JPH03104721A - Suspension for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize light weight and stabilizer function without a projection in the upper section by connecting a free end of a pair of arm sections made of FRP whose one end is connected to a car body by a beam section consisting of a beam member which is made of a metal pipe for connecting an arm and stretches in the direction of car width and an intermediate beam member made of FRP. CONSTITUTION:A free end 12 of a pair of arm sections 5, 5 made of FRP whose one end is fixed to a car body at a fixed end 10 is connected by an end beam member 20 of a beam section 6 in the direction of car width. The beam section 6 consists of a pair of beam members 20, 20 made of a steel round pipe and an intermediate beam member 21 made of FRP which is located between the end beam members 20, 20. The cross section of the intermediate beam member 21 is rectangular in which thickness in the up and down directions is larger than width in the forward and backward directions, and the intermediate beam member 21 is connected to a connection box 25 fixed to the end beam member 20 via a tapered wedge spacer 26. This constitution enables to realize light weight suspension and stabilizer function without a projection in a car room.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension system used in a suspension system of a vehicle such as an automobile.

[Prior Art] As suspension springs for conventional vehicles, leaf springs, coil springs, and the like have been used for each wheel. Additionally, stabilizers are used as a means to increase the roll rigidity of the vehicle body. Well-known stabilizers are provided separately from the above-mentioned suspension springs, and generally have a torsion part along the vehicle width direction supported on the vehicle body side, and the tips of arm parts connected to both ends of the torsion part are attached to a member on the axle side. It is designed to be supported by

[Problems to be solved by the invention] Since suspension coil springs and struts protrude a large amount upward, it is necessary to secure a space inside the vehicle interior such as a trunk room to store the upper part of the spring. As a result, the interior space of the vehicle becomes narrow. Furthermore, since the suspension spring and the stabilizer are mounted separately, the structure of the suspension mechanism becomes complicated and the number of parts is large, making it difficult to secure mounting space for each part.

As seen in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 82-131905, the free end sides of a pair of left and right cantilever spring plates are connected to each other by a substantially rigid steel axle housing. has also been proposed. However, this conventional suspension spring cannot function as a stabilizer, so it is necessary to separately install a stabilizer. Additionally, the long steel axle housing that spans between the left and right wheels is quite heavy.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle suspension that has a smaller upward protrusion than conventional suspension systems using suspension coil springs, struts, etc., can also function as a stabilizer, and is lightweight. The goal is to provide equipment.

[A Thousand Steps to Solve the Problems] The present invention, which was developed to accomplish the above-mentioned purpose, has a fixed end fixed to the vehicle body side and a free end located on the axle side, and the free end side is vertically A vehicle suspension system comprising a pair of left and right FRP arm parts that can be bent in a direction, and a beam part that extends in the lj direction and connects the facing end side parts of the pair of arm parts to each other, The above beam part is
It is composed of an end beam material made of gold Jm vibe provided at the part connecting with the arm part, and an intermediate beam material made of FRP located between the pair of end beam materials. This is a characteristic feature.

Note that the end beam material is not limited to a round vibrator, and may be, for example, a square vibrator. The intermediate beam material preferably has a rectangular cross section.

[Function] In the suspension system having the above configuration, the sprung Q weight of the vehicle is elastically supported by the pair of left and right arm portions, and
Inputs in the vertical direction during driving or the like are absorbed by the arm section bending in the vertical direction. In other words, the arm portion functions as a suspension spring. Further, the beam portion exhibiting rigidity in the vertical direction also functions as a structural member of an axle or the like. When lateral human force is applied to the vehicle body, such as when driving around a curve or changing course, the force that bends one arm becomes a force that twists the FRP intermediate beam, and the reaction torque is applied to the other arm. Since the power is transmitted to the arm, rolling of the vehicle body is suppressed in the same way as a stabilizer.

【Example〕

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
This will be explained with reference to the leopard suspension for automobiles shown in the figure.

