Vehicle Body Cross Unit for Side Impact Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle bodies experience excessive deformation during side impact collisions due to inadequate distribution of impact loads, which compromises occupant safety and crashworthiness.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body design featuring a cross unit with lower and upper crossmembers, reinforcement members, and longitudinal members that distribute impact loads uniformly across the vehicle body, including a fuel tank mounting bracket and floor member, to absorb and redirect forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the vehicle body uses a conventional floor structure without additional reinforcement members, then the device complexity is low, but the floor deformation during side impact is excessive and side impact performance is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The cross unit is divided into multiple functional members: lower crossmember, upper crossmember, first reinforcement member, and second reinforcement members. This segmentation allows each component to specifically address different aspects of load distribution and structural reinforcement, improving side impact performance while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension by positioning the upper crossmember above the lower crossmember and the first reinforcement member between them. This three-dimensional arrangement creates multiple load paths and enhances structural rigidity without significantly increasing horizontal space requirements, effectively reducing floor deformation during side impacts
2Stability of the object's composition
If the vehicle body uses a simple cross unit structure, then the manufacturing cost and device complexity are low, but the impact load is not uniformly distributed during side collision
Solution Approach 1:
The first reinforcement member is strategically positioned between the lower and upper crossmembers at locations where load distribution is most critical. The second reinforcement members connect the cross unit to the side sills at specific points. This localized reinforcement approach ensures uniform impact load distribution while avoiding unnecessary complexity in areas where reinforcement is not needed
3Reliability
If the vehicle body uses enhanced reinforcement structures with multiple crossmembers and reinforcement members, then the floor deformation is significantly reduced and crashworthiness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lower crossmember, upper crossmember, first reinforcement member, and second reinforcement members are merged into a single integrated cross unit assembly. This merging approach improves crashworthiness by creating a unified load-bearing structure while simplifying installation and assembly processes, thereby mitigating the increase in device complexity through modular design
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle body may include a floor; a pair of side sills connected to first and second side edges of the floor, respectively; and a cross unit mounted on the floor and extending in a width direction of a vehicle, wherein the cross unit includes a lower crossmember connecting the pair of side sills, an upper crossmember disposed above the lower crossmember, a first reinforcement member disposed between the lower crossmember and the upper crossmember, and a pair of second reinforcement members connected to first and second end portions of the first reinforcement member, respectively.