Lower Arm Bracket Fracture Starting Point for Collision Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
In small overlap vehicle collisions, existing front suspension mechanisms risk bending and deformation, leading to potential harm from the front wheel colliding with the barrier and pressing against the occupant's footrest, as the lower arm may fracture due to a cutout designed for separation, which compromises rigidity and appearance.
Innovation Solution
A lower arm supporting bracket with a front wall and rear wall, featuring insertion holes and a fracture starting point outside the center, allowing the supporting shaft to be swept outwards during a collision without a fragile cutout, and reinforced by a projecting member that terminates inside the insertion hole, facilitating controlled deformation and separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a cutout is provided in the lower arm to facilitate fracture during small overlap collision, then the front wheel can be separated from the vehicle body, but the lower arm loses rigidity and aesthetic appeal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fracture function from the lower arm itself and relocates it to a separate bracket component. The lower arm maintains its structural integrity while the bracket, which is not visible during normal operation, contains the fracture starting point that enables controlled separation during collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket serves as an intermediary component between the lower arm and the vehicle body. It mediates the collision force transmission and provides a controlled fracture mechanism, allowing the lower arm to remain intact while still achieving wheel separation for safety.
2Ease of operation
If a cutout is provided in the lower arm for collision separation, then the front wheel can be swept outward, but the lower arm appearance and rigidity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The fracture mechanism is extracted from the visible lower arm component and placed in the bracket, which is hidden during normal operation. This allows the lower arm to maintain its complete, aesthetically pleasing appearance while the bracket provides the necessary fracture capability for wheel separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket serves as a functional copy or substitute for the fracture mechanism that would otherwise need to be in the lower arm. It replicates the separation function without compromising the visual integrity of the lower arm.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the reinforcing member projection terminates inside the insertion hole, then controlled deformation is facilitated, but the bracket structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing member provides localized reinforcement only where needed - specifically in regions requiring structural strength - while intentionally leaving areas without reinforcement to enable controlled deformation and fracture. This selective reinforcement strategy achieves both stability and controllability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket structure is segmented into reinforced zones and non-reinforced zones. The reinforcing member creates distinct structural regions with different mechanical properties, allowing the bracket to maintain overall strength while enabling controlled fracture in specific areas during collision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the separation of the front wheel from the vehicle body during collisions without a fragile cutout in the lower arm, improving rigidity and appearance while ensuring controlled fracture and deformation for effective load management.
Implementation Method 1
the fracture starting point is provided in the region on the outside in the vehicle width direction from the center position of the insertion hole in the front wall part and which receives the load at the point of load, so fracture of the front wall part to break open the insertion hole outward in vehicular width direction is facilitated
Implementation Method 2
load outward in the vehicle width direction is generated in the supporting shaft member supporting the lower arm connected to the front wheel, the load acting with a supporting point by the rear wall part of the bracket as a fulcrum and with the supporting point by the front wall part as a point of load
Data Source
AI summary
A first bracket supporting a first lower arm includes a front wall part and a rear wall part that face each other in a vehicle longitudinal direction. Respective insertion holes, through which a supporting bolt pivotably supporting the first lower arm is inserted, are formed in the front wall part and the rear wall part so as to face each other. Furthermore, the front wall part includes a fracture starting point formed in a region on an outside, in a vehicle width direction, from a center position of the insertion hole. Consequently, it is possible to separate a front wheel from a vehicle body at the time of collision without providing any fragile part such as a cutout in the lower arm.