region, and has a core (piece) 12 The first guide pin 11c and the second guide pin 11d for alignment are projected from the four corners of the upper surface avoiding the set area 11b of the above so that the alignment position of each mold 10 does not shift.

The first guide pin 11c functions for positioning the lower die 11, the middle die 13, and the upper die 14 at predetermined positions.
The first guide pin 11c has a cylindrical shape made of steel having a diameter of about 15 mm, and is formed through a second fitting hole 13a formed in the middle mold 13 and a third fitting hole 13c formed in the upper mold 14 of the upper layer thereof. It abuts to the middle part. As a result, the lower mold 11, the middle mold 13, and the upper mold 14 can be positioned at predetermined positions.

The second guide pin 11d is shorter than the first guide pin 11c and protrudes into a tapered conical shape in the vicinity of the first guide pin 11c, outside the first guide pin 11c in the present embodiment, and shorter than the first guide pin 11c. The thickness (W1) of the side walls 3 (3a, 3b) of the cell 2 of the honeycomb structure 1 to be formed by improving the alignment accuracy by doubly positioning the medium mold 13 together with the first guide pin 11c. , W2) dimensional accuracy can be improved. In this embodiment, it is made of steel having a maximum diameter of about 18 mm.

The shapes of the first guide pin 11c and the second guide pin 11d can be changed according to the size of the mold 10 and are not limited to the present embodiment, and the first guide pin 11c or the second guide pin 11d can be used. , The entire mold 10 may be assembled by extending it to the uppermost pot lid 15.

Further, in the vicinity of the second guide pin 11d, first fitting holes 11e into which a rod-shaped positioning third guide pin (not shown) protruding from the upper die 14 is fitted are formed at four corners. There is. As a result, the alignment of the first guide pin 11c and the second guide pin 11d as well as the alignment when the lower die 11 to the upper die 14 are combined is ensured.

The first guide pin 11c and the second guide pin 11d may have a block shape as well as a pin shape, and the shape of each fitting hole may be an arbitrary shape such as a slit shape, an oval shape, or an elliptical shape.

The set area 11b represents the outer peripheral contour of the honeycomb structure 1 when all the cores (pieces) 12 are inserted and arranged, and a plurality of recesses 11a (25 pieces) are formed in a row at a predetermined position in the set area 11b. ) Is formed.
The recess 11a has a hole shape to which the leg portion 12b of the core (piece) 12 fits, and when the leg portion 12b is fitted into the recess 11a, the core 12 is positioned at a predetermined position.
Specifically, when the entire leg portion 11b of the core (piece) 12 is fitted in the recess 11a, the leg portion is provided so that a gap is not formed between the leg portion 11b and the recess 11a. A fitting space corresponding to the shape of 11b is formed.
In the present embodiment, the recess 11a is a recess having a long side of 16 mm, a short side of 5 mm, and a depth of about 6 mm, in accordance with the length of the leg portion 11b.
As shown in FIG. 6, the recesses 11a are arranged in five rows vertically and horizontally, and are arranged so as to be the same as the center of the cell 2 of the honeycomb structure 1 and the center of the recess 11a. As many as 25 cells 2 of the body 1 are formed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the leg portion 11b of the core (piece) 12 is inserted and fitted into the recess 11a and set. When 25 cores (pieces) 12 are incorporated, the gap (first gap) L2 between adjacent cores (pieces) 12 is the thickness W2 of the side wall 3a of the cell 2 of the honeycomb structure 1. It is 1 mm. That is, the recess 11a is set so that the side wall 3a of the cell 2 having the thickness W2 can form a gap distance between the adjacent cores 12.

The lower mold 11 of the present embodiment is made of a metal plate having a long side length of 280 mm, a short side length of 200 mm, and a thickness of about 25 mm, and the entire surface including the inner surface of the recess 11a is accurate. Hard chrome plated. Further, since the core (piece) 12 is also processed to form a chrome-plated film, the core (piece) 12 does not move (shift) in the lower mold 11 due to the hardness of the metal chrome and the good slipperiness. It is firmly fixed. As a result, the press-fitted silicone rubber does not form unnecessary burrs between the core (piece) 12 and the lower mold 11.

