Floor Tunnel with Variable Yield Strength for Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor tunnel designs in automobiles fail to simultaneously achieve high collision performance, soundproofing, and weight reduction, as they often compromise on one aspect due to factors like uneven bead structures, large curves, or closed cross-sectional beams that are not suitable for open cross-sectional floor tunnels.
Innovation Solution
A floor tunnel with a hat-shaped open cross-sectional structure, where the front end region has a lower yield strength than the main region, allowing it to absorb impact forces through bending and reducing weight by eliminating additional reinforcing members, while maintaining high collision performance and soundproofing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcing members such as beads are added to increase stiffness, then collision performance is improved, but weight increases and vibration is induced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a tailored blank with different material properties in different regions. The front end region uses material with lower yield strength to absorb impact energy through controlled deformation, while the main region uses material with higher yield strength to maintain structural integrity. This spatial variation in material properties allows the structure to achieve high collision performance without adding reinforcing members that would increase weight.
2Strength
If additional reinforcing members are added to improve collision performance, then strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the reinforcing function into the floor tunnel structure itself by creating a tailored blank with spatially varying material properties. Instead of adding separate reinforcing members like beads or ribs, the reinforcement is integrated directly into the material composition of different regions of the floor tunnel, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining high collision performance.
3Strength
If the floor tunnel structure is made more complex with additional components, then collision performance is improved, but soundproofing performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters (yield strength) of the floor tunnel structure by creating a tailored blank with different material compositions in different regions. This parameter change allows the front end region to deform in a controlled manner to absorb impact energy, reducing the transmission of vibration and noise to the vehicle interior, thereby improving soundproofing performance without compromising collision performance.
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 design effectively absorbs impact forces, suppresses noise vibration, and reduces weight by distributing forces efficiently between the front end and main regions, thereby enhancing collision performance and soundproofing while minimizing weight.
Implementation Method 1
a yield strength of the front end region is lower than a yield strength of the main region
Data Source
AI summary
The present floor tunnel is laid on a floor surface of a vehicle interior along a vehicle front-rear direction, extends substantially linearly along the vehicle front-rear direction, has a front end and a rear end, and has an open cross-sectional shape of a hat shape in which a shape of a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle front-rear direction protrudes from the floor surface. The floor tunnel includes a front end region that has the front end and a main region that has the rear end and continues to the front end region. When a total length from the front end to the rear end is L (mm), a boundary position between the front end region and the main region is within a range between a position at 30 mm from the front end toward the rear end and a position at L/5 from the front end toward the rear end. Yield strength of the front end region is lower than yield strength of the main region.