JP2016068631A - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a vehicle front structure capable of improving the fatigue strength and the rigidity of a joint section between an apron upper member and an apron panel.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure comprises: a front side member 14 which extends outside, in a vehicle width direction, of a vehicle front section 12 along a vehicle front-rear direction; an apron upper member 18 which extends outside, in the vehicle width direction, of the front side member 14 and on a vehicle upper side in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a front end portion of which is disposed on a vehicle rear side with respect to a front end portion of the front side member 14; an apron panel 28 which is disposed between the front side member 14 and the apron upper member 18, and which is joined to the front side member 14 and the apron upper member 18; and a connection member 24 which connects the front end portion of the apron upper member 18 to the front end portion of the front side member 14, and which includes an extension section 42 that extends inside in the vehicle width direction from a joint part 38 joined to the apron upper member 18 and that is joined onto the apron panel 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle structure in which an apron front panel (apron panel) is disposed between a front side member and an upper member (apron upper member). Here, a brace is joined to the lower surface of the apron front panel, and the front end of the upper member and the front side member are connected by this brace. Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle front structure in which an apron panel is disposed between a front side member and an apron upper member.

JP 2012-30640 A JP 2010-30388 A

  By the way, in order to reduce the weight of the vehicle, a structure is known in which the apron upper member of the apron panel is removed from the front side of the vehicle. However, since the load concentrates on the joint portion between the apron upper member and the apron panel, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of improving the fatigue strength and rigidity of the joint portion.

  In view of the above-described facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle front structure that can improve the fatigue strength and rigidity of a joint portion between an apron upper member and an apron panel.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle front portion structure including a front side member extending along a vehicle front-rear direction on a vehicle width direction outside of a vehicle front portion, a vehicle width direction outer side of the front side member, and An apron upper member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction above the vehicle and has a front end disposed behind the front end of the front side member, and is disposed between the front side member and the apron upper member, An apron panel joined to the front side member and the apron upper member, and a front end portion of the apron upper member and a front end portion of the front side member are connected, and from the joint portion of the apron upper member to the vehicle width direction And a connecting member provided with an expansion portion that is expanded inward and joined onto the apron panel.

  In the vehicle front structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, an apron panel is disposed between the apron upper member and the front side member, and the apron panel is joined to the apron upper member and the front side member. Has been. Further, the front end portion of the apron upper member and the front end portion of the front side member are connected by a connecting member. Here, the connecting member includes an extended portion that is extended inward in the vehicle width direction from a joint portion with the apron upper member, and the extended portion is joined on the apron panel. Thereby, the junction part of an apron upper member and an apron panel can be reinforced with an expansion part.

  As described above, according to the vehicle front structure according to the present invention, the fatigue strength and rigidity of the joint portion between the apron upper member and the apron panel can be improved.

It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle right side of the vehicle front part structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the vehicle right side of the vehicle front part structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of FIG. 1 showing an enlarged joint portion between an apron upper member and an apron panel according to the first embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view which expands and shows the cut surface cut | disconnected by the 4-4 line | wire of FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in rigidity along the vehicle width direction in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the state before and behind the input of the load in the junction part of the apron upper member and apron panel which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view corresponding to Drawing 4 showing the vehicles front part structure concerning the modification of a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 which shows the vehicle front part structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view corresponding to Drawing 1 showing the vehicles front part structure concerning a comparative example. It is an expanded sectional view which expands and shows the cut surface cut | disconnected by the 10-10 line | wire of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the state before and behind the input of the load in the junction part of the apron upper member and apron panel which concern on a comparative example.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a vehicle front structure according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Note that an arrow FR appropriately shown in the drawings indicates the vehicle front side, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and an arrow OUT indicates the vehicle width direction outer side. In addition, the vehicle front structure according to the present invention is configured symmetrically in the vehicle width direction. For this reason, the right side portion of the vehicle will be described below, and the description of the left side portion of the vehicle will be omitted.

(Vehicle front structure)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a right side portion of a vehicle front portion 12 of a vehicle 10 having a vehicle front portion structure according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the right side portion of the vehicle front portion 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front side member 14 extends along the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle width direction outer side of the vehicle front portion 12.

