WO2007144739A1 - Dispositif permettant l'écrasement des extrémités de profilés tubulaires, en particulier de pare-chocs de véhicules, et procédé connexe de mise en œuvre dudit écrasement - Google Patents

Dispositif permettant l'écrasement des extrémités de profilés tubulaires, en particulier de pare-chocs de véhicules, et procédé connexe de mise en œuvre dudit écrasement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007144739A1
WO2007144739A1 PCT/IB2007/001560 IB2007001560W WO2007144739A1 WO 2007144739 A1 WO2007144739 A1 WO 2007144739A1 IB 2007001560 W IB2007001560 W IB 2007001560W WO 2007144739 A1 WO2007144739 A1 WO 2007144739A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
cavity
end portion
tubular section
crushing
bumper
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2007/001560
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Angelo Accossato
Claudio Accossato
Andrea Pierobon
Original Assignee
Co Proget S.R.L.
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Co Proget S.R.L. filed Critical Co Proget S.R.L.
Priority to EP07766532A priority Critical patent/EP2032280A1/fr
Publication of WO2007144739A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007144739A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D—WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D53/00—Making other particular articles
    • B21D53/88—Making other particular articles other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D—WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D41/00—Application of procedures in order to alter the diameter of tube ends
    • B21D41/04—Reducing; Closing
    • B21D41/045—Closing

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for crushing at least an end portion of a tubular section, in particular a bumper of a vehicle, according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • the present invention also relates to a method for providing said crushing.
  • Tubular sections in particular made from metal material, are commonly used in the art for protecting a vehicle body from accidental collisions, e.g. when parking the vehicle or caused by other moving vehicles.
  • the bumper structure must be sufficiently stiff and solid to properly protect not only the body of the vehicle, but also its occupants.
  • the latest metal tubular sections used as bumpers offer great advantages in terms of vehicle and occupant protection, production costs, weight, and possibility of being shaped in accordance with the stylistic and aerodynamic requirements of the vehicle on which they are to be installed.
  • Bumpers known in the art are therefore manufactured by using metal sections having corrugated portions which allow to increase flexural rigidity while at the same time absorbing shocks properly.
  • Said corrugated portions allow the metal section to act substantially as a "shock absorber" element.
  • United States patent No. US 5,577,796 describes a vehicular bumper, in particular the ends thereof, having corrugated portions. Said ends have a smaller cross-section than the bumper central portion, in that they are subjected to side pressure by conventional pressure means, which crash said ends thus forming the corrugated portions on the crushed walls.
  • the bumper ends are then bent by suitable bending means in order to follow the profile of the vehicle on which they are to be installed and to meet the stylistic and aerodynamic requirements thereof. Crushing the bumper ends through pressure means known in the art has many drawbacks.
  • known pressure means prevents a proper and even pressure to be applied to the walls of the metal section, resulting in the risk of two adjacent corrugations of the same corrugated wall touching each other, thus weakening the whole structure.
  • the corrugated portions of the metal section can act as a shock absorber element, the geometry thereof must be preserved, in particular by keeping an adequate distance between two adjacent corrugations of the corrugated wall, so that they cannot touch each other.
  • any contact between the corrugated walls of the metal section would weaken the structure of the wall itself, which may fail due to excessive bending, thus inevitably reducing the efficiency of the bumper; also, such contact would decrease the elasticity of the corrugated wall and, consequently, its shock-absorbing capability.
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the crushing device according to the present invention
  • Figs. 2a and 2b are perspective views of a tubular section, respectively before and after being crushed by the device according to the present invention
  • Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the device and of the tubular section according to the present invention
  • - Figs. 4a and 4b show a front view and a sectional view, respectively, of a variant of the crushing device according to the present invention.
  • reference numeral 10 designates a device for crushing at least an end portion 21 of a tubular section 20, in particular a bumper of a vehicle.
  • said device 10 comprises a substantially tapered cavity 11 adapted to house the end portion 21 of the tubular section 20 and to crush it as said end portion 21 is progressively inserted into said cavity 11.
  • Fig. 3 shows that said cavity 11 comprises a mouth 12 having a larger longitudinal section than an end part 13 of said cavity 11.
  • the particular shape of the cavity 11 allows the end portion 21 to be crushed; in fact, as the tubular section 20 is progressively inserted into said cavity 11, the inner walls of the cavity 11 will exert increasing pressure on the outer walls of the end portion 21, which will thus be crushed in adaptation to the dimensions of the cavity 11.
  • Said cavity 11 also comprises a plurality of ribs 14 which in proximity to said mouth 12 have a shape being substantially complementary to corrugations 22 of said tubular section 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the distance between said ribs 14 is progressively reduced toward said end part 13 of said cavity 11.
  • the ribs 14 allow to accomplish the crushing of the end portion 21 in such a manner that the geometry of the tubular section 20 is preserved, in particular by keeping an appropriate distance between adjacent corrugations 22 of said tubular section 20 and by preventing said corrugations from collapsing onto one another.
  • this method prevents the corrugations 22 of the metal section from touching one another, thereby avoiding any contact that could otherwise weaken the structure of the corrugated walls, which would inevitably lose elasticity.
  • the device 10 preferably comprises a first half shell 1OA and a second half shell 1OB, which can be separated in order to extract the tubular section 20 once the end portion 21 thereof has been crushed, without damaging said end portion 21.
  • Figs. 4a and 4b show a possible variant of the device 10 according to the present invention. These figures clearly show that, within the cavity 11, the device 10 comprises a core 15 having a shape which is substantially complementary to but slightly smaller than that of the cavity 11. As a result, between the outer surface of the core 15 and the walls of the cavity 11, the device 10 comprises a gap 16 wherein the end portion 21 of the tubular section 20 can be inserted during the crushing process.
  • the device 10 for crushing at least an end portion 21 of the tubular section 20 may also be used as a vice in order to bend and stretch the tubular section 20, in particular so that the tubular section 20 can follow the profile of the vehicle on which it will be installed, thus meeting the stylistic and aerodynamic requirements of that particular vehicle.
  • this allows to accomplish a substantially simultaneous bending of the section 20 while crushing the end portion 21 by using the same equipment.
  • the crushing of the end portion 21 of the tubular section 20, in particular a bumper of a vehicle, according to the present invention is accomplished as follows: said end portion 21 is inserted into a mouth 12 of a cavity 11 of a device 10, said cavity 11 being substantially tapered; a reciprocal motion is induced between said tubular section 20 and the device 10, until said end portion 21 reaches an end part 13 of said cavity 11, so that the inner walls of the cavity 11 exert increasing pressure on the outer walls of the end portion 21, which are thus crushed in adaptation to the dimensions of the cavity 11.
  • the above method for crushing the end portion 21 also includes a step for keeping an appropriate distance between adjacent corrugations 22 of said tubular section 20 through the insertion of a plurality of ribs 14 between said corrugations 22, said ribs being obtained on the walls of said cavity 11 and being arranged at a progressively decreasing distance toward said end part 13 of said cavity 11.
  • the process for crushing the end portion 21 according to the present invention may also include an additional step for separating a first half shell 1OA from a second half shell 1OB of said device 10, so that the tubular section 20 can be removed after its end portion 21 has been crushed without damaging said end portion 21.
  • the process for crushing the end portion 21 of the tubular section 20 may also include a step for supporting said end portion 21 from within the cavity 11 during the crushing operations, in particular by means of a core 15 located inside the cavity 11 and having a shape which is substantially complementary to but slightly smaller than that of the cavity 11.
  • the reciprocal motion between said tubular section 20 and the device 10 preferably takes place through the activation of a hydraulic cylinder, not shown in the drawings, which causes the device 10 to move forward relative to the tubular section 20.
  • the process may also include a step for bending the tubular section 20 by using the device 10 for crushing at least an end portion 21 of the tubular section 20 as a vice, thus accomplishing simultaneous bending and crushing through the same equipment.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Vibration Dampers (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dispositif (10) permettant l'écrasement d'au moins une partie d'extrémité (21) d'un profilé tubulaire (20), en particulier un pare-chocs d'un véhicule. L'invention est caractérisée en ce que ledit dispositif (10) comporte une cavité sensiblement en forme de cône (11) adaptée pour ménager la partie d'extrémité (21) du profilé tubulaire (20) et pour l'écraser alors que ladite partie d'extrémité (21) est insérée progressivement dans ladite cavité (11).
PCT/IB2007/001560 2006-06-12 2007-06-08 Dispositif permettant l'écrasement des extrémités de profilés tubulaires, en particulier de pare-chocs de véhicules, et procédé connexe de mise en œuvre dudit écrasement WO2007144739A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP07766532A EP2032280A1 (fr) 2006-06-12 2007-06-08 Dispositif permettant l'écrasement des extrémités de profilés tubulaires, en particulier de pare-chocs de véhicules, et procédé connexe de mise en uvre dudit écrasement

