Hybrid Floor Rail with Nested Steel Inner and Aluminum Outer Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle floor rails lack optimal economic and technical performance for easy assembly and high mechanical stability, particularly in accommodating vehicle interior fittings and seat arrangements, with existing solutions being either too rigid or lacking in adaptability.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid floor rail design featuring a hollow outer rail made of a lighter material, such as aluminum, and an inner rail made of a harder, more stable material like stainless steel, with a composite structure that allows for enhanced strength, elasticity, and load distribution, enabling secure attachment of vehicle interior components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a floor rail is made from a single heavy material like steel to ensure high strength and stability, then the mechanical stability and load capacity are improved, but the weight increases and ease of assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The floor rail employs a composite structure combining an aluminum outer rail with a steel inner rail. The aluminum outer rail provides lightweight construction and corrosion resistance, while the steel inner rail delivers high strength and stability. This composite material approach resolves the contradiction by achieving both reduced weight and maintained mechanical strength through material synergy.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor rail applies different material properties to different parts of the structure. The outer rail is made of lightweight aluminum for reduced weight and corrosion protection, while the inner rail uses high-strength steel for mechanical stability. This local differentiation of material quality allows each component to optimize its function, resolving the weight-strength contradiction.
2Strength
If a floor rail uses a complex hybrid structure with inner and outer rails to optimize load distribution, then the mechanical performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floor rail is segmented into distinct functional components: an outer aluminum rail for structural framework and corrosion resistance, and an inner steel rail for load-bearing strength. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently for its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity, resolving the complexity-performance contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel inner rail is nested within the aluminum outer rail, creating a compact hybrid structure. The inner rail fits precisely within the outer rail's hollow section, maximizing space utilization and structural efficiency. This nesting arrangement achieves complex load distribution functionality without proportionally increasing overall structural complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If a floor rail is made from a single material for simplicity of production, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability to different load conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The floor rail uses composite materials (aluminum outer rail + steel inner rail) to achieve adaptability to different load conditions. The aluminum provides corrosion resistance for outdoor/moist environments, while the steel handles high mechanical loads. This material combination makes the floor rail adaptable to various vehicle interior applications with different environmental and mechanical requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A floor rail (1) for a vehicle is proposed, which is designed for the installation of a vehicle interior fitting in a vehicle, wherein the floor rail (1) is hollow and has a top surface (4) with a longitudinal slot (5). According to the invention, the floor rail (1) has an outer rail (2) designed as a hollow profile along its longitudinal extent, with opposing longitudinal rail walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the floor rail (1) and a rail bottom, wherein the rail bottom is opposite the top surface (4) of the floor rail (1) and connects the longitudinal rail walls to each other, and wherein an inner rail (3) is provided which is received within the hollow outer rail (2), wherein the outer rail (2) is made of a first material and wherein the inner rail (3) is made of a second material, wherein the inner rail (3) comprises several recesses (14, 15) in an inner rail wall (12, 13).wherein an outer rail recess (16, 17) is provided in a longitudinal rail wall (8, 9) of the outer rail (2) adjacent to the inner rail wall (12, 13), wherein the outer rail recess (16, 17) adjoins several of the recesses (14, 15) in the inner rail wall (12, 13), preferably adjoins all of the recesses (14, 15) in the inner rail wall (12, 13).