JP3872608B2 - Front body structure of the vehicle - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a front body structure of a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Both end portions of the front end cross member are fixed to the front end portions of the pair of side members provided in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body. The center portion of the front end cross member is connected to a center member that is disposed between the pair of side members and supports the engine, and is provided with a radiator, an oil cooler, or an intercooler that is disposed closer to the passenger compartment than the front end cross member. In consideration of the air permeability to the cooling device such as the above, there are some which are bulged below the side members. Such a front end cross member is generally press-molded, and a method for reducing the weight thereof includes reducing the plate thickness. The base end of the center member is connected to the body side, and a so-called shipping hook is provided on the lower surface of the front end portion and the lower portion of the front end cross member to lock a pulling member for fixing the vehicle during transportation. A hook member called is fixed.
[0003]
In order to increase the vehicle strength in the event of a collision, it has been proposed to connect the left and right side members by fastening reinforcing bumper reinforcements with bolts or the like at the tip of the side member or both ends of the front end cross member. .
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the front vehicle body structure provided with both the reinforcing bumper reinforcement and the front end cross member, the strength can be increased as compared with the structure without the bumper reinforcement. Therefore, there is room to consider weight reduction by reducing the plate thickness of the front end cross member positioned below the side member. However, if the plate thickness is reduced, when a downward load is applied to fix the vehicle body to the hook member, there is a risk that the portion of the front end cross member to which the hook member is attached will be deformed in the load direction. Further, in the case where the front end cross member is connected to the front end of the center member, the support strength on the base end side of the center member is stronger than that of the front end. There is a risk of deformation in the load direction around the base end.
An object of the present invention is to propose a structure of a front portion of a vehicle body that can secure strength in the vicinity of a mounting portion of a front end cross member and a hook member while reducing the weight.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a first cross member whose both ends are connected to the front end portions of a pair of side members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a lower portion of the first cross member. A front end cross member formed integrally with a second cross member arranged with a space between the first cross member and a lower end of the front end cross member. Since the hook member to be locked and the load supporting member in which the vicinity of the second cross member where the hook member is supported are connected to the first cross member, the strength of the vicinity of the hook member is partially increased. In particular, it can be increased by a load supporting member. 2. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the first cross member and the second cross member are integrally molded and the load supporting member is positioned substantially directly above the hook member, the load applied to the hook member is loaded. It can transmit to a 1st cross member via a supporting member, the whole can be reduced in weight, and cost reduction can be aimed at.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the vehicle front body structure shown in FIG. 1, both ends 1a and 1b of the front end cross member 1 are welded to front end portions 4a and 5a of a pair of front side members 4 and 5 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. . The front side members 4, 5 are connected to the lower portions of the base end sides 4 b, 5 b by an under cross member 7. One end 6 a of a center member 6 that supports an engine, a transmission, and the like (not shown) from below is fixed to the undercross member 7. The center member 6 is disposed substantially at the center between the front side members 4 and 5. The base end sides 4b and 5b of the front side members 4 and 5 and the one end 6a of the center member 6 may be connected to a known dash panel or the like instead of the undercross member 7.
[0007]
The front end cross member 1 includes a first cross member 2 disposed substantially horizontally between the front side members 4 and 5, and a bulge extending downward from the first cross member 2 toward the vehicle. A second cross member 3 that forms a space 8 with the member 2 is integrally molded. The first cross member 2 has a reinforcement function for increasing the vehicle strength, a bumper attachment portion (not shown), and a bumper reinforcement function that mainly receives a load during a collision. The second cross member 3 is disposed below the first cross member 2, and the front end portion 6b of the center member 6 is attached to the lower surface of the center portion 3a. A lamp support panel and a front end upper panel (not shown) are disposed above the first cross member 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the second cross member 3 is disposed on the rear side of the first cross member 2.
