Patent ID: 6820924
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: B62D,C21D,F16F

Abstract:
A crush rail having improved crash worthiness, comprising:an elongated rail made from metal; and a crush trigger integrally formed in the rail that comprises a localized part spaced from an end of the rail that is heat treated to decrease the yield strength and increase the ductility of the metal; and a series of outward convolutions and inward convolutions formed in an area of the crush trigger after impact, the outward convolutions rising above a top outer surface of the rail in a portion of the area and the inward convolutions sunken below a side outer surface in the same portion of the area as the outward convolutions such that a cross-section through the portion produces alternating inward and outward convolutions around the outer surfaces of the rail, the outer surfaces defined by the perimeter of the rail prior to impact.