Local energy absorber
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsLouis G. Hector, Jr., Nilesh D. Mankame, Hanif Muhammad, Anil K. Sachdev
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cover covering an object includes an inner surface of the cover facing the object and spaced from the object, and an outer surface of the cover opposite the inner surface. A local energy absorber is operatively attached to the inner surface of the cover. The local energy absorber includes an energy absorbing core layer operatively attached to the inner surface of the cover and a frangible face sheet layer attached to the energy absorbing core layer facing the object. The frangible face sheet layer is to initiate fracture of the frangible face sheet layer during an impact applied to the outer surface defining an impact event having a duration of less than 20 milliseconds.
Claims20
A cover for covering an object, the cover comprising:
- an inner surface facing the object;
- an outer surface opposite the inner surface;
- and
- a local energy absorber operatively attached to the inner surface, the local energy absorber including:
- an energy-absorbing core layer;
- a sheet layer coupled to the energy-absorbing core layer, the sheet layer being one of:
- (a) a frangible face sheet layer disposed between the energy-absorbing core layer and the object, (b) a reinforcement sheet layer disposed between the energy-absorbing core layer and the cover, or both (a) the frangible face sheet layer and (b) the reinforcement sheet layer, the energy-absorbing core layer being disposed between the frangible face sheet layer and the reinforcement sheet layer;
- and
- a plurality of struts, each strut being attached to the sheet layer, wherein a subset of the plurality of struts is configured to deform in a sequence upon an impact applied to the outer surface of the cover, the sequence beginning with elastic deformation, followed by buckling, followed by fracture.
A cover for covering an object, the cover comprising:
- an inner surface facing the object;
- an outer surface opposite the inner surface;
- and
- a local energy absorber operatively attached to the inner surface, the local energy absorber including:
- an energy-absorbing core layer including a matrix of open cells;
- and
- a sheet layer coupled to the energy-absorbing core layer, the sheet layer being one of:
- (a) a frangible face sheet layer disposed between the energy-absorbing core layer and the object, (b) a reinforcement sheet layer disposed between the energy-absorbing core layer and the cover, or both (a) the frangible face sheet layer and (b) the reinforcement sheet layer, the energy-absorbing core layer being disposed between the frangible face sheet layer and the reinforcement sheet layer, and the frangible face sheet layer and the reinforcement sheet layer extending substantially parallel to one another, wherein each open cell of the matrix of open cells defines a respective tube having a respective longitudinal axis extending substantially perpendicular to the sheet layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.