Rear Pillar Reinforcement Ridge Alignment for Load Transmission
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rear vehicle-body structures face challenges in preventing inward falling-down of side panels due to damper loads, especially when the wheelbase is long, requiring increased steel plate thickness or additional reinforcing members to maintain stability and torsional rigidity.
Innovation Solution
The rear vehicle-body structure features a pillar reinforcement with a vertically extending ridge portion and a reinforcing member with a corresponding ridge portion, aligned straightly and sloping forward, to efficiently transmit damper loads to a spaced-apart pillar portion, dispersing the load to a roof rail without increasing steel plate thickness or adding reinforcing members, and includes a crank-shaped flange portion and a slant face portion for enhanced connection rigidity and welding efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the wheelbase is designed to be long from vehicle-design requirement, then the vehicle comfort and stability are improved, but the distance between the damper and the pillar portion becomes so long that it becomes difficult to perform the load-transmission function properly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reinforcing member as an intermediary component between the damper and the pillar portion. This reinforcing member includes a ridge portion that aligns with the pillar reinforcement's ridge portion to create a straight load transmission path, effectively bridging the long distance caused by extended wheelbase while maintaining reliable load transmission.
2Strength
If the thickness of steel plates is increased or other reinforcing members are added to prevent the inward falling-down of the side panel inner, then the structural stability is improved, but the vehicle-body weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating reinforcement at critical locations where the ridge portions of the reinforcing member and pillar reinforcement align. This localized reinforcement at the load transmission path creates efficient stress distribution without requiring uniform thickening of all steel plates, thereby maintaining structural stability while controlling overall vehicle weight.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the reinforcing member and the pillar reinforcement are joined together via the first protrusion portion of the foamed adhesive, then the joining portion deformation is restrained and the torsional rigidity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the joining functions by having the ridge portion of the reinforcing member and the ridge portion of the pillar reinforcement align in a straight line. This alignment allows the load transmission path to be continuous and direct, simplifying the joining structure while effectively restraining deformation and improving torsional rigidity through the integrated ridge portion configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A rear pillar inner provided at a side panel inner and extending upward from a front-side upper portion of a rear wheel house, a rear pillar reinforcement joined to an outside portion of the rear pillar inner, and an outside reinforcing member connecting an outside portion of the side panel inner and the rear wheel house are provided. The rear pillar reinforcement has a rear-side pillar-reinforcement ridge portion extending vertically. The outside reinforcing member has a front-side reinforcing-member ridge portion extending vertically. A lower end portion of the rear pillar reinforcement and an upper end portion of the outside reinforcing member are joined such that the both ridge portions are arranged to align substantially straightly, when viewed from the side, and to slant in such a manner that an upper side thereof is positioned relatively forward compared to a lower side thereof.