Cylindrical Impact Absorber for Oblique Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional front vehicle body structures struggle with maintaining effective impact absorbing performance when loads are applied at an oblique angle due to collapsing impact absorbing sections, which can be mitigated by increasing wall thickness but results in increased rigidity and weight, and often feature complex two-part sections that are not necessary for smaller vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A front vehicle body structure featuring a cylindrical impact absorbing section with a polygonal cross-sectional shape elongated in the width direction, interconnected by channel-shaped members and a partition wall, which prevents collapse under oblique loads and efficiently distributes load to the lower frame, allowing for simpler construction and enhanced energy absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wall thickness of the impact absorbing section is increased to prevent collapsing under oblique loads, then the reliability is improved, but the weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The impact absorbing section is divided into multiple hollow cylindrical sections connected by connection portions. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain reliability under oblique loads through geometric configuration rather than increased wall thickness, thereby reducing weight while preserving impact absorbing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The impact absorbing section uses a hollow cylindrical shape with curved surfaces instead of flat or angular structures. This curvature provides inherent structural strength against oblique loads, enabling the use of thinner walls while maintaining reliability, thus reducing the weight of the front body structure.
2Reliability
If two-part impact absorbing sections are provided on both front side frame and lower frame, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The impact absorbing section is integrated as a single unified structure that combines the functions previously distributed across separate impact absorbing parts on the front side frame and lower frame. This merging maintains load absorbing reliability while significantly simplifying the overall structure and reducing the number of components.
3Reliability
If the impact absorbing section is designed to prevent collapsing under oblique loads, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow cylindrical shape with uniform curvature is inherently stable under oblique loads while being amenable to standard manufacturing processes such as extrusion or forming. This geometric simplicity facilitates ease of manufacture compared to complex angular or multi-part structures, resolving the contradiction between reliability and manufacturability.
Data Source
AI summary
Horizontally elongated member interconnects respective front end portions of a lower frame and a front side frame spaced apart from each other in a width direction of the vehicle body. Impact absorbing section is mounted on a substantially entire front surface of the horizontally elongated member, and a bumper beam is fixedly mounted to the front surface of the impact absorbing section. The impact absorbing section is a cylindrical member having a cross-sectional shape elongated in the width direction and having its outer side wall portion disposed generally on an imaginary extension line of an inner vertical wall portion of the lower frame.