Vehicle Front Side Member Crossmember Overlap for Collision Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body structures fail to effectively absorb collision energy during offset or small overlap collisions, as the front side members are not adequately supported to prevent bending and energy absorption.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle body structure incorporates a crossmember with a beam portion and protrusions that overlap each other, along with crash boxes and a bumper reinforcement, to distribute and absorb collision loads, preventing the front side members from bending inward and allowing axial collapse for energy absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the front side member is allowed to bend inward to absorb collision energy, then energy absorption is improved, but the anti-collision performance deteriorates because the member cannot sufficiently absorb energy without proper support
Solution Approach 1:
The crossmember acts as an intermediary support structure between the front side member and the vehicle body. It includes a beam portion and flanges that provide lateral support to the front side member, preventing unwanted bending while allowing controlled axial collapse for energy absorption. The crossmember mediates between the need for structural stability and energy absorption capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a lateral support dimension by adding the crossmember perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The beam portion extends in the right-left direction and provides support through flanges that contact the front side member. This adds a new dimensional aspect of support that prevents bending while maintaining energy absorption capacity.
2Loss of energy
If the crossmember is positioned to effectively support the front side member, then energy absorption is improved, but the structural complexity increases due to the overlapping beam portion and protrusions
Solution Approach 1:
The crossmember integrates multiple functional elements into a single structure: the beam portion provides lateral support, the flanges provide contact surfaces for the front side member, and the protrusions engage with the beam portion to enhance support effectiveness. By merging these elements, the invention achieves effective energy absorption without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions are nested within or engage with the beam portion in an overlapping arrangement when viewed from the right-left direction. This nested configuration allows the smaller protrusion elements to be integrated within the larger beam structure, providing enhanced support functionality while minimizing additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A body of a vehicle may include: a pair of front side members extending along a front-rear direction of the vehicle; a crossmember connecting the front side members to each other; a pair of gussets, each of the gussets being joined to an outer lateral surface of corresponding one of the front side members; a pair of crash boxes, each of the crash boxes being provided frontward of corresponding one of protrusions; and a bumper reinforcement connected to the gussets via the crash boxes, wherein a beam portion and each of protrusions overlap each other when viewed along the right-left direction.