Patent ID: 7977396
Filing Date: 2011-07-12
Classification: B60R,C08G,F16F

Abstract:
1. A vehicle having at least one impact-absorbing headliner, door panel, pelvic bolster, armrest, thorax bolster, knee bolster, pillar, headrest, seat back, load floor or instrument panel located within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the impact-absorbing headliner, door panel, pelvic bolster, armrest, thorax bolster, knee bolster, pillar, headrest, seat back, load floor or instrument panel including a cellular polymer oriented such that the direction of the highest compressive strength is oriented in an expected direction of impact of a vehicle occupant with the cellular polymer and a rigid support against which the cellular polymer is compressed during such an impact, wherein the polymer is a styrene polymer or a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer and the cellular polymer is formed by extruding a single, continuous mass of a foamable resin mixture in a direction of extrusion, and further wherein the cellular polymer exhibits anisotropic behavior represented by C E /C T , C V /C T and C H /C T , wherein C E , C V and C H represent the compressive strength of the cellular polymer in each of three orthogonal directions E, V and H, respectively, as measured by compressing a 25-50 mm thick sample of the cellular polymer at a strain rate of 0.08 s −1 to 25% strain, C T represents the sum of C E , C V and C H , and at least one of C E /C T , C V /C T and C H /C T has a value of from 0.50 to 0.80.