CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 16/740,254, entitled “3-D PRINTED CHASSIS STRUCTURE WITH SELF-SUPPORTING RIBS” and filed on January 10, 2020, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to three-dimensional (3-D) printed chassis structures, and more specifically to 3-D printed chassis structures with internal self- supporting ribs.

Background

[0003] 3-D printing systems can produce structures, referred to as build pieces, with geometrically complex shapes, including some shapes that are difficult or impossible to create with conventional manufacturing processes. Powder bed fusion (PBF) systems, for example, create build pieces layer by layer. Each layer or ‘slice’ is formed by depositing a layer of powder and exposing portions of the layer to an energy beam. The energy beam is applied to melt areas of the powder layer that coincide with the cross-section of the build piece in the layer. The melted powder cools and fuses to form a slice of the build piece. Each layer is deposited on top of the previous layer. The resulting structure is a build piece assembled slice-by-slice from the ground up.

[0004] Conventional chassis structures, such as portions of the frame of a vehicle, are typically cast, extruded or stamped. The walls of these chassis structures are conventionally cast very thick to accommodate dynamic stiffness requirements of the chassis. However, the overall mass of these chassis structures can be significant, decreasing the vehicle’s overall performance and fuel economy. SUMMARY

[0005] In various aspects, a three-dimensional (3-D) printed chassis structure includes a wall, and a plurality of self-supporting ribs coupled to an inner surface of the wall.

[0006] In various aspects, a 3-D printed chassis structure includes a plurality of nodes, each node comprising a wall and a plurality of self-supporting ribs coupled to an inner surface of the wall.

[0007] Other aspects will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only several embodiments by way of illustration. As will be realized by those skilled in the art, concepts herein are capable of other and different embodiments, and several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Various aspects of 3-D printed chassis structures that achieve dynamic stiffness requirements while minimizing mass will now be presented in the detailed description by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle chassis structure in accordance with an embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of the vehicle chassis structure with the outer walls removed.

[0011] FIGS. 2B-D illustrate perspective views of the internal ribs of the vehicle chassis structure.

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary view of a print orientation of a powder bed fusion (PBF) 3-D printer.

[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a combination of nodes used in a frame of a vehicle chassis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended to provide a description of various exemplary embodiments of the concepts disclosed herein and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. The terms “exemplary” and “example” used in this disclosure mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments presented in this disclosure. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough and complete disclosure that fully conveys the scope of the concepts to those skilled in the art. However, the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components may be shown in block diagram form, or omitted entirely, in order to avoid obscuring the various concepts presented throughout this disclosure.

[0015] Chassis structures such as joints, interconnects, pillars, panel tube assemblies, panel assemblies, rails and beams - to name a few - in a vehicle or other mechanism often require thick external walls and complicated arrays of internal support structures to meet various manufacturer specifications. These specifications can include, for example, stress requirements, durability requirements, and static and dynamic stiffness requirements.

[0016] While static stiffness refers to the generic stiffness of a structure upon application of a static force, dynamic stiffness of a structure refers to the stiffness of the structure over an entire range of frequencies to which the structure may be subjected. For example, absent careful attention to dynamic stiffness considerations in the design of a vehicle, the suspension can cause the entire chassis to vibrate or rattle persistently when the vehicle is in motion. To help isolate vehicle occupants from external events such as bumps in the road, uneven roadways and other sudden trauma to the suspension, vehicle manufacturers have paid special attention to the importance of high frequency dynamic stiffness requirements. That is, manufactures have put threshold requirements in place to minimize high order plate modes. High order plate modes can cause high frequency shaking of plates or walls in chassis structures, to which passengers can be particularly susceptible.

[0017] One of the biggest challenges faced in addressing dynamic stiffness is meeting stiffness requirements without unduly increasing the mass of the chassis structures. Due to high order plate modes of the external walls of these chassis structures, manufacturers are often required to make the outer walls (also known as “skins”) of chassis structures relatively thick. Given that many vehicle manufacturers rely on casting or extrusion techniques to construct outer walls, these manufacturing processes generally limit the minimum thickness to several millimeters. Because thicker walls tend to increase overall stiffness and thus reduce high frequency plate modes, high thickness values are generally successful at meeting dynamic stiffness requirements. However, these thick walls limit the capability of the manufacturer to reduce the mass of the vehicle, at least via the chassis structures, to achieve other desirable performance gains.

