Side Sill Reinforcement Layout for Battery-Protective Side Collisions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body structures fail to adequately absorb collision loads during a side collision, potentially transmitting them to the battery, which can be detrimental in hybrid or electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lower body structure with a pair of side sills featuring a closed cross-sectional design, including an outer reinforcement and inner reinforcement, where the inner reinforcement has a load transmission promoting portion that directs collision loads to a cross member above the battery, preventing direct transmission to the battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If only a first profile member with breakability is used for side collision absorption, then the structure is simple, but the collision load cannot be sufficiently absorbed and may be transmitted to the battery
Solution Approach 1:
The side sill is divided into multiple functional components: a first profile member for initial collision absorption through crushing, a second profile member with higher strength for load transmission, and a load transmission promoting portion to guide forces away from the battery. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The second profile member acts as an intermediary between the first profile member and the battery, receiving collision loads that the first profile member cannot absorb and redirecting them through the load transmission promoting portion to prevent direct transmission to the battery.
2Reliability
If a second profile member with higher strength is added to prevent load transmission to the battery, then the collision load absorption capability is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The load transmission promoting portion is integrated as a continuous structural feature that merges the first and second profile members, providing both load absorption and load redirection functions within a unified structure rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The second profile member serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, absorbs collision loads that exceed the first profile member's capacity, and redirects remaining loads away from the battery through its load transmission promoting portion.
Data Source
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AI summary
An outer reinforcement 30 fixed to an outer wall portion 13 of a side sill 2 and an inner reinforcement 40 having a vertical surface portion 43 fixed to an inner upper wall portion 21 and an inner wall portion 23 of the side sill 2 are provided. A cross member 60 extending in a vehicle width direction is fixed to the inner upper wall portion 21 of the side sill 2, the outer reinforcement 30 has an overlapping portion (a connection surface portion 33), a position of which overlaps a position of the inner reinforcement 40 in an up-down direction, and the vertical surface portion 43 has a load transmission promoting portion, a position of which overlaps a position of the cross member 60 in a vehicle front-rear direction, and which transmits a collision load during a side collision to the cross member 60.