Vehicle Door Impact Member Protrusion for CFRP Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle doors made of different materials, such as metallic external panels and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) internal panels, face challenges in optimizing the coupling structure and impact beam disposition to prevent internal panel damage during a side crush, as direct bonding is not feasible due to material incompatibility.
Innovation Solution
A door structure featuring an external metallic panel, an internal CFRP panel, and an impact member with a protrusion that transfers impact to the vehicle's side external panel, accompanied by a thermoplastic elastomer bumper member to absorb vibrations, allowing the internal panel to be protected from direct damage during a side crush.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an external metallic panel and an internal CFRP panel are directly bonded, then assembly is simplified, but the internal CFRP panel cannot be effectively protected from impact damage due to material incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
A metallic impact member is introduced as an intermediary component between the external metallic panel and the internal CFRP panel. This impact member includes a protrusion that extends into the CFRP panel, creating a mechanical interlock that effectively transfers and disperses impact forces. The intermediary impact member resolves the material incompatibility issue by providing a bonding surface that is compatible with both the metallic external panel and the CFRP internal panel, while its protrusion structure ensures effective impact force transfer to protect the CFRP panel.
2Reliability
If a protrusion is integrated into the impact member to transfer impact to the vehicle body, then impact protection is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion is integrally formed as part of the impact member, merging the impact force transfer function directly into the impact member structure. This integration eliminates the need for separate impact transfer components, reducing the overall number of parts. The protrusion is formed as a single integrated feature that extends from the impact member body, creating a unified structure that simplifies assembly while maintaining effective impact force transfer capability to the vehicle body through the CFRP panel.
3Reliability
If an over-slam bumper is added to absorb vibrations, then impact absorption is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The material properties of the impact member are optimized to provide both impact force transfer and vibration absorption capabilities. By selecting appropriate material parameters and configuring the geometric parameters of the impact member and its protrusion, the structure achieves effective impact protection while absorbing vibrations through controlled deformation and energy dissipation mechanisms. This parameter optimization eliminates the need for an additional over-slam bumper component.
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
The solution effectively disperses impact incidents from the external panel to the side external panel, minimizing damage to the internal CFRP panel, while improving assembly ease and reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for an over-slam bumper.
Implementation Method 1
The bumper member may include a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material... the bumper member configured to contact an external side of the internal panel while surrounding an external circumference of the protrusion... impact and vibration that are generated between the door and the side external panel can be effectively absorbed
Data Source
AI summary
A door structure for a vehicle may include an external panel; an internal panel that is mounted to the external panel; and an impact member coupled to the internal panel between the external panel and the internal panel, wherein a protrusion that protrudes to an outside thereof toward a side external panel of a vehicle body from inside the internal panel is integrally provided in the impact member.