Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Young Doe

Bhushan W Dandekar

Marcel R Cannon

Yunjun Li

Andrew W White

Len V Peschansky

Michael L Stockard

Krishnarao V Yalamanchili

Mohammed N Shaik

Bradley W Enyeart

Darek G Villeneuve

Rajan V Vyas

A body structure of a vehicle includes a bulkhead, and a frame rail extending forward from the bulkhead along a longitudinal centerline. A powertrain system is disposed laterally inboard of the frame rail relative to the longitudinal centerline. The frame rail includes a flared section, a splayed section, and a reinforcing member. The flared section curves laterally outboard, away from the longitudinal centerline. The splayed section includes a variable cross sectional area that increases with an increase in distance from the bulkhead. The reinforcing member is operable to increase lateral stiffness in the frame rail, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal centerline. The frame rail is operable to deform into contact with the powertrain system in response to a load applied to a forward end of the body structure and laterally offset from the longitudinal centerline, to generate a lateral force in the body structure.

Automotive frame rail design to manage an offset, frontal applied load

A cradle for mounting an engine in a vehicle has left and right side members, and a rear cross member and front cross member extending between the left and right side members. The cradle has left and right front body mounts. Left and right deflector devices are mounted respectively on the cradle adjacent the left and right body mounts and forwardly of the vehicle wheels. Each of the left and right deflector devices including an impact receiving member that projects outwardly and rearwardly from the cradle to receive an impact load offset outboard from the body mounts. Each impact receiving member has an upper and lower sheet metal shell providing a top wall welded to a top wall of the cradle and a bottom wall welded to the bottom wall of the cradle, and a front impact receiving wall extending vertically between the top wall and the bottom wall.

Engine cradle with deflector device

An impact receiving structure in a motor vehicle includes a vehicle frame having left and right frame rails extending longitudinally and cross frame rails extending transversely between the left and right frame rails. A vehicle body is mounted on the vehicle frame and has a transverse bulkhead and left and right A-pillars connected to the bulkhead. Left and right upper rails extend longitudinally above the front wheels and outboard of the left and right frame rails and are connected respectively to the left and right frame rails by left and right braces. Left and right deflector devices are mounted on the left and right frame rails forwardly of the front wheels and extend outwardly from the left and right frame rails to receive an impact force and transmit the impact force into the frame that would otherwise transmit through the left and right upper rail structures.

Impact deflector for vehicle frame

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Macomb, MI, United States of America

Young Doe