Further, the lower mold 11 has handle attachment portions (not shown) on both sides of the lower mold 11 in the lateral direction so that the operator can assemble and carry the lower mold 11.

[Medium size]
The medium mold 13 is detachable in the vertical direction and is arranged in the upper layer of the lower mold 11 to form a part of the cavity 20 (see FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 8, the thickness of the medium mold 13 is the same as that of the core (piece) 12, which is 10 mm, and is a metal plate formed in a rectangular plate shape having the same size as the lower mold 11. The whole is hard chrome plated.
Further, since the alignment position of each mold does not shift, the first fitting hole 13a, the second fitting hole 13b, and the third fitting hole 13c for the guide pin protruding from the lower mold 11 are also provided on the upper surface of the middle mold 13. A total of 12 holes are drilled in each of the four corners.

The first fitting holes 13a are perforated at four corners for penetrating the rod-shaped first guide pin 11c projecting from the lower mold 11. As a result, the middle mold 13 and the lower mold 11 can be fitted and assembled at a predetermined position.
Four second fitting holes 13b are formed in the vicinity of the fitting holes 13a for the second guide pins 11d projecting from the lower mold 11.
Four third fitting holes 13c are formed in the vicinity of the second fitting hole 13b for a third guide pin (not shown) protruding from the upper die 14. As a result, when the lower mold 11 to the upper mold 14 are combined in combination with the first guide pin 11c and the second guide pin 11d, the alignment of the entire mold including the middle mold 13 is ensured.

The middle mold 13 has a hollow shape that outlines the entire outer circumference of the side wall of the main body 12h of each core 12 arranged on the outer circumference when a predetermined number of cores (pieces) 12 are arranged on the lower mold 11. A space area (set area) 13d is provided. When the core (piece) 12 is housed in the space area 13d, the space area 13d covers the entire side surface outer circumference of the main body 12h of each core (piece) 12 arranged on the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the space area 13d. It has a size in which a gap L1 at a predetermined interval is formed over the entire circumference (see FIGS. 13 and 14). The gaps L1 are formed at predetermined intervals over the entire height direction of the side wall 12a. This gap L1 is a gap for forming the thickness W1 (5 mm) of the side wall 3b of the cell 2.

The depth (vertical depth) of the space region 13d is the main body 12h of the core 12 which is arranged so as to project from the upper surface of the lower mold 11 with the legs 12b fitted in the recess 11a of the lower mold 11. It is formed deeper than the height (vertical height) of (see FIGS. 13 and 14). With this configuration, when the medium size 13 is arranged at a predetermined position, there is a predetermined gap (second) between the upper edge 13e of the space area 13d of the medium size 13 and the upper surface 12e of the main body 12h of the core 12. ) S3 is formed.
That is, this gap (second gap) S3 is with the lower surface of the upper die 14 because the lower surface of the upper die 14 comes into contact with the upper surface of the middle die 13 when the upper die 14 is placed after the middle die 13 is placed. It is a gap of a constant depth over the entire area of the space region 13d formed between the spaces. Further, this gap (second gap) S3 determines the thickness of the thin film bottom 5 of the honeycomb structure 1, and the design can be appropriately changed according to the required thickness of the thin film bottom 5 within the scope of the present invention. Inside.

The wall surfaces of the first fitting hole 13a, the second fitting hole 13b, and the third fitting hole 13c of the medium-sized mold 13 are also chrome-plated.

The medium-sized mold 13 has handle attachment portions (not shown) on both sides of the medium-sized mold 13 in the lateral direction so that an operator can assemble and carry the medium-sized mold 13.
In the present embodiment, the middle mold 13 is used together with the core 12 to form the side wall 3 of the cell 2 formed in a polygonal tubular shape in a plan view, but the lower mold 11 and the core 12 If the cavity 20 is formed with the upper mold 14 and the side wall 3 of the cell 2 can be formed, it can be omitted.

