Composite Cross Car Beam Assembly with Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cross car beam assemblies are heavy and restrictive due to their metal construction, lacking the necessary lightweight and design flexibility while maintaining structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A cross car beam assembly utilizing a composite beam structure reinforced with chopped or continuous carbon fibers, combined with a separately formed composite reinforcement through pultrusion or extrusion, and insertion molded to provide a lightweight and flexible design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional metal components are used for cross car beam assembly, then structural integrity is achieved, but weight increases and design flexibility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining carbon fiber reinforced polymer with metal components. The carbon fiber reinforcement provides high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling weight reduction while maintaining structural integrity. The composite structure allows for complex geometries and integrated features that are difficult to achieve with conventional metal fabrication, thereby improving design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes material parameters by transitioning from solid metal to composite structures with varying fiber orientations, volumes, and distributions. This allows optimization of mechanical properties for specific load paths while reducing weight. The composite layup parameters can be tailored to achieve desired stiffness and strength characteristics in different directions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional metal components are used for cross car beam assembly, then structural integrity is maintained, but design flexibility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite provides high specific strength and stiffness. The continuous carbon fiber bundles and chopped carbon fiber reinforcement create a composite structure that maintains structural integrity while enabling complex geometries. The composite material properties can be anisotropically tailored to match the stress distribution in the cross car beam.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the cross car beam into distinct functional regions with different composite layups and reinforcement patterns. High-stress areas receive additional carbon fiber reinforcement, while lower-stress areas use lighter composite structures. This segmented approach allows optimization of strength where needed while reducing weight elsewhere.
3Weight of moving object
If lightweight composite structures are used, then weight is reduced and design flexibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite manufacturing with traditional metal fabrication processes. The composite components are integrated with metal brackets and fasteners in a unified assembly process. This combining approach leverages the strengths of both composite (weight reduction) and metal (established manufacturing) technologies, reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies carbon fiber reinforcement locally only where structural enhancement is needed, rather than throughout the entire cross car beam. This localized reinforcement strategy reduces material usage and simplifies manufacturing by focusing complex composite work only in critical areas, while other regions can use simpler construction methods.
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 solution results in a lightweight cross car beam assembly with enhanced design flexibility and structural integrity, comparable to metal structures, while offering weight savings and increased stiffness in high-stress areas.
Implementation Method 1
A composite reinforcement is formed separately from the composite beam structure and is fixedly engaged to the composite beam structure through an insertion molding process
Implementation Method 2
A composite beam structure extends transversely across a vehicle. A composite reinforcement has a first portion fixedly engaged to the beam structure
Data Source
AI summary
A cross car beam assembly is provided herein. A composite beam structure extends transversely across a vehicle. A vehicle floor bracket is disposed below the composite beam. A composite reinforcement has a first portion fixedly engaged to the beam structure and a second portion engaged to the vehicle floor bracket.