Page 28 - Australasian Paint & Panel March-April 2022

Tech Talk • Subaru BRZ
28
PAINT&PANEL MARCH / APRIL 2022
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
BRZ BODY CONSTRUCTION
AND SAFETY
Subaru has spent years of developing the Subaru Global Platform and com- bined the engineering and manufactur- ing learnings to produce the most ad- vanced BRZ chassis to date.
Compared to the previous generation, front lateral flexural rigidity has been increased by approximately 60%, and body torsional rigidity has been in- creased by approximately 50%. Rigidity of suspension mounting points have also been further improved, resulting in a vehicle that moves as a unified body for enhanced ride comfort, han- dling, and precision.
Through an increase in use of high tensile steel, and hot-press manufactur- ing techniques, the structural strength, and therefore the collision safety strength, has been greatly enhanced.
The body structure and its ability to absorb impact energy is the most impor- tant aspect of collision protection. The new BRZ features a full inner frame structure. This is a manufacturing meth- od where rather than making the upper and lower body sections separately and then joining them together, the outer panels are welded after the entire body framework is securely assembled. This greatly improves the rigidity of the body, reducing distortions and deflections .
FRONTAL COLLISIONS
Due to the rear-wheel drive nature of the BRZ, the space availability due to the ab- sence of front drive shafts has allowed for the reinforcement of the area below the A- pillars, which aid in the absorption of en- ergy during a frontal impact, and smooth- ly transitions the forces down the side sills of the vehicle. The increased use of hot- pressed materials and high tensile steel achieves increased collision performance.
SIDE COLLISIONS
By utilising manufacturing processes known as tailor welded blanks in addition to high manganese hot-pressed materials, the B-pillar region has been reinforced,
achieving high side impact collision protection. The inner frame helps trans- fer the impact loads across the roof and through the chassis, creating a frame of protection around the occupants.
The use of high tensile steel of thick- nesses ranging from 1.2mm to 1.8mm for the inner door beams further adds to the BRZ’s high side impact collision strength, and aids in the feeling of quality when closing the doors.
EYESIGHT DRIVER
ASSIST SYSTEM
Subaru’s famous EyeSight Driver As- sist system is equipped to all automat- ic transmission variants. This system uses high resolution stereo colour cameras that can recognise brake light operation for early warning of slowing traffic.
The system has the following prima- ry functions:
• Pre-Collision Braking System
• Pre-Collision Brake Assist
• Pre-Collision Throttle Management
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Lead Vehicle Start Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB)
SUBARU’S VISION ASSIST
As a further preventative safety meas- ure all variants are equipped with Vi- sion Assist which consists of
• Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)
• Lane Change Assist (LCA)
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB)
ABOVE: Through an increase
in use of high tensile steel,
and hot-press manufacturing techniques, the structural strength has been greatly enhanced.
BELOW: Rear Cross Traffic Alert: Vehicles are detected from 30m either side and from 7m rear of the vehicle with warning given within 3.5 seconds of a potential collision.