[0008]
The space 8 takes air into an engine room 30 formed on the rear side of the front end cross member 1. Inside the second cross member 3, a cooling device 9 is mounted so as to face the space portion 8 via a bracket 15. Examples of the cooling device 9 include an intercooler, an oil cooler, and a radiator.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 3, the front end cross member 1 includes an outer panel 10 and an inner panel 11. In this embodiment, unequal thickness steel plates are used for the outer panel 10 and the inner panel 11. The outer panel 10 and the inner panel 11 are each molded from unequal thickness steel plates so that the plate thickness in the vicinity of the joint between the front side members 4 and 5 is increased. Both end portions 10a and 10b of the outer panel 10 are formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section into which the front end portions 4a and 5a of the front side members 4 and 5 can be inserted, and project in the vehicle width direction from the central portion 10c of the outer panel 10. It is installed. At both ends 10a and 10b, a plurality of work ports 13 for spot welding are formed. In the central portion 10c of the outer panel 10, an opening 8a that forms the space portion 8 is formed long in the vehicle width direction, and the upper and lower sides of the opening 8a are formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section. A plurality of openings 12 are formed in the vehicle width direction on the front surface 10d of the outer panel 10 positioned above the opening 8a. The outer panel 10 is reduced in weight and serves as an intake for traveling wind.
[0010]
The inner panel 11 has a cross-sectional shape that forms a closed cross section with the outer panel 10 except for a part of the inner panel 11 at the time of overlapping connection with the outer panel 10. Notch portions 3a and 3b are formed at portions of the inner panel 11 facing both end portions 10a and 10b, and are formed so as to have an open cross section at the time of polymerization connection with the outer panel 10. Mounting flanges 3c and 3d are formed at the edge of the cutout portion 3a, and mounting flanges 3e and 3f are formed at the edge of the cutout portion 3b to constitute a connecting portion for the front side members 4 and 5, respectively. Yes. An opening 8b is formed at a portion of the inner panel 11 that faces the opening 8a, and the outer panel 10 and the inner panel 11 are connected by polymerization to form the space 8. In the inner panel 11 positioned above the opening 8b, a plurality of openings 14 are formed in the vehicle width direction, so that traveling air passing through the opening 12 can be passed along with the weight reduction of the inner panel 11. ing.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 2, a U-shaped hook member 17 is fastened to a front end portion 6b of the center member 6 connected to a lower portion of the second cross member 3, and a base portion 17b is fastened with a bolt 18, and a front end 17a is The center member 6 is fixedly attached to the distal end portion 6b of the center member 6 located behind the base end 17b. That is, the hook member 17 is supported by the lower part of the second cross member 3 via the center member 6. The hook member 17 is engaged with a wire 19 that is an example of a pulling member, and is pulled downward in the vehicle when the vehicle is being fixed.
[0012]
A portion of the second cross member 3 in the vicinity where the hook member 17 is supported, preferably a portion directly above the hook member 17 is connected to the first cross member 2 by a load support member 20 made of a metal plate. Yes. An upper end 20 a of the load support member 20 is welded to a joint flange 22 including the outer panel 10 and the flange portions 10 g and 11 g of the inner panel 11 that are located on the upper portion of the opening 8 and joined to each other. The lower end 20 a of the load support member 20 is welded to the front surface 10 c of the outer panel 10 that is positioned below the opening 8 and that constitutes the second cross member 3. The load support member 20 may be a resin plate containing engineering plastic, glass, or carbon fiber instead of a metal plate. In this case, it is preferable to attach using a fastening member such as a bolt. The load support member 20 may be provided separately from the front end cross member 1 as in this form, and may be retrofitted, or may be integrally formed with at least one of the outer panel 10 or the inner panel 11, From the viewpoint that the strength can be freely selected, it can be said that it is preferable to select the strength corresponding to the tensile load applied to the engagement hook 17 by being configured separately from the outer panel 10 and the inner panel 11.
[0013]
The assembly of the front end cross member 1 will be described.
The outer panel 10 and the inner panel 11 are press-molded into a desired shape, the formed panels are superposed, the flange portions of the panels are welded, and the two panels are integrated to form the front end cross member 1 as an assembly.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 2, the front side members 4 and 5 are engaged with the notches 3a and 3b, and the front ends 4a and 5a of the front side members 4 and 5 are connected to both end portions 10a and 10b having a U-shaped cross section. The front end members 4d and 5d of the inserted front side members 4 and 5 are joined to the inner surface 10e of the outer panel 10, respectively. A welder is inserted from each working port 13 to weld the inner side surfaces 4c and 5b of the front side members 4 and 5 to the mounting flanges 3c and 3e, and the bottom surfaces 4e and 5e of the front side members 4 and 5 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the front end cross member 1 is welded directly to the front end portions 4a and 5a of the front side members 4 and 5, and the second cross member is welded to the mounting flanges 3d and 3f shown in FIG. 3 and the front end 6b of the center member 6 are welded.
