Air-Guiding Element and Vehicle Having at Least One Air-Guiding Element

Abstract

An air-guiding element on or in a vehicle is formed of at least one fiber-reinforced composite material having a multi-layered sandwich structure. At least one of the layers of the sandwich structure is a resilient layer that consists of or comprises a material comprising an elastomer, and the layers of the sandwich structure are interconnected by a plastic matrix material.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. An air-guiding element on or in a vehicle, comprising: at least one fiber composite material having a multi-layered sandwich structure, wherein at least one layer of the multi-layered sandwich structure is an elastic layer which comprises a material comprising an elastomer, and a plastic matrix material connecting all layers of the multi-layered sandwich structure to one another.

14. The air-guiding element according to claim 13, wherein the multi-layered sandwich structure has an upper nonelastic layer and a lower nonelastic layer which each comprise a laid fiber scrim, a knitted fiber fabric or a woven fiber fabric, and the elastic layer is arranged between the at least one upper nonelastic layer and the lower nonelastic layer.

15. The air-guiding element according to claim 13, wherein the multi-layered sandwich structure has at least one upper nonelastic layer and at least one lower nonelastic layer, and also at least one further nonelastic layer situated between them, which each comprise a laid fiber scrim, a knitted fiber fabric or a woven fiber fabric, and in each case, an elastic layer is arranged between the nonelastic layers.

16. The air-guiding element according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the layers of the air-guiding element has a self-supporting region and a root region at which the air-guiding element is or can be connected to a body or to another structural part of the vehicle, and at least one nonelastic layer has, between the root region and the self-supporting region, at least one locally stiffness-reduced bending region which defines a preferred bending axis.

17. The air-guiding element according to claim 16, wherein the locally stiffness-reduced bending region has a cutout, wherein the at least one cutout defines the preferred bending axis.

18. The air-guiding element according to claim 17, wherein the at least one cutout takes the form of an oblong hole or slot whose longitudinal direction extends parallel to the preferred bending axis.

19. The air-guiding element according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the nonelastic layers has, between the root region and the self-supporting region, a plurality of cutouts which extend along the preferred bending axis and are spaced apart from one another in the direction of the preferred bending axis.

20. The air-guiding element according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the nonelastic layers has, between the root region and the self-supporting region, a plurality of cutouts which extend along the preferred bending axis and are spaced apart from one another in the direction of the preferred bending axis.

21. The air-guiding element according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the nonelastic layers has, between the root region and the self-supporting region, a plurality of cutouts which extend along the preferred bending axis and are spaced apart from one another in the direction of the preferred bending axis.

22. The air-guiding element according to claim 16, wherein a nonelastic, thickened portion, which extends in parallel to the bending axis, is provided on the self-supporting region of the upper layer and/or of the lower layer at a distance from the bending axis.

23. The air-guiding element according to claim 16, wherein the locally stiffness-reduced region of the at least one nonelastic layer has one or more interruptions along the bending axis that are formed in the laid fiber scrim, the knitted fiber fabric or the woven fiber fabric.

24. A vehicle comprising at least one air-guiding element according to claim 13.

25. A vehicle according to claim 24, further comprising: a vehicle body, wherein at least one of the layers of the air-guiding element has a self-supporting region and a root region at which the air-guiding element is connected to the vehicle body or to another structural part of the vehicle, and at least one nonelastic layer situated above the at least one elastic layer on the inflow side has at least one cutout between the root region and the self-supporting region, wherein the at least one cutout defines a preferred bending axis.

26. The vehicle according to claim 25, wherein the air-guiding element forms a front spoiler of the vehicle or is provided on a front spoiler.

