Front Vehicle Body Reinforcing Structure for Small Overlap Collision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current front vehicle body structures are inadequate in managing frontal small overlap collisions, leading to excessive vehicle damage and compromised passenger safety due to inefficient load dispersion and reinforcement, particularly in electric vehicles with large capacity batteries.
Innovation Solution
A reinforcing structure that includes a cascading arrangement of front side members, fender apron upper members, and reinforcing members to disperse collision loads, reducing dash panel deformation and promoting lateral movement, thereby enhancing passenger safety and minimizing vehicle damage during frontal collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcement members are added to strengthen the front vehicle body, then collision resistance is improved, but vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front vehicle body is divided into multiple functional components: front side members for longitudinal reinforcement, fender apron upper members for lateral reinforcement, and reinforcing members strategically positioned at connection points. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific reinforcement function while maintaining overall structural efficiency and minimizing unnecessary weight addition.
Solution Approach 2:
Reinforcement is applied locally at critical areas rather than uniformly throughout the entire front vehicle body. The reinforcing members are specifically positioned at connection points between the front side members, fender apron upper members, and dash panel, providing maximum strength where collision forces are most concentrated while avoiding unnecessary weight in non-critical areas.
2Strength
If the front side member is extended to increase reinforcement, then collision load dispersion is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front side member is extended to overlap with the fender apron upper member, merging their structural functions. This overlapping extension allows the two members to work together as an integrated reinforcement system, dispersing collision loads more effectively across the front vehicle body while avoiding the need for separate, additional reinforcement components that would increase structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement strategy extends from a single-dimensional approach (only front side members) to a multi-dimensional approach by adding fender apron upper members that extend in the width direction and connecting them to the front side members. This creates a three-dimensional reinforcement network that disperses collision loads more effectively without requiring excessive extension of individual members.
3Strength
If connection structures are added between front side member and fender apron upper member, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front side member and fender apron upper member are designed with predetermined overlapping extensions that naturally form connection structures. The extension portions are pre-configured during manufacturing to overlap and connect with each other, eliminating the need for additional complex connection components or assembly steps, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlapping extension portions of the front side member and fender apron upper member serve their own connection function without requiring external connection components. The structural design itself provides the connection mechanism through the overlapping geometry, allowing the members to self-connect and reinforcing each other through their inherent structure, thus avoiding additional manufacturing costs for separate connection hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
A front vehicle body reinforcing structure includes: a pair of front side members extending along a length direction of a vehicle and disposed on left and right sides of the vehicle in a width direction of the vehicle; a dash panel extending in the width direction and a height direction of the vehicle; a front pillar extending in the length direction and the height direction of the vehicle; a fender apron upper member disposed outside each of the pair of front side members in the width direction of the vehicle, extending along the length direction of the vehicle and connected to each of the pair of front side members, the dash panel, and the front pillar; and a first reinforcing member extending along the height direction of the vehicle, of which a first end portion is connected to the fender apron upper member and a second end portion is connected to a lower portion of the vehicle.