Vehicle Lower Body Dash Panel Mechanical Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle lower body structures, where the dash panel and dash cross member are welded together, hinder the reusability of vehicle components due to the difficulty in separating these parts, leading to increased waste and weight.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lower body structure design featuring a dash panel mechanically fastened to a cross member via fasteners, allowing easy separation without additional dedicated parts, and incorporating closed or open cross-sectional structures to maintain rigidity and absorb vibrations, while sound insulating members can be used to reduce noise and vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the dash panel and dash cross member are welded together, then the structural strength and rigidity are improved, but the separability and reusability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the connection between the dash panel and cross member into separable segments by using mechanical fasteners (bolts, nuts, or clips) instead of continuous welding. This allows the dash panel to be detached from the cross member, enabling component reuse and recycling while maintaining structural integrity during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the connection parameter from permanent (welding) to reversible (mechanical fastening). By using fasteners that can be assembled and disassembled, the connection strength is sufficient for normal operation but can be easily separated when needed, thus improving reusability without significantly compromising structural strength.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical fasteners are used to connect the dash panel to the cross member, then the separability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses standard mechanical fasteners (bolts, nuts, or clips) that are commonly used in vehicle manufacturing. These universal fastening components serve multiple purposes: they provide structural connection, allow for easy separation, and can be reused. This avoids the need for specialized connection mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If dedicated parts are added between the cross member and dash panel to facilitate separation, then the separability is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the fasteners themselves as the separation mechanism rather than adding dedicated separation parts. The same mechanical fasteners that connect the dash panel to the cross member also enable easy separation by simply unfastening them. This self-service approach allows the connection system to perform both joining and separation functions without requiring additional components, thus avoiding weight increase.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle lower body structure includes: a left and right pair of rockers provided on respective sides, in a vehicle width direction, of a vehicle lower body and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction; a left and right pair of front side members provided at a front side, in a vehicle front-rear direction, of the rockers and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction; a cross member extending in the vehicle width direction, interconnecting front end portions of the left and right pair of rockers, and interconnecting rear end portions of the left and right pair of front side members; and a dash panel disposed on a rear side, in the vehicle front-rear direction, of the cross member, mechanically fastened to the cross member via fasteners, and partitioning a vehicle cabin interior from a vehicle cabin exterior.