Swiveling Front Suspension Subframe for Small Overlap Collision Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle designs face challenges in minimizing wheel intrusion into the occupant compartment during small overlap collisions, as the safety cage is designed to withstand head-on collisions and moderate overlap frontal crashes, but struggles with crashes affecting the outer edge of the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A small overlap impact management system for electric vehicles, featuring a battery pack enclosure, a front cross-member, a bumper with a strength of at least 1000 MPa, a subframe with activation lever arms, a hinge-mount, and break-away fasteners, which allows the subframe to swivel and rotate the front wheels away from the vehicle upon impact, thereby reducing wheel intrusion into the passenger compartment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the safety cage is designed to withstand head-on collisions and moderate overlap frontal crashes, then the vehicle can handle these collision types effectively, but the vehicle fails to minimize wheel intrusion during small overlap collisions affecting the outer edge
Solution Approach 1:
The subframe is designed with a hinge-mount connection that allows it to dynamically rotate or swivel during small overlap collisions. This dynamic movement enables the subframe to redirect impact forces away from the occupant compartment, specifically preventing the front wheel well from intruding into the passenger space while maintaining structural integrity during the collision event.
Solution Approach 2:
The front suspension system is segmented into a movable subframe assembly that can independently rotate relative to the vehicle chassis. This segmentation allows the subframe to move independently to manage impact loads, separating the wheel well intrusion prevention function from the main safety cage structure while maintaining overall vehicle crashworthiness.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the subframe is rigidly attached to the chassis, then structural stability is maintained during normal operation, but the subframe cannot rotate to redirect impact forces during small overlap collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The subframe connection transitions from a static rigid attachment to a dynamic hinged connection that allows rotation during collision events. The hinge-mount provides a pivot point that enables the subframe to swivel and redirect impact forces, while the connection remains sufficiently stable during normal vehicle operation to maintain suspension geometry and handling characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge-mount acts as an intermediary connection between the subframe and the vehicle chassis. This intermediate component allows controlled rotation and movement of the subframe during small overlap collisions while maintaining the structural connection needed for normal operation, serving as a mediator between the conflicting requirements of stability and adaptability.
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
The system effectively manages impact loads by rotating the front wheels out of the collision path, minimizing wheel intrusion and enhancing passenger safety during small overlap collisions by redirecting impact forces and distributing impact loads throughout the vehicle chassis.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of break-away fasteners, where the subframe is attached to a pair of vehicle front rails via the plurality of break-away fasteners, where the plurality of break-away fasteners prevent the subframe from swiveling within the plane during normal vehicle operation
Implementation Method 2
a hinge-mount, where the subframe is coupled to the front cross-member via the hinge-mount, and where the hinge-mount allows the subframe to swivel within a plane parallel to a plane containing the vehicle chassis
Implementation Method 3
a first subframe activation lever arm extends from the subframe and is positioned in front of at least a portion of a left front wheel and a left front tire corresponding to the left front wheel assembly, and where the second subframe activation lever arm extends from the subframe and is positioned in front of at least a portion of a right front wheel and a right front tire corresponding to the right front wheel assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A system is provided that minimizes wheel intrusion into the occupant compartment during a small overlap collision. The system uses a front suspension subframe that is rigidly mounted to the front rails during normal vehicle operation, but which is designed to rotate during a small overlap collision, thereby allowing the attached front wheel assembly to swivel out and away from the vehicle. As a result, the wheel assembly directly involved in the collision is not driven into the passenger cabin.