[Upper type]
The upper die 14 is vertically detachable and is arranged in the upper layer of the middle die 13 (see FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 9, it is a metal plate formed in the shape of a rectangular plate having the same size as the medium size 13, and the whole is hard chrome plated. Since the upper mold 14 has a structure of a pot 14, a runner 14d, and a gate 14e, which will be described later, the upper mold 14 is thicker than the plate-like thickness of the lower mold 11 and the medium mold 13 which do not have such a structure. There is.

Further, the upper mold 14 is also provided with fitting holes 14a at four corners through which the first guide pin 11c protruding from the lower mold 11 is penetrated for alignment.
Since FIG. 9 shows only the upper surface (plunger 15 side) of one side of the upper die 14, a guide pin (not shown in the figure) is formed on the lower surface (medium die 13 side) of the upper die 14. ing. This guide pin has a substantially conical shape, a rounded tip, a diameter of about 15 mm, and a steel rod shape for use in a plurality of alignments with the lower mold 11. As a result, the upper die 14 comes into contact with the middle die 13 and can be assembled with accurate dimensional accuracy.

The upper mold 14 is formed with a concave and rectangular pot 14c into which the unvulcanized silicone rubber 16 is charged. The pot 14c is a rectangular recess having a bottom area of 130 mm × 180 mm and a depth of 15 mm. The volume dimension of the pot 14c is not limited, and can be changed depending on the size of the projected area of the honeycomb structure 1.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the pot 14c is formed with a runner 14d and a gate 14e having through holes for filling the cavity 20 with a rubber material. The center of the runner 14d is formed at the same position as the center of the cores (pieces) 12 arranged in the lower mold 11, and has as many as the number (25 pieces) of the cores (pieces) 12 arranged. There is.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the runner 14d was tilted by approximately 10 degrees from the opening surface of the upper surface (honeycomb pot 15 side) of the pot 14c toward the lower surface (medium size 12 side) to the middle position of the pot 14c. It is a tapered groove (cross-sectional viewing platform shape). A cylindrical gate 14e having the same center as the runner 14d and having a step with a smaller diameter is provided on the tip side thereof.
As an example, the length of the runner 14d in the present embodiment is 15 mm, and the length of the gate 14e is 5 mm.

By making the runner 14d a tapered groove (draft) in this way, the silicone rubber 16 can be smoothly press-fitted into the cavity 20, and pot burrs in the runner 14d that are no longer needed after vulcanization can be easily taken out. be able to. Further, by making the gate 14e substantially the same diameter as the recess 12d at the center of the core (piece) 12, the speed at which the rubber material flows does not deviate slightly. This makes it possible to prevent jetting when the speed is too fast, or flow marks (stripes) when the speed is too slow.

The upper die 14 has handle attachment portions (not shown) on both sides of the upper die 14 in the lateral direction so that an operator can assemble and carry the upper die 14.

[Plunger]
The plunger 15 is vertically detachable and is arranged in the upper layer of the upper die 14 (see FIG. 11). The plunger 15 is a metal plate having a predetermined thickness formed in the shape of a rectangular plate having the same size as the upper mold 14, and is entirely hard chrome plated. As shown in FIG. 10, the plunger 15 also has four rod-shaped guide pins 15a projecting from each of the four corners for alignment. As a result, when the plunger 15 is pressed from the compression molding machine (press machine), it is possible to prevent the position of the plunger 15 from being displaced from the upper mold 14.
Further, the guide pin 15a penetrates through the second fitting hole 13a formed in the middle mold 13 to the middle portion of the fitting hole 14a formed in the upper mold 14 of the upper layer thereof, whereby from the lower mold 11 The middle mold 13 and the upper mold 14 are fitted in a predetermined position and can be assembled.

The plurality of guide pins 15a are rod-shaped steel rods having a diameter of about 15 mm, and their tip circumferences are rounded and projected, but these shapes can be changed according to the size of the mold. , Not limited to this embodiment.

