Front Cowl Structure for Pedestrian Impact and Rigidity Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing front vehicle-body structures face challenges in balancing pedestrian protection and cowl rigidity, particularly at the lower end of the front windshield, where the cowl is prone to deformation during collisions, compromising both impact absorption and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A front vehicle-body structure featuring a cowl with an inclined second face portion that extends obliquely rearwardly and downwardly, combined with a gate-shaped reinforcing member, which includes a vehicle-width-direction extension member and right-and-left vehicle-vertical-direction extension members, to redirect collision forces and maintain rigidity while allowing for pedestrian protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cowl is configured with a closed-cross section structure to increase rigidity, then the vehicle-body rigidity is improved, but the area near the lower end of the front windshield becomes easily crushed and deformed in vehicle collision
Solution Approach 1:
The cowl is divided into multiple face portions (first face portion, second face portion, third face portion) with different functional characteristics. The first face portion maintains rigidity for structural support, while the second and third face portions are designed to be easily deformed for impact absorption, allowing each segment to fulfill its specific function independently
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cowl are given different structural properties: the first face portion has high rigidity to maintain overall structure, while the second and third face portions have low rigidity to facilitate deformation during collision. This local differentiation allows the cowl to simultaneously achieve rigidity where needed and deformability where impact absorption is required
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cowl is configured with an open cowl structure to absorb collision impact, then pedestrian protection is improved, but the vehicle-body rigidity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cowl is segmented into rigid and deformable portions, where the first face portion provides structural rigidity for vehicle-body strength, while the second and third face portions are designed to deform easily to absorb collision impact and protect pedestrians
Solution Approach 2:
The cowl structure implements local quality differentiation where the first face portion maintains high rigidity for structural support, while the second and third face portions have low rigidity to facilitate impact absorption, thereby simultaneously achieving vehicle-body rigidity and pedestrian protection
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the front end of the first face portion is positioned on the rearward side of the rear end of the bonnet, then pedestrian protection is improved by allowing bonnet deformation, but the cowl rigidity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cowl is divided into face portions with different rigidity characteristics, allowing the first face portion to maintain structural integrity while the second and third face portions deform to protect pedestrians during collision
Solution Approach 2:
Different face portions of the cowl are assigned different rigidity properties: the first face portion maintains high rigidity for structural support, while the second and third face portions have low rigidity to facilitate deformation and protect pedestrians, thereby resolving the contradiction between cowl rigidity and pedestrian protection
Data Source
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AI summary
A front vehicle-body structure for a vehicle which includes a front windshield; a cowl provided to support the front windshield in an inclined state where a rear side of the front windshield is located at a substantially higher level than a front side of the front windshield and forming a lower edge of an opening portion for arranging the front windshield; and a bonnet provided in front of and above the cowl. The cowl includes a first face potion to which the front windshield adheres and an inclined second face portion which is configured to extend obliquely rearwardly-and-downwardly from the first face portion, and a front end of the first face portion is positioned on a rearward side, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, of a rear end of the bonnet.