Vehicle Rear Floor Reinforcement for Impact Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle body rear structures face issues with premature rupture of the rear panel when subjected to impact loads outside the rear bumper beam, leading to inhibited energy absorption and reduced collision safety.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body rear structure design featuring a rear floor panel, rear panel, and rear bumper beam with floor reinforcement portions positioned inside the rear bumper beam's width, allowing for efficient energy absorption by distributing impact loads and preventing local stress concentrations, which includes a double panel structure and inclined or buttressed reinforcement members to enhance deformation and energy absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If floor reinforcement portions are located outside the rear bumper beam in the vehicle width direction to enhance energy absorption, then the reinforcement effect is improved, but the rear panel may rupture prematurely due to local aligned load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the positioning of floor reinforcement portions based on their location relative to the rear bumper beam. Reinforcement portions within the bumper beam width are positioned to prevent premature rupture, while those outside are strategically placed to maximize energy absorption without causing aligned load concentration on the rear panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The rear bumper beam serves as an intermediary element that mediates between the floor reinforcement portions and the rear panel. By positioning the rear end portions of floor reinforcement portions inside the bumper beam width, the bumper beam acts as a buffer that prevents direct aligned loading between the reinforcement portions and the rear panel, thereby preventing premature rupture while maintaining energy absorption capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the rear bumper beam extends shorter than the rear floor panel and rear panel in the vehicle width direction, then the vehicle design flexibility is improved, but the energy absorption performance may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for the reduced width of the rear bumper beam by utilizing the vertical dimension and strategic positioning. The floor reinforcement portions are arranged with their rear end portions inside the bumper beam width, creating a three-dimensional reinforcement pattern that maintains energy absorption performance despite the bumper beam's shorter width in the horizontal dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the floor reinforcement portions into multiple locations spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. This segmentation allows the reinforcement effect to be distributed across different zones, maintaining overall energy absorption performance even when the central bumper beam width is reduced for design flexibility.
3Strength
If multiple floor reinforcement portions are added to enhance energy absorption, then the reinforcement effect is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floor reinforcement portions serve multiple functions simultaneously: they reinforce the rear floor panel for energy absorption, position themselves inside the bumper beam width to prevent premature rupture, and are spaced apart to distribute reinforcement effects. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle body rear structure has a rear floor panel, a rear panel, a rear bumper beam and a plurality of floor reinforcement portions. The rear bumper beam extends along a vehicle width direction in a central region in the vehicle width direction at a rear portion of the rear panel and has a length in the vehicle width direction shorter than a length of the rear floor panel and a length of the rear panel. Each of the plurality of floor reinforcement portions extends substantially along a vehicle front rear direction and reinforces a plurality of locations of the rear floor panel spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. Rear end portions of the floor reinforcement portions are disposed inner side of the rear bumper beam in the vehicle width direction than outer end portions of the rear bumper beam in the vehicle width direction.