[0018] These structures can be created using 3-D printing techniques such as powder bed fusion (PBF). However, even with 3-D conventional printing techniques, thick walls can still be required in chassis structures (e.g., on the order of six millimeters) to attenuate high frequency plate modes and meet dynamic stiffness targets. Like in traditional casting or extrusion techniques, the thickness of the outer walls in chassis structures undesirably adds mass to the vehicle. Higher masses affect maximum achievable performance and the vehicle’s energy efficiency, to name a few problems.

[0019] An additional downside to 3-D printed chassis structures is that parts are often built with support structures, which are structures that are printed to support portions of the build piece that would otherwise sag, droop, warp, etc. Support structures are removed after the build piece is printed. In many cases, however, support structures can be difficult and costly to remove. While 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), may allow a designer to design a chassis structure in software, practical problems persist in additive manufacturing, such as the wastefulness of support structures and the cost and difficulty of removing support structures. If a designer must add stiffening structures to satisfy dynamic stiffness requirements, the stiffening structures might also require their own support structures, which can compound the problem of removal. In addition, in many cases support structures cannot be removed due to interference with other structures. In particular, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, stiffening structures can include complex and/or enclosed structural arrangements. If support structures are used to support such stiffening structure arrangements, removal of the support structures might be difficult or impossible.

[0020] Thus, 3-D printing designs that address dynamic stiffness targets may benefit from aligning or optimizing stiffening structures in a strategic way. For example, stiffening structures such as ribs can be placed in a region of the chassis structure that requires stiffening to mute high plate modes. In various embodiments, if that same region is also part of an overhanging structure that requires support, the ribs may also be designed to serve as support structures for that region of the part during printing. In this way, for example, stiffening structures such as ribs can serve a dual purpose as stiffening structures and support structures to reduce or eliminate the amount of support structures needed. Another way to reduce or eliminate the amount of support structures is to design stiffening structures such that they do not need support structures during printing. In other words, stiffening structures can be designed so that they are self-supporting. Various embodiments disclosed herein include self-supporting stiffening structures.

[0021] Accordingly, in an aspect of the disclosure, the outer wall thickness is reduced, and self-supporting internal ribs are designed and printed to provide stiffness of the outer walls, particularly at high modal frequencies of the chassis structure where the walls would otherwise tend to shake and become unstable. In an embodiment, internal ribs are aligned based on a print orientation of a chassis structure. The ribs in this embodiment have at least three benefits. First, they can be used as stiffening structures to meet the desired dynamic stiffness requirements of the part. Second, they are self-supporting, meaning that no other structures are needed to support the 3-D printed ribs during the print job. Third, the ribs can be used to support other parts, including the outer walls that previously relied on separate supporting elements. The need for using any type of support element having a utility limited to the print job itself is obviated. Moreover, using a finite element method or another suitable analysis, the ribs can be selectively added in pockets where needed, rather than placed in arrays all over the part.

[0022] These considerations, combined with the use of thin outer walls (in some cases about 1-2 millimeters or less), enable the chassis structure to meet or exceed high frequency dynamic stiffness targets while reducing mass. Further, because the ribs are self-supporting during printing, the need for much of the internal support structures is reduced or eliminated. Post-processing time, in turn, can be substantially reduced because the support structure removal steps are largely eliminated. No additional support structures are needed to print the internal ribs because they are aligned to be self-supporting based on the print orientation of the chassis structure. [0023] In one embodiment, the chassis structure can be 3-D printed such that, if all parts are printed at a 45-degree alignment (or less) in opposing directions relative to the print direction, then support of overhanging walls can be altogether eliminated.

