JP2004249835A - Vehicle body front region structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle body front region structure capable of meeting the requirements for the rigidities of the upper and lower parts of a radiator core support which are different from each other and the requirement for a reduction in the entire weight of the support, and capable of preventing an operating man-hour and cost from increasing. <P>SOLUTION: The radiator core support 1 is divided into an upper structure A and a lower structure B. The lower structure B requested to have high rigidity is formed of a steel material as in an conventional support, and the upper structure A not requested to have rigidity and requested to be reduced in weight is formed of an aluminum alloy material. The aluminum alloy material can be formed in the same manner as the formation of steel materials, not complicated in a manufacturing operation as synthetic resins, and cost-advantageous. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The radiator core support constituting the front end portion of the vehicle body generally has a basic structure in which a radiator core support upper and a radiator core support lower each extending in a vehicle width direction are connected by a vertical pillar.
[0003]
The lower side of the radiator core support is connected to the front side member, which is the frame member of the vehicle body, and the radiator core support lower also functions as the first cross member of the vehicle body. is there. Conversely, the upper side of the radiator core support must not be too rigid because it must deform and absorb the impact during a vehicle collision. Therefore, in order to secure appropriate rigidity for absorbing shock and to reduce the weight of the radiator core support as a whole, the upper side of the radiator core support has a hybrid structure in which a part is formed of a synthetic resin (for example, see Patent Document 1). .).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-166850
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a conventional technique, the radiator core support has a hybrid structure in which a part of the upper side is formed of a synthetic resin. In addition to a press mold for manufacturing a steel plate portion, a synthetic resin mold for molding a synthetic resin is required, which leads to an increase in the number of work steps and costs.
[0006]
The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technology, and can satisfy both different rigidity requirements and a reduction in overall weight required for a radiator core support. The present invention provides a vehicle body front structure that does not increase.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the radiator core support constituting the front end of the vehicle body is formed of an upper structure and a lower structure which are coupled to each other, and the upper structure is made of an aluminum alloy material, and the lower structure Is made of a steel material.
[0008]
In the invention according to claim 2, the radiator core support has at least a structure in which a radiator core support upper and a radiator core support lower respectively extending in a vehicle width direction are connected by pillars extending in a vertical direction. An upper structure is formed by the radiator core support upper, and a lower structure is formed by at least the radiator core support lower and the pillar.
[0009]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the upper and lower portions of the pillar are partially overlapped with each other, and mounting holes corresponding to each other are formed in the overlapped portion. The mounting holes are connected to each other by means of bolts and nuts penetrating the caulking washer in a state of being substantially sealed by the caulking washer.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the front end of the front side member is connected to at least a lower portion of the pillar.
[0011]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the radiator core support is divided into an upper structure and a lower structure, and the lower structure requiring high rigidity is made of a steel material as before, and the weight is reduced without requiring much rigidity. The required superstructure was made of aluminum alloy material. The aluminum alloy material can be formed in the same manner as the steel material, does not have the complexity of the manufacturing operation like resin, and is advantageous in terms of cost.
[0012]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since at least the upper structure formed by the radiator core support upper is made of an aluminum alloy material, the radiator core support upper can be deformed to absorb the impact during a vehicle collision. Since the lower structure formed by at least the lower part of the radiator core support lower and the pillar is made of steel, the radiator core support lower can function as a first cross member of the vehicle body frame.
[0013]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the mounting holes formed in the overlapping portion of the upper and lower portions of the pillar are substantially sealed with a caulking washer and then connected by the bolt / nut means, so that corrosion around the mounting holes and electric current are prevented. Deterioration due to erosion can be prevented.
[0014]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the front end of the front side member is connected to the lower part of the pillar made of steel, so that the necessary connection strength of the front side member is ensured.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0016]
A radiator core support 1 constituting a front end portion of a vehicle body includes a radiator core support upper 2 extending upward along the vehicle width direction, a radiator core support lower 3 extending downward along the vehicle width direction, and upper and lower connecting them. A pair of left and right pillars 4 along the direction and a pair of left and right radiator core support sides 5 for mounting a lamp are formed.
[0017]
Hood ridges 6 are connected to both left and right ends of the radiator core support upper 2, and front ends of a pair of left and right front side members 7 are connected to the rear surface of the pillar 4.
[0018]
The radiator core support 1 is divided at the lower part of the pillar 4 and divided into a large upper structure A and a lower structure B. That is, the upper structure A is composed of the radiator core support upper 2, the radiator core support side 5, and the upper part 4a of the pillar 4, and is formed as a relatively light-weight, low-rigidity aluminum alloy plate press-formed product. The lower structure B is composed of a radiator core support lower 3 and a lower portion 4b of a pillar 4, and is formed as a press-formed product of a highly rigid steel plate.
