JP2009292226A - Upper part structure of strut tower - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an upper part structure of a strut tower capable of sufficiently securing a support strength of a strut, while achieving thinning of an upper end face of the strut tower. <P>SOLUTION: An upper end face 4 of a strut tower 1 is constituted with a strut support member 5 and a strut support member 5, and a vehicle-inner end part 6a of a coupling member 6 is overlapped on and joined to a lower face of a vehicle-outer end part 5a of the strut support member 5. Each of flange parts 6F1-6F4 are continuously formed by providing first front and rear flange parts 6F1 and 6F2, and a first inner flange part 6F3 and a first outer flange part 6F4 to the coupling member 6. Thus, because the periphery of the coupling member 6 is continuously surrounded by each of the flange parts 6F1-6F4, the bending rigidity and torsional rigidity of the coupling member 6 can be increased, and the support strength of the strut can be sufficiently secured while achieving thinning of the upper end face 4 of the strut tower 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a superstructure of an automobile strut tower.

A strut provided in a suspension of an automobile (hereinafter referred to as a strut includes a shock absorber) is attached to an upper end surface of a strut tower so that the upper end portion of the strut is supported by the strut tower. In this case, the upper end surface of the strut tower is externally fitted to the tray-like strut support member (spring support portion) connecting the upper end portion of the strut and the vehicle outer end portion of the spring support portion and joined to the hood ridge upper member. And a connecting member (gusset) to be configured (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-7-251758 (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

  However, in such an upper structure of the conventional strut tower, the strut support member is connected to the hood ridge upper member on the vehicle body side via a connection member that is simply overlapped and joined to the vehicle outer end portion. For this reason, in order to increase the rigidity while securing the strength of the strut support member to which the vertical load of the suspension is input, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the strut support member and the connecting member, and increase the vehicle weight and cost. Cause up.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an upper structure of a strut tower that can sufficiently secure the supporting strength of the strut while achieving a reduction in the thickness of the upper end surface of the strut tower.

  The present invention relates to an upper structure of an automobile strut tower comprising a strut support member for supporting a strut, and a connecting member having one end coupled to the vehicle exterior side of the strut support member and the other end coupled to a vehicle body. And the first front / rear flange portion bent in the up-down direction and the first front / rear flange portion bent in the up-down direction on the connecting member. The first main feature is that a first inner flange portion that integrally connects the vehicle inner end portions in the front-rear direction is formed.

  According to the present invention, the connecting member is formed with the first inner flange portion that integrally connects the vehicle inner end portions of the first front and rear flange portions in the front-rear direction. Bending rigidity and torsional rigidity can be increased. And the rigidity of the strut supporting member can also be improved by overlapping and joining the strut supporting member to the connecting member having increased rigidity. Therefore, since the support strength of the upper end surface of the strut tower composed of these strut support members and the connecting members can be increased, the strut tower upper end surface can be thinned and the strut support strength can be sufficiently secured.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
1 to 5 show a first embodiment of an upper structure of a strut tower according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the strut tower, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a strut support member and a connecting member as seen from the inside of the vehicle. 3 is a perspective view of the joined state of the strut support member and the connecting member as seen from the rear of the vehicle, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross section along line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a comparative explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 4 schematically showing the case of no flange portion.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the hood is opened and the strut tower 1 in the engine room is viewed. The strut tower 1 has a strut housing 2 that houses a strut (not shown). The upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1 is arranged at a height near the hood ridge upper member 3, and the upper end portion of the strut is attached to the upper end surface 4.

  The upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1 is constituted by a strut support member 5 that supports the upper end portion of the strut, and a connecting member 6 that connects the strut support member 5 to the vehicle body. Are overlapped and joined to the lower surface of the vehicle outer side end portion 5a of the strut support member 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the strut support member 5 has a strut mounting seat surface 7 formed in the center portion, and a strut mounting hole 7 a is formed in the strut mounting seat surface 7.

