Energy-absorbing steering column for motor vehicle

摘要

An energy-absorbing motor vehicle steering column including a housing supported on a body structure of the vehicle for linear translation in a collapse direction and an energy absorber which converts into work a fraction of the kinetic energy of an impact on the steering column. The energy absorber includes a bare flat metal ribbon, i.e., without friction-reducing coating or lubrication, preformed to define a pair of parallel straight sections and a lateral web between the straight sections. The ribbon is seated edge-wise on a horizontal wall of the steering column housing with the straight sections in a pair of longitudinal guide channels and the lateral web looped over a pair of laterally spaced bare anvils on the housing and wedged between the bare anvils and an abutment on the body structure on the other side of the lateral web from the anvils. During linear translation of the housing in the collapse direction, the abutment anchors the center of the web on the vehicle body structure so that each of the straight sections of the flat ribbon is plastically deformed around and pulled across a corresponding one of the anvils to effect energy absorption by plastic deformation and by friction.