JP2007283795A - Front structure for vehicle body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a front structure for a vehicle body capable of suppressing deformation in a hood bracket part. <P>SOLUTION: When a load by inertial force of an engine hood is input (refer to arrow A) in the hood bracket part 40, and the vertical column 22 of a condenser support 16 is displaced (refer to arrow B) to the upward direction of the vehicle body by the twist of the body or inertial force of a condenser, the hood bracket part 40 falls down to the outside in the vehicle width direction. However, the front end part 36 of an apron upper member 32 is arranged side by side on the outside of the hood bracket part 40 in the vehicle width direction, therefore, the load applied to the hood bracket part 40 can be received by the apron upper member 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure.

  A vehicle body front structure has been proposed in which a hood bracket for supporting the engine hood in the closed position is fastened together with the front end portion of the apron upper member on the vehicle body and the vehicle crosswise end portion of the front cross member upper. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

In such a vehicle body front structure, since a load due to the inertia force of the engine hood is input to the hood bracket, some measure for suppressing deformation of the hood bracket is required.
JP 2005-186722 A

  In view of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle body front portion structure that can suppress deformation of the hood bracket portion.

  The vehicle body front structure according to the first aspect of the invention includes an apron upper member disposed along the vehicle longitudinal direction at the upper portion of the vehicle front portion, and disposed along the vehicle width direction at the upper portion of the vehicle body front portion. And a front cross member upper in which the front end of the apron upper member is fixed to the upper end of the apron upper member. The front cross member upper is coupled in parallel with the front end of the apron upper member and fixed to the upper end of the front cross member upper. And a hood bracket portion that supports the engine hood.

  In the vehicle body front portion structure according to the first aspect, the hood bracket portion that supports the engine hood is coupled in a state of being juxtaposed with the front end portion of the apron upper member. For this reason, when the load by the inertia force of an engine hood is input into the hood bracket part, this load can be received by the apron upper member. Thereby, a deformation | transformation of a hood bracket part can be suppressed.

  The vehicle body front part structure according to a second aspect of the invention is the vehicle body front part structure according to the first aspect, wherein the apron upper member is formed by dividing a front end portion and a main body portion, and the main body portion. The front end portion is integrally coupled to the front end side, and the hood bracket portion is integrally formed with the front end portion.

  In the vehicle body front portion structure according to the second aspect, the hood bracket portion is integrally formed with the front end portion of the apron upper member. For this reason, when a load is input to the hood bracket portion, it is possible to suppress a decrease in durability due to stress concentration at the joint portion between the hood bracket portion and the apron upper member front end portion.

  The vehicle body front structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle body front structure according to the second aspect, wherein the main body portion and the front end portion of the apron upper member are formed in a cylindrical shape. It is characterized by being coupled with the other inserted inside.

  In the vehicle body front part structure according to the third aspect, the main body part and the front end part of the apron upper member are joined in a state where the other is inserted inside one, so that both can be firmly joined. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body front portion structure according to the third aspect, wherein the main body portion and the front end portion of the apron upper member are welded around the entire circumference thereof. It is characterized by that.

  In the vehicle body front portion structure according to the fourth aspect, since the main body portion and the front end portion of the apron upper member are welded on the entire circumference thereof, both can be firmly coupled.

  As described above, in the vehicle body front portion structure according to the present invention, deformation of the hood bracket portion can be suppressed.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a vehicle body front structure according to the present invention. In the figure, the arrow FR indicates the vehicle body front direction, the arrow UP indicates the vehicle body upward direction, and the arrow IN indicates the vehicle width inside direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right front side members 14 whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are disposed at the lower part of the front portion (front body) of the vehicle body 12 of the automobile. A front end portion of the front side member 14 is coupled to an end portion of a front bumper reinforcement (not shown) arranged with the vehicle width direction as a longitudinal direction. Further, the rear end portion of the front side member 14 is coupled to a front end portion of a rocker (not shown) disposed at the lower end portion of the vehicle body side portion (side door arrangement position) with the vehicle body longitudinal direction as the longitudinal direction.

