Article with solid, lattice, and hollow sub-regions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906236-B2
Application number	US-201815879852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2018
Priority date	Jan 25, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

An article includes a body that has a solid shell that encloses an interior region. The interior region has a solid sub-region, a lattice sub-region, and a hollow sub-region that are exclusive of each other and distributed based on load path. In an example, the article is a spoiler cap, such as for the spoiler on a vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article comprising:
a spoiler body including,
a solid shell that encloses an interior region, the interior region having a solid sub-region, a lattice sub-region, and a hollow sub-region that are exclusive of each other such that no portion of the solid sub-region, the lattice sub-region, or the hollow sub-region extends within a peripheral boundary of the others of the solid sub-region, the lattice sub-region, or the hollow sub-region,

wherein the solid sub-region, the lattice sub-region, and the hollow sub-region adjoin each other at irregular borders.

2. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spoiler body is a one-piece body.

3. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spoiler body is formed of a polymer composite.

4. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein the lattice sub-region includes a geometric configuration of trusses that define lattice cells, and further wherein the trusses cross at nodes.

5. The article as recited in claim 4 , wherein the lattice cells have a maximum dimension that is from 4 millimeters to 10 millimeters, and further wherein the hollow sub-region has a maximum dimension that is greater than 10 millimeters.

6. The article as recited in claim 4 , wherein the trusses are provided in a pattern of 6-bar tetra repeating units.

7. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the solid sub-region, the lattice sub-region, and the hollow sub-region is at least 20% by volume of the interior region, and a total of the hollow-sub-region and open space in the lattice sub-region is at least 50% by volume of the interior region.

8. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the solid sub-region, the lattice sub-region, and the hollow sub-region is irregularly-shaped.

9. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein the interior region includes multiple regions of each of the solid sub-region, the lattice sub-region, and the hollow sub-region.

10. The article as recited in claim 1 , wherein the lattice sub-region is divided into pockets of varying lattice density.

11. An article comprising:
a spoiler body including a first section and a second section that projects from the first section, there being main working load paths between the first section and the second section, and lower, secondary working load paths through at least the second section,
wherein the spoiler body includes a solid shell that encloses an interior region, the interior region having one or more solid sub-regions, one or more lattice sub-regions, and one or more hollow sub-regions, and
wherein the interior region along the main working load paths is formed of the one or more solid sub-regions, the interior region along the secondary working load paths is formed of the one or more lattice sub-regions, and a remainder of the interior region that is not along the main working load paths or the secondary working load paths is formed of the one or more hollow regions
wherein the one or more solid sub-regions, the one or more lattice sub-regions, and the one or more hollow sub-regions adjoin each other at irregular borders.

12. The article as recited in claim 11 , wherein the spoiler body is a one-piece body and is formed of a polymer composite.

13. The article as recited in claim 11 , wherein both of the first section and the second section include the one or more solid sub-regions, the one or more lattice sub-regions, and the one or more hollow sub-regions.

14. The article as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more lattice sub-regions includes a geometric configuration of trusses that define lattice cells, and the lattice cells have a maximum dimension that is from 4 millimeters, and further wherein the one or more hollow sub-regions have a maximum dimension that is greater than 10 millimeters.

15. The article as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more solid sub-regions, the one or more lattice sub-regions, and the one or more hollow sub-regions are, each collectively, at least 20% by volume of the interior region, and a total of the one or more hollow sub-regions and open space in the one or more lattice sub-region is at least 50% by volume of the interior region.

16. The article as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more solid sub-regions, the one or more lattice sub-regions, and the one or more hollow sub-regions are exclusive of each other such that no portion of the one or more solid sub-regions, the one or more lattice sub-regions, or the one or more hollow sub-regions extends within a peripheral boundary of the others of the one or more solid sub-regions, the one or more lattice sub-regions, or the one or more hollow sub-regions.

17. An article comprising:
a spoiler body including a spoiler mount section and a support section, the spoiler mount section being cantilevered at an acute angle from the support section, there being main working load paths between the spoiler mount section and the support section, and lower, secondary working load paths through at least the support section,
wherein the spoiler body includes a solid shell that encloses an interior region, the interior region having two or more solid sub-regions, two or more lattice sub-regions, and two or more hollow sub-regions, and
wherein the interior region along the main working load paths is formed of the two or more solid sub-regions, the interior region along the secondary working load paths is formed of the two or more lattice sub-regions, and a remainder of the interior region that is not along the main working load paths or the secondary working load paths is formed of the two or more hollow regions,
where the two or more solid sub-regions, the two or more lattice sub-regions, and the two or more hollow sub-regions adjoin each other at irregular borders.

18. The article as recited in claim 17 , wherein the spoiler body is a one-piece body, and further wherein both of the spoiler mount section and the support section include the two or more solid sub-regions, the two or more lattice sub-regions, and the two or more hollow sub-regions.

19. The article as recited in claim 18 , wherein the two or more solid sub-regions, the two or more lattice sub-regions, and the two or more hollow sub-regions are, each collectively, at least 20% by volume of the interior region, and a total of the two or more hollow sub-regions and open space in the two or more lattice sub-regions is at least 50% by volume of the interior region.

20. The article as recited in claim 17 , wherein the two or more solid sub-regions, the two or more lattice sub-regions, and the two or more hollow sub-regions are exclusive of each other such that no portion of the two or more solid sub-regions, the two or more lattice sub-regions, or the two or more hollow sub-regions extends within a peripheral boundary of the others of the two or more solid sub-regions, the two or more lattice sub-regions, or the two or more hollow sub-regions.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Xu Hongyi
• Friske David D
• Selvasekar Siddharthan
• Lee Ellen
• Chuang Ching-Hung
• Pfeiffer John Jeffrey

Classifications

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• Y02P10/25

  Process efficiency · CPC title

• B29L2031/3058

  Spoilers · CPC title

• B62D35/007

  Rear spoilers (B62D35/001 takes precedence) · CPC title