Automotive Frame Member With Thinner Welding Part
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automobile body structures, such as center-pillars, face challenges in improving strength while maintaining manufacturing cost-effectiveness, particularly due to the weakening of flanges during spot-welding and the complexity of welding high-tensile steel members.
Innovation Solution
A frame member configuration featuring a high-tensile steel plate-like attachment with a thinner welding part allows for easier joining and thicker, stronger areas, reducing the need for additional reinforcement and minimizing the number of components and welding points, thereby enhancing the automobile's body strength and reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of constituent members is increased to improve strength, then the strength of the body is improved, but the difficulty of welding between members increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment includes a welding part with thickness different from other parts, creating local quality variation. The welding part has optimized thickness specifically for welding operations, while other parts maintain greater thickness for structural strength. This resolves the contradiction by allowing thick sections for strength where needed and thinner sections for ease of welding at the welding part.
2Strength
If the thickness of frame members is increased to improve strength, then the strength of the body is improved, but the number of components and welding points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame member integrates multiple functions into a single component. The attachment serves both as a structural element providing strength and as a welding interface, eliminating the need for separate reinforcement members. This merging reduces the number of components and welding points while maintaining the required strength through the thicker portions of the attachment.
3Ease of manufacture
If spot-welding is applied to flanges, then the members are joined together, but the strength around welded points decreases due to heat
Solution Approach 1:
The welding part has a specific thickness designed for spot-welding operations, creating a localized zone optimized for joining. This thinner welding part concentrates the welding heat in a controlled manner, while the thicker portions of the attachment maintain high strength. The local quality variation allows welding to proceed effectively without compromising the overall strength of the attachment.
Data Source
AI summary
A frame member is a high-tensile steel member included in a frame. The frame is a part of a body structure of a body of an automobile. The frame member includes a plate-like attachment for abutting other member of the automobile. The attachment includes a welding part configured to be welded to the other member. The welding part is thinner than other parts of the attachment.