  A condenser support (radiator support) 16 having a longitudinal direction in the vehicle width direction is disposed between the front end portions of the pair of front side members 14. The condenser support 16 is formed in a substantially “day” shape when viewed from the front, and the front cross member upper 18 and the front cross member lower 20 which are arranged vertically in parallel along the vehicle width direction, and both of them are arranged in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. And three vertical columns 22, 24, 26 connected in the direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, one vertical column 22 arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction has a vertical wall 22 </ b> A and a pair of front and rear side walls 22 </ b> B, and a cross section in which the inner side in the vehicle width direction opens. It is formed in a U shape. Further, the front cross member upper 18 has an upper wall 18A and a pair of front and rear side walls 18B, and is formed in a U-shaped cross section having an opening on the lower side. A corner gusset 28 is provided at a connecting portion between the vertical column 22 and the front cross member upper 18. A nut (not shown) is screwed into a plurality of bolts 30 that pass through a plurality of through holes 18C formed in the side wall and a plurality of through holes 28A formed in a side wall of the corner gusset 28. The member upper 18 and the corner gusset 28 are fastened together. Although not shown in the figure, the connecting portion between the other vertical column 26 arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and the front cross member upper 18 has the same configuration.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, apron upper members 32 are respectively provided above the pair of front side members 14 described above. The apron upper member 32 has a main body portion 34 whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and a front end portion 36 that is formed by being divided from the main body portion 34 and integrally joined to the front end side of the main body portion 34. is doing. The main body portion 34 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially rectangular cross section, and the rear end side thereof is coupled to the upper end portion of a front pillar lower (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the front end portion 36 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially rectangular cross section having an upper wall 36 </ b> A, a lower wall 36 </ b> B, a right side wall 36 </ b> C, and a left side wall 36 </ b> D. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the front end side of the main body portion 34 is inserted inside the rear end side of the front end portion 36. The entire circumference of the rear end edge of the front end portion 36 is joined to the front end side of the main body portion 34 by MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding (see the welded portion 37). In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the length dimension of the front end portion 36 is set to about 1/8 of the length dimension of the main body portion 34.

  A flange portion 36 </ b> E extending outward in the vehicle width direction is provided at the lower end portion of the front end portion 36 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. A through hole 36F (see FIG. 3) is formed in the flange portion 36E. The through hole 36F, a through hole 18D (see FIG. 3) formed in the upper wall of the front cross member upper 18, and a corner The front end 36, the front cross member upper 18, and the corner gusset 28 are fastened by screwing a nut (not shown) into a bolt 38 that passes through a through hole 28B (see FIG. 3) formed in the upper wall of the gusset 28. Has been.

  In addition, a hood bracket portion 40 is integrally provided in the vehicle width direction inner side on the front end side of the front end portion 36. The hood bracket portion 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially rectangular cross section having an upper wall 40A, a lower wall 40B, a right side wall 40C, and a left side wall 40D. The hood bracket portion 40 is integrally formed with the front end portion 36, and the right side wall 40 </ b> D is integrally continuous with the left side wall 36 </ b> D of the front end portion 36. Further, the hood bracket portion 40 projects upward from the front end portion 36, and a stopper rubber (not shown) is attached to the upper surface of the upper wall 40A. An engine hood 42 (see FIG. 2) disposed at the closed position comes into contact with the stopper rubber, and the hood bracket portion 40 elastically moves the engine hood 42 at the closed position via the stopper rubber. It comes to support.

  Further, a flange portion 40E (see FIG. 8) extending toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction is provided at the lower end portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the hood bracket portion 40. A through hole (not shown) is formed in the flange portion 40E, and a bolt 44 passing through the through hole and a through hole 18E (see FIG. 3) formed in the upper wall of the front cross member upper 18 is not shown. The front end portion 36 (hood bracket portion 40) and the front cross member upper 18 are fastened by screwing the nut.

  In the first embodiment, the thickness of the upper wall 36A of the front end portion 36 is 1.5 mm, the lower wall 36B of the front end portion 36, the left side wall 40D and the lower wall 40B of the hood bracket portion 40, and the flange portion 36E. 40E has a thickness of 2.0 mm, the right side wall 36C of the front end portion 36 has a thickness of 1.8 mm, the left side wall 36D of the front end portion 36 and the right side wall 40C of the hood bracket portion 40 have a thickness of 2.3 mm. The thickness of the upper wall 40A of the bracket part 40 is set to 2.2 mm. These wall thickness values are determined based on the proportion of each wall portion contributing to the strength of the front end portion 36 and the hood bracket portion 40.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle body front structure having the above-described configuration, when the engine hood 42 is closed or when the vehicle body 12 is traveling, the hood bracket portion 40 is directed downward by the inertia force of the engine hood 42 as shown in FIG. The loaded load is input (see arrow A). At this time, the vertical column 22 of the capacitor support 16 is displaced upwardly of the vehicle body due to the torsion of the vehicle body or the inertial force of the capacitor (see arrow B). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, the corner portion of the condenser support 16 (the periphery of the corner gusset 28) is deformed and the hood bracket portion 40 falls down in the vehicle width direction, but in the first embodiment, the hood Since the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32 is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the bracket portion 40, a load acting on the hood bracket portion 40 can be received by the apron upper member 32. Thereby, a deformation | transformation of the hood bracket part 40 is suppressed.