  Then, the second front and rear flange portions 5F1, 5F2 and the second inner flange portion 5F3 bent downward are respectively connected to the front and rear sides 5b, 5c and the vehicle inner side end portion 5d of the strut support member 5. It is formed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the connecting member 6 includes first front and rear flange portions 6F1 and 6F2 obtained by bending the front and rear side portions 6b and 6c in the vertical direction, and the vehicle inner end portion 6a in the vertical direction. A bent first inner flange portion 6F3 and a first outer flange portion 6F4 joined to the vehicle body are provided at the vehicle outer side end 6d.

  The first outer flange portion 6F4 is formed by bending the vehicle outer end 6d of the connecting member 6 upward and front / rear both sides, and as shown in FIG. 1, the outer flange portion 6F4 is formed as a hood ridge. It joins to the upper member 3. Therefore, by connecting the strut support member 5 to the connecting member 6, the strut support member 5 is connected to the hood ridge upper member 3, that is, the vehicle body via the connecting member 6.

  Here, the first front / rear flange portions 6F1, 6F2, the first inner flange portion 6F3, and the first outer flange portion 6F4 are continuously formed, and the periphery of the connecting member 6 is the flange portions 6F1 to 6F4. It is surrounded by.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a first bead portion 8 is provided in the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the strut support member 5 so as to protrude upwards continuously from the strut mounting seat surface 7 formed with embossing. On the other hand, a second bead portion 9 along the cross-sectional shape of the first bead portion 8 is provided at a position corresponding to the first bead portion 8 in the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the connecting member 6. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first bead portion 8 and the second bead portion 9 are overlapped with each other, and at least the side surfaces 8a and 9a of each bead portion 8 and 9 are spotted. It has joined by the welding part P1.

  At this time, the first bead portion 8 is formed at the center portion in the front-rear direction of the strut support member 5, and accordingly, the second bead portion 9 is also formed at the center portion in the front-rear direction of the connecting member 6. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to increase the widths W1, W2 of the side surfaces 8a, 9a of the first bead portion 8 and the second bead portion 9, these bead portions 8, 9 And groove portions 8V and 9V that are recessed downward are formed between the two side surfaces 5S and 6S. Moreover, both side surfaces 8a and 9a of the bead portions 8 and 9 are inclined surfaces that expand as the respective facing surfaces go downward.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the strut support member 5 and the connecting member 6 join the top portions of the bead portions 8 and 9 by the spot weld portion P2 in addition to the above-described spot weld portion P1, and the bead portion 8, Both side surfaces 5S and 6S of 9 are joined by the spot welding part P3. Further, the first front / rear flange portions 6F1, 6F2 and the second front / rear flange portions 5F1, 5F2 are joined by the spot welded portion P4. Since FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view, the grooves 8V and 9V are omitted for convenience.

  Then, after the strut support member 5 is connected to the hood ridge upper member 3 via the connection member 6, as shown in FIG. 1, the second front and rear flange portions 5F1, 5F2 and the first of the strut support member 5 The inner flange portion 5F3 of the second member and the first front and rear flange portions 6F1 and 6F2 of the connecting member 6 are covered and joined by the upper end portion of the strut housing 2.

  With the above structure, according to the superstructure of the strut tower 1 of the first embodiment, the connecting member 6 overlapped and joined to the lower surface of the vehicle outer end portion 5a of the strut support member 5 has the first front and rear flanges. The parts 6F1, 6F2, the first inner flange part 6F3, and the first outer flange part 6F4 are provided, and the flange parts 6F1 to 6F4 are continuously formed. Thereby, since each flange part 6F1-6F4 continuously surrounds the circumference | surroundings of the connection member 6, the bending rigidity and the torsional rigidity of the connection member 6 can be improved.

  Further, the vehicle inner end portion 6a of the connecting member 6 with increased rigidity is overlapped and joined to the lower surface of the vehicle outer end portion 5a of the strut support member 5, thereby increasing the rigidity of the strut support member 5. Can be increased. Accordingly, since the support strength of the upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1 constituted by the strut support member 5 and the connecting member 6 can be increased, the support strength of the strut can be sufficiently ensured while achieving the thinning of the upper end surface 4. .

