L-Shaped Cover Member for Vehicle Front Structure Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle front structures fail to effectively absorb impact energy by bending and deforming the whole side frame member during collisions due to stress concentration at the rear end of the load transmission member, leading to breakage rather than deformation.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle front structure incorporating a pair of side frame members, a bumper reinforcement, a load transmission member, and a cover member with an L-shaped section where the cover member's curved surface reduces stress concentration, allowing the side frame to bend and absorb impact energy by making surface contact with the side frame during collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the load transmission member is attached directly to the side frame member, then the collision load can be transmitted to the side frame member, but stress concentration occurs at the rear end of the load transmission member causing the side frame member to break rather than bend
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member serves as an intermediary element between the load transmission member and the side frame member. It is attached to the rear end of the load transmission member and makes surface contact with the side frame member, distributing the collision load over a larger area and preventing stress concentration that would cause breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover member features a curved outer surface at its corner part that contacts the side frame member. This curved geometry distributes the contact stress along the curved surface rather than concentrating it at a single point, enabling the side frame member to bend deformably rather than break abruptly.
2Loss of energy
If the side frame member is designed to bend and deform to absorb impact energy, then collision energy can be absorbed, but the rear end of the load transmission member may cut into the side face of the side frame member causing stress concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member acts as a mediator that prevents the load transmission member from directly cutting into the side frame member during deformation. It distributes the stress along its curved surface, allowing energy absorption through controlled bending without localized stress concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved outer surface of the cover member's corner part distributes contact stress along the curvature during side frame member deformation. This prevents stress concentration at any single point on the side face, enabling effective energy absorption through bending.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle front structure includes: side frames of a vehicle front part; a bumper reinforcement attached to front ends of the side frames; a load transmission member attached to a side end portion of the bumper reinforcement; and a cover member attached to a rear end of the load transmission member. The cover member is an L-shaped section member in which an outer surface of a corner part of the cover member has a curved surface, the cover member extending in the vehicle up-down direction. The cover member is attached such that an upper end of the cover member projects upward from an upper face of the load transmission member, and the cover member covers an inner portion, in the vehicle width direction, of the rear end of the load transmission member.