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US 5,732,801 AGranted
Energy absorbing bumper support structure
OwnerDavid C. Gertzinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An energy absorber is provided which can primarily be used as a replaceable energy absorbing bumper support structure. The structure includes a hollow cylinder with a stamped pattern on the cylinder wall for initiating an indented buckling pattern during crush of the cylinder. Holes in the patterned cylinder also allow for crash control of the buckling cylinder. The energy absorber is staged to provide for an increase in crush force as it progressively crashes each stage.
Claims9
An energy absorbing structure comprising:
- a hollow cylindrical structure for receiving an impact load in the axial direction of said structure;
- a stamping of numerous indented patterns on the cylinder wall to initiate numerous diamond shaped inward buckling areas on said cylinder wall during crush of said cylindrical structure in the axial direction;
- a removal of material from said cylinder wall at the respective center of each of said stamped indented areas to provide for stretch in the circumferential direction during crush of said cylindrical structure in the axial direction;
- a geometric placement of said stamped indented areas such that during crash of said cylinder in the axial direction,the outer edges of said diamond shaped buckling areas form intersecting left and right spiraling ridges;
- whereby when said cylinder structure is crushed in the axial direction said spiral shaped ridges remain unbuckled and provide side shear stability to the structure.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.