Anisotropically shaped cross-section ultra-high-strength steel hot-stamped b-pillar reinforcement plate structure
By using a hot-stamped B-pillar reinforcement plate structure made of ultra-high strength steel with irregular cross-section, and employing segmented welding and composite core material design, the contradiction between lightweighting and safety in traditional B-pillar structures has been resolved. This achieves efficient energy dissipation and simplified manufacturing, thereby improving the collision safety and economy of automobiles.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 苏州联展汽车科技有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Existing B-pillar structures struggle to balance lightweight design with safety performance. Traditional one-piece B-pillars are heavy, have a single energy dissipation path, and lack a graded energy absorption mechanism. In particular, during high-speed side collisions, the impact force is easily concentrated and transmitted to the passenger compartment.
The ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcement plate structure with irregular cross-section design is assembled by segmented welding of upper and lower reinforcement plates. The lower plate is embedded with a honeycomb core and filled with porous hydrogel material. Combined with carbon fiber reinforcement sheets and aluminum alloy energy-absorbing boxes, it forms a graded energy absorption and controllable deformation path.
It achieves weight reduction while maintaining overall rigidity, improving side-impact safety, enhancing structural energy absorption efficiency, simplifying manufacturing processes, reducing maintenance costs, and ensuring passenger compartment protection.
Smart Images
Figure CN224528786U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automotive technology, and in particular to a hot-stamped B-pillar reinforcement plate structure made of ultra-high strength steel with irregular cross-section. Background Technology
[0002] As the automotive industry continues to demand higher standards for lightweighting and safety, the B-pillar, a core load-bearing structure on the side of the vehicle, connects the roof and sill beams, playing a crucial role in resisting side impacts and maintaining vehicle body rigidity. With increasingly stringent automotive lightweighting and safety standards, the B-pillar needs to be thinned and lightened while simultaneously improving its crashworthiness.
[0003] Existing B-pillar structures have limitations in collision energy absorption design. Traditional one-piece B-pillars are mostly formed by hot stamping from a single piece of ultra-high-strength steel. While this ensures overall strength, to meet the performance requirements of high-impact areas, it is often necessary to increase the material thickness in non-critical areas, resulting in excessive overall weight and making it difficult to balance lightweight goals with localized high-strength requirements. Existing B-pillars mainly rely on the plastic deformation of steel to absorb energy, resulting in a single energy dissipation path. Especially in high-speed side impacts, the impact force is easily concentrated and transmitted to the passenger compartment, lacking a staged energy absorption mechanism, making it difficult to effectively reduce the peak impact load. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and provides a hot-stamped B-column reinforcement plate structure made of irregularly shaped variable cross-section ultra-high strength steel.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure of ultra-high strength steel with irregular cross-section, comprising: an upper reinforcing plate of the B-column and a lower reinforcing plate of the B-column connected to the bottom end of the upper reinforcing plate of the B-column.
[0006] The top end of the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate and the bottom end of the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate are welded together to form a welding dividing line. A carbon fiber reinforcing sheet is provided on the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate. A honeycomb core is embedded inside the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate. The honeycomb core is fixed to the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate by a combination of local welding and global adhesive bonding.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the honeycomb core is filled with a porous hydrogel material.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the upper and lower reinforcing plates of the B-pillar are made of ultra-high strength steel.
[0009] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the steel strength of the upper reinforcing plate of the B-pillar is less than the steel strength of the lower reinforcing plate of the B-pillar.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the bottom end of the B-pillar upper reinforcing plate is provided with a rear door upper hinge mating plate.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a rear door lower hinge mating plate is provided at the lower edge of the center of the B-pillar lower reinforcing plate, and both the rear door upper hinge mating plate and the rear door lower hinge mating plate are provided with a plurality of mounting holes.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a receiving plate is provided at the bottom of the B-pillar lower reinforcing plate.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the reinforcing plate on the B-pillar is T-shaped.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the lower reinforcing plate of the B-pillar is in the shape of an inverted T, and the upper reinforcing plate of the B-pillar is connected to the lower reinforcing plate of the B-pillar in the shape of an I-beam.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, an energy-absorbing box is embedded in the receiving plate, and the energy-absorbing box is made of aluminum alloy.
[0016] This utility model solves the defects existing in the background technology, and has the following beneficial effects:
[0017] (1) In this utility model, the upper and lower reinforcing plates of the B-pillar are welded together in sections. The upper plate has a lower strength than the lower plate, and a honeycomb core is embedded inside the lower plate. This gives the lower plate area, which mainly bears the impact of the collision, higher strength and energy absorption capacity. The upper plate uses relatively low-strength steel to reduce weight. The honeycomb core is fixed by local welding and global adhesive bonding. Combined with the porous hydrogel material filled in the honeycomb core, the energy absorption efficiency of the structure is greatly enhanced. Compared with the existing integral B-pillar, this segmented variable strength and composite core structure effectively reduces weight while ensuring overall rigidity, and specifically strengthens high-collision-risk areas, improving side collision safety. The combination of honeycomb core and hydrogel can also dissipate more impact energy during a collision through controllable deformation and fluid damping effect.
