One or more flatbed trailers, load placement devices and/or collapsible bulkheads are provided. The flatbed trailer may have a lowered center of gravity and may comprise a plurality of load placement devices and a collapsible and/or crushable bulkhead disposed on a deck of the flatbed trailer to provide improved load transportation safety.

A support extrusion for a subframe structure of a vehicle and methods of fabricating the same. In one example, a support extrusion can comprise a multicell structure that facilitates coupling the support extrusion with a rear crossmember of the subframe structure. The multicell structure can comprise a front cell column and a rear cell column that intervenes between the front cell column and the rear crossmember in a longitudinal direction of the subframe structure. The front cell column can comprise a trigger that facilitates plastically deforming the front cell column downward in a vertical direction of the subframe structure when subjected to impact forces of a frontal crash.

An embodiment casting vehicle body structure includes a fender apron upper member, a shock absorber housing disposed under the fender apron upper member, a front side member disposed under the shock absorber housing, a side member runner protruding from an inner surface of the front side member, and a side member rib protruding from the side member runner.

Disclosed are a subframe for a vehicle part having the high strength and high elongation by including the high iron content and an aluminum alloy composition with increased content of iron (Fe). The aluminum alloy composition includes an amount of about 0.15 to 0.25 wt % of iron (Fe), an amount of about 0.2 to 0.25 wt % of manganese (Mn), an amount of about 0.15 to 0.25 wt % of magnesium (Mg), an amount of about 7.5 to 9.0 wt % of silicon (Si), and an amount of about 0.5 wt % or less of inevitable impurities, and a balance of aluminum (Al), and all the wt % are based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy composition.

A side vehicle body structure ensures rigidity and shock absorption performance of the body, avoids widening of the body, and smooths the flow of exhaust gas. Embodiments include an engine, an exhaust apparatus, and a rear pillar extending upward from a rear-side portion of a side sill extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The exhaust apparatus is disposed along the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle-width-direction outer side relative to the side sill. An exhaust system member is located at a going-around portion, with respect to the rear pillar, from the front side to the rear side and from the outer side to the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The rear pillar has a cross section orthogonal to the vehicle up-down direction having a shape in which a portion between front and rear ends is located on the vehicle-width-direction outer side relative to these front and rear ends.

A battery box for an electric vehicle includes an Al casting that extends between and joins to a BIW or chassis rails of the electric vehicle. The Al casting includes a bottom wall, a side wall with a pair of rails that are securely attached to the BIW or chassis rails of the vehicle, and a plurality of cross members. The bottom wall, the side wall, and the plurality of cross members define a structural enclosure with a plurality of battery compartments and at least one crush zone, and the structural enclosure is load bearing member of the electric vehicle.

An embodiment floor structure of a vehicle includes a pair of side seals disposed to face each other in a vehicle width direction, and respectively disposed in a vehicle length direction, a floor frame disposed between the pair of side seals and including a pair of longitudinal frames respectively arranged along the pair of side seals and at least one transverse frame mounted between the pair of longitudinal frames in the vehicle width direction, and at least one core structural member disposed in a space provided by the floor frame and including a material for absorbing impact.

Presented are protective covers for weldable fasteners, methods for making/using such cover-protected weldable fasteners, and motor vehicles with such covered fasteners welded to load-bearing structural members. A weldable fastener assembly includes a fastener, such as a weld-on nut or clip retainer, that is fabricated with a shank and a flange. One end of the shank has a fastener hole that receives therethrough a mating fastener, such as a bolt, screw, stud, or clip. The flange is formed, in whole or in part, from a weldable material for welding to a load-bearing panel or other structural support member. The flange may be integrally formed with and project radially outward from the shank. A protective cover is attached to the flange and covers the fastener hole. The protective cover is frangible and formed, in whole or in part, from a material designed to withstand the temperature at which the weldable material melts.

A siderail member for a subframe assembly of a vehicle, including: an elongate body, wherein the elongate body includes a hollow extruded structure including an inboard wall, an outboard wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and one or more internal walls. Optionally, the bottom wall has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the top wall. Optionally, the outboard wall has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the inboard wall. Optionally, the one or more internal walls include a top internal wall and a bottom internal wall forming a plurality of horizontally-disposed cells within an interior of the elongate body. The bottom internal wall has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the top internal wall. The hollow extruded structure is manufactured from an aluminum material. Optionally, the top wall of the hollow extruded structure defines a flexure recess.

A subframe assembly for a vehicle utilizing straight, parallel extruded longitudinal siderail members. This subframe assembly provides front-end (or rear-end) crash energy absorbance by plastically deforming, crumpling, and bending down to avoid the stackup and occupant cabin intrusion of components, such as the attached engine/motor, engine/motor mounts, steering components, and suspension components. The laterally disposed longitudinal siderail members each provide a straight, substantially uninterrupted lower load path to transfer crash energy from the lower load path crash management system beam and crashboxes or the like to a rear upper load path body in white bracket, and ultimately to the battery frame in the event of a crash, with the siderail members and crashboxes optionally being longitudinally coaxially aligned.