Description:A COMPOSITE MATERIAL FOR A VEHICLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001]
The present subject matter is related, in general to a composite material for a plurality of vehicular parts.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5
[0002]
Typically, a vehicle comprises plurality of vehicle panel assemblies which covers a plurality of vehicle components which are disposed inside the vehicle. Since, the vehicle panels protects the vehicle components, therefore it is important to ensure optimum tensile strength and structural strength of the vehicle panels. Therefore, usually, the vehicle panels are made of polymers such as plastics. 10 Though plastics are lower density materials than metals, they contribute to significantly to the overall weight of the vehicle. An increased weight of a vehicle can have detrimental effects on its overall riding performance. Firstly, the increased weight adds to the stress on an engine, leading to increased fuel consumption and reduced fuel efficiency. Additionally, heavier vehicles typically exhibit poorer 15 acceleration and deceleration, resulting in sluggish manoeuvrability and compromised responsiveness. Besides braking distances may also be extended, potentially compromising safety of the rider. The increased weight can strain the suspension system, causing discomfort for passengers and reducing overall ride quality. 20
[0003]
Moreover, in traditional manufacturing processes involving the injection moulding of a plurality of vehicle panel assemblies made of polymers, a significant challenge arises during the cooling phase of the injection moulding process. As the molten polymer is injected into the mould and begins to cool, it is prone to experiencing warping or distortion. This distortion is a consequence of non-uniform 25 cooling rates across the polymer material. Various factors contribute to this phenomenon, including variations in thickness and geometry within the panel assembly. Therefore, in view of the above it is important to reduce weight of the vehicle while ensuring optimum structural integrity, tensile strength of the plurality
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of vehicle panels
and minimize or eliminate the warping and distortion issues associated with polymer injection moulding, thus contributing to the production of high-quality and structurally sound vehicle components.
[0004]
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of 5 described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.
SUMMARY
[0005]
As per an embodiment of the present invention a composite material for a vehicle comprises a base material, and a foaming material. The foaming material is 10 mixed to the base material at a pre-defined proportion ranging from 0.1-5% of the composite material in a closed moulding chamber at a predefined temperature.
[0006]
As per yet another aspect of the present invention, the base material is Polypropylene material; and the foaming material is at least one of azodicarbonamide or citrate mixture. 15
[0007]
As per yet another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle comprises a floorboard, plurality of vehicle panel assembly, wherein the floorboard vehicle panel assembly are made of the composite material.
[0008]
As per yet another aspect of the present invention, the pre-defined proportion range depends on the geometrical dimensions of the vehicle part. 20
[0009]
As per yet another aspect of the present invention, the base material comprises at least one of the Polypropylene materials with no additive and the Polypropylene material with a talcum additive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00010]
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed 25 description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
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[00011]
Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a vehicle as per an embodiment of the present invention.
[00012]
Figure 2-4 illustrates a scanned image of a cut section portion of a portion of a vehicle as per an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 5
[00013]
The present disclosure may be best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are discussed below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions given herein with respect to the figures are simply for explanatory purposes as the methods and systems may extend 10 beyond the described embodiments. For example, the teachings presented, and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternative and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. 15
[00014]
References to “one embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” “for example,” and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, 20 property, element, or limitation. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
[00015]
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with different embodiments. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth 25 herein; rather those embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
5
[00016]
An objective of the present invention is to provide a composite material for a vehicle, which can be used for manufacturing of plurality of vehicle panels, such that the overall weight of the vehicle is reduced without compromising on structural and tensile strength of the plurality of vehicle panels. Thereby the present invention enables to improve fuel efficiency, improved manoeuvrability, enhanced 5 responsiveness of the vehicle.
[00017]
The aforesaid and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail in conjunction with the figures & embodiment in the following description.
[00018]
Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a vehicle (100) as per an embodiment of 10 the present invention. The vehicle (100) comprises plurality of vehicle panel assemblies (106). The plurality of vehicle panel assemblies (106) includes a front panel assembly comprising a front panel member, and a rear front panel member (102). The vehicle (100) further comprises a pair of side panel members (106a) which extends towards side portion of the vehicle (100), when the vehicle (100) is 15 viewed in side view. The pair of side panel members includes a left side panel on the left side of the vehicle, and a right-side panel on the right side of the vehicle (100). The vehicle (100) also includes a floorboard (104), which supports the feet of the rider. Traditionally, the plurality of vehicle panel assemblies (106) and the floorboard (104) are made of polymers with additive or without additive. For 20 example, conventionally, the plurality of vehicle (100) panel assemblies and the floorboard (104) are made of polymers with glass additive or talcum additive, or pure polymers such as plastic.
[00019]
Figure 2-4 illustrates a scanned image of a cut section portion of a portion (202) of a vehicle (100) as per an embodiment of the present invention. The 25 floorboard (104) and the plurality of vehicle panel assemblies (106) are made of a composite material. The composite material for the vehicle (100) comprises a base material, and a foaming material. More particularly, the base material is Polypropylene, and the foaming material is at least one of azodicarbonamide or citrate mixture. As per the strength requirement of the part of the vehicle, the 30
6
proportion of the foaming material
in the base material for making the composite material is determined. For example, the proportion of the foaming material in the composite material for a floorboard of the vehicle is relatively less than the amount of foaming material required for vehicle panel member as the strength of the floorboard should be more as compared to the vehicle panel members. Based on 5 the geometrical dimensions of the vehicle (100) part, the foaming material is mixed with the Polypropylene at a pre-defined proportion. The predefined proportion ranges from of the 0.1-5% of the composite material.