[0024] One common use of the chassis structure is in a node. A node is any 3-D printed part that is used to combine two or more parts together, such as tubes, extrusions, panels, or other nodes. The node may be used to provide support against different loads. A node may be found, for example, at the joint in a chassis framework. Further, in addition to connecting parts, nodes may be used for other purposes, including, for example, as crash structures. Using the principles herein, nodes can be manufactured using thin outer walls and selectively designed internal ribs for supporting the outer walls.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an external perspective view of a vehicle chassis structure 101 in accordance with an embodiment. Chassis structure 101 is a 3-D printed hollow structure with internal ribs. In an embodiment, the chassis structure 101 is a vehicle node. Chassis structure 101 includes walls 103, which are outer walls defining the external surface of the chassis structure. In other words, walls 103 represent the outer skin of the chassis structure. As such, walls 103 extend around a perimeter of the chassis structure and bound a hollow portion 116 inside the hollow chassis structure 101.

[0026] Chassis structure 101 includes internal ribs that contact an inner surface of walls 103 at rib edge lines 102, 104, and 108. In other words, rib edge lines 102, 104 and 108 show the edges of the internal ribs where the internal ribs meet the inner surface of respective walls 103. The internal ribs can be attached to an inner surface of walls 103 during the 3-D printing process, for example. The internal ribs that correspond to rib edge lines like 102, 104 and 108 can extend the full length across hollow portion 116 of the chassis structure 101, that is, the internal ribs can extend from one wall to an opposing wall on the other side of the chassis structure, as shown in more detail in FIG. 2B-D. As an example, while the volume of hollow portion 116 may vary substantially depending on the nature of the chassis structure 101 and on the target specifications for dynamic stiffness, etc., in one exemplary embodiment, the hollow portion is approximately 1000 milliliters. In other embodiments this value could be larger or smaller.

[0027] As shown in greater detail below, the ribs can include multiple sets of ribs. Here, each of rib edge lines 102, 104 and 108 belongs to a different set of generally parallel ribs. That is, in this embodiment, each set of ribs includes multiple, parallel ribs, such that each rib in a set intersects with one or more ribs in the other sets. In this way, for example, the intersections of the ribs can provide support to help allow the individual ribs to be self-supporting, and in some embodiments to help the intersecting ribs act as more effective stiffening structures when handling external loads on the chassis structure when the chassis structure is in operation. In other embodiments, additional or different criteria may be used to assist the ribs to be self- supporting as well as to allow the ribs to optimally handle external loads and attenuate high frequency plate modes. For example, placing the intersecting sets of ribs at different angles relative to one another may be another factor helping the ribs to be self-supporting, and/or helping the ribs to act as more effective stiffening structures when handling external loads.

[0028] Print orientation 115 is shown to illustrate how the chassis structure and rib edge lines in FIG. 1 are aligned relative to the print orientation, as described further below. In FIG. 1, print orientation 115 is pointed upwards and generally perpendicular to a plane of the upper surface of build plate 307.

[0029] FIG. 2A illustrates an internal perspective view of the chassis structure 101 of FIG.

1 with the outer walls 103 removed to show details of the ribs within hollow portion 116. In an embodiment, the chassis structure 101 may constitute a node. Chassis structure 101 in FIG. 2A has been topologically optimized via one or more algorithms to produce a node with a reduced mass. FIG. 2 A shows a more detailed view of the internal ribs of the chassis structure 101. As indicated in FIG. 1, there exist three different internal rib sets throughout the node. More specifically, the different sets of ribs in FIG. 2A include (i) a first set of parallel ribs (i.e., ribs-1 202) which is positioned in a first direction, (ii) a second set of parallel ribs (i.e., ribs-2 204) which is positioned in a second direction such that the two sets of ribs (i.e. ribs- 1 202 and ribs-2 204) intersect each other at a number of different locations throughout the chassis structure 101, and (iii) a third set of ribs (three of which are referenced as rib-3 208A, rib-3 208B and rib-3 208C) which is positioned in a direction that spans across part or all of the first two sets of ribs and therefore intersects the first two sets of ribs (i.e., ribs-1 202 and ribs-2 204) at different locations throughout the chassis structure.

[0030] As is evident from FIG. 2A, each of ribs labeled rib-3 208A-C have different lengths, and therefore shorter ribs-3 208A-B do not intersect all of the ribs in the other two sets of ribs. In addition, to avoid unduly obscuring the concepts in FIG. 2A, not all ribs in all sets have been specifically identified by reference number. However, FIGS. 2B-D (below) show each individual set of ribs.

