Vehicle Subframe Corner Structure for Top-Mounted Engine Mounts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional subframe assemblies for vehicles face manufacturing complexity, tolerance issues, and ergonomic challenges due to the need for longer bolts and threaded sleeves to secure engine or motor mounts, which also compromise structural integrity and crashworthiness.
Innovation Solution
The subframe assembly features extruded aluminum corner members with integrated upwardly protruding shelf structures containing threaded holes, allowing engine or motor mounts to be secured from above, eliminating the need for longer bolts and sleeves, while maintaining structural strength and ductility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If engine mounts are secured using bolts passing through arm members and crossmembers with threaded sleeves protruding from bottom surfaces, then mounting is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases and ergonomic problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional mounting approach by having threaded holes protrude from the top surfaces of corner members and crossmembers instead of bottom surfaces. This allows bolts to be inserted from above, eliminating the need for threaded sleeves and significantly simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process while improving ergonomics
2Ease of manufacture
If longer bolts and threaded sleeves are used to secure engine mounts from below, then mounting is achieved, but material usage increases and structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the threaded sleeves from the design entirely. By providing threaded holes directly in the corner members and crossmembers, the design removes the additional material (sleeves) that compromised structural integrity, while still achieving the mounting function through shorter bolts
3Ease of manufacture
If threaded sleeves are used to secure engine mounts, then mounting is achieved, but material usage increases and crashworthiness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the threaded sleeves from the design, extracting only the essential mounting function. This eliminates unnecessary material usage while maintaining the ability to securely mount engine mounts through directly threaded holes in the corner members and crossmembers
4Strength
If conventional steel box or cast constructions are used for subframe assembly, then structural strength is achieved, but weight increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs extruded aluminum corner members and crossmembers, utilizing aluminum's high strength-to-weight ratio. This composite approach with aluminum extrusions achieves the necessary structural strength and crashworthiness while significantly reducing weight compared to conventional steel box or cast constructions
5Weight of moving object
If extruded aluminum structures are used for subframe assembly, then weight is reduced and cost is reduced, but manufacturing precision challenges arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the corner members and crossmembers into an integrated extruded aluminum structure with built-in threaded holes. This integration eliminates the need for separate machining operations and assembly steps, reducing manufacturing precision challenges while maintaining the weight and cost advantages of aluminum extrusions
Data Source
AI summary
A subframe assembly adapted to receive and secure an engine or motor in a vehicle, the subframe assembly including: a crossmember; an arm member coupled to each end of the crossmember; and a corner member coupled to each arm member adjacent to a corresponding intersection with the crossmember, wherein each corner member includes an upwardly protruding shelf structure defining a plurality of threaded holes adapted to receive a plurality of attachment bolts for securing a corresponding engine mount or motor mount to the subframe assembly. Each corner member includes a horizontal arm disposed along an upper surface of the corresponding arm member and a vertical arm disposed along an outboard surface of the corresponding arm member, wherein the horizontal arm includes the upwardly protruding shelf structure.