[00020]
As per an embodiment of the present invention, in an injection moulding, the pallets of the Polypropylene are added. At a predefined temperature, the 10 predefined proportion range of the at least one of azodicarbonamide or citrate mixture is added to the injection moulding. At the predefined temperature, the at least one of azodicarbonamide or citrate mixture undergoes thermal decomposition which produces nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases. This process takes place within the closed chamber of the injection moulding 15 apparatus. Unlike open processes where the gases would dissipate, the closed system of injection moulding traps these gases within the polymer matrix. As a consequence, the gases become entrapped as bubbles, resulting in the formation of a foamed article during the moulding process. After the composite material is adequately shaped and moulded, and the injection moulding apparatus is opened, 20 the trapped gases are allowed to escape into the surrounding air. This release creates plurality of cavities (402) within the polymer material, contributing to the foamed structure of the final product. Importantly, a surface portion i.e., the top surface of the plurality of the vehicle (100) components are solid, while the inner portion, as viewed from cut section view are porous or comprises plurality of cavities (402) 25 within the polymer material. As per an embodiment, the predefined temperature ranges from 100 degrees Celsius to 300 degrees Celsius. In an exemplary embodiment, the predefined temperature is 200 degree Celsius. Furthermore, the composite material can be used for making vehicle panel members, a tail lamp cover, a floorboard, a handlebar cover, vehicle fenders or any other external parts 30 of the vehicle. Further, as per yet another aspect of the present invention, the
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Element Mass Percentage of the composite material is Carbon 20%; Hydrogen
3.5%; Nitrogen 48%; Oxygen27%; and Others 1.5%.
[00021]
As per an embodiment of the present invention, the chemical composition of the composite material is provided below:
[00022]
Advantageously, the plurality of cavities (402) within the polymer material 5 ensures to reduce the weight of the vehicle (100), thereby ensuring optimum effect on it overall riding performance. Importantly, the reduced weight of the vehicle (100) does not add to the stress on the engine of the vehicle (100) . Thus, the present invention provides increased fuel efficiency, enhanced acceleration, and deceleration, resulting in easy manoeuvrability and improved responsiveness. Thus, 10 the overall riding experience of the vehicle (100) is increased.
[00023]
In light of the above-mentioned advantages and the technical advancements provided by the disclosed method and system, the claimed steps as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as the 15 claimed steps enable the following solutions to the existing problems in conventional technologies..
[00024]
Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter and is therefore intended that 20 the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
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[00025]
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. 5
[00026]
A person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the system, modules, and sub-modules have been illustrated and explained to serve as examples and should not be considered limiting in any manner. It will be further appreciated that the variants of the above disclosed system elements, modules, and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create other 10 different system or applications.
[00027]
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the aforementioned steps and/or system modules may be suitably replaced, reordered, or removed, and additional steps and/or system modules may be inserted, depending on the needs of a particular application. In addition, the system of the aforementioned embodiments 15 may be implemented using a wide variety of suitable processes and system modules, and are not limited to any particular computer hardware, software, middleware, firmware, microcode, and the like. The claims can encompass embodiments for hardware and software, or a combination thereof.
[00028]
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain 20 embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure is not 25 limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. , Claims:I/We claim:
1.
A composite material for a vehicle (100) , the composite material comprising:
a base material, 5
a foaming material,
the foaming material is mixed to the base material at a pre-defined proportion ranging from 0.1-5% of the composite material in a closed molding chamber at a predefined temperature.
2.
The composite material for a vehicle (100), wherein said predefined 10 temperature being in a range of 100-300 degrees Celsius.
3.
The composite material for the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base material is Polypropylene material; and the foaming material is at least one of azodicarbonamide or citrate mixture. 15
4.
The composite material for the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle (100) comprises a floorboard (104), plurality of vehicle (100) panel assembly, wherein the floorboard (104) vehicle (100) panel assembly are made of the composite material. 20
5.
The composite material for the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, pre-defined proportion range depends on the geometrical dimensions of the vehicle (100) part.
25
6.
The composite material for the vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base material comprises at least one of the Polypropylene
10
materials with no additive and the
Polypropylene material with a talcum additive.
7.
A method of manufacturing a composite material for the vehicle (100) , wherein the method comprises the steps of: 5
adding, a base material to a molding chamber;
adding, a pre-defined proportion of a foaming material to the molding chamber at a predefined temperature.
8.
The method of manufacturing a composite material for a vehicle (100), 10 wherein said predefined temperature being in a range of 100-300 degrees Celsius.
9.
The method of manufacturing the composite material for the vehicle (100) , wherein the base material is Polypropylene material; and the 15 foaming material is at least one of azodicarbonamide or citrate mixture.
10.
The method of manufacturing the composite material for the vehicle (100) , wherein the foaming agent comprises 0.5-5% of the composite material. 20
11.
The method of manufacturing the composite material for the vehicle (100) , wherein the base material comprises at least one of the Polypropylene materials with no additive and the Polypropylene material with a talcum additive.