Vehicle Frame Rail with Thinner Middle Portion for Impact Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle frame designs in body-on-frame construction fail to effectively absorb and distribute the energy of frontal impacts, leading to potential increased risk of injury to occupants due to energy transfer and component intrusion into the passenger cabin.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle frame design featuring a rail with a front, middle, and rear portion, where the middle portion has a thinner gauge and lower yield strength than the front and rear portions, allowing it to yield and absorb impact energy before the stronger sections, thereby reducing energy transfer to the passenger cabin and minimizing component intrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the vehicle frame uses uniform gauge thickness throughout, then the structural strength is maintained, but the energy absorption capability during frontal impact is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the gauge thickness of different portions of the rail. The middle portion has a thinner gauge (e.g., 0.065 inches) compared to the front and rear portions (e.g., 0.083 inches), creating localized differences in mechanical properties. This allows the middle portion to yield and absorb impact energy while the stronger front and rear portions maintain structural integrity and support the vehicle body.
2Loss of energy
If the middle portion of the rail has thinner gauge and lower yield strength, then the impact energy absorption is improved, but the overall structural strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the rail into distinct portions with different gauge thicknesses: a front portion, a middle portion, and a rear portion. Each segment serves a specific function - the front and rear portions provide structural support with higher strength, while the middle portion provides energy absorption with lower strength. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve both strength and energy absorption capabilities simultaneously.
3Reliability
If the vehicle frame is designed to absorb impact energy, then the safety of occupants is improved, but the complexity of the frame structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of gauge thickness along the length of the rail to achieve energy absorption functionality. By gradually or stepwise varying this parameter from the front to middle to rear portions, the design achieves complex safety functionality through a relatively simple geometric modification rather than adding complex mechanisms or components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively absorbs impact energy through the yielding of the middle portion, reducing the magnitude of the impact pulse and minimizing the risk of injury to occupants by distributing the force across the frame, thus enhancing safety in frontal collisions.
Implementation Method 1
The middle portion 42 with the thinner gauge may yield before the front portion 36 and/or the rear portion 44. The yielding of the middle portion 42 may reduce the magnitude of the pulse associated with the impact.
Implementation Method 2
The vehicle frame 32 provides beneficial energy absorption in the event of a frontal impact. The yielding of the middle portion 42 may reduce the amount of energy transferred to a passenger cabin 46 of the vehicle 30 and any occupants within the passenger cabin 46.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle frame for a vehicle includes a rail and an engine cradle. The rail has a front portion, a rear portion spaced from the front portion, and a middle portion between the front portion and the rear portion. The engine cradle is transversely attached to the front portion. The front portion and the rear portion are each welded to the middle portion. The middle portion has a gauge thinner than a gauge of the front portion.