[0018] (2) In this utility model, the upper reinforcing plate of the B-pillar is T-shaped, and the lower reinforcing plate is inverted T-shaped. The two are combined to form a stable I-shaped cross-section. The irregular cross-section design makes full use of the material distribution, providing stronger bending and torsional stiffness at key connection parts such as the welding dividing line. Structurally, it integrates the upper hinge mating plate and the lower hinge mating plate of the rear door, and both are pre-drilled with mounting holes. Compared with the existing solution that requires additional welding brackets, this integrated design eliminates the cumulative assembly error, ensures the accuracy and consistency of the door hinge installation position, and simplifies the manufacturing process. The integrated design enhances the connection stiffness between the B-pillar and the door, and improves the durability of the whole vehicle.
[0019] (3) In this utility model, a receiving plate is set at the bottom of the reinforcing plate under the B-pillar, and an aluminum alloy energy-absorbing box is embedded in it. The energy-absorbing box is located at the bottom of the B-pillar and undergoes controlled crushing deformation first during the collision, absorbing and transferring a large amount of initial impact energy. Compared with the existing schemes that rely solely on a single high-strength steel to resist impact, the graded energy absorption strategy of the aluminum alloy energy-absorbing box and the ultra-high-strength steel main body more efficiently protects the core passenger compartment structure. The design of the aluminum alloy energy-absorbing box makes it easy to replace after a low-speed collision, reducing maintenance costs, while ensuring the integrity of the high-strength steel main body structure in a severe collision. Attached Figure Description
[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;
[0021] Figure 1 This is a perspective structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] Figure 2 This is a honeycomb core diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the receiving plate according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model;
[0024] In the diagram: 1. Upper B-pillar reinforcing plate; 2. Lower B-pillar reinforcing plate; 3. Welding dividing line; 4. Carbon fiber reinforcing sheet; 5. Honeycomb core; 6. Upper rear door hinge mating plate; 7. Lower rear door hinge mating plate; 8. Mounting hole; 9. Support plate; 10. Energy absorption box. Detailed Implementation
[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, which are only used to illustrate the basic structure of the present invention in a schematic manner, and therefore only show the components related to the present invention.
[0026] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure of ultra-high strength steel with irregular cross-section includes: an upper reinforcing plate 1 for the B-column and a lower reinforcing plate 2 for the B-column connected to the bottom end of the upper reinforcing plate 1.
[0027] In this invention, the top end of the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate 2 and the bottom end of the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate 1 are welded together to form a welding dividing line 3. A carbon fiber reinforcing sheet 4 is provided on the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate 1. A honeycomb core 5 is embedded inside the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate 2. The honeycomb core 5 is fixed to the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate 2 through a combination of local welding and global adhesive bonding. The honeycomb core 5 is filled with a porous hydrogel material. On the assembly line after hot stamping, the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate 1 and the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate 2 are joined together along the pre-set welding dividing line 3 to form an integral I-shaped frame. The carbon fiber reinforcing sheet 4 is hot-pressed onto the outside of the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate 1, and after curing, forms a conformal laminated structure with the steel plate. The shell, composed of the steel plate and the carbon fiber reinforcing sheet 4, is externally hard and internally tough, dispersing the impact force in the initial stage of a side impact and inhibiting the propagation of cracks at the weld. The honeycomb core 5 is placed in the closed cavity of the reinforcing plate 2 under the B-pillar. After positioning, it is first spot welded to several nodes of the honeycomb core 5 and the steel plate to form a local rigid connection. Then, structural adhesive is continuously applied around the honeycomb core 5 to achieve a composite fixation of local welding and global bonding. The hydrogel material is elastic and solid at room temperature and is locked inside the lower cavity along with the honeycomb core 5.
[0028] In this invention, during the millisecond-level process of a side impact, the impact barrier first contacts the lower reinforcing plate 2 of the B-pillar; the honeycomb core 5 folds layer by layer due to wall shearing, and the plastic buckling of the honeycomb core 5 wall absorbs the first wave of energy. At the same time, the porous hydrogel inside the honeycomb core 5 is instantly compressed, and the internal liquid flows through the micropores at high speed, generating viscous dissipation and forming the second wave of energy absorption. The upper carbon fiber reinforcing sheet 4 then rapidly diffuses the remaining impact energy along the direction of the carbon fiber reinforcing sheet 4 to the top and bottom of the B-pillar, reducing the peak bending moment in the middle of the B-pillar and keeping the weld dividing line 3 in a low-stress state, thus avoiding weld tearing. The weld dividing line 3 serves as a clear boundary between two different mechanical property zones, and the continuous weld maintains structural continuity.