  The front side member 14 is formed in a substantially rectangular closed cross-sectional shape, and is provided in a pair on the left and right sides (FIGS. 1 and 2 show only the front side member 14 on the right side of the vehicle). The front end of the front side member 14 is connected to a bumper reinforcement (not shown), and the rear end of the front side member 14 is connected to a dash panel (not shown). Further, a power unit (not shown) is disposed between the pair of front side members 14.

  Here, a mount bracket 16 is attached to the front side member 14. The mount bracket 16 is erected on the upper wall of the front side member 14 and includes a substantially cylindrical support portion 16A. A power unit (not shown) is supported on the front side member 14 via the support portion 16A.

  An apron upper member 18 extends along the vehicle longitudinal direction outside the front side member 14 in the vehicle width direction and above the vehicle. As with the front side member 14, a pair of apron upper members 18 are provided on the left and right. As shown in FIG. 4, the apron upper member 18 includes an inner panel 20 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that is opened outward in the vehicle width direction and an outer panel 20 that is open outward in the vehicle width direction and is wider than the inner panel 20. The outer panel 22 having a substantially U-shaped cross section with a short length in the direction is included.

  The inner panel 20 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from an inner side vertical wall portion 20A facing inward in the vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle vertical direction, and an upper and lower end portion of the inner side vertical wall portion 20A. The inner side upper wall part 20B and the inner side lower wall part 20C are provided. On the other hand, the outer panel 22 includes an outer side vertical wall portion 22A extending in the vehicle vertical direction so as to connect ends of the inner side upper wall portion 20B and the inner side lower wall portion 20C on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. . Further, an outer side upper wall portion 22B and an outer side lower wall portion 22C extend from the upper and lower ends of the outer side vertical wall portion 22A to the outside in the vehicle width direction. And the inner side upper wall part 20B and the outer side upper wall part 22B are joined, and the inner side lower wall part 20C and the outer side lower wall part 22C are joined to constitute a closed cross section.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rear end portion of an outrigger (apron brace) 24 as a connecting member to be described later is joined to the front end portion 18 </ b> A of the apron upper member 18. Further, the rear end portion of the apron upper member 18 is joined to a front pillar lower constituting a lower portion of a front pillar (not shown).

  Here, the front end 18 </ b> A of the apron upper member 18 is located behind the front end of the front side member 14. An apron panel 28 and a suspension tower 26 are bridged between the front side member 14 and the apron upper member 18 to form a front wheel house that houses the front wheels.

  The apron panel 28 is a plate-like metal member, and extends to the outer peripheral side of the suspension tower 26 from the vertical wall portion 30 extending in the vehicle vertical direction along the outer periphery of the suspension tower 26 and the lower end portion of the vertical wall portion 30. The lateral wall portion 32 is included. Here, the inner end of the lateral wall portion 32 disposed in front of the suspension tower 26 in the vehicle width direction is bent upward in the vehicle and joined to the outer side surface of the front side member 14 in the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer end 32A of the lateral wall 32 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is bent upward along the inner side vertical wall 20A of the apron upper member 18, and this inner side. It is joined to the vertical wall portion 20A.

  An apron support 34 is disposed below the apron panel 28 along the vehicle width direction. The apron support 34 is a plate-like metal member disposed along the lateral wall portion 32 of the apron panel 28 and extends in the vehicle width direction. Here, the inside of the apron support 34 in the vehicle width direction is joined to the lower surface of the apron panel 28. Further, the end of the apron support 34 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is welded together with the inner side lower wall portion 20C and the outer side lower wall portion 22C of the apron upper member 18. Further, peripheral parts such as a relay box (not shown) are arranged on the inner side in the vehicle width direction from the apron upper member 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an outrigger 24 as a connecting member is joined to the front end portion 18 </ b> A of the apron upper member 18. The outrigger 24 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and has a substantially rectangular closed cross-sectional shape, and connects the front end 18 </ b> A of the apron upper member 18 and the front end of the front side member 14. Accordingly, a space 36 surrounded by the lateral wall portion 32, the outrigger 24, and the front side member 14 is formed in front of the apron panel 28 in the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle 10 can be reduced in weight by forming the space 36 without extending the apron panel 28 to the front of the vehicle.

