Vehicle Lower Frame Structure for Side Collision Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle designs fail to effectively distribute side collision loads to cross members, leading to insufficient protection of the floor section during side collisions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lower structure featuring paired side sills and a frame member with specific configurations of first, second, and third portions that extend in the vehicle width and front-rear directions, allowing for efficient load distribution and transmission to adjacent portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If cross members are arranged at regular intervals and connected directly to side sills, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the side collision load cannot be sufficiently transmitted to cross members and distributed to the opposite side
Solution Approach 1:
The frame member is segmented into multiple portions (first portions extending in vehicle width direction, second portions extending outward, third portions extending along side sills). This segmentation allows the load to be transmitted through multiple paths and distributed more effectively across the structure, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and load transmission reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame member extends in multiple directions (vehicle width direction, outward direction, front-rear direction along side sills), creating a three-dimensional load transmission network. This multi-dimensional configuration enables efficient load distribution to the opposite side while maintaining manufacturability through systematic structural design.
2Device complexity
If cross members are connected directly to side sills, then the device complexity is low, but the floor section cannot be protected sufficiently during side collision
Solution Approach 1:
The frame member is divided into multiple functional portions that work together to protect the floor section. The first portions provide lateral support, the second portions extend outward to distribute load, and the third portions connect along the side sills to transmit forces. This segmented approach enhances protection without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame member acts as an intermediary structure between the side sills and the floor section, transmitting and distributing collision loads. The multiple portions of the frame member serve as intermediary elements that convert direct side impacts into distributed forces, protecting the floor section effectively.
3Reliability
If the total length of second portions is longer than first portions, then side collision load is efficiently transmitted via second portions, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The frame member is segmented into portions with different length characteristics. The second portions are designed with greater total length than the first portions to maximize load transmission efficiency. This segmentation allows optimization of load paths while maintaining manageable structural complexity through systematic design.
Solution Approach 2:
The lengths of different portions are carefully parameterized, with the second portions having greater total length than the first portions. This parameter optimization ensures efficient load transmission while the systematic parameter selection keeps the overall structural complexity within acceptable limits.
Data Source
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
In a frame member, plural first portions (110; 210), plural second portions (111; 211), and paired third portions (112; 212) are formed integrally. The plural first portions (110; 210) are spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction and each formed to extend in a vehicle width direction. The paired third portions (112; 212) are disposed along the paired side sills, respectively. Each of the plural second portions (111; 211) is connected to the first portion (110; 210) on an inner side in the vehicle width direction, extends obliquely to intersect both of the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction, and is connected to the side sill (10) via the third portion (112; 212) on an outer side in the vehicle width direction. The plural second portions (111; 211) are provided such that a total length of end portions on each of the outer sides in the vehicle width direction is longer than a total length in the front-rear direction of the plural first portions (110, 210).