Energy-absorbing structure with defined multi-phasic crush properties
AssigneeWavecel, LLC
InventorsMichael Bottlang, Jeffrey Bennett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An impact-absorbing structure that includes a plurality of interconnected cells forming a sheet, each cell having a sidewall and a longitudinal axis. Each cell may be configured to absorb energy through plastic deformation in response to an applied load, and a sidewall of at least one cell may include a geometric perturbation that is oriented in a direction that is not parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cell. The geometric perturbation may reduce the load required to cause plastic deformation of the cell.
Claims8
An impact-absorbing structure having a plurality of interconnected cells, each cell of the plurality of interconnected cells comprising:
- one or more sidewalls;
- a central void bounded by the one or more sidewalls, the central void having a longitudinal axis passing through the central void;
- a mid-section located along each of the one or more sidewalls, and
- a series of geometric perturbations located in the mid-sections of the one or more sidewalls,
- wherein the series of geometric perturbations are oriented in a direction that is not parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plurality of interconnected cells and project out of a plane of the first and second sidewalls without an applied load, wherein at least one geometric perturbation of a first cell is concave relative to the first cell and convex relative to a second cell adjacent to the first cell, wherein compression of the plurality of interconnected cells is initiated at the series of geometric perturbations in response to an applied load.
An impact-absorbing structure, comprising:
- a plurality of pre-formed sheets stacked and coupled in an alternating arrangement, wherein the plurality of pre-formed sheets comprises sheets of a first amplitude alternating with sheets of a second lower amplitude, wherein a series of cells are defined by the plurality of pre-formed sheets stacked and coupled in the alternating arrangement and each cell of the series of cells has at least a first sidewall and a second opposing sidewall, an open space there-between, and a longitudinal axis passing through the open space, at least a portion of the first and second sidewalls being shared between one or more adjacent cells of the series of cells, and
- a series of geometric perturbations located in the first and second sidewalls,
- wherein the series of geometric perturbations are oriented in a direction that is not parallel to the longitudinal axis of the series of cells and project out of a plane of the first and second sidewalls without an applied load, wherein at least one geometric perturbation of a first cell is concave relative to the first cell and convex relative to a second cell adjacent to the first cell, wherein compression of the series of cells is initiated at the series of geometric perturbations in response to an applied load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.