Vehicle Frame Load Path Layout for Frontal Collision Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle frames face challenges in uniformly distributing load during frontal collisions, leading to potential damage to the passenger compartment and vehicle battery, especially due to high material costs and vulnerability of joint portions made from pressed steel and aluminum materials.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle load distribution system utilizing mass-produced steel pipes with a structured framework that includes a dash crossmember, front and rear lower members, and central longitudinal members, connected through mechanical joints to stabilize and distribute load across the frame, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and enhancing crashworthiness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If pressed steel materials and aluminum materials are used for the frame, then the strength and crashworthiness are improved, but the material cost and investment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from expensive pressed steel and aluminum to cost-effective steel pipes, while compensating for potential strength deficiencies through structural parameter optimization (member arrangement, joint design, cross-sectional geometry) to maintain adequate crashworthiness at lower cost
2Stability of the object's composition
If joint portions are made by welding, then the structural integrity is improved, but the joint portions are easily damaged by impact load during frontal collision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the frame into modular steel pipe members connected by joints designed to manage impact loads, allowing controlled deformation and energy absorption while maintaining overall structural integrity during frontal collisions
Solution Approach 2:
The joint design incorporates predetermined deformation characteristics that allow controlled energy absorption during impact, cushioning the effect of collision forces before they reach critical components
3Ease of manufacture
If existing frame structures are used, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the load cannot be uniformly distributed during frontal collision
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into multiple steel pipe members (front side members, rear lower members, crossmembers) that independently bear and distribute loads, creating multiple load paths that evenly distribute impact forces throughout the structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a three-dimensional spatial arrangement of members with specific angular relationships, creating a geometric structure that naturally distributes loads across multiple dimensions and prevents concentration at single points
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment vehicle load distribution system includes a dash crossmember, a pair of front side members extending from the dash crossmember toward a front of a vehicle, and a pair of rear lower members extending from the dash crossmember toward a rear of the vehicle, wherein a front end of each rear lower member is aligned with a rear end of a corresponding front side member.