Suspension Member Cross-Sectional Rigidity and Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional suspension members experience out-of-plane deformation due to engine vibrations, leading to concerns about vehicle body stability and weight, as they lack sufficient rigidity at critical corner portions.
Innovation Solution
The suspension member incorporates first and second inclined walls in its cross-sectional design, along with thicker plate thicknesses at specific portions for the engine mount bracket and work holes, enhancing the rigidity of corner portions and allowing for thinner plate thicknesses elsewhere to reduce weight while maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the plate thickness of the front cross member is increased to suppress out-of-plane deformation, then the rigidity is improved, but the vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different plate thicknesses to different regions of the front cross member. Specifically, the upper front corner portion and lower rear corner portion have a first plate thickness, while other portions have a second plate thickness. This local differentiation allows the corner portions (which are far from the neutral axis and experience greater deformation) to have enhanced rigidity without increasing the thickness of the entire cross member, thus suppressing out-of-plane deformation while controlling overall weight.
2Strength
If the plate thickness at corner portions is increased to improve rigidity, then the resistance to out-of-plane deformation is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameter (plate thickness) at specific locations of the front cross member. By defining the first plate thickness for corner portions and the second plate thickness for other portions, the design optimizes the structural parameters to achieve the desired rigidity. This parameter change approach allows for controlled manufacturing through standard extrusion or forming processes while achieving the required mechanical performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A suspension member, including a front cross member that has a rectangular closed cross-sectional shape, as seen in a cross-section orthogonal to an extension direction of the front cross member, and that is provided with an engine mount bracket at a top wall of the front cross member, is provided. The front cross member includes: a first inclined wall that, as seen in the cross-section, connects an inner surface of the top wall and an inner surface of a front wall of the front cross member, and forms a closed cross-sectional shape at an upper front corner portion of the front cross member; and a second inclined wall that, as seen in the cross-section, connects an inner surface of a bottom wall and an inner surface of a rear wall of the front cross member, and forms a closed cross-sectional shape at a lower rear corner portion.