Vehicle Front Structure Curved Bumper Offset Crash Load Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle front structures face issues in transmitting impact loads during crashes, as shallow load receiving parts may fail to reliably transmit loads during offset crashes and deep recesses reduce stiffness, leading to deformation during full overlap crashes.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle front structure with a bumper member formed into a curved shape, featuring protruding parts and slit-shaped openings that allow for effective load transmission and absorption in both offset and full overlap crashes without additional fixing members or complex structures, ensuring deformation suppression and impact absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the recess of the load receiving part is formed shallow, then the structure is simpler and stiffness is maintained, but the tip end portion of the brace may come off the load receiving part during offset crash, failing to reliably transmit impact load
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion on the brace acts as an intermediary element that engages with the slit-shaped opening in the side member. This intermediary connection ensures reliable load transmission during offset crashes without requiring a deep recess in the load receiving part, thus maintaining structural simplicity while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The slit-shaped opening allows dynamic adjustment of the connection between the brace and side member. During offset crash, the protrusion can move within the opening to maintain engagement, ensuring reliable load transmission without requiring a fixed deep recess structure.
2Reliability
If the recess of the load receiving part is formed deep, then load transmission reliability is improved, but stiffness of the side rail outer is reduced, causing deformation during full overlap crash
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion-slit-shaped opening connection serves as an intermediary mechanism that provides reliable load transmission during offset crashes without compromising the stiffness of the side rail outer. This eliminates the need for a deep recess that would weaken the structure during full overlap crashes.
Solution Approach 2:
The load receiving part has different structural characteristics at different locations: a shallow recess for maintaining stiffness, and a specific engagement structure (protrusion with slit-shaped opening) for ensuring reliable load transmission. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between stiffness and reliability.
3Reliability
If additional fixing members are added to support bumper member shifting, then offset crash performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The load receiving part is merged with the engagement structure (protrusion and slit-shaped opening) to provide both support for bumper member shifting and reliable load transmission. This integration eliminates the need for separate fixing members, improving offset crash performance without increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The load receiving part serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables reliable load transmission during offset crashes, and maintains stiffness during full overlap crashes. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional fixing members.
Data Source
AI summary
A bumper member at a vehicle frontmost end is joined to side members. The bumper member has a curved shape, a center portion protrudes further to the vehicle front than a tip end portion of the side member, a projecting portion is positioned on the outer side of the tip end portion, and is curved toward the vehicle rear, a protruding part extending toward the side member is provided on an inner side of the projecting portion, a tip end portion on the inner side of the protruding part has a planar portion opposite a side face portion on the outer side of the side member, a protrusion protruding to the inner side from the planar portion and extending in the longitudinal direction is provided in the planar portion, and a slit-shaped opening into which a tip end of the protrusion is inserted is provided in the side face portion.