[0031] FIGS. 2B-D illustrate perspective views of the three sets of internal ribs of the vehicle chassis structure 101 of FIGS. 1 and 2A. For the purpose of clarity, FIGS. 2B-D show each set of ribs with all other structures removed so that the details of each individual set of ribs can be more easily seen. FIG. 2B illustrates the rib-1 layout 220, which shows the first set of ribs identified in FIG. 2A as ribs-1 202. As is evident from the illustration, the ribs (ribs-1 202) are characterized by a plurality of components arranged in identically-oriented planes. The print orientation 115, that is, the direction in which layers or slices of print material are selectively added and scanned by the electron beam, is straight up and down. In various embodiments as shown in FIG. 2B, the angle of alignment 222 of each of ribs-1 202 is less than or equal to (<) 45 degrees (45°) relative to print orientation 115. In one embodiment, the angle of alignment 222 is equal to 45 degrees (45°). Accordingly, the first set of ribs (ribs-1 202) is self-supporting, and no support structures are required during 3- D printing.

[0032] FIG. 2C illustrates the rib-2 layout 230, which shows the second set of ribs identified in FIG. 2A as ribs-2 204. Like in FIG. 2B, the ribs in FIB. 2C can be characterized by a plurality of components in identically aligned planes. Here too, the angle of alignment 223 is less than or equal (<) 45 degrees (45°) relative to print orientation 115. Thus, the second set of ribs (ribs-2 204) are likewise self- supporting, and require no support structures during 3-D printing.

[0033] FIG. 2D illustrates the rib-3 layout 240, which shows the third set of ribs identified in FIG. 2A as including the three ribs labeled ribs-3 208A-C. FIG. 2D shows also the remaining ribs (i.e., ribs-3D-G) in the third set. As in the first two sets, each of the ribs (ribs-3 208A-G) in the third set is shaped differently, but the ribs are oriented in parallel planes. Here too, the angle of alignment is less than or equal (<) 45 degrees (45°) relative to print orientation 115. It should be noted that in the perspective of this figure, the angle of alignment is angled into the page, and therefore is not shown, in order to avoid confusion. However, one skilled in the art will readily understand the angle of alignment of ribs is less than or equal (<) 45 degrees (45°) relative to print orientation 115. Thus, the second set of ribs (ribs-3 208A-G) are likewise self-supporting, and require no support structures during 3-D printing.

[0034] Referring back to FIG. 2 A, ribs-1 202 are shown as intersecting ribs-2204, which in turn creates a plurality of ‘diamond shaped’ pockets in the chassis structure 101. Likewise, each rib-3 208 cuts at least partially through one or more ribs in the first two sets of ribs (i.e., ribs-1 202 and ribs-2 204) to create additional pockets in lower planes of the chassis structure 101.

[0035] Producing a plurality of ribs in the third set (i.e., each rib-3 208) can be used to further support the first and second sets of ribs (i.e. ribs-1 202 and ribs-2204). This added support can enable chassis structure 101 to use only self-supporting ribs to act as stiffening structures that meet dynamic stiffness requirements while concurrently minimizing the mass of the chassis structure 101. Chassis structure 101 is for illustrative purposes only, and other chassis structures, such as other nodes, may use fewer or more ribs in each set of ribs, as necessary, to accomplish its target goals. In addition, while three sets of ribs are shown in FIG. 2A, in other embodiments a different number of sets of ribs is also possible. Referring still to FIG. 2A-D, it can be appreciated that eliminating the requirement of supports in the 3-D printing also minimizes post-processing time, at least because there are no support structures that require separation and removal. Further, the wall thickness can be dramatically reduced - on the order of 1 to 2 millimeters or less - when using 3-D printing as compared to the current casting or extrusion techniques commonly used to make these types of chassis structures.