27. The vehicle according to claim 24, wherein the air-guiding element forms a front spoiler of the vehicle or is provided on a front spoiler.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle front having an air-guiding element according to an embodiment of the invention in a first position;

[0026] FIG. 2 shows the vehicle front from FIG. 1 with the air-guiding element in a second position;

[0027] FIG. 3 shows the vehicle front from FIG. 1 with the aid-guiding element in a third position;

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a perspective exploded illustration of the layer structure of an air-guiding element according to FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0029] FIGS. 5A to 5C show three variants of nonelastic layers of an air-guiding element according to the invention; and

[0030] FIGS. 6A to 6D show four variants of the layer structure of an air-guiding element according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 each show a front apron 12 of the vehicle body 10 of a vehicle 1, for example of a motor vehicle, having an air-guiding element 2 which forms a front spoiler 14 which, in a manner known per se, is provided in the lower region 12′, which extends rearwardly counter to the direction of travel F, of the front apron 12 and is fastened thereto by a root region 2″ and which projects obliquely forward and downward in the direction of travel F with a front, self-supporting region 2′.

[0032] Although the air-guiding element 2 is rigidly fastened to the front apron 12, it is able to bend slightly between the root region 2″ and the self-supporting region 2′ such that the relative wind W flowing against the vehicle counter to the direction of travel F presses, with increasing speed of the vehicle 1, more strongly against the self-supporting region 2′ of the air-guiding element 2 in the form of a front spoiler 14 and deflects it downward, with the result that the engagement surface of the air-guiding element 2 for the relative wind W becomes greater. As a result, the angle between the front apron 12 and the self-supporting region 2′ of the air-guiding element 2 as measured in a vertical longitudinal center plane of the vehicle 1 increases. At lower speed, this angle α1 (FIG. 1) is smaller than the angle α2 at average speed (FIG. 2), and the latter is in turn smaller than the angle α3 at even higher speed (FIG. 3). If the speed is reduced again, the angle α becomes smaller again owing to the material-intrinsic restoring forces of the air-guiding element 2.

[0033] In FIG. 4, the sandwich structure 20 of an air-guiding element 2 is shown in a vertically exploded illustration. An upper nonelastic layer 22 having a self-supporting region 22′ and a root region 22″ and a lower nonelastic layer 26 having a self-supporting region 26′ and a root region 26″ each comprise a laid fiber scrim, a knitted fiber fabric or a woven fiber fabric which, in the example shown, are formed from a glass fiber material and/or a carbon fiber material. Between these two nonelastic layers 22, 26, an elastic or partially elastic layer 24 having a self-supporting region 24′ and a root region 24″ is embedded in the sandwich structure 20 and consists of or comprises an elastic material. For example, the elastic layer 24 is formed by a thin sheet of noncrosslinked rubber, as available, for example, under the tradename Kraibon®.

[0034] The layers 22, 24 and 26 are jointly crosslinked with a synthetic resin matrix and thus form the sandwich structure 20 of the air-guiding element 2. Here, the elastic layer 24 consisting of the elastomer is integrated into the sandwich structure 20 of the cured air-guiding element 2 and provides the air-guiding element 2 with elasticity.

[0035] The two nonelastic layers 22 and 26 which enclose the elastic layer 24 between them are per se substantially stiff and rigid and are each per se able to bend slightly only on account of their respective small layer thickness. In the described material composite of the sandwich structure 20, the elastic intermediate layer 24 allows a small relative movement between the upper nonelastic layer 22 and the lower nonelastic layer 26, with the result that the overall formation of the sandwich structure 20, that is to say of the air-guiding element 2, is able to be slightly resiliently deflected from its base position of FIG. 1.

[0036] To facilitate this deflectability, the upper layer 22, which is situated outwardly during bending by the relative wind W and which is impinged by the relative wind, has a dedicated bending axis y through the provision of oblong holes 22′″ whose longitudinal direction extends along or parallel to the bending axis y. The row of the oblong holes 22′″ thus defines a locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21 of the upper nonelastic layer 22 and thus of the entire air-guiding element 2.

[0037] FIG. 5 shows three different embodiments of a locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21 of the upper nonelastic layer 22. In the example of FIG. 5A, the locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21′ is formed by a local stiffness adaptation in the sense of a local stiffness reduction by the laminate structure. The thickness of the layer 22 can also be reduced in this region, or the material or the geometry of the fiber orientation can cause a slightly reduced stiffness of the upper nonelastic layer 22 in this region.

[0038] Alternatively, the locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21″ according to the example of FIG. 5B can have a row of long cutouts or oblong holes 27 which are spaced only slightly apart from one another. The distance a.sub.1 between two adjacent oblong holes 27 is here considerably less than the length l.sub.1 of a respective oblong hole 27; it is about 25% to 30% of the length l.sub.1.

