ZIGZAG-SHAPED PROTECTION ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR ITS PRODUCTION

Abstract

A method for the production of a zigzag-shaped protection element formed from multiple individual profiles includes the following steps: providing the individual profiles, welding the individual profiles to form a zigzag-shaped preform of the protection element such as to form at least one weld seam, wherein the individual profiles are welded to each another at an angle of 30 to 120, inserting the preform into a hot molding tool, molding the preform into the zigzag-shaped protection element in the hot molding tool, and mold hardening of the zigzag-shaped protection element in the hot molding tool.

Claims

1-21. (canceled)

22. A method of producing a zigzag-shaped protection element, the method comprising: welding a plurality of individual profiles to form a zigzag-shaped preform of the zigzag-shaped protection element so as to form at least one weld seam between each pair of adjacent individual profiles among the plurality of individual profiles, wherein the adjacent individual profiles are welded to each another at an angle of 30 to 120, inserting the zigzag-shaped preform into a hot molding tool, molding the zigzag-shaped preform into the zigzag-shaped protection element in the hot molding tool, and mold hardening of the zigzag-shaped protection element in the hot molding tool.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: after the mold hardening of the zigzag-shaped protection element, laser cutting the zigzag-shaped protection element.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one weld seam comprises: a first weld seam on a first side of the adjacent individual profiles facing a shot impact, and a second weld seam on a second side of the adjacent individual profiles facing away from the shot impact.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein a welding filler material used during the welding of the first weld seam on the first side facing the shot impact, has a higher hardness than a welding filler material used during the welding of the second weld seam on the second side facing away from the shot impact.

26. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: after at least one of the welding or the mold hardening, in a region of the at least one weld seam, joining at least one reinforcement element to the welded adjacent individual profiles.

27. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: after at least one of the welding or the mold hardening, forming, by deposition welding, a deposition weld seam on the at least one weld seam.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein a welding filler material used during the deposition welding of the deposition weld seam has a higher hardness than a welding filler material used during the welding of the at least one weld seam.

29. The method according to claim 27, further comprising: a final calibration of the zigzag-shaped protection element after the forming of the deposition weld seam.

30. The method according to claim 22, wherein in the welding, the adjacent individual profiles are welded such that one of the adjacent individual profiles comprises a protrusion, and the protrusion is bent during the molding of the zigzag-shaped preform into the zigzag-shaped protection element in the hot molding tool, such that the at least weld seam is covered by the bent protrusion.

31. The method according to claim 22, wherein the adjacent individual profiles are welded to one another at an angle of 45 to 110.

32. The method according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of individual profiles comprise steel sheet metal.

33. The method according to claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of individual profiles comprises a hardness of 500 to 700 Brinell.

34. The method according to claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of individual profiles comprises a wall thickness of 3 to 10 mm.

35. A zigzag-shaped protection element, comprising: a plurality of individual profiles welded in a zigzag shape with at least one weld seam between each pair of adjacent individual profiles among the plurality of individual profiles, wherein the adjacent individual profiles are welded to one another at an angle of 30 to 120, and the zigzag-shaped protection element is hot molded and mold hardened.

36. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 35, wherein the at least one weld seam comprises: a first weld seam on a first side of the adjacent individual profiles facing a shot impact, and a second weld seam on a second side of the adjacent individual profiles facing away from the shot impact.

37. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 36, wherein the first weld seam on the first side facing the shot impact has a welding filler material which has a higher hardness than a welding filler material of the second weld seam on the second side facing away from the shot impact.

38. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 35, further comprising: in a region of the at least one weld seam, at least one reinforcement element joined to the welded adjacent individual profiles.

39. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 35, further comprising: a deposition weld seam formed on the at least one weld seam.

40. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 39, wherein the deposition weld seam has a welding filler material which has a higher hardness than a welding filler material of the at least one weld seam.

41. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 35, wherein one of the adjacent individual profiles comprises a protrusion, which is bent over to cover the at least one weld seam.

42. The zigzag-shaped protection element according to claim 35, wherein the adjacent individual profiles are welded to one another at an angle of 45 to 110.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Further objects, advantages, features and possible uses of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following description. Various embodiments are shown in the schematic figures. In the figures:

[0052] FIG. 1A-FIG. 1C show a method according to at least one embodiment for producing a preform of a zigzag-shaped protection element,

[0053] FIG. 2 shows a zigzag-shaped protection element according to at least one embodiment in a plan view,

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a zigzag-shaped protection element according to at least one embodiment in a plan view,

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a zigzag-shaped protection element according to at least one embodiment in a plan view,

[0056] FIG. 5A-FIG. 5C show another method according to at least one embodiment for producing a zigzag-shaped protection element, and

[0057] FIG. 6 shows a zigzag-shaped protection element according to at least one embodiment in a plan view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In the figures, the same reference numerals are used for same or similar components, even if a repeated description is omitted for reasons of simplicity.