The motor vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with a suspension system 4 for supporting wheels 2, 3. This suspension system 4 includes a pair of left and right FRP arm portions 5.5 and a beam portion 6 extending in the vehicle width direction. The arm parts 5, 5 are
It is molded from matrix resin and continuous reinforcing fibers along the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 5. These arm parts 5
, 5 extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 7 (only a portion of which is shown).

The arm portions 5.5 may be arranged parallel to the axis of the vehicle body in the plane iQ, or the arm portions 5,5 may be arranged in a V-shape when viewed from above. good. Each arm portion 5 includes a fixed end 10 located on the vehicle body 7 side and a white end 12 located on the axle 11 side. The cross-sectional shape of each arm portion 5 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is a horizontally long rectangle whose width is larger than its thickness.

The fixed end 10 of each arm part 5 is a fixing part 1, respectively.
5 and are rigidly fixed using bolts or the like (not shown). Therefore, each arm portion 5 acts as a cantilever beam, and the free end 12 side can be elastically bent in the vertical direction.

Each arm portion 5 may have a tapered shape such that the width is equal and the thickness gradually decreases from the fixed end 10 to the free end 12, or the arm portion 5 may have a tapered shape from the fixed end 10 to the free end 12. The plate may have a tapered shape in which the plate thickness gradually increases and the plate thickness gradually decreases.

The beam portion 6 connects the free end 1212 side portions of each arm portion 5, 5 to each other. This beam section 6 consists of a pair of end beam members 20.20 made of steel round vibes provided at a portion connecting with the arm section 5.5, and an FRP end beam member 20.20 located between these end beam members 20.20. The structure includes an intermediate beam material 21 made of aluminum. Like the arm portion 5, the intermediate beam material 21 is made of matrix resin and continuous reinforcing fibers mainly along the longitudinal direction.

The cross section of the intermediate beam material 21 is as shown in FIG.
It has a vertically long rectangular shape in which the thickness (height) t in the vertical direction is larger than the width b in the front-rear direction. The total length of the beam part 6 is, for example, 114
0 ■ The length of the intermediate beam material 21 is, for example, 400 sv
, t-86ms, width b-22mm, the content rate of unidirectional glass fibers along the longitudinal direction of the intermediate beam material 21 is 7
It is 2.5vt%. An example of the torsional rigidity of the intermediate beam material 21 is 1.025 XIO' (kg・11/degree)
It is. Note that the cross section of the intermediate beam material 21 may be approximately square.

The end beam member 20 and the intermediate beam member 21 are rigidly fixed to each other using a connection box 25 made of metal such as steel, a wedge spacer 26, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connection box 25 has four side plates 27, 28, 29, 30, an end plate 31 located at one end, and an opening 32 located at the other end. ing.

Moreover, the distance W1 between the left and right side plates 27.28 and the distance fli W2 between the upper and lower side plates 29.30 are both the end plate 3.
It has a narrow tapered shape that becomes narrower as it approaches the first side. Holes 35. for bolt insertion are provided in the side plates 27.28.
36 are provided.

The wedge spacer 26 is divided into four pieces 40, 4.
1.42.43 and an end plate 44. Each of the divided pieces 40 to 43 has a tapered shape such that the thickness on the tip side gradually decreases.

This wedge spacer 26 is inserted into the connection box 25 through the opening 32.

Attach a bolt 45 to the center of the pane plate 44 of the wedge spacer 26.
is provided. This bolt 45 is connected to the connecting box 2
It passes through the hole 46 opened in the end plate 31 of No. 5. Further, the tip end of the bolt 45 passes through a center hole 48 of a seat plate 47 fixed to the end beam member 20, and a nut 49 is screwed into the bolt 45. The bolt 45 and the nut 49 constitute an example of a tightening means for biting the wedge spacer 26 between the inner surface of the connection box 25 and the outer surface of the intermediate beam member 21. As shown in FIG.
An appropriate gap 50 is secured between the end plate 44 of the connecting box 25 and the end plate 31 of the connection box 25 so that the wedge spacer 26 can be tightened.

Attach the bolt 55 to the divided piece 40.41 of the wedge spacer 26.
A hole 56 (only one of which is shown) is provided for the passage thereof. A hole 57 for passing a bolt 55 is also formed at the end of the intermediate beam material 21.

A buffer sheet 60 is provided between the intermediate beam material 21 and the wedge spacer 26, if necessary.

The buffer sheet 60 is adhered to the intermediate beam material 21 and the wedge spacer 26.

To connect the end beam material 20 and the intermediate beam material 21 using the connection box 25, the end portion 21a of the intermediate beam material 21 is inserted into the wedge spacer 26, and the wedge spacer 26 is inserted into the connection box 25. do. The wedge spacer 26 is drawn toward the end plate 31 by passing the bolt 45 through the hole 46 of the end plate 31 and the hole 48 of the seat plate 47 and tightening the nut 49. In this way, wedge spacer 2
6 is pushed in between the outer surface of the intermediate beam material 21 and the inner surface of the connection box 25, whereby the intermediate beam material 21 and the connection box 25 are strongly tightened in the thickness direction via the wedge spacer 26. After tightening the nut 49 to the specified torque, insert the bolt 55 into the holes 35, 36,
56 and 57 and fix it with nuts 61. Thereafter, the seat plate 47 is welded to the open end of the end beam material 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the end beam material 2
0 is U bolt 65, nut 66 and pad 67.6
It is fixed to the end portion 5a of the arm portion 5 using 8 or the like.

In the automobile 1 equipped with the suspension system 4 having the configuration described above, the sprung charge is elastically supported by the arm portion 5.5. Also,
When the vehicle receives an input in the vertical direction due to irregularities on the road surface while the vehicle is running, the arm portion 5.5 bends in the vertical direction, thereby absorbing the impact. That is, the arm portions 5, 5 function as suspension springs. In addition, when there is an input of opposite phase to the left and right wheels 2 and 3, such as when changing course or traveling on a curve, the deflection of one arm portion 5 acts in a direction that twists the beam portion 6. The intermediate beam material 21 made of FRP is twisted by the above torque, and a reaction force corresponding to the twisting is generated. That is, the torsional load generated on one side is transmitted to the other arm portion 5 and acts in a direction to maintain the balance of the vehicle body, so that the suspension device 4 functions as a stabilizer.

In addition, since the arm parts 5, 5 and the intermediate beam member 21 function as structural members that have rigidity against inputs from the 11 bodies in the front-back direction and left-right direction, it is not necessary to use rigidity auxiliary members such as lateral rods and tension rods. It is also possible to reduce or omit it. The intermediate beam material 21 made of FRP has a smaller Young's modulus than a structural material made of steel, and can have a sufficiently large deflection.

The suspension device 4 of this embodiment does not require conventional struts or suspension coil springs, and the upward protrusion is small.
Trunk space can be made wider than before. Furthermore, since FRP is used for the arm portion 5 and the intermediate beam 21, it is lightweight. Regarding weight reduction, when the weight of the conventional strut type suspension system is taken as 100, the weight ratio of the suspension system 4 of the full length example was 69. Incidentally, the weight ratio is 83 when the beam portion 6 is a rigid body made of a steel round pipe similar to the conventional axle housing.

Furthermore, when a steel beam with a longitudinally elongated rectangular cross section having the same vertical rigidity is used, the weight ratio is 75, and both are heavier than the present embodiment.

The second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 uses a connecting assembly 70 to connect the arm portion 5 and the beam portion 6 to each other.

The structure of the beam section 6 is similar to that of the first embodiment. The metal frame 71 of the connecting assembly 70 includes a bottom wall 72 that overlaps the am part 5, a pair of side walls 73 and 74 that stand up on both left and right sides of the bottom wall 72, and an upper wall 75 that opposes the bottom wall 72.
It is equipped with The side walls 73, 74 have end beam members 2
Holes 76 and 77 are formed through which 0 is inserted. side wall 7
3.74 has a tapered shape in which the height decreases from one end (the side where the holes 76 and 77 are provided) to the other end when viewed from the side. Therefore, the height of the earthen wall 75 also decreases in a tapered manner from one end side to the other end side.

The tightening member 80 provided inside the frame 71 includes a flat plate part 81 which is superimposed on the arm part 5 via a support plate 92 which will be described later, and a pair of wedge parts 82 and 83 which stand up on both left and right sides of this flat plate part 81. and a wedge portion 82.
．． A screw hole 84 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 8) is provided at the front end of each of the screw holes 83 .

The wedge portions 82.83 can be pulled toward the rising wall 93 of the support plate 92 by bolts 90.91. The rising wall 93 is in contact with the upper part of the front end surface of the frame 71.

When the bolts 90 and 91 are rotated clockwise, the wedge portions 82 and 83 rise and are pulled toward the wall 93, so that the wedge portions 82 and 83 are attached to the upper wall 7 of the frame 71.
5 and the support plate 92. Therefore, the arm portion 5 and the frame 71 can be firmly fixed.

In addition, the support plate 92, the arm portion 5, and the bottom wall 7 of the frame 71
A nut 95 is screwed onto a bolt 94 that is threaded between the arms 5 and 2, and the arm portion 5 and the frame 71 are tightened in the thickness direction by the bolt 94 and the nut 95. liner 97.9
8 has a function of preventing wear of the FRP arm part 5 and equalizing the tightening force applied to the arm part 5.

In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10,
A clamp fitting 100 is used to connect the end beam member 20 and the intermediate beam member 21. The clamp fitting 100 is made of metal such as steel, and is bent into a substantially U shape to provide a pair of arms 101 and 102.

Then, the end portion 21a of the intermediate beam material 21 is sandwiched between the arms 101 and 102, and tightened in the thickness direction with an appropriate number of bolts 103 and nuts 104.

The clamp fitting 100 is fixed to the end beam member 20 by welding. More specifically, this end beam material 2
A pair of arm parts 110, 111 are provided at the terminal of the clamp fitting 1.
With arms 110 and 11 holding 10,
1 is welded to the clamp fitting 100.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the vertical dimension is smaller than that of conventional suspension springs such as suspension coil springs, and moreover, it does not take up space in the vehicle width direction, so that a large vehicle interior can be secured. Also,
Since it functions both as a stabilizer and as a rigid structure that resists input in the longitudinal direction, etc., the number of parts in the suspension mechanism is reduced, storage space is easily secured, and it is rust-free and lightweight.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a perspective view of the rear part of an automobile equipped with a suspension device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a part of the suspension device, FIG. 3 is a side view showing the connection between the end beam member and the intermediate beam member, and FIG. 4 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the connecting portion between the end beam material and the intermediate beam material, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line v-V in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view of a part of the suspension system, FIG.
A perspective view of the coupling assembly shown in the figures, FIG.
9 is a perspective view of a portion of a suspension system showing a third embodiment of the invention; FIG. 10 is a side view of the coupling assembly shown in the figures; FIG.
The figure is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the suspension system shown in FIG. 9. 4... Suspension device, 5... Arm part, 6... Beam part, 10... Fixed end, 12... Free end, 20...
End beam material, 21... Intermediate beam material, 25... Connection box, 26... Wedge spacer, 70... Connection assembly.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A pair of left and right FRP arm parts that have a fixed end that is fixed to the vehicle body side and a free end that is located on the axle side, and the free end side can bend in the vertical direction, and the arm part that extends in the vehicle width direction. and a beam portion that connects the free end portions of the pair of arm portions to each other, the beam portion being made of a metal pipe provided at the portion connecting with the arm portion. A suspension system for a vehicle comprising: an end beam member; and an FRP intermediate beam member located between the pair of end beam members. (2) The beam part has a connecting box fixed to the end beam material and into which the end of the intermediate beam material is inserted, and a connecting box having a tapered shape, and the inner surface of the connecting box and the intermediate beam. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a wedge spacer that is pushed between the outer surface of the intermediate beam material; and a tightening means that wedges the wedge spacer between the inner surface of the connection box and the outer surface of the intermediate beam material. suspension system.