Tubular Chassis Anchor Assemblies for Stress-Free Component Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current chassis tab systems for securing vehicle components to tubular structural members are labor-intensive, prone to movement or creep during installation, and create localized stress areas, which can lead to breakage and safety hazards when components are relocated.
Innovation Solution
The development of anchor assemblies with load-bearing exterior and interior skirts and bosses that securely attach to tubular members, distributing force evenly and allowing for easy installation and relocation without leaving vestigial protrusions, featuring cut-outs that conform to the tubular member's shape and a fastener system for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If chassis tabs are used to secure components to tubular members, then components can be attached to the chassis, but the installation process becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring system is divided into separate modular components: an anchor assembly with skirts that attaches to the tubular member, and a separate component that can be mounted to the anchor. This segmentation allows for pre-installation of the anchor and independent mounting of components, significantly reducing installation time and labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor assembly with its skirts is installed on the tubular member in advance, creating a permanent mounting structure. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated tab installation and removal operations, reducing both installation time and the risk of installation errors.
2Reliability
If chassis tabs are used to secure components, then components can be attached, but the tabs are prone to movement or creep during installation reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor assembly incorporates curved skirts that conform to the cylindrical geometry of tubular members. This curvature ensures uniform contact and load distribution around the tubular member, preventing movement and creep that occur with flat chassis tabs, while maintaining installation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from discrete tab attachments to a continuous skirt structure that wraps around the tubular member. This parameter change from point-contact tabs to surface-contact skirts fundamentally improves reliability by distributing loads and eliminating creep, while the modular design keeps installation straightforward.
3Strength
If chassis tabs are used for anchoring, then components can be secured, but localized stress areas are created leading to breakage and safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The skirt structure provides locally optimized stress distribution by conforming to the tubular member's geometry and wrapping around it. This creates a gradient of stress distribution from the high-stress anchor point to the lower-stress surrounding areas, eliminating the localized stress concentrations that cause tab breakage while maintaining strong anchoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor assembly appears to use a composite construction combining rigid anchoring elements with flexible or compliant skirt materials. This composite approach allows the rigid portion to provide anchoring strength while the skirt portion distributes stresses and prevents concentration at single points, eliminating breakage hazards.
4Adaptability or versatility
If chassis tabs are left on the tubular member after component relocation, then they remain as vestigial protrusions, but they become unsightly and potentially hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The component mounting function is extracted from the tubular member itself and transferred to the anchor assembly. After component relocation, the original anchor remains flush with the tubular member surface without protruding tabs, eliminating safety hazards while maintaining the ability to remount components to the same or different locations on the anchor.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attaching components directly to the tubular member with protruding tabs, the system inverts the approach by first attaching an anchor assembly to the tubular member, then mounting components to the anchor. This inversion allows clean removal and relocation without leaving hazardous protrusions on the tubular member itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A load anchor assembly for attachment to a tubular member having an exterior surface, comprising an anchor base and a portion extending from the anchor base adapted to secure a vehicle component. The assembly includes a boss having a first flanged end and a second end, where the boss is adapted to be positioned in first and second apertures in the exterior surface of the tubular member with the flanged end in contact with the first aperture and the second end accessible through the second aperture. There is at least one fastener connected to the anchor base and the second end to secure the anchor base to the flanged boss.