Upper Fender Rail with Varying Wall Thickness for Small Overlap Crash Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle front body structures are inadequate in protecting occupants during small overlap crashes, where the impact bypasses central crash-absorbing structures, leading to potential damage to the passenger compartment.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle front body structure featuring an upper longitudinal beam and upper fender rail with varying wall thickness and yield strength along its length, where the resistance to plastic deformation increases from the front to the rear, enhancing crashworthiness by distributing impact energy effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional front body structures with centralized crash-absorbing beams are used, then full frontal crash protection is achieved, but small overlap crash protection is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The front body structure is divided into multiple independent crash-absorbing elements: central longitudinal beams for full frontal crashes and lateral fender rails for small overlap crashes. Each segment is optimized for specific crash scenarios, allowing the structure to handle different impact types effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The fender rails incorporate varying wall thicknesses along their length, with thicker sections positioned to absorb impact in small overlap crashes. This local variation in structural properties enables targeted energy absorption at specific locations without compromising overall vehicle weight.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform wall thickness is used throughout the fender rail, then manufacturing is simplified, but crash energy distribution is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The fender rail features non-uniform wall thickness with thicker sections strategically positioned to maximize crash energy absorption. This localized structural variation optimizes strength where needed while maintaining manufacturability through standard forming processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall thickness parameter of the fender rail is varied along its length to optimize crash performance. By changing this geometric parameter, the structure achieves superior energy absorption capabilities without requiring complex assembly of multiple components.
3Strength
If higher yield strength material is used throughout the fender rail, then crash resistance is improved, but vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using high-strength material throughout the entire fender rail, the invention uses varying wall thicknesses with standard materials. This concentrates structural reinforcement only where crash forces are expected, achieving high crash resistance without the penalty of increased vehicle weight from ubiquitous high-strength materials.
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 structure effectively absorbs and distributes crash energy, preventing intrusion into the passenger compartment during both full frontal and small overlap crashes, thereby enhancing occupant safety.
Implementation Method 1
the resistance to plastic deformation of the upper fender rail increases from the front end of the upper fender rail to the rear end of the upper fender rail
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle front body structure containing an upper longitudinal beam and a upper fender rail for supporting a fender of the vehicle, said upper fender rail extending in a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the upper longitudinal beam and having a front end and a rear end spaced apart along the longitudinal direction.The resistance to plastic deformation of the upper fender rail increases from the front end of the upper fender rail to the rear end of the upper fender rail. The yield strength of the material of the rear section is greater than the yield strength of the material of the front section and/or the rear section has a greater wall thickness than the wall thickness of the front section.