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO2006A000421 2006-06-12
ITTO20060421 ITTO20060421A1 (it) 2006-06-12 2006-06-12 Dispositivo per la schiacciatura di estremita di profili tubolari, in particolare paraurti di veicoli, e relativo metodo per la realizzazione di detta schiacciatura

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2007144739A1 true WO2007144739A1 (fr) 2007-12-21

Family

ID=38582316

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2007/001560 WO2007144739A1 (fr) 2006-06-12 2007-06-08 Dispositif permettant l'écrasement des extrémités de profilés tubulaires, en particulier de pare-chocs de véhicules, et procédé connexe de mise en œuvre dudit écrasement

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP2032280A1 (fr)
IT (1) ITTO20060421A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2007144739A1 (fr)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5577796A (en) * 1991-09-06 1996-11-26 Norsk Hydro A.S. Structural beam and method of manufacture thereof
JP2000335333A (ja) * 1999-03-19 2000-12-05 Futaba Industrial Co Ltd 両端部の断面幅を徐変させたバンパーリィンホース
JP2001063307A (ja) * 1999-08-31 2001-03-13 Tube Foming Co Ltd 前輪駆動車両の中空ドライブシャフトおよびその製造方法

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5577796A (en) * 1991-09-06 1996-11-26 Norsk Hydro A.S. Structural beam and method of manufacture thereof
JP2000335333A (ja) * 1999-03-19 2000-12-05 Futaba Industrial Co Ltd 両端部の断面幅を徐変させたバンパーリィンホース
JP2001063307A (ja) * 1999-08-31 2001-03-13 Tube Foming Co Ltd 前輪駆動車両の中空ドライブシャフトおよびその製造方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP2032280A1 (fr) 2009-03-11
ITTO20060421A1 (it) 2007-12-13

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