Motor Vehicle Body Structure With Funnel-Shaped Load Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle body structures in electrified vehicles face challenges in managing deformations of high-voltage components and ensuring stability during frontal crash load events due to the absence or minimal presence of longitudinal load paths, particularly in the region of the bulkhead, A-pillar, and rocker panels.
Innovation Solution
A body structure with two inner sills having an undulating cross section and funnel-shaped force introduction elements that widen transversely, connecting to the inner sills and supported on the bulkhead, along with a continuous cross member for enhanced stability, providing multiple load-bearing edges and paths to absorb and transmit crash forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If installation spaces are provided for high-voltage components, then high-voltage components can be protected, but longitudinal load paths are removed or reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The body structure is segmented into multiple load-bearing elements: inner sills with undulating cross-sections, funnel-shaped force introduction elements, cross members, and bulkheads. This segmentation allows installation spaces for high-voltage components while distributing crash loads through multiple separate load paths, resolving the contradiction between component protection and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner sills are given an undulating cross-section with multiple load-bearing edges instead of a simple linear structure. This dimensional change creates additional load paths in the transverse direction while maintaining longitudinal strength, allowing both high-voltage component protection and adequate load-bearing capacity.
2Strength
If inner sills have undulating cross section with multiple load-bearing edges, then crash forces can be absorbed effectively, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner sills feature an undulating cross-section with curved load-bearing edges instead of sharp angles. This curvature design efficiently absorbs crash forces through progressive deformation while being manufacturable using standard stamping processes, balancing crash performance with manufacturing simplicity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If funnel-shaped force introduction elements widen transversely, then scatter of wheel impact points can be covered, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The funnel-shaped force introduction elements are pre-formed with a widening geometry that anticipates various wheel impact points. This preliminary shaping allows the structure to adapt to different crash scenarios without requiring complex active adjustment mechanisms, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A body structure for a motor vehicle includes two inner sills having an undulating cross section, a floor panel arranged in the transverse direction of the vehicle between the inner sills, and two funnel-shaped force-introducing elements which are connected in respective front sill regions to the inner sills and widen in a funnel-shaped manner transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and, behind respective front wheelhouse regions, are supported on the rear side by their respective widened end region on a bulkhead of the body structure. A motor vehicle includes a body structure of this kind.