Vehicle Cross Member Bead Reinforcement for Side Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle-body lower structures, such as cross members, face difficulties in absorbing locally large collision loads during pole side collisions, often buckling before sufficient crushing, which can lead to inadequate protection against deformation of the vehicle-body side parts.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-body lower structure featuring a cross member body with a bead extending in a direction intersecting the vehicle width, combined with a reinforcement that extends along the cross member body in a partial region, allowing for controlled deformation and load absorption during both barrier and pole side collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a cross member is designed with high proof stress to absorb collision load, then the cross member can reduce entry of door into vehicle interior, but the cross member may buckle before sufficient crushing when encountering locally large collision loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing a reinforcement only in a partial region of the cross member body where collision load is likely to occur, rather than uniformly throughout the entire structure. This localized reinforcement increases proof stress at critical areas while avoiding unnecessary weight elsewhere in the cross member.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross member is segmented into different functional regions: a reinforced partial region with higher proof stress for absorbing collision load, and a non-reinforced region that allows controlled deformation. This segmentation enables the structure to handle both barrier-side and pole-side collisions effectively.
2Strength
If a reinforcement is added to increase proof stress, then the cross member can better absorb collision load, but the structure's weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement is strategically positioned only in the partial region where collision load is most likely to occur, rather than adding reinforcement across the entire cross member. This localized approach increases proof stress where needed while minimizing the overall weight increase.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing full reinforcement throughout the entire cross member, the patent applies partial reinforcement only to the necessary region. This partial action is sufficient to achieve the desired collision load absorption while avoiding excessive weight addition.
3Loss of energy
If the cross member is designed to crush to absorb collision load, then energy is absorbed through deformation, but the cross member may buckle before sufficient crushing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement is provided in a partial region that resists buckling, while other regions are designed to crush controllably. This local quality differentiation allows the cross member to maintain stability in critical areas while enabling energy-absorbing deformation in designated regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross member geometry and reinforcement positioning are designed in advance to control the deformation sequence. The structure is pre-configured to crush in a controlled manner rather than buckle, ensuring energy absorption before instability occurs.
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
This configuration effectively reduces deformation of the vehicle-body side parts by distributing collision loads and preventing significant buckling, thereby protecting occupants from both barrier and pole side collisions without increasing the structure's weight significantly.
Implementation Method 1
The cross member absorbs a collision load at the time of a side-face collision... the cross member can increase buckling proof stress... capable of absorbing a collision load through crushing of the cross member without buckling
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle-body lower structure includes a cross member body and a reinforcement. The cross member body is provided on an upper surface of a floor panel of a vehicle body of a vehicle and extends in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle. The reinforcement extends along the cross member body in a partial region of the cross member body in the vehicle width direction. The cross member body has a bead extending in a direction intersecting the vehicle width direction in a vehicle-widthwise intermediate position within the partial region in which the reinforcement extends.