Segmented Battery Housing Rails for Side-Impact Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage housings for motor vehicle energy stores face challenges in achieving cost-effective production while maintaining advantageous accident properties, particularly in the event of a side-on impact, due to the difficulty in varying the profile and thickness of chamber profiles without increasing manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
The longitudinal members are divided into two partial longitudinal members with complementary cross sections, allowing for individual design of chamber wall thickness and hollow chamber sizes, resulting in a deformation profile that manages acceleration forces effectively during a side-on impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the chamber profile and wall thickness are varied to achieve optimal energy absorption properties, then the accident properties are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and production costs increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The longitudinal member is divided into a first longitudinal member and a second longitudinal member that are connected to each other. The first longitudinal member has a first chamber profile with first chamber walls, while the second longitudinal member has a second chamber profile with second chamber walls. This segmentation allows each part to have different wall thicknesses and cross-sectional properties optimized for their specific functional requirements, enabling varied energy absorption characteristics without requiring complex single-piece manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The first longitudinal member is designed with chamber walls having specific thicknesses in different regions, and the second longitudinal member has different chamber wall thicknesses and cross-sectional dimensions. This creates local quality variations where outer regions have lower energy absorption capacity and inner regions have higher energy absorption capacity, optimizing the deformation profile during side-on impacts while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized connection interfaces
2Reliability
If the chamber profile and wall thickness are varied to achieve optimal energy absorption properties, then the energy absorption capacity is improved, but the production costs increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the longitudinal member into two separate members with standardized connection interfaces, each member can be manufactured using conventional extrusion or molding processes. This avoids the need for expensive complex single-piece manufacturing while achieving the desired varied energy absorption properties through the combination of simpler components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention varies geometric parameters such as chamber wall thickness, cross-sectional dimensions, and hollow chamber sizes between the first and second longitudinal members. These parameter changes are achieved through standard manufacturing variations rather than complex processes, allowing cost-effective production of members with different energy absorption characteristics
3Reliability
If the longitudinal member has lower wall thickness in outer regions and larger cross section in inner regions, then the deformation profile is optimized for side-on impact, but the manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The longitudinal member is segmented into two parts with a defined connection interface. The first longitudinal member contains the outer region with lower wall thickness, while the second longitudinal member contains the inner region with larger cross section. This segmentation transforms a single complex manufacturing challenge into two simpler manufacturing tasks that can be executed with standard processes
Solution Approach 2:
The connection interface between the first and second longitudinal members acts as an intermediary that joins two differently configured components. This interface enables the combination of members with different geometric properties while maintaining structural integrity, allowing the optimized deformation profile to be achieved through assembly rather than monolithic manufacturing
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
This design allows for targeted influence on occupant deceleration forces and simplifies manufacturing, reducing costs while enhancing accident properties by adapting energy absorption capacity to favorable conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the longitudinal member should preferably have chamber walls with a lower wall thickness and/or hollow chambers of larger partial cross section in an outer region averted from the store than in an inner region close to the store. In the case of a side-on impact against the motor vehicle or the storage housing, this advantageously produces a deformation profile which initially results in a large deformation with relatively low absorption forces and subsequently a smaller deformation with high energy absorption forces.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage housing for an energy store of a motor vehicle includes at least one housing part along which a longitudinal member is arranged on both vehicle outer sides of the storage housing. The longitudinal member is designed as a chamber profile with hollow chambers delimited by chamber walls. In order in this case to provide a storage housing which, on the one hand, has particularly advantageous accident properties, in particular in the event of a side impact on the motor vehicle, and, on the other hand, can nevertheless be produced relatively favorably, the longitudinal members on both vehicle outer sides of the storage housing are formed from in each case at least two partial longitudinal members, the partial cross sections of which complement one another to form an overall cross section.