US Patent 8215674 Vehicle structure arrangement provided with pressurizable reinforcement element

A vehicle structure arrangement includes a pressurizable reinforcement element that may be arranged interiorly a beam, such as an A-pillar to reinforce the beam. The reinforcement element may be a tubular element having a flexible wall portion, The tubular element may be adapted to be self-stiffened when in a pressurized active state. In the pressurized state, the material and dimension of the tubular element wall portion are adapted to withstand actual stresses along longitudinal direction of the wall portion. The reinforcement element may be activated by a pre-crash unit.