Vehicle Floor Cross Beam Structure for Side-Impact Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body floor structures, particularly those with an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) under the rear seats, face challenges in maintaining rigidity and preventing deformation during side collisions due to reduced cross sections and offset merging of the floor cross beam and floor tunnel.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body floor structure design featuring a floor cross beam with a curved step portion above the floor tunnel, a closed cross section, and a recessed portion, which efficiently transfers loads and improves rigidity by dispersing stress, allowing for a smaller cross section without compromising strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the floor cross beam is connected to the floor tunnel on the center side, then the structure can be compact, but the cross section on the center side becomes smaller and cannot fully support the load during side collision
Solution Approach 1:
The floor cross beam is designed with a stepped cross-section that extends in the vertical dimension, creating a larger cross-sectional area at the center portion to enhance load-bearing capacity while maintaining compact overall dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The floor cross beam has non-uniform cross-sectional dimensions, with the center portion featuring larger dimensions to specifically reinforce load support capability in the critical center area, while other portions maintain smaller dimensions for compactness
2Device complexity
If the floor tunnel merges with the floor cross beam, then the structure can be simplified, but the cross section of the floor cross beam is reduced and offset, making it more easily deformed
Solution Approach 1:
The floor cross beam is segmented into different portions with distinct cross-sectional characteristics, where the center portion has larger dimensions to resist deformation while the outer portions maintain smaller dimensions, preventing the merging issue that causes deformation
3Weight of stationary object
If the cross section of the floor cross beam is reduced, then the vehicle can be lighter, but the rigidity and deformation resistance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The floor cross beam employs local quality enhancement by providing larger cross-sectional dimensions specifically at the center portion where load bearing is critical, while maintaining smaller dimensions at outer portions, thereby achieving adequate rigidity without unnecessary weight increase throughout the entire structure
Data Source
AI summary
The vehicle body floor structure includes a floor including a front panel located at front and a rear panel located at rear and formed at a position above the front panel; lower longitudinal beams located on both sides of the floor in a vehicle width direction; a floor cross beam connected to the lower longitudinal beams on outer sides in the vehicle width direction; and a floor tunnel connected to a center of the floor cross beam in the vehicle width direction. The floor cross beam includes a step portion above the floor tunnel, and the step portion is curved upward while extending from both ends toward the center as a whole when viewed from a front angle between the lower longitudinal beams.