Vehicle Front Structure Layout for Crash Stroke and Body Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles face challenges in absorbing impact loads due to reduced accessory components, leading to concerns about vehicle-body rigidity and crash stroke, and adding reinforcement members increases weight, which is undesirable for energy conservation.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-body front structure for electric vehicles with a partition wall and suspension tower portions that bulge inward, positioning the traveling motor below the partition wall and connecting intermediate portions to enhance crash stroke and rigidity, while minimizing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcement members are added to improve vehicle-body rigidity, then vehicle-body rigidity is improved, but vehicle-body weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall portion serves dual functions: it separates the vehicle cabin from the engine room while simultaneously acting as a reinforcement member to improve vehicle-body rigidity. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate reinforcement members, thereby improving rigidity without increasing vehicle-body weight
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall portion is designed to perform multiple functions: cabin separation, structural reinforcement, and crash load absorption. By making the partition wall portion function as a reinforcement member, the invention achieves multi-functionality that resolves the contradiction between rigidity improvement and weight increase
2Loss of energy
If accessory components are reduced in electric vehicles, then energy conservation is improved, but impact load absorption capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall portion is designed to absorb crash loads by deforming in a controlled manner, merging the cabin separation function with the impact absorption function. This eliminates the need for separate accessory components while maintaining energy conservation benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall portion is designed to deform plastically during collision, converting the harmful impact load into useful energy absorption through controlled deformation. This transforms the potential weakness of reduced accessory components into a beneficial crash management feature
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] Both of securing of a crash stroke in an area in front of a traveling motor and an improvement in vehicle-body rigidity are achieved. [Means for Solution] A vehicle-body front structure A includes a partition wall portion 71 which demarcates a space inside a vehicle cabin R1 and a pair of left and right suspension tower portions 90 and 91 which are formed to bulge inward in the vehicle width direction and support upper portions of front suspension apparatuses 20. A lower-side portion of the partition wall portion 71 is formed to be positioned further to vehicle rear toward a lower position. A traveling motor M1 is installed below the lower-side portion of the partition wall portion 71. An upper-side portion of the partition wall portion 71 extends from an intermediate portion of the left suspension tower portion 90 in a vehicle front-rear direction to an intermediate portion of the right suspension tower portion 91 in the vehicle front-rear direction.