  Here, the rear end portion of the outrigger 24 is extended to the vehicle rear side so as to cover the front end portion 18A of the apron upper member 18, and is overlapped and joined to the outer peripheral side of the front end portion 18A of the apron upper member 18. Yes. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the joint portion 38 of the outrigger 24 with the apron upper member 18 includes an upper wall side extended portion 40 superimposed on the upper surface of the apron upper member 18, and a side surface of the apron upper member 18. And a vertical wall side extension 42 superimposed on each other.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper wall side extended portion 40 is superimposed on the inner side upper wall portion 20 </ b> B of the inner panel 20 constituting the apron upper member 18. Three pieces are joined together with the wall portion 22B by spot welding or the like.

  The vertical wall side extension 42 is bent from the vehicle width direction inner side end of the upper wall side extension 40 to the vehicle lower side, and the upper part of the vertical wall side extension 42 is an inner that constitutes the apron upper member 18. It overlaps with the inner side vertical wall part 20A of the panel 20, and is joined by spot welding or the like. The lower portion of the vertical wall side extension 42 is an inclined portion 42A that is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper side of the vehicle to the lower side of the vehicle. The lower end portion of the inclined portion 42A is the horizontal wall of the apron panel 28. The flange portion 42B is bent along the portion 32 inward in the vehicle width direction. And since the flange part 42B is joined to the horizontal wall part 32, in this embodiment, the inclined section 42A, the inner side vertical wall part 20A, and the horizontal wall part 32 (the apron panel 28) have a substantially triangular closed cross section 44. It is configured.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical wall side extension portion 42 and the inner side vertical wall portion 20A are joined at a position different from the joint portion between the outer end portion 32A of the horizontal wall portion 32 and the inner side vertical wall portion 20A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be joined at the same position. For example, the outer end portion 32A of the horizontal wall portion 32 extends to the upper end portion of the inner side vertical wall portion 20A, and the inner side vertical wall portion 20A, the outer end portion 32A, and the vertical wall side extension portion 42 are joined. Good.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front end portion 42 </ b> C of the vertical wall side extending portion 42 extends to a position overlapping the space 36 in plan view. The rear end portion of the vertical wall side extension portion 42 is joined to the upper surface of the suspension tower 26 and the vertical wall portion 30 of the apron panel 28.

(Action and effect)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle 10 to which the vehicle front portion structure of the present embodiment is applied, the rear end portion of the outrigger 24 is extended to the apron upper member 18, and the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 are separated by the vertical wall side extension portion 42. The joint is reinforced. Thereby, the fatigue strength and rigidity of the joint part of the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 can be improved.

  Here, the above operation and effect will be described by comparing with a comparative vehicle that does not include the vehicle front structure according to the present invention. In addition, about the structure similar to this embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the vehicle front portion 102 of the vehicle 100 of the comparative example, the front end portion 18 </ b> A of the apron upper member 18 and the front end portion of the front side member 14 are connected by an outrigger 104. However, the rear end portion of the outrigger 104 is not extended to the vehicle rear side than the front end portion 18A of the apron upper member 18, and as shown in FIG. 10, the joining portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 is not provided. Not reinforced. That is, the upper wall side extended portion 40 according to the present embodiment is not disposed on the inner side upper wall portion 20B of the inner panel 20, and the inner wall side wall portion 20A has a vertical wall side according to the present embodiment. The extended portion 42 is not arranged.

  In the vehicle 100 of the comparative example configured as described above, since the joint portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 is not reinforced, the apron upper member as shown by a two-dot chain line L2 in the graph of FIG. The rigidity changes a lot at the boundary between 18 and the apron panel 28. For this reason, when a load is input from the engine to the vehicle rear side through the mount bracket 16 due to traveling on a rough road, sudden start, or the like, a joint portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 that becomes a rigidity change point. There is a risk of peeling deformation.

  Further, when the load is input from the suspension tower 26, as shown in FIG. 11, the angle θ1 of the front end portion of the apron panel 28 with respect to the joint surface between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 is reduced. To do. As a result, it is difficult to improve the rigidity (applying point rigidity) of the suspension tower 26.

