Resilient mounting for vehicle bumper bar

Claim 1

In a vehicle comprising an energy-absorbing means employing a resilient elastomeric cushion means disposed between the vehicle bumper and the vehicle frame, the improvement wherein said energy-absorbing means comprises a rigid casing member, of generally U-shaped configuration as viewed in transverse cross-section perpendicular to the bumper, affixed to, but formed separate from, one of said bumper and said frame and defining a cavity, the side walls of said casing member forming said U-shaped configuration being inclined outwardly; the side walls of said casing member, in cross-section, forming a small acute angle with a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of said casing member, and a support member which partially projects into the cavity defined by said casing member, said support member being affixed at one end thereof to the other one of said bumper and said frame, and the surfaces of said support member which oppose said side walls of said casing member being inclined in a direction toward said cavity and substantially conforming in shape to the shape of said side walls, a said elastomeric cushion means being disposed between said support member and said casing member and being bonded to said inclined surfaces of said support member and to the opposed internal surfaces of said side walls of said casing member so that by virtue of the opposed inclined surfaces of said members the energy-absorption means absorbs stresses in both shear and compression.