[0036] One advantage of the chassis structure 101 is that each of the ribs in all three sets is self-supporting. Further, in various embodiments, each of the ribs can be used as stiffening structures for attenuating high plate nodes, without any rib in the chassis structure 101 being used solely for supporting a wall during 3-D printing. Further, because the ribs may be used also to support the walls 103 during 3-D printing concurrent with their use as stiffening structures when in operation, the use of the self-supporting ribs effectively eliminates the need for external support structures, e.g., to support the walls 103 during 3-D printing. Another advantage of the chassis structure 101 in FIG. 1 (and further disclosed in FIGS. 2A-D) is that the mass of the chassis structure 101 can be dramatically reduced due to the thinner walls that can be used (e.g., 1-2 millimeters (mm) or less). The number, thickness and orientation of the ribs may also be optimally selected to minimize overall mass of the chassis structure 101. For example, the ribs can in various embodiments be made with a thickness of about 1-4 millimeters (mm), or less.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary view of a print orientation of a powder bed fusion (PBF) 3-D printer. In various embodiments, the PBF system 300 may include a build floor 311, a build plate 307 upon which to form a build piece 309 such as a 3- D printed chassis structure, and a powder bed 321 contained by one or more powder bed receptacle walls 312 (shown as a cross section in this view for illustrative purposes). Shown above the left powder bed receptacle wall 312 is a depositor 301 filled with a powder 317 (e.g., a metal powder or alloy for use as a print material), and a level er 319 which may include a specially-shaped blade or roller for smoothing and evening out the deposited powder. During a re-coat cycle, the depositor 301 deposits powder 317 into the powder bed 321, and the leveler crosses the powder bed from left to right at least once to smooth out a layer of the powder. The depositor 301 may return to the left side before a print cycle begins. Shown above the powder bed are an energy beam source 303 (such as a laser or electron beam), a deflector 305 to steer the beam, and energy beam 327 (which is off during the re-coat cycle). During the print cycle, the energy beam source 303 selectively fuses portions of the deposited powder layer to form fused powder 329, which solidifies to form a cross-section of the build piece 309. The re-coat cycle then adds another layer, followed by the print cycle which selectively fuses the newly added layer, and so on until the build piece 309 is completed.

[0038] Of particular note in FIG. 3 is that the print orientation 373 for purposes of the exemplary PBF printer is in the direction of the vertical arrow annotated “Print Orientation 373”. Thus, to ensure that the chassis structure is properly aligned in the PBF printer, the data model that includes the initial model of the chassis structure should ensure that the print orientation 373 is properly aligned with the components of the build piece 309 to ensure that the resulting build piece 309 is free of a requirement of support structures.

[0039] It should be understood that, while a PBF printer is being used to produce the chassis structure for purposes of this illustration, in other applications another type of printer may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. [0040] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a plurality of nodes in a frame of a vehicle chassis. FIG. 4 may, for example, represent a portion of the rear frame of the vehicle chassis. In various embodiments, the vehicle chassis may include chassis structures that represent a plurality of nodes, a plurality of non-nodes, or some combination thereof. In this embodiment, in which multiple nodes are combined into the frame, one or more of the nodes has a print orientation that does not align with the print orientation of one or more other nodes. FIG. 4 shows six nodes for illustrative purposes, although the disclosure is not so limited. FIG. 4 shows, in particular, a first node 404 with a first arrangement of ribs 405, a second node 406 with a second arrangement of ribs 407, a third node 408 with a third arrangement of ribs 409, a fourth node 410 with a fourth arrangement of ribs 411, a fifth node 412 with a fifth arrangement of ribs 413, and a sixth node 414 with a sixth arrangement of ribs 415. Each of the nodes has a print orientation represented by arrows in FIG. 4, for example, a print orientation 416 of first node 404, a print orientation 418 of second node 406, a print orientation 420 of third node 408, a print orientation 422 of fourth node 410, a print orientation 424 of fifth node 412, and a print orientation 426 of sixth node 414. For simplification, the nodes are separated by the bolded lines.

[0041] In this embodiment, the print orientation of one of the nodes, for example print orientation 418 of second node 406, is not aligned with the print orientation of another one of the nodes, for example print orientation 420 of third node 408. Therefore, the self-supporting ribs printed in second node 406 can have a different arrangement than the self-supporting ribs in third node 408.

[0042] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiments presented throughout the disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112(f), or analogous law in applicable jurisdictions, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”