Buckling column bumper system with vertical displacement-preventing means

Claim 2

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboarddisplaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means constructed of a nonelastomeric material having a relatively high modulus of elasticity, and a relatively high yield point, both in the order of heat-treated steel, and having a high force to short travel distance in the buckling mode fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; and means carried rigidly by the supporting structure and including a part opposing said bar means in a plane generally parallel to said buckling plane and permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane.

Claim 3

A system according to claim 1, including rigid abutment means carried by the supporting structure, the bar means having inboard end bearing structure thrusting against said abutment means and mEans connecting the bar means to said abutment means enabling pivoting of said end structure during column buckling without interference with said thrusting of the bearing structure.

Claim 4

A system according to claim 1, including abutment means carried by the bumper, said bar means having outboard end bearing structure thrusting against said abutment means, and means connecting the bar means to said abutment means enabling pivotal movement of the bearing structure during buckling of the bar means without interference with said thrusting of the bearing structure.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 3, said abutment means comprising a bracket attached rigidly to the bumper, said bearing structure comprising a curled bar terminal, and a pivot pin supported by said bracket and engaged through said terminal curl.

Claim 6

A system according to claim 1, said means carried by the supporting structure comprising a bracket having bearing means providing said part engageable with said bar means.

Claim 7

A system according to claim 5, said bearing means part comprising opposed bearing flanges between which said bar means extend.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 5, said bearing means part comprising a flange having edges defining a clearance opening through said flange.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 1, said bumper comprising a vehicle bumper and said supporting structure comprising a vehicle frame including a longitudinal frame member having an outboard end relative to which the bumper is supported in outboard spaced relation by said bar means, said bar means comprising a resilient metal bar having a length extending from an outboard end anchored to the bumper to an inboard end anchored to said frame member a substantial distance inboard from said outboard end of the frame member and with the major extent of the bar extending along said frame member, said bar having a width strongly resisting load deflections and oriented vertically and a thickness facilitating resilient buckling in horizontal direction responsive to endwise force applied longitudinally to the bar, said means carried by the supporting structure being mounted adjacent to said outboard end of the frame member providing rigid restraint against vertical displacements of the bar from dead load of bumper and bar and jacking loads when the vehicle is raised by a jack applied under the bumper but permitting said free buckling movements in horizontal direction relative to the frame member.

Claim 10

A system according to claim 1, including a stop flange carried by the bumper, and a stop flange carried by the supporting structure, said stop flange being normally spaced apart a predetermined bumper displacement stroke distance and being engageable at the stroke limit to transfer force from the bumper to the supporting structure.

Claim 11

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboard displaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; means carried by the supporting structure permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane; abutment means carried by the bumper against which outboard end bearing structure of the bar means thrust, and means connecting the bar means to said abutment means enabling pivotal movement of the bearing structure during buckling of the bar means; said abutment means comprising a bracket attached rigidly to the bumper; said bearing structure comprising a curled bar terminal; and a pivot pin supported by said bracket and engaged through said terminal curl.

Claim 12

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboard displaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; means carried by the supporting structure permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane; abutment means carried by the bumper against which outboard end bearing structure of the bar means thrust, and means connecting the bar means to said abutment means enabling pivotal movement of the bearing structure during buckling of the bar means; said abutment means comprising a bracket attached rigidly to the bumper; said bearing structure comprising a curled bar terminal; and a pivot pin supported by said bracket and engaged through said terminal curl.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 10, said bar means comprising a plurality of bars in laminar relation, and means securing the bars togeTher adjacent to said curl.

Claim 14

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboard-displaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; mean carried by the supporting structure permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane; bracket structure carried by the bumper and providing means for fixedly anchoring the bar means to the bumper; means carried by said bracket structure and by said means carried by the supporting structure cooperatively providing energy absorbing friction pad means operative supplemental to the energy storing operation of the bar means during inboard forced displacement of the bumper relative to the supporting structure; said friction pad means comprising respective flanges in face-to-face frictional engagement; and means pressing the flanges together in relatively frictionally slidable relation.

Claim 15

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboard-displaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; mean carried by the supporting structure permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane; bracket structure carried by the bumper and providing means for fixedly anchoring the bar means to the bumper; means carried by said bracket structure and by said means carried by the supporting structure cooperatively providing energy absorbing friction pad means operative supplemental to the energy storing operation of the bar means during inboard forced displacement of the bumper relative to the supporting structure; said friction pad means comprising respective flanges in face-to-face frictional engagement; and means pressing the flanges together in relatively frictionally slidable relation.