  Here, FIGS. 10 and 11 show the stress distribution generated in the capacitor support 16, the hood bracket 34, and the apron upper member 32 when the capacitor support 16 is deformed as described above. In FIGS. 10 and 11, dots with higher density are given to places where the generated stress is higher. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the bolts 30, 38 and 44 are not shown for convenience of explanation.

  10 and 11, it can be seen that high stress is generated on the front end side of the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32, and low stress is generated on the rear end side of the front end portion 36. That is, in the first embodiment, the welded portion 37 between the main body portion 34 and the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32 is separated from the front end side of the front end portion 36 where deformation is concentrated. It is possible to suppress a decrease in durability due to the concentration of slag.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, the main body portion 34 and the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32 are joined by all-around welding without a welding start end portion, so that the strength variation of the welded portion 37 is reduced. The durability strength of the welded portion 37 can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, since the main body portion 34 of the apron upper member 32 is inserted inside the rear end side of the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32, both are coupled. Can be firmly bonded.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32 and the hood bracket portion 40 are both formed in a cylindrical shape, which is a simple shape. For this reason, the front end portion 36 and the hood bracket portion 40 can be manufactured by extrusion molding, can be manufactured at low cost, and the thickness can be easily controlled, so that an increase in weight can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in the first embodiment, the length of the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32 is set to about 1/8 of the length of the main body 34. In other words, since only the portion necessary for strength is made into a separate component, it is possible to suppress an increase in weight.

  In the first embodiment, both the front end portion 36 of the apron upper member 32 and the hood bracket portion 40, which are portions that are easily deformed when the vehicle body 12 collides (including an interpersonal person), are formed in a cylindrical shape. As described above, since the thickness can be easily controlled, the impact absorption performance can be improved. Further, even when the front end portion 36 and the hood bracket portion 40 are deformed due to a collision, it is possible to replace only the front end portion 36 and the hood bracket portion 40 without replacing the apron upper member main body portion 34. Easy.

  In the first embodiment, the apron upper member 32 is configured such that the main body portion 34 is inserted inside the front end portion 36. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the front end portion is provided inside the main body portion 34. It is good also as a structure in which 36 was inserted.

  In the first embodiment, the apron upper member 32 has a configuration in which the main body 34 and the front end 36 are joined by MIG welding. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the main body 34 and the front end 36 may be fastened with a bolt or the like.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the structure and operation | movement fundamentally similar to the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol as the said 1st Embodiment is provided, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 12 shows an exploded perspective view of a partial structure of the vehicle body front structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from the rear of the vehicle. FIG. 13 shows a partial configuration of the vehicle body front structure in a perspective view as seen from the rear of the vehicle body. Furthermore, FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the apron upper member and the hood bracket that constitute the front structure of the vehicle body, as viewed obliquely from the front of the vehicle body.

  In the second embodiment, an apron upper member 50 different from the apron upper member 32 according to the first embodiment is provided. The apron upper member 50 has a structure in which the front end portion is integrally formed with the main body portion, as in the apron upper member 32 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the length dimension of the apron upper member 50 is the length dimension (8L) of the main body portion 34 of the apron upper member 32 according to the first embodiment and the length of the front end portion 36. The length (9L) is set by adding the dimension (L).

  A hood bracket 52 is attached to the front end portion of the apron upper member 50. The hood bracket 52 includes a hood bracket portion 40 that is basically similar in configuration to the hood bracket portion 40 according to the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the right side wall 40C of the hood bracket portion 40 extends downward and is integrally connected to the lower wall 40B.

  A flange portion 40E having basically the same configuration as that of the flange portion 40E according to the first embodiment is integrally connected to a lower end portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the hood bracket portion 40. Further, a connecting wall 54 that is integrally extended toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction is provided at the lower end portion of the hood bracket portion 40 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. A flange portion 36E having basically the same configuration as that of the flange portion 36E according to the first embodiment is integrally connected to the outer side of the connecting wall 54 in the vehicle width direction. A vertical wall 56 that protrudes upward from the vehicle body is provided at a connection portion between the connection wall 52 and the flange portion 36E. A front end portion of the apron upper member 50 is inserted between the vertical wall 56 and the hood bracket portion 40, and the hood bracket portion 40 is arranged in parallel with the front end portion of the apron upper member 50. .