  Further, the inner end 6a of the connecting member 6 is overlapped and joined to the lower surface of the outer end 5a of the strut supporting member 5, that is, the strut support is provided on the upper surface of the inner end 6a of the connecting member 6. The vehicle outer end portion 5a of the member 5 is overlapped and joined from above. As a result, the strut support member 5 can be stacked and assembled on the upper side of the connecting member 6 in a state where the connecting member 6 is joined to the vehicle body via the first outer flange portion 6F4. Assembling property can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first bead portion 8 provided on the strut support member 5 and the second bead portion 9 provided on the connecting member 6 are overlapped with each other, so that at least each of the bead portions 8, 9. The side surfaces 8a and 9a are joined by a spot weld P1. At this time, since the first bead portion 8 is continuously projected to the embossed strut mounting seat surface 7 and protrudes upward, the side surface 8 a of the first bead portion 8 is formed on the upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1. The input of the input vertical load F can be efficiently transmitted as a force in the shear direction, as indicated by an arrow a in FIG. Therefore, since the spot weld P1 receives the input of the vertical load F as a force in the shear direction, the joining rigidity and strength of the upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1 can be improved.

  That is, when the inner flange portion 6F3 is not provided, as shown in FIG. 5, the strut support member 5 and the connecting member 6 with respect to the vertical load F can be easily moved in the vertical direction on both sides in the front-rear direction. It will bend and deform.

  By the way, especially in this embodiment, since the side surfaces 8a and 9a of the bead portions 8 and 9 are inclined surfaces, the load F can be efficiently transmitted from the strut mounting seat surface 7 to the side surface 8a, and the effect can be enhanced.

[Second Embodiment]
6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the same components as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the strut tower. FIGS. 7 and 7 are exploded perspective views of the strut support member and the connecting member as seen from the outside of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper structure of the strut tower of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and the upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1 is connected to the strut support member 5 and the connecting member 6. It is constituted by.

  Here, the present embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment in that the inner end 6a of the connecting member 6 is joined to the upper surface of the outer end 5a of the strut support member 5 so as to be joined. 5 is surrounded by a flange portion.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the strut support member 5 has second front and rear flange portions 5F1 and 5F2 bent downward on the front and rear side portions 5b and 5c, and a vehicle inner end portion 5d bent downward. The second inner flange portion 5F3 and the second outer flange portion 5F4 bent downward from the vehicle outer end portion 5a are provided, and the flange portions 5F1 to 5F4 are continuously formed. That is, the end portion of the second front flange portion 5F1 and the end portion of the second rear flange portion 5F2 are integrally connected in the front-rear direction by the second outer flange portion 5F4.

  At this time, the connection member 6 is provided with a flange portion (corresponding to the inner flange portion 6F3 of the first embodiment) at the vehicle inner end portion 6a because the vehicle inner end portion 6a is overlapped with the upper surface of the strut support member 5. The first front and rear flange portions 6F1 and 6F2 bent downward on the front and rear side portions 6b and 6c, and the first outer flange portion 6F4 joined to the vehicle body at the vehicle outer end 6d are provided. is there.

  As in the first embodiment, the first outer flange portion 6F4 is formed by bending the vehicle outer end 6d of the connecting member 6 upward and front / rear both sides, as shown in FIG. The outer flange portion 6F4 is joined to the hood ridge upper member 3 so that the strut support member 5 is connected to the hood ridge upper member 3, that is, the vehicle body via the connecting member 6.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, as in the first embodiment, in the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the strut support member 5, a first bead portion that protrudes upward is formed continuously with the strut mounting seat surface 7 that is embossed. 8 is provided. On the other hand, a second bead portion 9 along the cross-sectional shape of the first bead portion 8 is provided at a position corresponding to the first bead portion 8 in the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the connecting member 6. The first bead portion 8 and the second bead portion 9 are overlapped with each other, and at least the side surfaces 8a and 9a of the respective bead portions 8 and 9 are joined by the spot welded portion P1.