Further, on the lower surface (upper die 14 side) of the plunger 15, a convex portion 15b having a shape having substantially the same volume as the pot 14c of the upper die 14 is formed as a step. After assembling the cavity 20, the convex portion 15b is provided to press the unvulcanized silicone rubber 16 charged into the pot 14c (see the press indicated by the arrow in FIG. 12) and press-fit it into the runner 14d. ing. Therefore, the height of the convex portion 15b is set to 14 mm, which is substantially the same as the depth of the pot 14c of 15 mm. Pot burrs that are unnecessary for molding the honeycomb structure 1 are formed in the gap of 1 mm of this difference, but the operator pulls out the burrs so that the pot burrs in the runner 14d that are no longer needed after molding can be easily taken out. be able to.

The plunger 15 has handle attachment portions (not shown) on both sides of the plunger 15 in the lateral direction so that the operator can assemble and carry the plunger 15.

In this embodiment, the mold for forming the honeycomb structure of the second embodiment will be described, but a plurality of molds having at least three or more side walls and formed in a polygonal tubular shape in a plan view. A mold for molding a honeycomb structure for molding a honeycomb structure composed of an aggregate of cells is within the scope of the present invention, and the design can be changed as appropriate. Specifically, the forms of the core 12 and the medium size 13 may be formed so as to match the plan-view shape of the cell to be molded, respectively.

[Manufacturing method of honeycomb structure]
In the present embodiment, the honeycomb structure 1 of the present invention is manufactured by a pot transfer molding method using a press machine (not shown). FIG. 11 shows a state in which the mold 10 is separated, and FIG. 12 shows a state in which these are assembled in a stack from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction.
Further, in FIGS. 11 to 12, the guide pins 11c, 11d, 15a and the corresponding fitting holes 11e, 13a, 13b, 13c, 14a, 14b when each of the molds 10 are assembled are omitted. Not shown.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the legs 12b of the core (piece) 12 are fitted into all the recesses 11a of the lower mold 11, and the core 12 is arranged in the lower mold 11.

Next, the cavity 20 for forming the honeycomb structure 1 is formed by sequentially combining the molds 10 excluding the plunger 15 in the lamination. As shown in FIG. 13 (enlarged view of the space portion of the cavity 20 in FIG. 12), the gap distance W2 between the cores (pieces) 12 in the cavity 20 is the thickness of the side wall 3a of the cell 2 of the honeycomb structure 1. The gap distance W1 at which the cores (pieces) 12 do not face each other at 1 mm is 500 μm, which is half of the gap distance W2.
Further, a gap S3 (second gap) is provided between the upper surface of the core (piece) 12 and the lower surface of the upper die 14. By providing such a gap (second gap) S3, the thin film portion 5 can be formed. Further, the core (piece) 12 and the upper mold 14 do not buffer each other when assembled. The distance of the gap (second gap) S3 in this case is 100 μm, but the distance is not limited to this and can be determined by the size of the cavity 20.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, after the cavity 20 is formed, the unvulcanized silicone rubber 16 is put into the pot 14c of the upper mold 14. As for the amount of the silicone rubber 16 charged here, a slightly larger amount than the equivalent amount is charged only once so that the amount for molding the honeycomb structure 1 (cell 2) is not insufficient. In this case, a portion larger than the amount for forming the honeycomb structure 1 (cell 2) becomes a pot burr.
Even if some pot burrs occur, the manufacturing cost of the honeycomb structure 1 can be kept low because the silicone rubber itself is inexpensive. Silicone rubber will be described below.

By adjusting the hardness of the silicone rubber 16, the flexibility when the honeycomb structure 1 is used as a cushioning material or a cushioning material can be changed. For example, when the addition amount of the silica-based powder filler is large, the rubber hardness is high (hard), and conversely, when the addition amount is small, the rubber hardness is low (soft). If the rubber hardness is to be lowered (softened), a method of adding silicone-based oil may be used.
Further, since the silicone rubber 16 does not have a toxic substance in its composition, is chemically stable and physiologically inert, and its properties do not change, various types using the safe honeycomb structure 1 are used. Product can be made.