[0039] According to the example of FIG. 5C, the one locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21′″ is provided by a row of somewhat shorter cutouts or oblong holes 27′, which are further spaced apart from one another than in the example of FIG. 5B. The locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21″ in FIG. 5B is thus more flexible than the locally stiffness-reduced bending region 21′″ in FIG. 5C. The distance a.sub.2 between two adjacent oblong holes 27′ is here considerably greater than the length l.sub.2 of a respective oblong hole 27′; it is about 125% to 150% of the length l.sub.2.

[0040] FIGS. 6A to 6D each show a vertical section through different respective layer structures 20 each having an outer upper layer 22, an inner upper layer 23 situated thereunder, the elastic layer 24, an inner lower layer 25 situated under the latter, and an outer lower layer 26 thereunder.

[0041] In the example of FIG. 6A, both the two upper layers 22, 23 and the two lower layers 25, 26 are formed by in each case a 0.25 mm thick woven carbon fiber fabric. The elastic layer 24 consists of a 0.5 mm thick sheet made of noncrosslinked rubber.

[0042] In the example of FIG. 6B, both the two upper layers 22, 23 and the two lower layers 25, 26 are formed by in each case a 0.25 mm thick woven carbon fiber fabric. The elastic layer 24 consists of a 0.5 mm thick sheet of uncrosslinked rubber. Both the inner upper layer 23 and the inner lower layer 25 are provided with a locally stiffness-reduced bending region having oblong holes or cutouts arranged in a row, wherein the total length of the oblong holes or cutouts is approximately 50% of the length of the air-guiding element 2 in the vehicle transverse direction Y.

[0043] In the example of FIG. 6C, both the two upper layers 22, 23 and the two lower layers 25, 26 are formed by in each case a 0.25 mm thick woven carbon fiber fabric. The elastic layer 24 consists of a 0.5 mm thick sheet of noncrosslinked rubber. Both the inner upper layer 23 and the inner lower layer 25 are provided with a locally stiffness-reduced bending region having oblong holes or cutouts arranged in a row, wherein the total length of the oblong holes or cutouts is approximately 33% of the length of the air-guiding element 2 in the vehicle transverse direction Y.

[0044] Instead of the oblong holes, the woven carbon fiber fabric can simply have one or more interruptions—for example, the woven carbon fiber fabric has corresponding cuts along the desired bending axis, that is to say that the fibers are cut along the bending axis. By virtue of the plastic matrix material, the cuts are not visible from outside.

[0045] The embodiment of FIG. 6D corresponds in its structure to the embodiment according to FIG. 6B, although a thickened portion 29, which runs in the vehicle transverse direction Y and/or in the vehicle longitudinal direction X and consists of a stiff material, preferably a fiber composite material (for example CRP or GRP), is provided below the outer lower layer 26. The thickened portion 29 improves a torsional stiffness of the self-supporting region of the air-guiding element 2.

[0046] The invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiment, which merely serves for a general explanation of the core idea of the invention. Rather, within the scope of protection, the device according to the invention may also adopt design forms other than those described above. Here, the device may in particular contain features which represent a combination of the respective individual features of the claims.

[0047] Reference signs in the claims, the description and the drawings serve merely for a better understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0048] 1 vehicle [0049] 2 air-guiding element [0050] 2′ self-supporting region [0051] 2″ root region [0052] 10 body [0053] 14 front spoiler [0054] 20 sandwich structure [0055] 21 locally stiffness-reduced bending region [0056] 22 upper nonelastic layer [0057] 22′ self-supporting region [0058] 22″ root region [0059] 22″′ cutout [0060] 23 nonelastic layer [0061] 24 elastic layer [0062] 24′ self-supporting region [0063] 24″ self-supporting region [0064] 25 nonelastic layer [0065] 26 lower nonelastic layer [0066] 26′ self-supporting region [0067] 26″ self-supporting region [0068] 27 oblong holes [0069] 27′ oblong holes [0070] 29 thickened portion [0071] y bending axis [0072] F direction of travel [0073] W relative wind