Curved Suspension Arm With Asymmetric Wall Thickness for Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional suspension arms face a trade-off between weight reduction and maintaining rigidity, which is essential for vehicle riding comfort, especially under compressive loads during turning or braking.
Innovation Solution
The suspension arm design features a main body with a curved portion and asymmetrical thickness distribution, where the inner side wall is thicker than the outer side wall, allowing for weight reduction while maintaining rigidity by optimizing the sheet thickness of the inner and outer side walls to enhance compressive strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If sheet thickness of the two formed members is decreased to reduce weight, then weight of the suspension arm is reduced, but rigidity of the suspension arm decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the inner side wall thickness different from the outer side wall thickness. Specifically, the inner side wall has a greater thickness than the outer side wall, creating non-uniform thickness distribution that optimizes both weight and rigidity. This local differentiation allows the suspension arm to maintain high rigidity in the inner side wall where compressive loads are highest, while reducing material in the outer side wall to decrease overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by designing the two formed members with different thicknesses rather than using symmetrical members with equal thicknesses. The first formed member has a different sheet thickness from the second formed member, resulting in an asymmetrical thickness distribution in the final suspension arm structure. This asymmetrical design allows optimization of material distribution to simultaneously achieve weight reduction and maintain required rigidity.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional symmetrical formed members are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but weight reduction is limited due to constant sheet thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the inner side wall thickness different from the outer side wall thickness. Specifically, the inner side wall has a greater thickness than the outer side wall, creating non-uniform thickness distribution that optimizes both weight and rigidity. This local differentiation allows the suspension arm to maintain high rigidity in the inner side wall where compressive loads are highest, while reducing material in the outer side wall to decrease overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by designing the two formed members with different thicknesses rather than using symmetrical members with equal thicknesses. The first formed member has a different sheet thickness from the second formed member, resulting in an asymmetrical thickness distribution in the final suspension arm structure. This asymmetrical design allows optimization of material distribution to simultaneously achieve weight reduction and maintain required rigidity.
Data Source
AI summary
A suspension arm includes a main body. The main body includes a curved portion curved along a longitudinal direction and has a closed section. The main body includes an inner side wall, an outer side wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall. The inner side wall corresponds to an inner side of a curve of the curved portion. The outer side wall corresponds to an outer side of the curve of the curved portion. A thickness of the inner side wall is larger than a thickness of the outer side wall. In sectional view of the main body perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, each of a length of the first side wall and a length of the second side wall is longer than each of a length of the inner side wall and a length of the outer side wall.