[0059] FIG. 1A-FIG. 1C show the production of a preform 1 of a zigzag-shaped protection element 2 in a plan view.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 1A, in order to produce the preform 1, individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 are first provided. Individual profiles 3, 4, 5, 6 made of steel sheet metal with a wall thickness W of 3 mm to 10 mm are used.

[0061] The individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 are arranged in a zigzag pattern, see FIG. 1B. The respective adjacent individual profiles 3 and 4, 4 and 5, as well as 5 and 6 each have an angle of 30 to 120 to each other.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 1C, the adjacent individual profiles 3 and 4, 4 and 5, and 5 and 6 are welded together in the region of respective end portions 7 to form a weld seam 8 on a side 9 of the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 facing away from the shot impact and a weld seam 10 on a side 11 facing the shot impact. The respective adjacent individual profiles 3 and 4, 4 and 5, as well as 5 and 6 are welded at an angle of 30 to 120 to each other. The side 11 facing the shot impact and the side 9 facing away from the shot impact refer to the corresponding sides of the zigzag-shaped protection element 2 in relation to the later place of use.

[0063] After welding the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6, the preform 1 of the protection element 2 is placed in a hot molding tool not shown in detail and heated to the austenitization temperature of the steel. Subsequently, a molding process, for example, a final molding or final calibration of the preform 1 to form the zigzag-shaped protection element 2 takes place. After the molding process, the protection element 2 is hardened, for example, press hardened. The protection element 2 is then able to be tempered and final corrections are able to be made by means of laser cutting.

[0064] The production method according to the present disclosure has the advantage that no bending molding is required, which would lead to a weakening of the zigzag-shaped protection element 2.

[0065] FIG. 2 shows a correspondingly manufactured zigzag-shaped protection element 2 in a plan view. When welding the weld seams 10 on the side 11 of the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 facing the shot impact, a welding filler material is used which has a higher hardness than a welding filler material used when welding the weld seams 8 on the side 9 of the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 facing the shot impact.

[0066] Individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 with a hardness of 500 to 700 Brinell are used.

[0067] After welding the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 and/or after hardening the zigzag-shaped protection element 2, a respective reinforcement element 12 is able to be welded to the welded individual profiles 3 and 4, 4 and 5, and 5 and 6 in the region of the weld seams 8, 10. The reinforcement elements 12 protect and reinforce the underlying weld seams 8, 10. In addition, the binding between the individual profiles is improved, thus increasing the protective effect of the protection element 2. A correspondingly produced protection element 2 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0068] The reinforcement elements 12 are rectangular in cross-section and are welded the respective end regions 13 to the corresponding individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6. An angle between 10 and 40 is formed between the reinforcement elements 12 and the respective individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6. The larger the angle between the welded individual profiles 3 and 4, 4 and 5, and 5 and 6, the smaller the angle between the reinforcement elements 12 and the respective individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6.

[0069] The reinforcement elements 12 have the same hardness as the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6. The material thickness of the reinforcement elements 12 is between 2 mm and 5 mm.

[0070] In addition or as an alternative to the reinforcement elements 12, after welding the individual profiles 3, 4, 5 and 6 and/or after hardening the protection element 2, a deposition weld seam 14 is able to be formed on the weld seams 8, 10 by means of deposition welding. The weld seam 8, 10 underneath is additionally reinforced by the deposition weld seam 14, which increases the protective effect of the protection element 2. A correspondingly produced protection element 2 is shown in FIG. 4.

[0071] When deposition welding the deposition weld seam 14, a welding filler material is used that has a higher hardness than a welding filler material that is used when welding the weld seams 8, 10. This also has a beneficial effect on the protective effect of the protection element 2.

[0072] The protection element 2 is subjected to a final calibration after the welding of the reinforcement elements 12 and/or after the formation of the deposition weld seams 14. This ensures that the protection element 2 exactly complies with production specifications.

[0073] FIG. 5A-FIG. 5C show a further manufacturing method according to the present disclosure of a preform 1 of the zigzag-shaped protection element 2. Here, the individual profiles 3 and 4, as well as 5 and 6, are welded together to form a protrusion 15. During the subsequent molding of the preform 1 into the zigzag-shaped protection element 2 in the hot molding tool, the protrusion 15 is bent in such a way that the weld seams 10 are covered by the protrusion 13. The resulting zigzag-shaped protection element 2 is shown in FIG. 6. The protrusion 15 is located on the side 11 of the zigzag-shaped protection element 2 facing the shot impact, so that the concealed weld seams 10 are protected. The foregoing description of some embodiments of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The specifically described embodiments explain the principles and practical applications to enable one ordinarily skilled in the art to utilize various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.