A Pillar Slide-Off Surface for Front Wheel Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor vehicle support structures fail to effectively manage the sliding of the front wheel during a front-on collision, particularly in small-overlap crash scenarios, leading to potential wedging and increased force transmission to the passenger cell, which complicates crash safety and vehicle design.

Innovation Solution

A motor vehicle support structure featuring an A pillar with varying material strengths and geometries, where the inner region is stronger than the outer region, allowing for a slide-off surface to be created without additional components, enabling the front wheel to slide out along the A pillar and reducing force transmission to the passenger cell during a collision.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the A pillar is made uniformly strong throughout its cross section, then structural strength is improved, but the ability to create a slide-off surface is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveA pillar strengthVSAvoidslide-off surface creation

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The A pillar is designed with non-uniform material distribution, where the inner region has higher strength than the outer region. This local quality variation enables the formation of a slide-off surface in the outer region while maintaining high strength in the inner region, resolving the contradiction between overall strength and slide-off surface creation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If additional components are added to create the slide-off surface, then wheel sliding capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewheel sliding capabilityVSAvoidnumber of components

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The slide-off surface functionality is merged into the A pillar structure itself by creating a strength gradient within the pillar. The outer region's lower strength naturally forms the slide-off surface, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The A pillar is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support through its high-strength inner region and creates the slide-off surface through its lower-strength outer region. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional dedicated components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If the passenger compartment is made larger to accommodate potential wheel intrusion, then safety is improved, but vehicle weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrash safetyVSAvoidvehicle weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The A pillar's outer region is designed with lower strength to preemptively guide the wheel along a slide-off path during collision, preventing wheel intrusion into the passenger compartment before it can occur. This preliminary anti-action eliminates the need for additional safety margins in compartment sizing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentUS9126629B2Motor vehicle support structure

Publication Date: 2015.09.08 DR ING H C F PORSCHE AG

AI summary

A motor vehicle structure has an A pillar (5), a sill, a front wheel (8) and a slide-off surface (50) for the front wheel (8). The A pillar (8), as viewed in cross section, exhibits a higher strength in an inner region (49) than in an outer region (48) in order to realize the slide-off surface (50).