Holding Element Anchoring Spare Wheel to Plastic Floor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor-vehicle structures with plastic or composite material floor portions for housing spare wheels or electronic components face safety issues during accidents, as the components may become detached and project far from the vehicle, lacking a direct connection to the vehicle structure for anchoring.
Innovation Solution
A holding element, made of sheet-metal, plastic, or fibre-reinforced composite material, is anchored to the motor-vehicle structure and rigidly connected to the spare wheel or component, ensuring a direct and secure attachment, preventing the component from being projected far away in case of an accident.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a floor portion made of plastic material or composite material is used to house spare wheel or component, then complicated shapes can be obtained in an economically efficient way, but the component may become detached and project far from the vehicle structure in case of accident
Solution Approach 1:
The floor portion is divided into a plastic or composite material body and separate stiffening metal elements. These metal elements are segmented into multiple parts that can be independently anchored to the vehicle structure, providing both manufacturing efficiency and safety through direct anchoring connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution uses composite construction combining plastic or composite material for the floor portion body with metal stiffening elements. This composite approach allows the plastic to provide complex shapes economically while the metal elements provide the necessary strength and direct anchoring capability to prevent detachment during accidents.
2Strength
If stiffening metal elements are used to reinforce the plastic floor portion, then structural strength is improved, but without direct anchoring to the vehicle structure, the component may still detach in extreme conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening metal elements are merged with the vehicle structure through direct anchoring connections. This combination ensures that the metal elements not only reinforce the plastic floor portion but also create a direct load path to the vehicle structure, preventing detachment during extreme conditions while maintaining structural strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor-vehicle structure includes an underbody portion of sheet-metal defining an aperture with within there is mounted a floor portion of plastic material or composite material, for housing a spare wheel or other component of a vehicle, such as an electric or electronic component and/or for example a unit for accumulating electric energy. To said floor portion of plastic material or composite material there is associated a holding element having at least a first part anchored to the underbody portion of sheet-metal and at least a second part which can be anchored to said spare wheel or said other component, so that in case of an accident, said holding element prevents said spare wheel or said other component from being projected far away from the underbody structure, by constraining it instead to remain within a distance corresponding to one dimension of said holding element.