Tubular Battery Tray Crush Section for Lateral Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle battery support structures fail to effectively protect batteries from damage due to impacts and varying environmental conditions, while also requiring a balance of low weight and high strength-to-weight ratio.
Innovation Solution
A battery tray with a peripheral tubular member that includes a crush section with a hat-shaped cross section, designed to absorb impact forces and protect the battery containment area, while maintaining a lightweight and robust structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a battery support structure uses high strength materials and robust design to protect batteries from impacts, then the protection capability is improved, but the weight of the structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into distinct functional zones: a crushable front section that absorbs impact energy, and a protected rear section that maintains structural integrity. This segmentation allows the structure to use lighter materials overall while still providing adequate protection where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The design intentionally incorporates a crushable section that is meant to fail under impact conditions. By converting the harmful impact force into controlled deformation of the front section, the structure protects the battery while using less material, thereby reducing weight.
2Strength
If the battery support structure uses thicker walls and more material to resist impact forces, then the strength is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the support structure have different wall thicknesses and material properties. The front section has thinner, crushable walls optimized for energy absorption, while the rear section has thicker walls for strength. This local differentiation provides adequate impact resistance without uniformly increasing weight across the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure combines materials with different properties in different sections - using lighter, more ductile materials in the crush zone and stronger, stiffer materials in the protected zones. This composite approach optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio by matching material properties to functional requirements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the battery support structure is designed with a compact layout to lower the center of gravity, then the vehicle stability is improved, but the design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure integrates multiple functions into a single component: it provides structural support, absorbs impact energy, and helps position the battery pack to optimize the vehicle's center of gravity. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall design while achieving the stability goal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The battery tray effectively absorbs lateral impact forces, preventing deformation of the battery containment area and ensuring the protection of batteries from damage, while maintaining a low center of gravity and efficient weight distribution.
Implementation Method 1
A crush section is disposed along the outboard side of the peripheral tubular member and includes an outboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrally extending inboard from an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and a lower leg portion integrally extending inboard from a lower end of the outboard wall potion
Implementation Method 2
The crush section is disposed along the outboard side of the peripheral tubular member... The upper and lower leg portions of the crush section each terminate inboard at an end flange of the crush section
Data Source
AI summary
A battery tray for a vehicle includes a peripheral tubular member that borders at least a lateral side of a battery containment area relative to the vehicle. A crush section is attached along an outboard side of the peripheral tubular member. The crush section includes an outboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrally extending inboard from an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and a lower leg portion integrally extending inboard from a lower end of the outboard wall potion. The upper and lower leg portions of the crush section each terminate inboard at an end flange of the crush section that is attached to the peripheral tubular member to enclose a hollow interior there between.