Personnel: TANG Tao (Research Fellow, taotan2223-x@my.cityu.edu.hk, Tel: (86)755-8658 1568, -8658 1519)
To achieve both large safety margin and low cost, this study implemented both material enhancement and structure optimization in the energy absorber design. Since most light-weight structures involve thin-walled frames, the surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT), able to induce nanostructures in metals for strength enhancement without sacrificing ductility, is the perfect choice. Based on the structure of energy absorber, SMAT technology was intensively improved to take full advantage of the excellent performance of the advanced steel material and fulfill real-life application. Structure optimization was also explored through extensive experiments and numerical simulations. The final products were examined by real tests, and the results revealed that it was lighter, stronger and have high-safety levels compared to similar products on the present market as expected.
In a highway accident happened in March, an electric vehicle was caught on fire after crash as the battery packs were severely damaged during the collision1.2.. The crashworthiness of electric vehicle or the battery packs is again a critical issue for automakers. And our product is just a perfect solution in such a circumstance. With a pair of our crash boxes in the front or at the rear, more impact energy will be absorbed by the product (as shown in table below, all test results were from the lab in Suzhou Automotive Research Institute, Tsinghua University, China), so less impact energy will be left to make damage to the main structure of the vehicle. Meanwhile, with a lower initial peak force performance of our product (as shown in fig.3, all test results were from the lab in Suzhou Automotive Research Institute, Tsinghua University, China), less shock will be passed to main structure, so as to be a better protection for the vehicle and the driver. Likewise, if our crash box was properly installed around the battery packs, with its lower initial peak force and higher energy absorption ability, this product can protect battery packs when an impact is happening and highly rise the safety level of the vehicle.
References:
- Tesla blog: https://www.tesla.com/blog/what-we-know-about-last-weeks-accident
- Tesla Fatal Crash and Battery Fire Under Investigation: https://www.planetizen.com/news/2018/03/97999-tesla-fatal-crash-and-battery-fire-under-investigation
Uniqueness & Competitive Advantages
- Light-weighted
- Higher safety level (Lower initial peak force & Higher energy-absorption ability)
Relevant Publication
Tao Tang, Yuan Gao, Lu Yao, Ying Li, Jian Lu., Development of high-performance energy absorption component based on the structural design and anocrystallization Materials & Design Vol. 137, 2018, 214-225.
Filed Patents
15/477,166 (US), 15/490,977 (US), 201710785454.8 (PRC)