Front rail having controlled thickness for energy absorption
US7695052B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 30, 2007 |
| Grant date | Apr 13, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 30, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60R19/34
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A frame rail for a vehicle that is provided between vehicle frame and the bumper of a vehicle that has a thickness that varies from the front end of the rail to the back end of the rail. The compressive strength of the rail increases from the front end of the rail to the back end of the rail. The rail is rectangular in shape and the thickness of the rail is continuously increased to improve progressive crush characteristics of the rail under an oblique loading. A rail may be provided by providing a tubular rail having a plurality of ring shaped segments that have incrementally increasing thickness. Alternatively, the rail may have a uniformly increasing thickness from the front end to the back end.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.