Automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part, and method for manufacturing automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12571122-B2
Application number	US-202118012719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2021
Priority date	Aug 18, 2020
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

An automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part includes a tubular member formed by using a hat-shaped section part including a top portion and a side-wall portion; a coating part made of a material having a lower strength than the tubular member, the coating part being arranged on outer surfaces of the top portion and the side-wall portion at a portion including a corner portion configured to connect the top portion and the side-wall portion, with a gap of 0.2 mm or more and 3 mm or less from the outer surface of the top portion, the outer surface of the side-wall portion, and an outer surface of the corner portion; and a coating film of an electrodeposition paint formed in the gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part for being provided in a front portion or a rear portion of an automotive body, the automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part being axially crushed when a crashworthiness load is input from a front side or a rear side of the automotive body to absorb crashworthiness energy, and comprising:
a tubular member formed by using a hat-shaped section part including a top portion and a side-wall portion; a coating part made of a material having a lower strength than the tubular member, the coating part being arranged on outer surfaces of the top portion and the side-wall portion at a portion including a corner portion configured to connect the top portion and the side-wall portion, with a gap of 0.2 mm or more and 3 mm or less from the outer surface of the top portion, the outer surface of the side-wall portion, and an outer surface of the corner portion; and a coating film of an electrodeposition paint formed in the gap by electrodeposition coating with a flexible coating film for an inner sheet, wherein the electrodeposition paint is one of: a polyurethane cationic electrodeposition paint; an epoxy cationic electrodeposition paint; a urethane cationic electrodeposition paint; an acrylic anionic electrodeposition paint; and a fluororesin electrodeposition paint.

2 . A method for manufacturing an automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part provided in a front portion or a rear portion of an automotive body, the automotive crashworthiness energy absorption part being axially crushed when a crashworthiness load is input from a front side or a rear side of the automotive body to absorb crashworthiness energy, the method comprising:
a part manufacturing step of manufacturing a pre-coated part including: a tubular member formed by using a hat-shaped section part including a top portion and a side-wall portion; and a coating part made of a material having a lower strength than the tubular member, the coating part being arranged on an outer surface of the tubular member at a portion including a corner portion configured to connect the top portion and the side-wall portion, with a gap of 0.2 mm or more and 3 mm or less from an outer surface of the top portion, an outer surface of the side-wall portion, and an outer surface of the corner portion; and a coating step of forming a coating layer on a surface of the pre-coated part including the gap by an electrodeposition coating process by electrodeposition coating while the pre-coated part is immersed into an electrodeposition paint that is flexible paint to electrically conduct in a state where the pre-coated part is attached to the automotive body, and forming a coating film by thermosetting the coating layer by paint baking treatment subsequent to the electrodeposition coating process, the coating layer being made of one of: a polyurethane cationic electrodeposition paint; an epoxy cationic electrodeposition paint; a urethane cationic electrodeposition paint; an acrylic anionic electrodeposition paint; and a fluororesin electrodeposition paint.

Assignees

• Jfe Steel Corp

Inventors

• Higai Kazuhiko
• Shiozaki Tsuyoshi
• Tamai Yoshikiyo

Classifications

• B62D21/152

  Front or rear frames · CPC title

• B60Y2306/01

  Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection · CPC title

• B60R19/34

  destroyed upon impact, e.g. one-shot type · CPC title

• B62D29/005

  preformed metal and synthetic material elements being joined together, e.g. by adhesives · CPC title

• B62D21/15 Primary

  having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body (bumpers B60R19/02; shock absorbers in general F16F) · CPC title