  Further, the top portions of the bead portions 8 and 9 are joined together by the spot welded portion P2, and both side surfaces 5S and 6S of the bead portions 8 and 9 are joined together by the spot welded portion P3. The side flange portions 6F1, 6F2 and the second front / rear flange portions 5F1, 5F2 are joined by a spot weld portion P4.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, after the strut support member 5 is connected to the hood ridge upper member 3 via the connection member 6, as shown in FIG. The second front / rear flange portions 5F1 and 5F2 and the second inner flange portion 5F3 and the first front / rear flange portions 6F1 and 6F2 of the connecting member 6 are covered with the upper end portion of the strut housing 2. To be joined.

  With the above structure, according to the upper structure of the strut tower 1 of the second embodiment, the strut support member 5 that is overlapped and joined to the lower surface of the inner end 6a of the connecting portion 6 has the second front and rear flanges. A second outer flange portion 5F4 that connects the portions 5F1 and 5F2 in the front-rear direction is integrally formed continuously. Further, the flange portions 5F1 to 5F4 continuously surround the strut support member 5. For this reason, the bending rigidity and torsional rigidity of the strut support member 5 can be increased.

  And the rigidity of the connecting member 6 can also be improved by overlapping and joining the connecting member 6 to the strut support member 5 having increased rigidity in this way. Therefore, since the support strength of the upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1 constituted by the strut support member 5 and the connecting member 6 can be increased, the support strength of the strut can be increased while achieving the thinning of the upper end surface 4 of the strut tower 1. Enough can be secured.

  By the way, the upper structure of the strut tower of the present invention has been described by taking the first and second embodiments as examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various other embodiments can be used without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be adopted.

It is a perspective view of the strut tower concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the strut supporting member concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a connection member from the vehicle inside. It is the perspective view which looked at the joined state of the strut support member concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention, and a connecting member from the vehicles back. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the cross section along the AA line in FIG. FIG. 4 is a comparative explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 3 schematically showing a case where the connecting member has no flange portion. It is a perspective view of the strut tower concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the strut support member and connection member concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention from the vehicle outer side.

Explanation of symbols

1 Strut Tower 3 Hood Ridge Upper Member (Body)
4 Upper end surface of strut tower 5 Strut support member 5a Outer side end portion of strut support member 5b, 5c Side portion of strut support member 5d Inward end portion of strut support member 5F1 Second front flange portion 5F2 Second rear Side flange portion 5F3 Second inner flange portion 5F4 Second outer flange portion 6 Connecting member 6a Inner end portion 6b, 6c of connecting member Side portion of connecting member 6d Outer end of connecting member 6F1 First front flange portion 6F2 First rear flange portion 6F3 First inner flange portion 6F4 First outer flange portion 7 Strut mounting seat surface 8 First bead portion 9 Second bead portion

Claims (3)

In a superstructure of a strut tower of an automobile, comprising: a strut support member that supports the strut; and a connecting member that is coupled to the vehicle exterior side of the strut support member and coupled to the vehicle body.
A first front / rear flange portion in which the front and rear side portions are bent in the vertical direction and a vehicle inner end portion are bent in the vertical direction on the connecting member, and the first front / rear flange portion in the vehicle. An upper structure of a strut tower, comprising: a first inner flange portion that integrally connects inner end portions in the front-rear direction. In a superstructure of a strut tower of an automobile, comprising: a strut support member that supports the strut; and a connecting member that is coupled to the vehicle exterior side of the strut support member and coupled to the vehicle body.
The strut support member is bent with a second front / rear flange portion bent in the vertical direction at both front and rear sides, and a vehicle outer end portion is bent in the vertical direction, and the second front / rear flange portion is bent. An upper structure of the strut tower, characterized in that a second inner flange portion integrally connected in the front-rear direction is formed.   In the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the strut support member, a first bead portion that protrudes upward continuously from the strut mounting seat surface is provided, and on the first bead portion in the vehicle width direction on the upper surface of the connecting member. A second bead portion along the cross-sectional shape of the first bead portion is provided at a corresponding position, and the first bead portion and the second bead portion are overlapped with each other, so that at least each of the bead portions The upper structure of the strut tower according to claim 1 or 2, wherein side surfaces are joined to each other.

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