An energy-absorbing device includes a beam having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of lobes attached to and positioned sequentially along the beam. The lobes are spaced from each other, deformable relative to the beam, and configured to contact adjacent lobes when deformed. The size and spacing of the lobes is such that if a single lobe is deformed, the lobe will not contact adjacent lobes, but if adjacent lobes are deformed, the lobes will contact each other.

An electrically powered motor vehicle includes a main frame, a front axle assembly, and a rear axle assembly. The main frame includes a front frame subassembly, a floor-panel subassembly, a rear frame subassembly, and a top frame subassembly. Each of these frame subassemblies includes a lattice structure including steel box-section elements, preferably high-strength steel elements. Each of the frame subassemblies is prearranged for being pre-assembled separately and then subsequently assembled together with the other subassemblies to constitute the main frame. The structure is such as to afford high flexibility of production, and presents at the same time considerable safety characteristics, thanks to a high capacity of absorption of impact energy. In one embodiment designed for transport of goods, the motor vehicle is equipped with a transporting body having a hollow-walled body made of plastic material, filled with foamed plastic material, preferably obtained with the rotational-moulding technique.

An energy absorber for a vehicle, comprising: a continuous beam to extend across a width of vehicle, the beam defining a plurality of inward facing cavities in a center section, with adjacent inward facing cavities separated from one another by an inward facing rib, and at each end portion a plurality of outward facing cavities, with adjacent outward facing cavities separated from one another by an outward facing rib, wherein the center section includes a panel that is continuous on its outward side, and that forms a relative bottom of each of the plurality of inward facing cavities with its inward face.

This composite structure is characterized in that: an internally inserted component, which is molded from a resin material having a tensile elongation of 10% or more, is placed inside a metal member having a hollow closed cross-section such that an external load can be received by both the internally inserted component and the metal member, and the outer shape of the internally inserted component occupies 50% or more relative to the hollow closed cross-section of the metal member as projection area ratio. By disposing the resin-made internally inserted component having a specific toughness at a specified state inside the metal member having a hollow closed cross-section, especially when a collision load occurs, the metal member undergoes ductile deformation and the internally inserted component also deforms correspondingly, and thus the waveform of the load-displacement curve can approach an ideal rectangular waveform, and excellent impact energy absorbing performance can be exhibited.

The present invention is about a bumper beam comprising: —a first end portion and a second end portion, —a center beam contiguous with and oriented between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the center beam comprises a front face and a back face; wherein the center beam has a center section and end sections at opposite ends of the center section, the end sections being adjacent to the end portions, respectively, wherein the center beam comprises horizontal and vertical ribs extending from the front face and the back face and/or between the front face and the back face, wherein the bumper beam is made of a plastic material.

An energy absorbing device includes a composite or metallic component having greater than or equal to three walls forming a component channel with a longitudinal length and a polymeric component. The polymeric component has a honeycomb structure with two or more walls defining honeycomb tubes and supported within the component channel with the honeycomb tubes stacked transversely along the longitudinal length of the component channel. Ends of the honeycomb tubes abut the composite or metal component. The composite or metal component, or the polymeric component, has a bending stiffness greater than a bending stiffness of the honeycomb structure. Rocker assemblies and vehicle bodies are also described.

A front bumper includes a bumper body, a bumper inner, and a first electronic device. The bumper body is exposed to the outside of the vehicle. The bumper inner is located inside the bumper body and configured to fix the bumper body to a body of the vehicle. The first electronic device is located between the bumper body and the bumper inner. The bumper inner includes an inner body facing at least a part of the first electronic device in a first direction, and at least one columnar portion located adjacent to first the electronic device in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and extending in the first direction from the inner body toward the bumper body. The length in the first direction of the at least one columnar portion is greater than the length in the first direction of the first electronic device.

This composite structure is characterized in that: an internally inserted component, which is molded from a resin material having a tensile elongation of 10% or more, is placed inside a metal member having a hollow closed cross-section such that an external load can be received by both the internally inserted component and the metal member, and the outer shape of the internally inserted component occupies 50% or more relative to the hollow closed cross-section of the metal member as projection area ratio. By disposing the resin-made internally inserted component having a specific toughness at a specified state inside the metal member having a hollow closed cross-section, especially when a collision load occurs, the metal member undergoes ductile deformation and the internally inserted component also deforms correspondingly, and thus the waveform of the load-displacement curve can approach an ideal rectangular waveform, and excellent impact energy absorbing performance can be exhibited.

A beam configured to couple to a vehicle includes end areas comprising end midpoints that are equidistant from a top face and a bottom face on a vertical axis when the beam is positioned on a vehicle, and a central area positioned between the end areas, the central area having a central area midpoint that is equidistant from the top face and the bottom face on the vertical axis when the beam is positioned on a vehicle and that is positioned in the center of the beam along the longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis of the beam passes through the end area, wherein the central area is capable of rotating about the longitudinal axis when the beam is impacted by an applied force.

A beam configured to couple to a vehicle includes end areas comprising end midpoints that are equidistant from a top face and a bottom face on a vertical axis when the beam is positioned on a vehicle, and a central area positioned between the end areas, the central area having a central area midpoint that is equidistant from the top face and the bottom face on the vertical axis when the beam is positioned on a vehicle and that is positioned in the center of the beam along the longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis of the beam passes through the end area, wherein the central area is capable of rotating about the longitudinal axis when the beam is impacted by an applied force.