MOTOR VEHICLE WITH AN OUTER LONGITUDINAL BEAM WITH PROGRAMMED ANGLE

Description

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2105465 filed on May 26, 2021.

[0002] The technical field concerns motor vehicles with an external longitudinal member with programmed deformation.

[0003] In terms of road safety, car manufacturers must consider numerous concerns and regulations when developing new vehicles. This is necessary to ensure the safety of vehicle occupants in the event of a collision, as well as that of other vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. It is also crucial to control vehicle repair costs when vehicles sustain minor urban impacts, also known as "repairable impacts." These impacts occur at low speeds, typically between 15 and 20 kilometers per hour. During a repairable impact, only certain vehicle components generally experience deformation and / or breakage, carefully designed to minimize damage and repair costs.In collisions at higher speeds, around 50 km / h or more, vehicles deform to absorb at least some of the energy released during the impact, in order to best protect the passengers. The deformation behavior of a motor vehicle under the effect of a collision is particularly well understood by car manufacturers who strive to avoid certain dangerous situations for the occupants of their vehicles and to optimize the absorption of impact energy.

[0004] Document EP1241079 describes, for example, a vehicle comprising an external body side member extending between a front end and a rear end opposite a wheel arch, having a central web extending by a fixing tab so as to form the rear end of the side member.

[0005] The various impacts that a vehicle can undergo are simulated using standardized procedures such as, for example, those described by the international organization Euro NCAP.

[0006] Besides the behavior of a new vehicle during different impacts, other constraints must be taken into account: thus, when developing a sports vehicle, car manufacturers seek to reduce its mass as much as possible, which can prove detrimental to its behavior in the event of deformation following a front impact.

[0007] Thus, there is a need for a new solution to enable the transmission and distribution of the forces that a vehicle undergoes during deformation throughout its structure.

[0008] In this technical context, one aim of the present invention is to provide a vehicle having an external longitudinal member with programmed deformation allowing to absorb and distribute part of the energy released by a frontal impact.

[0009] To this end, the present invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least one external body side member extending between a front end and at least one rear end, each rear end being positioned opposite a rear wheel arch of the vehicle, the side member having a central web extended by at least one deformation tab extending from the central web so as to form a rear end of the side member, the vehicle being designed to deform, under the effect of a front impact suffered by the vehicle, so that at least one deformation tab impacts the wheel arch, each deformation tab being shaped to undergo deformation upon impact on the rear wheel arch in order to absorb part of the energy of the impact.

[0010] Thus, the vehicle's side member according to the invention, thanks to its central web, exhibits rigidity comparable to that of a conventional vehicle with a conventional outer side member. The deformation brackets allow the vehicle, in the event of a frontal impact causing deformation, to absorb some of the energy released by the impact by deforming. The outer side member of the vehicle according to the invention therefore exhibits a programmed deformation in the event of an impact, enabling it to absorb and distribute the energy due to the impact. Here and subsequently, a frontal impact should be understood as an impact sustained at a speed such that the vehicle is likely to undergo structural deformation. Such a frontal impact is, for example, an impact described by standard procedures for studying vehicle deformation at speeds of 50 km / h or higher.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one rear wheel arch has at least one impact surface positioned opposite at least one rear end of the side member and oriented so as to induce deformation of the deformation bracket, upon impact, towards the outside of the vehicle. Such a rear wheel arch facilitates the deformation of a deformation bracket and prevents perforation of the rear wheel arch.

[0012] Advantageously, the rear wheel arch is formed by stamping and features a reinforcing edge that at least partially delimits an impact surface. In one option, the central core is formed by a U-shaped profile, with the base of the U oriented towards the outside of the vehicle.

[0013] Advantageously, the deformation tabs are formed by a cutout in the base of the U-shaped profile. Preferably, the cutout is V-shaped or U-shaped. The invention will be better understood upon reading the detailed description that follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the attached drawing in which: [ Fig. 1 ] there figure 1 , represents a perspective and side view of a vehicle according to the invention showing the central core and rear ends of an outer longitudinal member of the vehicle.

[0014] A motor vehicle according to the invention, the structure of which is partially illustrated on the figure 1, includes at least one external body side member 2 extending between a front end, not shown in the figure, and at least one, in this case two rear ends 3. Like a conventional side member, the front end of the side member 2 is, for example, located opposite a front wheel arch. Each rear end 3 is positioned opposite a rear wheel arch 4 of the vehicle 1.