[0019]
The radiator core support lower 3 of the lower structure B has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and has a closed cross-sectional structure by closing the rear with a closing plate 8 covering the entire length of the radiator core support lower 3 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the rigidity is further improved, and functions as a first cross member of the body frame.
[0020]
The radiator core support upper 2 basically has a generally U-shaped cross section (see FIG. 6) so that it can be deformed and absorb shock at the time of a vehicle collision, and has a hat-shaped cross section only at a mounting portion of a hood lock (not shown). In order to ensure the strength of only the part, the closed section 9 is joined to the short closing plate 9 from the rear side (see FIG. 7).
[0021]
The upper part 4a and the lower part 4b of the pillar 4 also have a substantially U-shaped cross section having flanges on the left and right, and the lower part 4b is formed to have a smaller cross-sectional size than the upper part 4a. Therefore, the lower portion 4b of the pillar 4 can be inserted into the upper portion 4a of the pillar 4 from below and polymerized.
[0022]
In the overlapping portion of the upper part 4a and the lower part 4b of the pillar 4, four corresponding mounting holes 10a and 10b are respectively formed. The caulking washers 11 are fitted into the corresponding four sets of mounting holes 10a and 10b in a state of being crushed by a dedicated tool. Therefore, the upper part 4a and the lower part 4b of the pillar 4 are temporarily connected by the caulking washer 11. At the same time as the temporary connection, the edges of the mounting holes 10a and 10b are sealed by the caulking washer 11, but the caulking washer 11 is further coated to ensure a more sealed state. By doing so, corrosion due to air or water coming into contact with the mounting holes 10a and 10b or deterioration due to electrolytic corrosion hardly occurs.
[0023]
A similar mounting hole 10c is formed in the front end panel 12 of the front side member 7 at a corresponding position, and a welding nut 13 is fixed to each mounting hole 10c in advance. Therefore, the front end panel 12 of the front side member 7 is set on the overlapped portion of the pillar 4 from the rear side, the mounting holes 10c of the front end panel 12 are respectively positioned in the swaging washers 11, and the bolts 14 inserted from the front side of the swaging washers 11 are set. Can be screwed together with the welding nut 13 so that the upper part 4a and lower part 4b of the pillar 4 and the front end panel 12 can be fastened together.
[0024]
Since the front side member 7 is connected to the lower part 4b of the pillar 4 made of a steel plate and having high rigidity as described above, the required connection strength of the front side member 7 is secured, and a strong body frame can be constructed. .
[0025]
According to the radiator core support 1 according to this embodiment, the lower structure B, which requires high rigidity, is made of a steel plate as before, but the upper structure A, which requires no rigidity and requires a light weight, is made of an aluminum alloy plate. As a result, the manufacturing operation is not complicated as in a conventional hybrid structure in which a part is made of a synthetic resin, which is advantageous in terms of cost. In addition, the weight of the radiator core support 1 as a whole can be reliably reduced by the replacement of the aluminum alloy. In addition, since the upper structure A made of a relatively soft aluminum alloy also receives a shock from an obliquely forward front during a vehicle collision, the shock can be effectively absorbed.
[0026]
In the above embodiment, the example in which the upper structure A is formed by press-molding an aluminum alloy plate has been described. However, the upper structure may be formed by combining an extruded material of an aluminum alloy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a radiator core support according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a divided state of an upper structure and a lower structure of the radiator core support of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line SA-SA shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line SB-SB shown in FIG. 1 before bolt fastening.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line SC-SC shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line SD-SD shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line SE-SE shown in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 radiator core support 2 radiator core support upper 3 radiator core support lower 4 pillar 4 a upper part 4 b lower part 7 front side member 10 a, 10 b mounting hole 11 caulking washer A upper structure B lower structure

Claims (4)

A radiator core support (1) constituting a front end portion of a vehicle body is formed of an upper structure (A) and a lower structure (B) joined to each other, and the upper structure (A) is made of an aluminum alloy material and has a lower structure. (B) The vehicle body front structure characterized by being made of steel. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1,
A radiator core support (1) having at least a structure in which a radiator core support upper (2) and a radiator core support lower (3) respectively extending along the vehicle width direction are connected by pillars (4) extending vertically;
A vehicle body characterized in that at least a radiator core support upper (2) forms an upper structure (A), and at least a radiator core support lower (3) and a pillar (4) form a lower structure (B). Part structure. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 2,
The pillar (4) is composed of an upper part (4a) and a lower part (4b), and the upper part (4a) and the lower part (4b) of the pillar (4) are partially overlapped with each other. (10a, 10b) to form
The corresponding mounting holes (10a, 10b) are connected to each other by bolt and nut means (13, 14) penetrating the caulking washer (11) in a state of being substantially sealed by the caulking washer (11). Body front structure. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 2 or 3,
A vehicle body front structure, wherein a front end of a front side member (7) is connected to at least a lower portion (4b) of a pillar (4).

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