Claim 16

A system according to claim 12, one of said flanges having a longitudinal slot, said means pressing the flanges together comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced bolts carried by the other of said flanges and assisting said means carried by the supporting structure in holding the bar means in said buckling plane.

Claim 17

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboard-displaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; and means carried by the supporting structure permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane; said bumper comprising a vehicle bumper and said supporting structure comprising a vehicle frame including a longitudinal frame member having an outboard end relative to which the bumper is supported in outboard spaced relation by said bar means; said bar means comprising a resilient metal bar having a length extending from an outboard end anchored to the bumper to an inboard end anchored to said frame member a substantial distance inboard from said outboard end of the frame member and with the major extent of the bar extending along said frame member; said bar having a width strongly resisting load deflections and oriented vertically and a thickness facilitating resilient buckling in horizontal direction responsive to endwise force applied longitudinally to the bar; said means carried by the supporting structure being mounted adjacent to said outboard end of the frame member providing rigid restraint against vertical displacements of the bar from dead load of bumper and bar and jacking loads when the vehicle is raised by a jack applied under the bumper but permitting said free buckling movements in horizontal direction relative to the frame member.

Claim 18

An energy storing system supporting a bumper inboard-displaceably relative to a supporting structure, comprising: resilient buckling column bar means fixedly anchored inboard to the supporting structure and outboard to the bumper and operative in response to forced displacement of the bumper inboard relative to the supporting structure to buckle within a buckling plane and store energy of the applied force; and means carried by the supporting structure permitting free buckling movements of the bar means in said buckling plane but holding the bar means against displacement from said plane; said bumper comprising a vehicle bumper and said supporting structure comprising a vehicle frame including a longitudinal frame member having an outboard end relative to which the bumper is supported in outboard spaced relation by said bar means; said bar means comprising a resilient metal bar having a length extending from an outboard end anchored to the bumper to an inboard end anchored to said frame member a substantial distance inboard from said outboard end of the frame member and with the major extent of the bar extending along said frame member; said bar having a width strongly resisting load deflections and oriented vertically and a thickness facilitating resilient buckling in horizontal direction responsive to endwise force applied longitudinally to the bar; said means carried by the supporting structure being mounted adjacent to said outboard end of the frame member providing rigid restraint against vertical displacements of the bar from dead load of bumper and bar and jacking loads when the vehicle is raised by a jack applied under the bumper but permitting said free buckling movements in horizontal direction relative to the frame member.

Claim 19

A system according to claim 14, said bar being mounted above said frame member and said buckling movements being over the top of said frame member.

Claim 20

A system according to claim 14, said bar being mounted along a side of said frame member and said buckling movements being in a direction away from said side of the frame member.

Claim 21

A system according to claim 14, said bar being mounted operatively above said frame member, and a second resilient buckling column bar extending diagonally to and between and having its respective opposite ends anchored to a side of said frame member and to said bumper.

Claim 22

A system according to claim 14, includiNg a second resilient buckling column bar extending diagonally between and having its opposite ends respectively anchored to said bumper and extending therefrom toward one side of the frame member and anchored to the frame member at an elevation adjacent to the top of the frame member, and said first-mentioned resilient buckling column bar extending along the same side of the frame member below said diagonal bar and having an offsetting intermediate portion placing the outboard end portion of said first-mentioned bar at substantially the same elevation as the outboard end of the diagonal bar.

Claim 23

A system according to claim 18, comprising a mounting plate secured to said one side of the frame member, and the inboard ends of said bars being anchored to the plate and thereby to said frame member.

Claim 24

A system according to claim 19, including a second plate member secured to the same side of said frame member and providing said means carried by the supporting structure.

Claim 25

A system according to claim 18, including a mounting plate secured to said frame member and providing the anchorage for said diagonal bar, said mounting plate also providing said means carried by the supporting structure.

Claim 26

A system according to claim 21, said plate having a flange portion projecting outboard, a friction pad flange extending inboard from said bumper in lapping relation to said flange extension, and means pressing said flange and flange extension together in frictional sliding energy absorbing relation.