[0029] In this invention, the upper reinforcing plate 1 and the lower reinforcing plate 2 of the B-pillar are made of ultra-high strength steel. The steel strength of the upper reinforcing plate 1 is lower than that of the lower reinforcing plate 2. During the hot stamping stage, the upper reinforcing plate 1 is made of 1500 MPa grade ultra-high strength steel, and the lower reinforcing plate 2 is made of 2000 MPa grade higher strength steel. They are laser-welded along the preset welding dividing line 3 to form a single piece, maintaining a material gradient of soft upper and hard lower. During a side impact, the barrier first contacts the lower reinforcing plate 2. The high yield strength of the 2000 MPa grade steel causes slight plastic deformation, rapidly transferring the impact load in both upward and downward directions. The 1500 MPa grade steel of the upper reinforcing plate has higher toughness and can undergo moderate plastic deformation under load. It absorbs the remaining energy through extension, and the deformation is controlled within a recoverable range by the carbon fiber reinforcing sheet 4, preventing breakage. The energy-absorbing box 10 in the downward direction absorbs the remaining impact force.
[0030] In this invention, a rear door upper hinge mating plate 6 is provided at the bottom end of the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate 1. A rear door lower hinge mating plate 7 is provided at the lower edge of the center of the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate 2. Both the upper rear door hinge mating plate 6 and the lower rear door hinge mating plate 7 are provided with several mounting holes 8. The upper rear door hinge mating plate 6 bears the entire load of the upper door hinge, and the lower rear door hinge mating plate 7 bears the entire load of the lower door hinge. The two mating plates and the mounting holes 8 completely transfer the gravity, inertial force, and collision shear force between the door and the body to the B-pillar reinforcing structure.
[0031] In this invention, a receiving plate 9 is provided at the bottom of the B-pillar lower reinforcing plate 2. An energy-absorbing box 10, made of aluminum alloy, is embedded within the receiving plate 9. When the vehicle encounters a low-speed side pillar impact or minor scratch, the first point of contact with the obstacle is not the ultra-high-strength steel B-pillar body, but the protruding aluminum alloy energy-absorbing box 10. The lower yield strength of the aluminum alloy material causes regular folding, absorbing and dissipating the impact kinetic energy, thereby reducing the peak impact force before transferring it to the B-pillar lower reinforcing plate 2. The aluminum alloy energy-absorbing box 10 is independent of the B-pillar body and adopts a detachable design, allowing for quick replacement after a collision, avoiding the high-cost repair of cutting and re-welding 2000 MPa grade ultra-high-strength steel.
[0032] In this invention, the upper reinforcing plate 1 of the B-pillar is T-shaped. The lower reinforcing plate 2 of the B-pillar is inverted T-shaped, and the upper reinforcing plate 1 and the lower reinforcing plate 2 are connected to form an I-shape. The I-shaped integral reinforcing plate cross-section forms a structure with high bending stiffness.
[0033] Based on the preferred embodiments of this utility model described above, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical concept of this utility model. The technical scope of this utility model is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A hot-stamped B-column reinforcement plate structure made of irregularly shaped, variable cross-section ultra-high strength steel, comprising: The upper reinforcing plate (1) of the B-pillar and the lower reinforcing plate (2) of the B-pillar connected to the bottom end of the upper reinforcing plate (1) of the B-pillar are characterized in that, The top end of the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate (2) and the bottom end of the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate (1) are welded to form a welding dividing line (3). A carbon fiber reinforcing sheet (4) is provided on the upper B-pillar reinforcing plate (1). A honeycomb core (5) is embedded inside the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate (2). The honeycomb core (5) is fixed to the lower B-pillar reinforcing plate (2) by a combination of local welding and global adhesive bonding.
2. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The honeycomb core (5) is filled with a porous hydrogel material.
3. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper reinforcing plate (1) and lower reinforcing plate (2) of the B-pillar are made of ultra-high strength steel.
4. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steel strength of the upper reinforcing plate (1) of the B-pillar is less than that of the lower reinforcing plate (2) of the B-pillar.
5. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom end of the B-pillar upper reinforcing plate (1) is provided with a rear door upper hinge mating plate (6).
6. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower edge of the B-pillar reinforcement plate (2) is provided with a rear door lower hinge mating plate (7), and both the rear door upper hinge mating plate (6) and the rear door lower hinge mating plate (7) are provided with several mounting holes (8).
7. The irregularly shaped variable cross-section ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the B-pillar under-reinforcement plate (2) is provided with a support plate (9).
8. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reinforcing plate (1) on the B-pillar is T-shaped.
9. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower reinforcing plate (2) of the B-pillar is in the shape of an inverted T, and the upper reinforcing plate (1) of the B-pillar is connected to the lower reinforcing plate (2) of the B-pillar in the shape of an I-beam.
10. The irregularly shaped, variable cross-section, ultra-high strength steel hot-stamped B-column reinforcing plate structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: An energy-absorbing box (10) is embedded in the receiving plate (9), and the energy-absorbing box (10) is made of aluminum alloy.