Side-rail Partition Reinforcement for Lateral Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing side-rail partitions in motor vehicles are prone to stress concentrations and deformation at rectangular fastening orifices, leading to potential cracks and destabilization during lateral impacts, which can injure occupants and fail to meet stricter crash test regulations without increasing vehicle mass or assembly complexity.
Innovation Solution
A U-shaped side-rail partition with reinforcement walls extending between the edges of its wings is mounted within the inner side rail, providing additional stiffness and reinforcing the weak points around fastening orifices, thereby enhancing the structural integrity and shock resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the inner side rail is increased to reinforce the structure around rectangular orifices, then the strength and stability are improved, but the mass and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local reinforcement by adding a partition structure specifically at the location of rectangular orifices on the inner side rail. This partition creates localized thickening and structural support exactly where stress concentrations occur, without requiring the entire side rail to be thicker. The partition is positioned to reinforce the weak points around the orifices while maintaining the overall lightweight design of the side rail.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner side rail is segmented into functional zones: the main side rail structure and the added partition reinforcement. The partition itself is divided into wings that extend into the side rail and a web that provides lateral support. This segmentation allows the reinforcement to be applied only where needed rather than reinforcing the entire component uniformly.
2Strength
If an added component or patch is used to reinforce the inner side rail around the hole, then the localized strength is improved, but the assembly complexity and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The partition structure combines multiple reinforcement functions into a single integrated component. The wings extend into the side rail to provide longitudinal support, while the web provides lateral reinforcement. This merged design eliminates the need for separate patches or components, reducing assembly steps while maintaining localized strength around the orifices.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it reinforces the side rail at the orifice location, provides structural support during lateral impacts, and maintains the integrity of the load path. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, simplifying the overall assembly.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional U-shaped partitions are used without reinforcement walls, then the manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the stress concentration at rectangular orifices cannot be effectively reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The partition is enhanced by adding a web dimension that extends laterally from the central part. This additional dimension provides lateral reinforcement that directly addresses the stress concentration problem at rectangular orifices. The web creates a three-dimensional reinforcement structure that distributes stresses more effectively than a simple U-shaped partition.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition structure creates a composite reinforcement system where the wings and web work together to provide multi-directional support. The combination of longitudinal wings and lateral web creates a composite structural effect that effectively reduces stress concentrations while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a single formed component.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a side-rail partition (2) intended to be mounted in an inner side rail (1) of a motor vehicle body, said side-rail partition (2) being composed principally of a U-shaped component whose wings extend perpendicularly with respect to the web or central wall of said side-rail partition (2), characterized in that it additionally has at least one reinforcement wall extending from the central wall between the edges of the wings of the side-rail partition (2). Application to the reinforcement of a vehicle body against lateral impact.