The present invention relates to a crash box which is one of the vehicle safety components on the front and rear bodies in vehicles, and which provides dampening of the impact energy occurring during collision and which comprises channels in order to increase absorption of impact energy.

KNOWN STATE OF THE ART

Vehicle lightening studies are among the most important studies made for reducing the carbon-dioxide emissions of vehicles. Besides, safety properties of vehicles shall be increased due to the increasing requirements of vehicles. As a result of the studies made for increasing vehicle safety, in general, the weight of the vehicle increases. Within this scope, the front body group of the vehicle is very important for the safety of the driver and for the safety of the passenger. In case of an accident, particularly, in case of collisions from the front side of the vehicle, the front body provides dampening of the impact energy and it provides the impact energy to be transferred to the passenger cabinet at the minimum level.

The group, which provides dampening of the impact energy occurring during an accident, essentially comprises a buffer profile, a crash box and main beams to which said buffer profile and said crash box are connected. In case of an accident, major part of the impact energy dampening process is realized by the buffer profile. Therefore, major part of the studies is realized on these two components. For instance, the life unit can be protected by means of correct transfer of the kinetic energy distribution. Therefore, the crash box is„a very important component provided between the main beams and the front metal buffer at the front section of the vehicle and which shall have maximum level of deformation and energy absorption capacity.

The geometrical design of the crash box shall be created so as to provide the item to be crushed as layers. Material selection is very important since the reaction of the material during deformation is very important. It is undesirable that the crash box component transfers the impact force to the main cage structure, where the driver and passengers exist, without said crash box component being crushed completely. The buffer and the crash box component shall be designed so as to have appropriate deformation properties in terms of service and costs according to the collision speeds. They can be produced in the form of thin walled tubes (circular and square cross sectioned or prismatic), multi-cornered columns, tube-shaped rings, honeycomb-shaped structures, sandwich planes, insulator structures (isolator). Moreover, the inner sections of them may be filled with foams in order to increase the energy dampening capacities thereof.

Moreover, the crash boxes shall be produced by means of two separate symmetric molds so as to be used on the right and on the left in order for said crash boxes to be connected to the buffer due to their geometrical shapes. In the same manner, different molds may be required for the rear buffer as a result of length difference and symmetry difference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a novel crash box, for eliminating the above mentioned disadvantages and for bringing new advantages to the related technical field.

The object of the present invention is to provide increasing of the dampening performance of the impact energy occurring during collision.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a crash box which has optimum energy absorption capacity and which is compliant to international standards by means of changing the channel geometry and the distances between the channels in crash box design. In order to realize all of the abovementioned objects and the objects which are to be deducted from the detailed description below, the present invention relates to a crash box provided on the front and rear buffers of vehicles in order to absorb the impact energy occurring during collision and which comprises energy absorption channels formed by means of chip removal and which extend thereon at least partially and which are used for increasing the amount of absorbed energy.

The same pipe material is used on the right and left sides since the subject matter crash box is made of pipe material having a wail thickness. In the same manner, when required, the length of the crash box used on the front section is shortened, and it may also be used on the rear section. This provides a cost advantage. In a preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, at least one energy absorption channel, formed by means of chip removal, at least partially extends on the crash box produced from pipe material having a wall thickness. In a preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, said channels extend on the crash box such that they have spiral shape or different geometrical shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The definitions of the figures prepared for describing the subject matter crash box are given below.

In Figure 1 , the general view of the front group is given. In Figure 2, the general view of the crash box is given.

In Figure 3, the general view of an exemplary application, which is compliant to the geometry of the channel formed on the crash box, is given. In Figure 4, the general view of the movement of the crash box during collision is given.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

The sections and components, provided in the figures prepared for describing the subject matter crash box in a better manner, are numbered separately, and the description of each number is given below.

1. Buffer Profile

2. Crash box

21. Wall thickness

3. Energy Absorption Channel

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In this detailed description, the subject matter improvement is explained with references to examples without forming any restrictive effect only in order to make the subject more understandable. Accordingly, in order to absorb the impact energy occurring during collision on the front and rear bodies of vehicles, there are energy absorption channels (3) formed by means of chip removal and which extend thereon at least partially on the crash box (2) and which are used for increasing the amount of energy absorbed by the crash box (2) connected to the buffer (1).

With reference to Figure 1 , the vehicle buffer profile (1) is illustrated and two crash boxes (2) are illustrated which are connected from a region which is close to the right and left ends of the buffer profile (1). The crash box (2), which is made of pipe material having a wall thickness, can be used as a single type on the right and left sides. In the same manner, when it is taken into consideration that the section of the rear buffer is in general narrower, the length of the crash box (2), used on the front side, is cut at the desired dimension, and this can also be used on the rear buffer.

There is at least one energy absorption channel (3) formed by means of chip removal and extending at least partially on the crash box (2) made from pipe material having a wall thickness (21). In order to provide dampening the maximum level of energy, the channels (3) are formed preferably in spiral form from end to end on the crash box (2).

Said channels (3) can be formed at the desired different geometrical shapes and depth depending on the length and segment of the vehicle where the crash box (2) is to be used. With reference to Figure 2 and 3, said channels (3) may extend on the crash box (2) so as to be in spiral form and in double spiral form positioned in opposite directions with respect to each other. Said impact dampening channels (3) are obtained by means of removal of chips from the crash box (2), made of pipe material having a wall thickness (21), via lathe or laser cutting process.

The energy, which occurs when an impact is applied onto the buffer profiles connected to the subject matter crash box, is transferred to the crash box. The crash box, existing between the buffer profile and the vehicle body, is tightened and crushed as a result of the applied force. Since the sections, existing on the crash box whereon the impact absorption channels are provided, are weakened as a result of the chip removal process, first of all, these sections change shape, and a shrinkage in accordion shape occurs as can be seen in Figure 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d. In other words, in said embodiment, the impact forces are dampened by means of shortening the length of the crash box in the extension direction.