Fender Support Rail with Slots for Reducing Intrusion into the Vehicle Passenger Compartment

摘要

A vehicle front end structure including a fender support rail that includes a plurality of slots defined by an outer wall of the rail that facilitates bending the rail in a transverse vehicle direction. A plurality of circular holes may be provided that are defined in the rail adjacent a bend in the rail to facilitate fracturing the rail in a collision event. A bracket is attached to the rail adjacent the circular holes to inhibit the rail in that area from bending in an outboard direction.

主权项

1. A rail for a vehicle comprising:
an elongated rail extending in a longitudinal direction that includes at least one horizontally extending wall and at least one vertically extending wall, the vertically extending wall defines at least one vertically elongated slot that does not extend to the horizontally extending wall, wherein the vertically extending wall is weakened by the at least one slot to bend in a transverse vehicle direction without reducing a strength property of the horizontally extending wall.