Further, since the silicone rubber 16 is excellent in transparency, it is easy to color it with a pigment, and it is possible to provide a product using the colorful honeycomb structure 1. For example, the color tone can be adjusted by using each color such as white, pink, red, and yellow in combination with a pigment dedicated to silicone rubber, so that the size and number of honeycomb structures can be clarified at a glance.
As a result, it can be used not only as a cushioning material inside the body of automobiles and aircraft, which are required to be lightweight, but also as a variety of decorations using each color together with the geometric pattern of the cell wall 3.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, by lowering with a compression molding (press) machine (not shown) and pressing the plunger 15 (indicated by the “press” in the figure and the arrow symbol), the material is heated in the pot 14c. The softened and softened silicone rubber 16 is press-fitted into the cavity 20 from the runner 14d through the gate 14e. Further, the silicone rubber 16 from the gate 14e is injected into the recess 12d formed of the hemisphere of the core (piece) 12 and then flows evenly in the cavity 20 formed by the core (piece) 12 and the upper mold 14. The area filled with the silicone rubber 16 is represented by hatching (see FIG. 14).

When the silicone rubber 16 spreads over the entire area in the cavity 20, the unvulcanized silicone rubber 16 in the cavity 20 is heat-vulcanized. As a result, the cell 2 formed of the columnar side wall 3, the thin film bottom 5, and the reinforcing support member 4 is formed in a state in which the number (25) of the arranged cores (pieces) 12 is assembled (combined). One honeycomb structure 1 is completed.

The honeycomb structure molding die 10 and the manufacturing method of the present embodiment are one embodiment for molding the honeycomb structure 1 of the second embodiment, but the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 It can also be used when molding the honeycomb structure 1. When molding the honeycomb structure 1 of the first embodiment, since the groove portion 12c provided on the upper surface of the core 12 is unnecessary, a core having a flat upper surface can be adopted. The honeycomb structure 1 of the first embodiment may be formed by using the mold 10 of the present embodiment and the manufacturing method as they are. In this case, the reinforcing support member 4 and the thin film formed on the lower surface of each cell 2 are formed. Since the bottom portion 5 is unnecessary, the portion may be separated and removed as burrs after demolding.

In addition, transfer molding does not require special equipment, and the silicone rubber material is inexpensive, so even if some unnecessary burrs are generated in the molded product, the overall manufacturing cost of the honeycomb structure is low. It can be suppressed.

1 Honeycomb structure 2 Cell 3 Side wall 4 Reinforcing support member 5 Thin film bottom 6 Cell center point 10 Mold 11 Lower mold 12 Core (piece)
13 Medium size 14 Upper size 15 Plunger 16 Silicone rubber 20 Cavity

Claims (4)

A honeycomb structure having a plurality of side walls having at least three faces or more and composed of an aggregate of a plurality of cells formed in a polygonal tubular shape in a plan view.
The aggregate of the plurality of cells is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material or a rubber material.
The thickness of the side wall of the cell with each other are not adjacent to each other, rather thin than the thickness of the side wall of the cell to each other are adjacent to each other,
The lower surface of the cell
A reinforcing support portion that connects the intermediate points between the side walls facing each other,
A honeycomb structure including the reinforcing support portion and a thin film bottom portion covering the entire lower surface of the cell. The honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein each cell has a regular hexagonal tubular shape in a plan view. The honeycomb structure according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the thickness of the side wall where the cells are not adjacent to each other is ½ of the thickness of the side wall where the cells are adjacent to each other. A honeycomb composed of a plurality of cells having at least three or more side walls and formed into a polygonal tubular shape in a plan view by filling the cavity with a synthetic resin material or a rubber material and molding the honeycomb. A mold for forming a honeycomb structure that forms a structure.
Upper mold and lower mold formed by forming a cavity of a predetermined shape on the molding surface,
It has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface, and includes a plurality of cores formed in a polygonal prismatic shape in a plan view and arranged at predetermined positions in the cavity.
The upper surface of the plurality of cores is provided with a groove portion formed in a concave shape over the intermediate points of the respective sides facing each other.
The cores are arranged in the lower mold so that a first gap is formed between the adjacent cores, and the grooves are located on the same line between the adjacent cores. Placed,
The upper mold is a mold for forming a honeycomb structure, characterized in that the upper mold is arranged with a second gap continuous with the first gap between the upper surface of each core.

Images