[0015]
In this way, by integrally molding the first cross member 2 and the second cross member 3, the number of parts can be reduced and the weight can be reduced as compared with the case where the first cross member 2 and the second cross member 3 are individually molded as in the prior art. Since the front end cross member 1 can be formed simply by joining the two members of the inner panel 11, the number of assembling steps can be reduced and the operation can be facilitated. Further, since the mold for press molding is sufficient for the outer panel and the inner panel, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0016]
When the wire 19 is hooked on the hook member 17 and pulled downward in FIG. 2, a downward tensile load is applied to the second cross member 3 and the center member 6. This load is fixed near the upper portion of the hook member 17. Since the load is transmitted to the first cross member 2 via the load support member 20, the load applied to the second cross member 3 and the center member 6 can be dispersed. For this reason, even if the plate thickness of the outer panel 10 and the inner panel 11 constituting the second class member 10 is reduced, the load supporting member 20 can ensure the strength in the vicinity of the mounting portion of the hook member 17 and reduce the weight. Deformation in the vicinity of the attachment portion of the hook member 17 can be prevented. In the case of this embodiment, since the first cross member and the second cross member are molded, the number of parts and the number of joints between the first cross member and the second cross member are smaller than when each member is provided individually. Thus, the entire front cross member can be reduced in weight, and the assembly can be facilitated and the cost can be reduced.
[0017]
Although the present embodiment has been described using the one provided with the center member 6, it is of course possible to use the one without the center member 6, and even in such a case, the same effect as the above-described configuration can be obtained. In this case, the hook member 17 may be attached directly to the lower surface of the second cross member 3 with the bolt 18. The first cross member 2 may be a separate member whose both ends are fastened to the side members 4 and 5 with bolts or the like, for example, a bumper reinforcement.
[0018]
In this embodiment, the load support member 20 is provided on the front end cross member 1 in which the first cross member 2 and the second cross member 3 are integrally molded in consideration of weight reduction and assemblability, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first cross member 2 and the second cross member 3 that are individually connected to the front end portions 4a and 5a of the front side members 4 and 5 and form the space portion 8 between them are bridged up and down. Thus, the load support member 20 may be connected. Even in this case, the load supporting member 20 may be arranged such that the hook member 17 is located in the vicinity of the hook member 17, preferably substantially directly above the hook member 17.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the strength in the vicinity of the hook member can be partially increased by the load support member, so that the strength in the vicinity of the front end cross member and the hook member attachment portion can be ensured while reducing the weight. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front body structure of a vehicle showing one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an attached state of a load support member and a hook member.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a front end cross member.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 First cross member 3 Second cross member 4, 5 A pair of side members 4 a, 5 a Front end portion 8 of the side member Space portion 17 Hook member 19 Pull member 20 Load support member

Claims (2)

A first cross member having both ends connected to front ends of a pair of side members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
A second cross member disposed with the first cross member and a space below the first cross member;
A center member that is disposed substantially at the center between the side members, and whose front end is connected to the lower surface of the center of the second cross member ;
A hook member attached to the tip of the center member and to which a pulling member is locked during vehicle transportation ;
A vehicle body structure for a front portion of a vehicle, comprising: a load support member that connects a portion of the second cross member directly above the hook member to the first cross member . A first cross member having both ends connected to front ends of a pair of side members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
A second cross member disposed below the first cross member with a space between the first cross member and forming the front end cross member integrally with the first cross member;
A center member that is disposed substantially at the center between the side members, and whose front end is connected to the lower surface of the center of the second cross member;
A hook member attached to the tip of the center member and to which a pulling member is locked during vehicle transportation;
A vehicle body structure for a front portion of a vehicle, comprising: a load support member that connects a portion of the second cross member directly above the hook member to the first cross member .

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