Vehicle Frame Upper Plate Spacing for Welding Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body frame structures face challenges in increasing working efficiency due to long weld lengths, difficulty in welding in small regions, and reduced yield of plate-like members, particularly near the head pipe where the distance between main frames is small, making it hard to confirm weld quality and resulting in wasted material.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body frame structure for a saddle-type vehicle with a head pipe, where the left and right main frames have progressively greater distance in the rearward direction, connected by an upper plate-like member spaced rearwardly from the head pipe, allowing for reduced weld length and improved weld quality confirmation, with additional reinforcement from a side plate-like member and stiffener frame forming a box-shaped structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a plate-like member is welded to both the head pipe and the left and right main frames to reinforce the structure, then the structural strength is improved, but the weld length is increased and welding operation in small regions becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing structure is divided into two separate plate-like members: a first plate-like member welded to the head pipe and a second plate-like member welded to the main frames. This segmentation allows each member to be welded in separate, more accessible locations, avoiding the difficulty of welding a single long member across the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediate spacing between the head pipe and the main frames where the plate-like members are positioned. This intermediate position provides adequate workspace for welding operations while still achieving the structural reinforcement goal by connecting the head pipe to the main frames through the plates.
2Volume of moving object
If the left and right main frames are positioned close to the head pipe to reduce overall frame size, then the vehicle compactness is improved, but the distance between main frames becomes small making welding confirmation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The plate-like members extend in a direction perpendicular to the main frames, creating an L-shaped configuration. This dimensional change allows the weld confirmation area to extend beyond the narrow space between the main frames, providing adequate workspace for visual inspection and quality confirmation while maintaining compact main frame positioning.
3Manufacturing precision
If plate-like members are cut to fit the small region near the head pipe, then the structural fit is improved, but the yield of plate-like members is lowered due to excessive material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The plate-like members are designed to extend slightly beyond the minimum required length to reach the main frames, creating an L-shaped configuration. This partial extension allows the plates to be cut from standard sizes with less waste, as the extended portion provides the necessary reach without requiring excessively long custom-cut pieces.
4Productivity
If the upper plate-like member is positioned close to the head pipe to reduce weld length, then the weld length is reduced, but the working efficiency for confirming weld quality is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The plate-like members are oriented to extend perpendicular to the main frames, creating an L-shaped configuration that positions the weld confirmation area in a more accessible dimension. This orientation allows welders to easily access and inspect the welds between the plates and main frames without requiring close proximity to the head pipe, thereby maintaining both welding efficiency and quality confirmation efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes left and right main frames that may have their front ends connected to a head pipe, and may be disposed such that the distance between the left and right main frames is progressively greater in a rearward direction. The left and right main frames may be connected to each other by an upper plate-like member, and the upper plate-like member may have a front edge spaced rearwardly from the head pipe and have left and right ends welded respectively to the left and right main frames.