[0015] The spar 2 has a central web 5 which extends from the front end of the spar 2. The central web 5 is extended by at least one, in this case two deformation lugs 6a, 6b which extend from the central web 5 so as to each form a rear end 3 of the spar 2.

[0016] In the embodiment illustrated in the figure, the central web 5 is formed by a profile 7 having a U-shape according to a cross-section of the central web 5. The U-shaped profile 7 is formed by a base 8 of the U and two flanges 9 forming the edges of the U. The profile 7 is shaped such that the base 8 of the U is oriented towards the outside of the vehicle 1 and forms the visible face of the side member 2 from the outside.

[0017] The deformation tabs 6a, 6b are formed by a cut 10, in particular a U-shaped or V-shaped cut of the base 8 of the U. Thus, each deformation tab 6a, 6b is formed, on the one hand, by a part of the base 8 of the U delimited by the cut 10 and, on the other hand, by the corresponding rim 9.

[0018] Vehicle 1 is designed to deform upon impact with a front-end collision. During the programmed deformation of vehicle 1, the rear ends 3 located at the ends of the deformation lugs 6a, 6b impact the rear wheel arch 4. Each deformation lug 6a, 6b is shaped to deform upon impact with the rear wheel arch 4 in order to absorb some of the impact energy. During deformation, each deformation lug 6a, 6b impacts the rear wheel arch 4 and then slides on an impact surface 11 of the rear wheel arch 4, positioned opposite at least one of the rear ends 3 of the side member 2. In the example shown in the figure, the deformation lug 6a located on the upper part of the side member 2 slides and deforms upwards, while the deformation lug 6b located on the lower part of the side member 2 deforms downwards towards vehicle 1.

[0019] To facilitate the deformation of the deformation tabs 6a, 6b while preventing perforation of the rear wheel arch 4 by the deformation tabs 6a, 6b, and thus protecting the rear wheels of vehicle 1, the impact surface 11 of the rear wheel arch 4 has a preferred orientation. This preferred orientation is chosen so as to induce deformation of the deformation tab 6a, 6b, upon impact, towards the outside of vehicle 1. Advantageously, the rear wheel arch 4 is formed by stamping and has a reinforcing edge 12 that at least partially delimits the impact surface 11.

[0020] In order to lighten the vehicle 1, the longitudinal member 2 is provided with a plurality of openings 13 intended to reduce the mass of the longitudinal member 2.

[0021] Thus, vehicle 1 has an external longitudinal member 2 with programmed deformation allowing to absorb and distribute part of the energy released by a front impact on a rear part of vehicle 1 by deformation of the deformation tabs 6a, 6b.

[0022] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the vehicle described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments may be devised by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle (1) comprising at least one (2) outer body length extending between a front end and at least one rear end (3), each rear end (3) being positioned next to a rear wheel passage (4) of the vehicle (1), the longitudinal (2) having a center core (5) extended by at least one deformation leg (6a, 6b) extending from the core center (5) so as to form a rear end (3) of the spar (2), the vehicle (1) being designed to deform itself, as a result of a vehicle-borne impact (1), so that at least one deformation leg (6a, 6b) impacts the wheel passage (4), each deformation leg (6a, 6b) being conformed to undergo a deformation during the wheel passage (4) impact on the rear wheel passage (4) to absorb some of the shock energy.

2. Vehicle (1) according to Claim 1, characterized that at least one rear wheel passage (4) has at least one impact surface (11) positioned next to at least one rear end (3) of the spar and oriented in such a way as to induce deformation of the deformation leg (6a, 6b), on impact, towards the outside of the vehicle (1).

3. Vehicle (1) according to Claim 2, characterized as the rear wheel passage (4) is formed by stamping and has a reinforcement stop (12) defining at least part of an impact surface (11).

4. Vehicle (1) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized as the center core (5) is formed by a U-shaped profile (7), with base (8) of the U facing outwards from the vehicle (1).

5. Vehicle (1) according to Claim 4, characterized as the deformation legs (6a, 6b) are formed by a cutting (10) of the base (8) of the profile (7) in U.