Vehicle Cradle Third Load Path for Frontal Impact Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body structures designed for combustion engines are inadequate to handle the increased weight and resulting forces during frontal impacts in hybrid or electric vehicles due to the presence of propulsion batteries, leading to potential deformation and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle structure that stabilizes the front structure by connecting rear extensions of the cradle to the front stretcher via tie rods, providing a new path for force transmission and distributing forces through multiple paths to reduce deformation and stress on attachments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the vehicle mass is increased by installing propulsion batteries for hybrid or electric powertrains, then the powertrain performance is improved, but the forces during frontal impact increase leading to cradle deformation and safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The front structure is segmented into multiple load-bearing paths: the traditional path through the cradle body and front extensions, and a new path through rear cradle extensions connected to the front stretcher via tie rods. This segmentation distributes impact forces across multiple independent paths, preventing overload of any single component and resolving the contradiction between increased vehicle mass and front structure strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If reinforcement pieces or tie rods are added to the front structure to increase rigidity, then the structural rigidity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rear cradle extensions serve multiple functions: they maintain their original role in supporting the powertrain while simultaneously acting as attachment points for tie rods that provide additional impact force transmission. This multi-functionality increases structural rigidity without adding separate dedicated reinforcement components, thereby avoiding increased device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the cradle is fixed only to the stretcher via traditional attachment points, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability of the front structure during impact is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Tie rods serve as intermediary elements connecting the rear cradle extensions to the front stretcher. These intermediaries create additional load transmission paths that enhance impact force distribution and structural reliability, while using standard bolted connections that maintain ease of manufacture and assembly simplicity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a pair of front side rails (7) and a cradle (1), the cradle (1) comprising a body (3) and rear extensions (5). At least one rear extension (5) of the cradle is secured to a front side rail, directly or via at least one tie rod. This configuration makes it possible to stabilize the cradle in the event of a frontal impact and is of particular interest in the context of hybrid- or electric-drive vehicles.