Removable Side Sill Reinforcement for Vehicle Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle side sills lack sufficient rigidity, particularly in vehicles like convertibles, which are more prone to deformation during side impacts due to lower overall stiffness compared to sedans, necessitating additional reinforcement to ensure passenger safety without increasing frame variations or material complexity.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle side sill system comprising an outer and inner shell with a hat-shaped profile and a removably attached reinforcement extending along the vehicle's longitudinal direction, providing additional stiffness and crash absorption capabilities, while also serving as a stepping board without increasing the vehicle's dimensions or requiring separate components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a reinforcement is added to increase side sill rigidity, then the stiffness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The side sill is divided into an outer shell and an inner shell, with a reinforcement member positioned between them. This segmentation allows the reinforcement to be added without redesigning the entire side sill structure, thereby improving rigidity while limiting the increase in overall complexity to only the reinforcement integration aspects.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement member is nested between the outer shell and the inner shell of the side sill. This nesting approach allows the reinforcement to be integrated within the existing structural envelope, improving stiffness without significantly increasing the external dimensions or overall structural complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the side sill is designed with fixed reinforcement, then the rigidity is improved, but the adaptability to different vehicle models decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement member is designed with removable and replaceable mounting, allowing it to be dynamically adjusted or removed based on the specific vehicle model requirements. This dynamic approach enables the same side sill base design to adapt to different vehicle models (e.g., convertibles vs. sedans) by selectively installing or removing the reinforcement, thereby maintaining rigidity where needed while preserving model adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a removable reinforcement is added, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The side sill assembly is segmented into a base structure (outer and inner shells) and a separate removable reinforcement member. This segmentation allows the reinforcement to be manufactured independently and then assembled into the side sill only when needed, simplifying the manufacturing process for different vehicle models while maintaining the ability to adapt to specific rigidity requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
According to the invention, a side sill of a vehicle body of a motor vehicle comprises an outer shell and an inner shell connected to each other via flanges. A reinforcement is removably attached to the outside of the outer shell, which reinforcement extends essentially over the entire length of the side sill in the vehicle longitudinal direction. By means of this reinforcement, a load introduced onto a point of the side sill is absorbed and distributed. This is especially relevant to achieving better crash characteristics in a side pole crash.