Week 11 - Project - A pillar Design with Master Section

                                                                                                     A PILLAR DESIGN WITH MASTER SECTION

OBJECTIVE

To create the A-Pillar's Plastic component from the given Class A Surface using the Master Section.

Pillars in a car provide vertical support for the roof and window areas. Plus, they enhance safety and prevent the roof from collapsing in rollovers. 

FUNCTION AND IMPORTANCE OF PILLARS IN A CAR

Car pillars are pivotal structural elements. They offer essential support to the roof, body panels and different parts of the car doors. Moreover, they perform a critical function in safeguarding occupants in the unfortunate event of a collision.

CRASH PROTECTION

In the unfortunate event of different types of accidents, the pillars absorb and dissipate the impact energy. It helps protect the occupants by preventing cabin collapse and reduces the risk of severe injuries. That said, different car pillars can withstand various types of collisions.

SIDE-IMPACT PROTECTION

Pillars, especially the B-pillars (between the front and rear doors), offer side-impact protection. They provide a strong barrier that helps absorb and distribute impact forces during a side collision, reducing the risk of intrusion into the passenger compartment.

STRUCTURAL SUPPORT

The pillars enhance the rigidity and integrity of the car’s body, ensuring stability, safety and handling performance. They distribute the weight and forces throughout the car chassis, contributing to its strength.

ROOF SUPPORT

The pillars, particularly the A-pillars (located at the front of the vehicle), offer support for the roof structure. This support prevents roof deformation during rollover accidents.

OCCUPANT SPACE PRESERVATION

The strength and design of car pillars are major factors in preserving the occupant space, commonly known as the “safety cage.” In a car rollover or crash, they prevent roof deformation, ensuring the space where passengers sit remains as intact as possible.

NOISE AND VIBRATION DAMPING

Car Pillars also reduce noise and vibrations from the road, engine and external environment. By providing support and sealing against the elements, they help create a quieter and more comfortable interior for the occupants.

TYPES OF PILLARS IN A CAR 

The types of car pillars differ according to the car body types. For instance, sedans have two or three car pillars on each side. They give them a more aerodynamic design and spacious interior than cars with more pillars. Meanwhile, coupes have two pillars, giving them a compact look.

On the other hand, the appearance of hatchbacks and station wagons also differs due to pillars. Hatchbacks have A, B and C pillars while station wagons house an additional pillar D. That is why they have elongated shapes. 

different pillars in a car The number of pillars varies according to the body type

The most common types of pillars found in cars are:

PILLAR A

The A-pillar is located at the front of the car, on each side of the windshield. It provides support at the front of the roof and is important for maintaining the structural rigidity of the car. The A-pillar can affect the driver’s field of vision, so its design is crucial for visibility and safety.

PILLAR B

The B-pillar is between the front and rear doors of a sedan or a hatchback.  In many cars, it houses the latch for the rear doors and plays a significant role in side-impact safety. In some car designs, there is a second set of smaller B-pillars in a car behind the rear doors.

PILLAR C

The C-pillar at the car’s rear connects the roof to the rear body structure. Its design varies significantly between car models and body styles. In some cars, it may be thin and angled, while in others, it may be more substantial.

PILLAR D

The D-pillar in a car is found in some larger vehicles, such as SUVs and station wagons. It is located at the rear of the car, connecting the roof to the body structure.

A PILLAR DESIGN WITH MASTER SECTION – CATIA

Objective of the project

Learn how to create tooling axis and what is its significance of tooling axis in plastic component design.

Learn draft analysis of master surface (A Surface).

Learn how to create required surfaces (B Surface and C Surface) using given master surface (A Surface).

Learn how to create thick body from the close surface.

Learn to create dog house by given data and master section.

Learn about rules and considerations for dog house creation.

Steps follows –

Check the connectivity of the class A, ensuring that no gap between two surfaces.

Using Join command

boundary command – to check the boundary of the A surface

Find the tooling axis of the component

Draft analysis (Insert – Analysis – Feature Draft Analysis)

Create B Surface

Create C Surface

Join A Surface with B, & C Surface & create a closed Surface.

Using close surface command Create Solid Part.

Assumption For A-Pillar

A - Thickness – 2.5mm

B - Draft Angle – 3*

C - Material – Plastic

D – Assumption For Dog House

A Surface is the surface that is created by the concept sketches made by free hand sketchers. this computerized design is known as Class A surface.

B Surface is created by using class A surface, and the distance between A surface and B surface is equal to the thickness of the part, it is also called engineering surface.

C Surface is created for connect Class A and Class B surface also known as the side wall of the surface.

Close Surface (A + B + C) Surface

Solid Body

Tooling axis

Tooling axis is the direction at which the mold open & core & cavity opens.

Analysis the component & find which is the best tooling direction (X, Y, Z)

Draft analysis

Draft analysis is done to see the manufacturability of a part, green color indicates that all parts are clearing when core is removed from cavity.

The part has fully constrained like.

It does not have any negative draft.

How does the part behave.

What is going to the constrain whether it is maintain the same radios.

You don’t have any undercut in part, you have maintained 2.5 plus thickness radius.

You have minimum hold requirement Gap.

Solid Part

Draft Analysis for Screw Boss

A-Pillar final