Method of making a laminate, an energy absorbing device, an energy absorbing device composition, and a forming tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12384469-B2
Application number	US-202318163032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2023
Priority date	Jun 16, 2014
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

In an embodiment, an energy-absorbing device can comprise: a polymer reinforcement structure, wherein the polymer reinforcement structure comprises a polymer matrix and chopped fibers; and a shell comprising 2 walls extending from a back and forming a shell channel, wherein the shell comprises continuous fibers and a resin matrix; wherein the polymer reinforcement structure is located in the shell channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a shell of a crush countermeasure for a body-in-white (BIW) structural vehicle component, comprising:
forming a laminate by:
feeding a fiber structure and a resin to a heated belt laminator to form a layup, wherein the layup comprises alternating layers of the fiber structure and the resin, wherein fiber structure, for each one of the layers, is a unidirectional fibrous tape;
laying up the fiber structure such that, within the layup, fibers of the fiber structure within each one of the layers are oriented at a different angle than the fibers within at least an adjacent one of the layers; increasing a temperature and a pressure to flow the resin into the fiber structure to form the laminate; and
cooling the laminate to solidify the laminate; and

forming the laminate into a U-shape of the shell of the crush countermeasure such that the shell comprises two walls extending parallel to each other from a back and forming a shell channel, having a major axis extending between open ends of the shell channel, wherein the two walls extend continuously along the major axis, between the open ends of the shell channel; and
forming a ribbed or honeycomb shaped reinforcement along the shell channel with a chopped fiber reinforced polymer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laminate is cooled under the pressure of greater than or equal to 206.8 KiloPascals (30 psi).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laminate is cooled under the pressure of greater than or equal to 344.7 KiloPascals (50 psi).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laminate is cooled under the pressure of 344.7 KiloPascals (50 psi) to 3,447 KiloPascals (500 psi).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein increasing the temperature and the pressure to flow the resin comprises increasing the temperature to greater than or equal to a melt temperature of the resin, and the pressure to greater than or equal to 344.7 KiloPascals (50 psi).

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the layup comprises greater than or equal to 4 fiber structures.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the layup comprises greater than or equal to 6 fiber structures.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laminate is metal free.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein when laying up the fiber structure, within the layup, the fibers of the fiber structure, in adjacent ones of the layers, are oriented according to a layup pattern selected from:
0 degrees and 90 degrees;
0 degrees, 45 degrees, and −45 degrees;
0 degrees, 60 degrees, and −60 degrees;
0 degrees, 45, degrees 90 degrees, and 0 degrees;
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees;
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees; or
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 45 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein when laying up the fiber structure, within the layup, the fibers of the fiber structure, in adjacent ones of the layers, are oriented according to a balanced layup pattern selected from:
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees;
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees; or
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 45 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein when forming the laminate into the U-shape of the shell, the laminate is placed into a tool cavity of a forming tool, and the forming tool is heated to make the laminate formable, and the laminate is thereafter compressed in the tool cavity to form the U-shape of the shell.

12. A method of configuring a crush countermeasure in a body-in-white (BIW) structural vehicle component, comprising:
obtaining the BIW structural vehicle component defining a first hollow metal structural section;
forming a shell of the crush countermeasure by:
forming a laminate by:
feeding a fiber structure and a resin to a heated belt laminator to form a layup, wherein the layup comprises alternating layers of the fiber structure and the resin, wherein fiber structure, for each one of the layers, is a unidirectional fibrous tape;
laying up the fiber structure such that, within the layup, fibers of the fiber structure within h one of the layers are oriented a La different angle than the fibers within at least an adjacent one of the lavers; increasing a temperature and a pressure to flow the resin into the fiber structure to form the laminate; and
cooling the laminate to solidify the laminate; and
forming the laminate into a U-shape of the shell of the crash countermeasure such the shell comprises two walls extending parallel to each other from a back and forming a shell channel, having a major axis extending between open ends of the shell channel, wherein the two walls extend continuously along the major axis, between the open ends of the shell channel; and

installing the shell at the hollow metal structural section of the BIW structural vehicle component.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the laminate is cooled under the pressure of greater than or equal to 206.8 KiloPascals (30 psi).

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the laminate is cooled under the pressure of greater than or equal to 344.7 KiloPascals (50 psi).

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the laminate is cooled under the pressure of 344.7 KiloPascals (50 psi) to 3,447 KiloPascals (500 psi).

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein increasing the temperature and the pressure to flow the resin comprises increasing the temperature to greater than or equal to a melt temperature of the resin, and the pressure to greater than or equal to 344.7 KiloPascals (50 psi).

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the layup comprises greater than or equal to 4 fiber structures.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the layup comprises greater than or equal to 6 fiber structures.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the laminate is metal free.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein when laying up the fiber structure, within the layup, the fibers of the fiber structure, in adjacent ones of the layers, are oriented according to a layup pattern selected from:
0 degrees and 90 degrees;
0 degrees, 45 degrees, and −45 degrees;
0 degrees, 60 degrees, and −60 degrees;
0 degrees, 45, degrees 90 degrees, and 0 degrees;
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees;
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees; or
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 45 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees.

21. The method of claim 12 , wherein when laying up the fiber structure, within the layup, the fibers of the fiber structure, in adjacent ones of the layers, are oriented according to a balanced layup pattern selected from:
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees;
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees; or
0 degrees, 90 degrees, 45 degrees, 0 degrees, 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 0 degrees.

22. The method of claim 12 , including forming a ribbed or honeycomb shaped reinforcement along the shell channel with a chopped fiber reinforced polymer.

23. The method of claim 12 , wherein when forming the laminate into the U-shape of the shell, the laminate is placed into a tool cavity of a forming tool, and the forming t

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Milne Craig Lawrence
• Tremblay Gregory E
• Nagwanshi Dhanendra Kumar
• Venkat Somasekhar Bobba
• Parameshwara Arunachala
• Marks Matthew D

Classifications

• B62D63/04

  Component parts or accessories · CPC title

• B32B2605/08

  Cars · CPC title

• B32B2307/56

  Damping, energy absorption · CPC title

• B32B2305/10

  Fibres of continuous length · CPC title

• B32B2305/076

  Prepregs · CPC title