Vehicle Body Frame Layout for Front Impact Load Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle-body structures fail to effectively absorb impact loads from the front side due to unbonded tunnel frames, leading to potential bending and deformation, which reduces the impact absorption efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-body structure where impact loads are distributed through connection members to the center frame and floor panel, restricting bending deformation by linking the front and rear portions of the frames to the floor panel, thereby enhancing impact absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the tunnel frame front sides are not connected to the floor panel, then the structure is simpler and easier to manufacture, but the impact load absorption effect decreases due to potential bending and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The connection members are pre-installed to connect specific portions of the front frame and center frame to the floor panel before impact occurs. This preliminary connection ensures that when impact load is applied, the frames are already restrained and cannot bend or deform excessively, thus maintaining impact absorption effectiveness without requiring complex full-frame connections
2Reliability
If connection members are added to connect frames to the floor panel, then the impact load absorption increases by suppressing bending deformation, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of connecting the entire frame structure to the floor panel, the invention applies connection members only at specific critical portions: the rear portion of the left-side front frame, the rear portion of the right-side front frame, and/or the front portion of the center frame. This localized connection approach provides sufficient restraint to prevent bending deformation at critical stress points while avoiding the complexity of full-frame connections, thus achieving good impact absorption with minimal structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure is divided into multiple segments (left-side front frame, right-side front frame, center frame) with specific portions selected for connection. This segmentation allows the connection members to be strategically placed only where needed to suppress deformation, rather than requiring continuous connection along the entire frame length, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-body structure of an automobile. To increase an effect of absorbing an impact load from a vehicle front side, a vehicle-body structure includes a left-side suspension support member (51A) supporting a front suspension, a center frame (80) disposed higher than and away from a floor panel (41) at a vehicle-width-direction central portion of an occupant space and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, a left-side front frame (54A) connected to a front portion of the center frame (80) and extending to the left-side suspension support member (51A), a right-side front frame connected to the front portion of the center frame (80) and extending to a right-side suspension support member, and a connection member (101) that connects the floor panel (41) and at least one of a rear portion of the left-side front frame (54A), a rear portion of the right-side front frame, and the front portion of the center frame (80).