Extruded profile produced with rotating shaping dies

Abstract

A device and method for designing lightweight, strong, material efficient, extruded and pultruded profiles, profile segments and surfaces produced in profile production with rotating dies creating superior resistance to compression, bending and buckling, higher energy absorption and right strength in the right place, by: varying the thickness along and across the direction of extrusion, making reinforcing patterns varying the profile thickness, and in some cases varying angles and patterns which increases the profile segments/surface resistance against compression, bending and buckling relative to the amount of material used and resulting in the manufacturing of optimized beams and surfaces that have superior properties in terms of strength/weight, stiffness/weight ratio, mechanical energy absorption/weight unit, deformation and natural frequency, thermal transfer capacity, the breaking of the laminar flow, increased/optimized surface for chemical and/or electrochemical reaction etc.

1 . A tool configured to form, by dynamic extrusion or pultrusion of a plastically and/or thermally deformable material, a profile having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, the tool comprising:
 one or more static array elements having static bearing surfaces; and   one or more rotating dies having rotating bearing surfaces,   wherein the static bearing surfaces and the rotating bearing surfaces cooperate to define a cross-sectional shape of the profile, and   wherein each of the rotating bearing surfaces has a bearing profile that is configured to provide the profile with two different thickness values in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction.   
     
     
         2 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the tool is configured to provide the profile with a variable thickness in a vertical direction for a given width along the transverse direction for any transverse cross section of said profile. 
     
     
         3 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the tool is configured to provide the profile with a shape of a transverse cross section that is varied for a given length along said longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         4 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the difference between said at least two different thickness values is provided by a variation of the profile thickness in the longitudinal direction of the profile. 
     
     
         5 . The tool according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for varying the location of the rotary bearing surfaces to provide the profile with sections having different cross-sectional areas. 
     
     
         6 . The tool according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for varying the position of the static bearing surfaces to provide the profile with sections having different cross-sectional areas. 
     
     
         7 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the rotating dies can be raised or lowered during operation of the tool. 
     
     
         8 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the tool is configured to provide the profile with profile segments extending in a direction different than the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction. 
     
     
         9 . The tool according to  claim 8 , wherein the profile has variation of 2 sides of the profile segments. 
     
     
         10 . The tool according to  claim 8 , wherein several profile segments have variation. 
     
     
         11 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the tool is configured to provide the profile with a planar profile surface with variation and that is bent to a desired shape. 
     
     
         12 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the tool is configured to provide the profile with a flat profile surface with variations on both sides and that is bent to a desired shape. 
     
     
         13 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the one or more rotating dies comprise two similar rotating dies on each side of the plastically and/or thermally deformable material so as to provide the profile with a uniform cross-sectional area. 
     
     
         14 . The tool according to  claim 1 , further comprising one or more movable bearing inserts. 
     
     
         15 . The tool according to  claim 14 , further comprising a pre-bearing configured to align with and form an extension to a bearing when the one or more movable bearing inserts are in an outer position, so that a bearing length increases when a thickness of the profile thickness increases. 
     
     
         16 . The tool according to  claim 15 , wherein the one or more rotating dies are raiseable or lowerable, and wherein the pre-bearing is raiseable or lowerable. 
     
     
         17 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the tool is configured to vary a speed and/or volume per time unit with which an input amount of material is fed to the tool so as to provide a constant outlet speed as possible on the output profile, or decrease a discharge rate, to avoid risk of flaking and/or overheating of outgoing material, when a smaller profile area is run, thereby synchronizing the input amount of material with an amount of material necessary to vary outgoing cross-sectional area and thickness of the profile. 
     
     
         18 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein said profile is any one of a vehicle structure profile or an impact absorbing beam. 
     
     
         19 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the bearing profile comprises a surface pattern or a varied radius. 
     
     
         20 . The tool according to  claim 19 , wherein the surface pattern forms a repetitive profile pattern extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile.