JP6776108B2 - Plate members and automobile body structural members - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plate member and an automobile body structural member. In particular, the present invention relates to an automobile body structural member configured by combining a roof panel and a roof panel by welding using a plate member suitable as an automobile roof reinforcement member.

A roof panel is arranged as a superstructure member of a vehicle body forming a passenger compartment of an automobile. A roof head lining is arranged inside the roof panel as a ceiling interior material. Then, a plate member of the roof center reinforcement member is arranged at a position corresponding to the center pillar between the roof panel and the roof head lining. The plate member of the roof center reinforcement member is a long plate-shaped member, and both ends of the long shape are welded and joined to the roof panel to form an upper structural member of an automobile body. As a result, the passenger compartment is protected by receiving the collision load at the time of a side collision (side collision) of the automobile.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-37318

By the way, in the production of automobile parts, in many cases, the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member described above is treated as a part of a parts maker, and is manufactured by the parts maker. On the other hand, since the roof panel is a main part forming the skeleton of an automobile body, it is treated as a part of an automobile manufacturer and is manufactured by the automobile manufacturer. Then, the welding work for integrating the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member and the roof panel as a vehicle body structural member is performed at the welding equipment of the assembly line of the automobile manufacturer.

Welding work for integrating the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member and the roof panel is usually performed by a spot welding facility installed on an assembly line. For this reason, both the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member and the roof panel are made of steel. By the way, recently, in order to reduce the weight of steel parts, it has been studied to replace it with a rigid and lightweight material, for example, an aluminum material.

Since changing the welding equipment on the assembly line of an automobile manufacturer involves a major equipment change, the parts manufacturer should try to reduce the weight of the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member without changing the equipment of the automobile manufacturer. Is an issue.

Then, in order to reduce the weight of the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member without changing the welding equipment and keeping the material of the roof panel as steel, the material of the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member is other than steel. Will be the material of. Then, the materials of the two members to be welded, that is, the roof panel and the plate member of the roof center reinforcement member are different, and there is a problem that it is difficult to join by spot welding.

Therefore, the present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is an automobile without changing the welding equipment of the automobile body structural member of the automobile manufacturer. The purpose is to make it possible to reduce the weight of the plate members constituting the vehicle body.

The present invention takes the following measures in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.

The first invention of the present invention is a plate member used for a plate member welded structure in which a long plate-shaped member is joined to another plate member by welding to be integrated, and the plate member The material is a material different from the material of the other plate member, and the welded portion portion of the plate member with the other plate member is replaced with the same material as the other plate member, and the replacement is performed. It is a plate member formed by integrally joining a welded portion and a plate member other than the welded portion in a plate shape by friction stir welding.

According to the first invention, the welded portion between the plate member and the other plate member is made of the same material. As a result, welding of the plate member with the other plate member can be performed without any problem. Then, if the material of the plate member is a material that can be reduced in weight differently from the material of other plate members, the weight of the plate member can be reduced.

The second invention of the present invention is a joint of the plate member of the first invention, in which a welded portion portion replaced with the material of the other plate member and a plate member other than the welded portion portion are friction-stir welded. The portion is a plate member in which the joint line of the flat portion when the plate member is viewed in a plan view is set to be inclined with respect to the axial line in the long direction of the plate member.

According to the second invention, the joint portion in which the welded portion of the plate member replaced with the material of the other plate member and the plate member other than the welded portion portion are friction-stir welded is the length of the plate member. It is set at an angle with respect to the axis in the scale direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent stress concentration of the bending deformation of the joint portion with respect to the bending deformation of the plate member in the longitudinal direction. That is, since the friction stir welding is relatively weak against bending deformation, stress concentration can be diffused by inclining the friction stir welding line with respect to the bending deformation direction, and the friction stir welding portion of the plate member can be diffused. Can maintain the strength of.

The third invention of the present invention is the plate member of the first invention or the second invention, wherein the welded portion portion replaced with the material of the other plate member and the plate member other than the welded portion portion are formed. The joint portion for friction stir welding is a plate member in which the joint portion line of the vertical surface portion in the vertical direction when the plate member is viewed in a plan view is set as the vertical direction.

According to the third invention, the joint line in the vertical plane portion in the vertical direction when the plate member is viewed in a plan view is set as the vertical direction. When the joint line formed by friction stir welding is arranged in the vertical direction, when the plate member is bent and deformed in the long direction, an acting force in the tensile direction acts on the joint. Since the friction stir welding is strong against tensile action, it is possible to sufficiently secure the rigidity of the plate member against bending deformation.

The fourth invention of the present invention is a plate member according to any one of the above-mentioned first to third inventions, in which the material of the plate member is an aluminum material and the material of the other member is a steel material. It is a member.

According to the fourth invention, the material of the plate member is aluminum. As a result, the weight of the plate member can be reduced.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, any of the plate members of the first to fourth inventions is a roof center reinforcement member of an automobile, and the other member is an automobile body structure member which is a roof panel.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily weld the automobile body structural member including the roof panel and the roof center reinforcement member.

According to the present invention, by taking the above-mentioned means, it is possible to reduce the weight of the plate members constituting the automobile body without changing the welding equipment of the automobile body structural members of the automobile manufacturer.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the whole body structure of an automobile. It is a left half-cut cross-sectional view of the vehicle ceiling portion where the roof center reinforcement member (plate member) according to this embodiment is arranged. It is a perspective view which shows the roof center reinforcement member (plate member) single item which concerns on this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the same part. It is a front view which shows the single item. It is an enlarged view of the friction stir welding portion in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the principle of friction stir welding.

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

The present embodiment described below is a case where the "plate member" referred to in the present invention is a roof center reinforcement member arranged on the ceiling of the vehicle body structure of an automobile. Therefore, the "other plate member" referred to in the present invention is a leaf panel. In each figure showing the present embodiment and the like, the direction indicated by the arrow is the direction seen from the arrangement configuration of the automobile, and is usually the direction seen from the passenger compartment of the automobile.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the vehicle body structure of the automobile 10. FIG. 1 shows a pillar member 12 as a vehicle body structural member arranged on the side surface of the automobile 10. From the front side of the vehicle, the pillar member 12 includes a front pillar member (usually referred to as an A pillar) 14, a center pillar member (usually referred to as a B pillar) 18, and a rear pillar member (usually referred to as a C pillar). It is composed of 16. Each pillar member 12 forms front door and rear door openings 20 and 22 (not shown) of the automobile 10, and front door 24 and rear door 26 are arranged in the openings 20 and 22, and each pillar member is appropriately arranged. It is attached to 12. Each of the pillar members 12 functions as a pillar reinforcement member that supports the collision load received by the doors 24 and 26 at the time of a side collision (side collision) of the automobile. In addition, each pillar member 12 may directly receive a lateral impact load.

As shown in FIG. 1, the roof center reinforcement member 30 as a plate member of the present invention is arranged below the roof panel 28 arranged on the ceiling of an automobile. The arrangement position of the roof center reinforcement member 30 is a position corresponding to the center pillar member 18 described above, and is arranged so as to support the lateral thrust load received by the center pillar member 18.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the roof center reinforcement member 30 is arranged on the ceiling of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a cross section of an automobile in the vehicle width direction, and the left half is cut off and shown. Roof head linings (ceiling interior materials) 34 are arranged at predetermined intervals on the interior (cabin) 32 side of the roof panel 28 forming the ceiling portion of the automobile body. The roof head lining 34 defines the space on the ceiling of the interior 32 of the automobile. The roof head lining 34 is made of a soft material and does not serve as a strength member that receives a load at the time of a collision.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roof panel 28 is composed of a roof panel main body 36 and a roof side rail 37. The roof panel main body 36 is arranged at the central position as seen in FIG. The roof side rails 37 are arranged along both ends of the roof panel main body 36. The roof side rail 37 is composed of an inner panel 38 and an outer panel 40. The inner panel 38 and the outer panel 40 have a closed cross-sectional structure in which flange portions 40a and 40b formed at both ends of the opening of the outer panel 40 are spot welded to the inner panel 38 as seen in FIG. The roof panel main body 36 and the roof side rail 37 are integrated together when the flange portion 40a of the inner panel 38 is spot welded.

The roof panel main body 36 and the roof side rail 37 constituting the roof panel 28 are made of steel having a predetermined strength, as in the conventional configuration. Since it is a main part that forms the skeleton of an automobile body, it is usually treated as a part of an automobile manufacturer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roof center reinforcement member 30 is arranged between the roof panel 28 and the roof head lining 34. Although only the right end portion is shown in FIG. 2, the end members 30B at both ends of the roof center reinforcement member 30 are arranged in a predetermined range contact contact arrangement with the inner panel 38 of the roof side rail 37, and the range thereof. Spot welding W is done at. As a result, the roof center reinforcement member 30 and the roof panel 28 are integrated to form a vehicle body structural member for the ceiling of the automobile. Further, this vehicle body structural member corresponds to the "plate member welded structure" referred to in the present invention. As seen in FIG. 2, the center pillar member 18 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed below the roof side rail 37, and the collision load received by the center pillar member 18 is also applied to the roof center reinforcement member 30. It is supposed to receive.

The detailed configuration of the roof center reinforcement member 30 alone is shown in FIGS. 3 to 7. 3 to 5 show the whole of a single product, and FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the main part where friction stir welding is performed. The roof center reinforcement member 30 is usually treated as a component of a component manufacturer.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the roof center reinforcement member 30 has a long shape having a predetermined width. The length of the long shape is set to correspond to the length of the roof panel 28 of the automobile 10 in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the shape in the longitudinal direction is such that the end members 30B at both ends are slightly curved downward. This curved shape corresponds to the shape of the roof panel 28, and the upper surface side is the roof panel 28 side as seen in FIG.

The cross-sectional shape of the roof center reinforcement member 30 is a shape in which uneven shapes are repeatedly formed, as can be clearly seen from the end face of FIG. The central portion and both ends in the width direction have a convex shape 30a, and the space between the central portion and the convex shapes 30a at both ends has a concave shape 30b. Therefore, the surfaces forming the uneven shapes 30a and 30b are composed of a portion forming the flat surface portion X and a portion forming the vertical surface portion Y when the roof center reinforcement member 30 is viewed from above. .. The reason why the cross-sectional shape of the roof center reinforcement member 30 in the width direction is made into an uneven surface shape in this way is to enhance the rigidity. In FIG. 3, the upper side is the roof panel 28 side as seen in the figure.

The elongated roof center reinforcement member 30 is formed of three members, as is well shown in FIG. The central member 30A in the central portion in the longitudinal direction is made of an aluminum material. The end members 30B at both ends in the longitudinal direction are made of the same steel material as before. That is, the materials of the central member 30A and the end member 30B are different materials. Since the end member 30B is a portion to be spot-welded to the roof panel 28, it is made of a steel material of the same material as the roof panel 28, which can be easily welded. By using the central member 30A as an aluminum material, the central member 30A occupies most of the portion of the roof center reinforcement member 30, so that the weight of the roof center reinforcement member 30 can be reduced.

The central member 30A and the end member 30B of the roof center reinforcement member 30 are joined by friction stir welding to form a single plate-shaped member. The portion to be joined is shown as a joint portion 44 in each figure. From the above, the end member 30B in the present embodiment corresponds to the "welded portion portion of the plate member replaced with the material of another member" of the present invention, and the central member 30A in the present embodiment is "a plate other than the welded portion portion". Corresponds to "member".

FIG. 7 shows the principle of friction stir welding. In the friction stir welding, as shown in FIG. 7, a cylindrical tool 50 having a protrusion 52 at the tip is rotated and pressed against the welding member with a strong force. Then, it penetrates into the member to which the protrusion 52 is joined, that is, the joint 44 between the central member 30A and the end member 30B in the present embodiment. This is a joining method in which frictional heat is generated to soften the members 30A and 30B, and the rotational force of the tool 50 causes the periphery of the joint portion 44 to be plastically flowed and kneaded to integrate the members 30A and 30B. .. Also called FSW (Friction Stir Welding). This joining method is suitable for joining light metals such as aluminum materials having a relatively low softening temperature. In FIG. 7, 46 indicates a joint region. The arrow 48 indicates the pressurizing direction of the tool 50. The arrow 54 indicates the direction of rotation of the tool 50. " Arrow 56 indicates the moving direction of both members 30A and 30B.

As is well shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the joint portion 44 between the central member 30A and the end member 30B of the roof center reinforcement member 30 is formed differently in the above-mentioned flat surface portion X and vertical surface portion Y. The joint line 44a of the flat surface portion X is an inclined line inclined with respect to the axis C in the long direction. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle is about 45 degrees. Further, the joint line 44b of the vertical surface portion Y is a vertical line in the vertical direction (vertical direction).

The formation directions of the joint lines 44a and 44b of the joint 44 are different between the flat surface portion X and the vertical surface portion Y for the following reasons. When the automobile collides sideways with the roof center reinforcement member 30, a bending load acts in the longitudinal direction. When the bending load acts on the joint portion 44, the acting force of bending deformation acts on the flat surface portion X, and acts as a pulling action, that is, a peeling action on the vertical surface portion Y.

By the way, the strength of the joint portion 44 in friction stir welding has a characteristic that the tensile action is stronger than the bending deformation action. From this characteristic, in order to avoid stress concentration due to bending deformation at the joint portion 44 in the flat surface portion X, the joint portion 44 is formed so as to be inclined as an inclined line 44a. On the other hand, since the strength of the friction stir welding is sufficient for the tensile action acting on the joint portion 44 on the vertical surface portion Y, the joint portion 44 is set as the vertical line 44b in the vertical direction.

Next, a method of manufacturing the roof center reinforcement member 30 including one central member 30A and two end members 30B will be described. In advance, one central member 30A and two end members 30B are prepared in a flat plate state. Then, with the members 30A and 30B in a flat plate state, the joint shape of the joint portion 44 is formed by press cutting. Then, in the flat plate state, the members 30A and 30B are placed in a predetermined arrangement state, and the joint portion 44 is joined by the friction stir welding described above. After that, it is press-molded into a predetermined cross-sectional shape to obtain a predetermined roof center relief member 30.

The roof center reinforcement member 30 produced by the parts manufacturer as described above is supplied to the automobile manufacturer. Then, in the assembly line of the automobile manufacturer, it is combined with the roof panel 28 manufactured by the automobile manufacturer and spot-welded W by the welding equipment to form the body structure of the ceiling portion of the automobile.

According to the above-described embodiment, the material of the welded portion in the roof center reinforcement member 30 manufactured by the component manufacturer remains the same as before. Therefore, the automobile manufacturer can join the roof center reinforcement member 30 to the mating member (roof panel 28) by spot welding W without changing the welding equipment of the assembly line.

Since the material of the central member 30A of the roof center reinforcement member 30 is an aluminum material, the weight of the automobile body structural member can be reduced without changing the welding equipment of the assembly line of the automobile manufacturer.

Although the specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can also be implemented in various other embodiments.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case of the roof center reinforcement member 30 arranged below the roof panel 28 on the ceiling of an automobile has been described, but a long plate member is joined to another member by welding. It is widely applicable to structural members.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the material of the central member 30A of the roof center reinforcement member 30 is an aluminum material, but the material may be lighter than the material of the end member 30B. In short, the end member 30B to be welded and the other member (roof panel 28 in the above embodiment) may be made of the same material suitable for welding, and the material of the central member 30A may be a lighter material than the material.

Further, the inclined shape of the joint portion 44 in the concave-convex flat surface portion X of the roof center reinforcement member 30 in the above-described embodiment is not limited to 45 degrees, and may be appropriately set according to the set collision load.

Further, the joint portion 44 in the concave-convex flat surface portion X of the roof center reinforcement member 30 in the above-described embodiment may have an inclined shape if necessary. Thereby, the strength against the tensile action can be further improved.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the welding is described as spot welding, but other various types of welding, such as laser welding, may be used.

10 Automobile 12 Pillar member 14 Front pillar member 16 Rear pillar member 18 Center pillar member 20 Opening 22 Opening 24 Front door 26 Rear door 28 Roof panel 30 Roof center reinforcement member 30A Central member 30B End member 32 Interior (cabin)
34 Roof head lining (ceiling interior material)
36 Roof panel body 37 Roof side rail 38 Inner panel 40 Outer panel 40a Flange part 40b Flange part 44 Joint part 44a Joint part line (inclined line)
44b Joint line (vertical line)
50 Tool 52 Projection X Flat surface Y Vertical surface

Claims (3)

A plate member used for a plate member welded structure in which a long plate member is joined to another plate member by welding to be integrated.
The material of the plate member is different from the material of the other plate member, and the welded portion of the plate member with the other plate member is replaced with the same material as the other plate member. and, Ri Na integrally joined to the plate-like and a plate member other than the welded portions site and the welding location sites and the substitution in the friction stir welding,
The joint portion where the welded portion portion replaced with the material of the other plate member and the plate member other than the welded portion portion are friction-stir welded has a joint portion line of the flat portion when the plate member is viewed in a plan view. It is set to be inclined with respect to the long axis of the plate member.
The joint portion for friction stir welding between the welded portion portion replaced with the material of the other plate member and the plate member other than the welded portion portion is a joint of a vertical surface portion in the vertical direction when the plate member is viewed in a plan view. A plate member whose part line is set in the vertical direction . The plate member according to claim 1.
The material of the plate member is an aluminum material, and the material of the other plate member is a steel material . The plate member according to claim 1 or 2, is an automobile roof center reinforcement member, and the other plate member is an automobile body structure member which is a roof panel.

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