Porsche is no stranger to innovative bumper design – the 1977 Porsche 928 had fully integrated, elastic polyurethane nose and tail cones styled into the body doubling as bumpers, which benefited bump-absorption, aerodynamics, and styling. Now they’re at it again according to a new patent application filed with the European Patent Office. This bumper design suggests a rethink of existing practices by creating simplified longitudinal and transverse members, fasteners, and damping elements to not only improve the absorption of impact forces, but also reduce the cost of repairs and replacement.
The Problem With Existing Bumper Construction
Currently, bumpers typically comprise crossmembers attached to longitudinal legs via impact-absorbing elements, with various additional impact-absorbing structures between the crossmember and vehicle body. For targeted bump absorption of pole-type intrusions, adding these additional elements is cumbersome, and requires many different types of fasteners, such as screws, rivets, and sleeves, adding to the complexity of the assembly.
A Simpler, More Efficient Solution
Porsche’s proposal better absorbs impact forces by introducing a reinforcing band between the impact-absorbing elements that attach the bumper crossmember to the longitudinal legs. These impact-absorbing elements incorporate grooves that will allow the reinforcing band to slide in place easily and be secured with simple tabs. The design also makes provision for the easy addition of optional damping elements that further improve the assembly’s impact-absorption properties. The simplified design and fewer parts are also cheaper to manufacture and assemble.
Summary
While variations on this theme have been proposed before, the Porsche patent is unique in combining several previously irreconcilable qualities in a single design:
- Fewer parts and fasteners
- Simpler construction
- Lower cost of manufacture
- Easier and quicker assembly
- Cheaper repairs
- Improved impact absorption
- Modularity that allows upgrading the system by adding optional damping elements
