Front Pillar Outer Folded Flange Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing front pillar designs for vehicles are heavy, expensive, and lack cost-effectiveness due to the need for additional joining processes and the use of materials like tailored welded blanks and reinforcement plates, which increase production costs.

Innovation Solution

A front pillar outer design featuring a glass-face-side flange part and a door-side flange part with overlapping members, where plate parts are folded to integrate the structure without additional joining, enhancing strength and reducing weight by increasing plate thickness in compressive regions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If reinforcement components or multiple structures are welded together to improve strength, then collision safety is improved, but the weight of the front pillar increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision safetyVSAvoidfront pillar weight

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The front pillar outer is divided into a first member and a second member with different plate thicknesses. The first member has a smaller plate thickness and the second member has a larger plate thickness. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve high strength where needed while maintaining lightweight characteristics in other areas, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the front pillar outer are given different plate thicknesses based on their functional requirements. The first member with smaller plate thickness is used where high strength is not critical, while the second member with larger plate thickness is used where collision resistance is needed. This local differentiation optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Strength

If multiple metal plates or components are combined by welding to improve strength, then collision energy absorption is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to additional joining processes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision energy absorption capacityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The first member and second member are formed as a single integrated piece through the blank forming process, eliminating the need for separate joining operations. The different plate thickness portions are created during the forming process itself, merging the benefits of tailored welded blanks with the simplicity of a single-piece construction, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining collision energy absorption capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The blank forming process automatically creates the desired varying plate thickness structure without requiring additional joining processes. The material itself serves the dual purpose of providing both thin and thick sections in the appropriate locations, eliminating the need for separate reinforcement components or multi-step joining operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Weight of moving object

If tailored welded blanks or reinforcement plates are used to reduce weight and improve strength, then the front pillar becomes lightweight and strong, but the production cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefront pillar weightVSAvoidproduction cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The desired varying plate thickness structure is prepared in advance during the blank forming process, before any assembly or joining operations. This preliminary creation of the optimized thickness distribution eliminates the need for subsequent addition of reinforcement plates or complex joining operations, thereby reducing production cost while achieving lightweight and strong characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical joining processes (welding, bolting) used in traditional tailored welded blanks are replaced by a forming process that creates the varying thickness structure directly. This substitution eliminates the need for additional joining equipment and processes, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while achieving the same weight and strength benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS12005960B2Front pillar outer

Publication Date: 2024.06.11 NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION

AI summary

An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a front pillar outer that is inexpensive, lightweight and strong. In an area in which a first door-side flange part and a second door-side flange part overlap with each other, a first plate part that is connected to a side edge of the first door-side flange part is folded so that a second door-side flange part is sandwiched between the first door-side flange part and the folded first plate part. In an area in which a first glass-face-side flange part and a second glass-face-side flange part overlap with each other, a second plate part that is connected to a side edge of the first glass-face-side flange part is folded so that the second glass-face-side flange part is sandwiched between the first glass-face-side flange part and the folded second plate part.