  The vertical wall 56 of the hood bracket 50 is joined to the side wall 50A on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the apron upper member 50 by MIG welding (see the welded portion 58). Further, the right side wall 40C of the hood bracket portion 40 is disposed in contact with the side wall 50B of the apron upper member 50 in the vehicle width direction, and the edge portions on the vehicle body front side and the vehicle body rear side are MIG on the side wall 50B. They are joined by welding (see welded portion 60).

  In the second embodiment, the hood bracket 50 has a flange portion 36E, a vertical wall 56, a wall thickness of the right side wall 40C of the hood bracket portion 40 is 2.0 mm, a wall thickness of the connecting wall 54 is 2.5 mm, The wall thickness of the upper wall 40A, the left side wall 40D, the lower wall 40B, and the flange portion 40E of the hood bracket portion 40 is set to 1.8 mm. These wall thickness values are determined based on the ratio of each wall portion contributing to the strength of the hood bracket 52.

  Also in the vehicle body front part structure according to the second embodiment, the deformation of the hood bracket part 40 of the hood bracket 52 can be suppressed, similarly to the vehicle body front part structure according to the first embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the load due to the inertial force of the engine hood 42 is input to the hood bracket portion 40 of the hood bracket 52 (see arrow A), and the capacitor is caused by the torsion of the vehicle body 12, the inertial force of the condenser, When the vertical column 22 of the support 16 is displaced upward (see arrow B), as shown in FIG. 17, the corner portion of the capacitor support 16 is deformed, and the hood bracket portion 40 is outside in the vehicle width direction. However, in the second embodiment, the front end portion of the apron upper member 50 is juxtaposed on the outer side of the hood bracket portion 40 in the vehicle width direction, so that the load acting on the hood bracket portion 40 is applied to the apron upper. Can be received by member 50. Thereby, a deformation | transformation of the hood bracket part 40 is suppressed.

1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body front part structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of peripheral members including an apron upper member and a front cross member upper according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the front of a vehicle body. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the peripheral member containing the apron upper member and front cross member upper which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention in the state seen from the vehicle body diagonally back. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of peripheral members including an apron upper member and a front cross member upper according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from the rear of the vehicle body. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the front end side of the apron upper member which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the coupling structure of the main-body part and front-end part of the apron upper member which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (A) is a 3-3 sectional view taken on the line in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of the apron upper member and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state into which the load was input into the hood bracket part and capacitor | condenser support of the apron upper member which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the apron upper member and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention deform | transformed. It is a figure which shows the stress distribution which generate | occur | produces in the apron upper member and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the stress distribution which generate | occur | produces in the apron upper member and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the peripheral member containing the apron upper member and hood bracket which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention in the state seen from the vehicle body diagonally back. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the peripheral member containing the apron upper member and hood bracket which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention in the state seen from the vehicle body diagonally back. It is a perspective view which shows the front-end side of the apron upper member which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and the structure of a hood bracket. It is a side view which shows the structure of the apron upper member, hood bracket, and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state into which the load was input into the hood bracket and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the hood bracket, apron upper member, and capacitor | condenser support which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention deform | transformed.

Explanation of symbols

12 Body 18 Front cross member upper 32 Apron upper member 34 Body portion 36 Front end portion 40 Hood bracket portion 50 Apron upper member

Claims (4)

An apron upper member disposed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body at the upper part of the vehicle body front part;
A front cross member upper disposed on the upper part of the vehicle body along the vehicle width direction, the front end of the apron upper member being fixed to the upper end;
A hood bracket portion that is coupled to a front end portion of the apron upper member and is fixed to an upper end portion of the front cross member upper and supports an engine hood;
Body front structure with   The apron upper member is formed by dividing a front end portion and a main body portion, the front end portion is integrally coupled to the front end side of the main body portion, and the hood bracket portion is integrally formed on the front end portion. The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 1, wherein:   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 2, wherein the main body part and the front end part of the apron upper member are joined in a state in which the other is inserted inside one of the cylindrically formed upper parts. .   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 3, wherein the main body part and the front end part of the apron upper member are welded along the entire circumference of both of them.

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