Variable Thickness Tube Extrusion for Vehicle Body Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing vehicle body structure components through extrusion result in components with constant thickness, leading to unnecessary weight and cost due to thicker cross sections to withstand vehicle impacts, where stress regions are typically located at bends.
Innovation Solution
The method involves extruding tubes with variable cross-sectional thickness, where reinforced regions are thicker than others, and positioning these regions in high-stress areas during component formation, allowing thinner regions to maintain structural integrity while reducing weight and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If constant thickness is used throughout the tube, then manufacturing is simpler, but weight and material cost increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is designed with variable wall thickness where different sections have different thicknesses. Thicker walls are positioned at high-stress areas (such as curved sections and impact zones) while thinner walls are used in low-stress areas. This local differentiation maintains structural integrity where needed while reducing overall weight and material consumption.
2Strength
If thicker cross sections are used to withstand vehicle impacts, then strength and reliability improve, but weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tube incorporates localized thickening at specific high-stress regions such as curved sections and potential impact zones. The wall thickness varies along the tube length, with thicker sections positioned where mechanical loads and impact forces are highest, and thinner sections where stresses are lower. This strategic thickness distribution provides impact resistance where needed while minimizing overall weight.
3Weight of moving object
If variable thickness is implemented, then weight and material cost are reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tube manufacturing process is divided into discrete segments or zones along the tube length, each with a specified wall thickness. The extrusion process is controlled to produce different thicknesses in different segments, with transition zones between thick and thin sections. This segmentation approach allows complex variable-thickness geometry to be manufactured through systematic control of the extrusion process.
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
This approach reduces the overall weight and cost of vehicle body structure components by strategically placing thicker reinforced regions in high-stress areas, maintaining structural integrity and optimizing material usage.
Implementation Method 1
Extrusion is a process in which a material is pushed through a die to yield a extruded product having a desired cross section
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes a method of manufacturing a vehicle body structure component. The method includes extruding a tube to include at least one reinforced region extending along a length of the tube. The tube has a first thickness in the at least one reinforced region and a second thickness in other regions of the tube. The first thickness is greater than the second thickness. The method further includes cutting a blank from the tube such that the blank includes at least a portion of the at least one reinforced region and forming the blank into a desired shape of the component.