  On the other hand, in the vehicle 10 to which the vehicle front structure according to the present embodiment is applied, as shown in FIG. 4, the joint portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 is the upper wall side extension of the outrigger 24. It is reinforced by the part 40 and the vertical wall side extension part 42. As a result, as indicated by the solid line L1 in the graph of FIG. 5, the rigidity gradually changes between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28. Thereby, even when a load is input to the vehicle rear side via the mount bracket 16, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of peeling deformation at the joint portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28. That is, fatigue strength can be improved.

  Even when a load is input from the suspension tower 26, as shown in FIG. 6, the angle θ2 of the front end portion of the apron panel 28 with respect to the joint surface between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 is almost deformed. do not do. That is, the change in the angle θ2 can be suppressed. Thereby, the rigidity (applying point rigidity) of the suspension tower 26 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower portion of the vertical wall side extension 42 is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper side of the vehicle to the lower side of the vehicle to form the inclined portion 42A. The inclined portion 42A may not be provided. For example, as in the modification of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the vertical wall side extension 42 may extend substantially linearly from the upper part to the lower part. In the modification of FIG. 7, three pieces of the vertical wall side extended portion 42, the outer end portion 32 </ b> A (the apron panel 28), and the inner side vertical wall portion 20 </ b> A (the apron upper member 18) are joined by spot welding or the like. . Even in this case, the rigidity can be gradually changed between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the vehicle front structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle front structure according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the “expansion portion” of the present invention is formed by a reinforcing member 56 different from the outrigger. In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the front end portion 18 </ b> A of the apron upper member 18 and the front end portion of the front side member 14 are connected to the vehicle front portion 52 of the vehicle 50 to which the vehicle front portion structure of the present embodiment is applied. An outrigger (apron brace) 54 as a connecting member is provided.

  Here, a reinforcing member 56 as an expansion portion is provided at a joint portion between the outrigger 54 and the apron upper member 18. The reinforcing member 56 is a plate-like metal member formed in a substantially triangular shape in plan view, and has a flange portion 56 </ b> A that is bent outward along the outrigger 54 in the vehicle width direction. The flange portion 56A is joined to the inner surface in the vehicle width direction at the rear end portion of the outrigger 54. The end of the reinforcing member 56 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is overlapped on the lateral wall portion 32 of the apron panel 28 and joined to the lateral wall portion 32. Further, the front end portion of the reinforcing member 56 overlaps the space 36 surrounded by the lateral wall portion 32, the outrigger 24, and the front side member 14 in a plan view.

(Action and effect)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle 50 to which the vehicle front portion structure of the present embodiment is applied, the joining portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 is reinforced by the reinforcing member 56 joined to the rear end portion of the outrigger 24. Further, since a part of the reinforcing member 56 is arranged at a position overlapping the space 36 in plan view, the fatigue strength and rigidity of the joint portion between the apron upper member 18 and the apron panel 28 can be improved.

  The shape of the reinforcing member 56 is not particularly limited. For example, you may form in a substantially rectangular shape by planar view. Moreover, it is good also as a shape which covers even the upper surface in the rear-end part of the outrigger 54.

  The vehicle front structure according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 12 Vehicle front part 14 Front side member 18 Apron upper member 18A Front end part (front end part of apron upper member)
24 Outrigger (connection member)
28 Apron panel 38 Joint (joint between outrigger and apron upper member)
42 Vertical wall side extension (extension part)
50 Vehicle 52 Vehicle Front 54 Outrigger (Connecting Member)
56 Reinforcement member (expansion part)

Claims (1)

A front side member extending along the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle width direction outside of the vehicle front part,
An apron upper member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle width direction outside of the front side member and above the vehicle, and has a front end portion disposed behind the front end portion of the front side member;
An apron panel disposed between the front side member and the apron upper member and joined to the front side member and the apron upper member;
A front end portion of the apron upper member and a front end portion of the front side member are connected to each other, and an extended portion that is extended inward in the vehicle width direction from a joint portion with the apron upper member and joined to the apron panel is provided. Connecting members,
A vehicle front structure having:

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