JPH06286652A - Car body structure for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the car body structure of an automobile having a monocock structure reflecting aluminum alloy as a whole. CONSTITUTION:The left and right rear pillar inners 4, left and right rear suspension tower uppers 3, left and right rear wheel houses 5 and the first cross member 7 or the second cross member are formed integrally by casted members 11, and a monocock structure body having a closed section is formed from the casted member 11 and an extension member such as floor, and the light alloy such as aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy is used as the material for the casted member 11 or the extension member.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile body structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in order to reduce fuel consumption and enable long-distance running in an automobile, it is required to reduce the weight of the vehicle body as much as possible, and to protect an occupant from an automobile accident or the like. It is also desired to make the vehicle body highly rigid.

Conventionally, a so-called monocoque structure in which an exterior member and a vehicle body frame are integrated has been adopted for a vehicle body of an automobile. This is an assembly in which each exterior member formed by press molding is joined by welding or the like, and the cross-sectional shape of each molded exterior member is formed into a closed cross-sectional shape that also serves as a reinforcing rib.

In contrast to this monocoque structure, from the viewpoint of weight reduction of the vehicle body, the skeleton structure constituting the engine room and the floor of the vehicle body and the skeleton structure defining the passenger space are made of aluminum alloy or magnesium alloy, etc. A so-called space frame structure has also been proposed in which a light body alloy is used for casting, and these are combined to form a highly rigid vehicle body frame (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-88674).

[0005]

However, aluminum alloys and the like have the advantages that they are light in weight and that complex shapes can be poured. Therefore, it is only necessary to use aluminum alloys or the like in the frame of the vehicle body as in the past. , Aluminum alloys, etc. are not fully utilized. On the other hand,
Aluminum alloys and the like also have handling difficulties different from those of steel plates, such as being unsuitable for welding. Therefore, it is desired to reflect the aluminum alloy or the like on the entire vehicle body of an automobile by effectively utilizing the advantages of aluminum alloy or the like that can be cast with a light weight.

The present invention provides a vehicle body structure of an automobile having a monocoque structure capable of reflecting the aluminum alloy or the like as a whole by effectively utilizing the advantages of the aluminum alloy or the like which can be cast with a light weight. To do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vehicle body structure of an automobile according to the present invention comprises a left and right rear pillar inner, a left and right rear suspension tower upper, a left and right rear wheel house, and a left and right rear frame, which are made of cast members. , A first cross member that connects the left and right rear frames in the vicinity of the left and right rear suspension towers is integrated, and a spreading member is opposed to the cast member to form a monocoque structure having a closed cross section ( Claim 1).

According to another aspect of the present invention, the left and right rear pillar inners, the left and right rear suspension tower uppers, the left and right rear wheel houses, the left and right rear frames are made of cast members.
A monocoque structure having a closed cross section in which a first cross member connecting the left and right rear frames in the vicinity of the left and right rear suspension towers and a second cross member are integrated, and a stretch member is opposed to the cast member. Is formed (Claim 2).

In the casting member, at least one of the rear header and the rear package tray is integrated (Claim 3), and the seat belt retractor mounting portion and the shoulder anchor mounting portion are attached to the rear pillar inner. At least one of the two attachment portions is integrated (Claim 4), and the lower lap belt anchor attachment portion is also integrated (Claim 5).
be able to.

The cast member may be made of a light alloy (claim 6), and the wrought member may be made of a light alloy (claim 7).

[0011]

According to the present invention, in the casting member, the left and right rear pillar inners, the left and right rear suspension tower uppers, the left and right rear wheel houses, the left and right rear frames, and the first cross member for connecting the left and right rear frames in the vicinity of the left and right rear suspension towers are provided. It is integrally formed, or in addition to this, the second cross member is integrally formed. However, in any case, the input of the rear suspension can be effectively dispersed by integrating the cross member portions, which are the left and right transverse members. Further, in particular, since the rear frame and the rear wheel house are integrated, the necessity of welding between them can be avoided and the span between the welded portion and the rear frame can be shortened.

Further, according to claims 1 and 2, since the monocoque structure having a closed cross section is formed by the casting member and the expanding member, the structure is prevented from being complicated, and the weight is reduced (weight reduction). ) Can be planned. The closed cross-section portion is formed, for example, between the expansion member and the like forming the floor.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the rear header and the rear package tray are also integrated with the casting member, the torsional rigidity can be further improved in addition to the above-mentioned effects. In addition, it is possible to prevent the connecting structure between the upper portion of the rear pillar and the rear header portion from becoming complicated. In this form,
The closed cross section is formed, for example, between the rear header portion and the roof panel.

According to the present invention, since the seatbelt retractor attachment portion and the shoulder anchor attachment portion are integrated with the rear pillar inner portion, the attachment portion can be effectively reinforced, thereby effectively distributing the input load. be able to.

In the fifth aspect, since the lower lap belt anchor mounting portion is also integrated with the cast member, the mounting portion can be effectively reinforced and the input load can be effectively dispersed.

In the sixth aspect, since the above-mentioned weight reduction is pursued from the viewpoint of the material and the light alloy is used for the casting member, the "light weight" can be achieved by using the light alloy. Here, the "light alloy" is used in the general sense that it has a lower specific gravity than steel, and examples thereof include an aluminum alloy and a magnesium alloy.

When considering mainly aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys, the workability such as "pressability" and "weldability" is generally poor. Especially in the case of magnesium alloy,
The "workability" when pressed is worse than that of aluminum alloys, and when machining is performed, there is a problem of sparks, and there are severe processing environmental issues. That is, these light alloys
For example, when used in wrought materials, problems such as weldability, pressability, machinability, and grindability cannot be ignored, but when using light alloys as cast members, the advantages of light alloys can be most effectively utilized. become.

According to claim 7, the wrought member is made of a light alloy. If the wrought member is also made of a light alloy such as an aluminum alloy, the effect of weight reduction is greatest. In the case of aluminum alloy etc., when it is used as a member, the weight becomes substantially the same as that of steel in terms of rigidity, but in the case of plate materials such as outer panels and floors, the weight reduction effect of using light alloys is significant, so that weight reduction is achieved. Very good at above.

[0019]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rear portion of the vehicle body, that is, a rear suspension tower 2 and a peripheral portion of the rear suspension tower that receives an input therefrom, which are integrally formed by a cast member 11 made of a light alloy.
The left and right rear pillar inners 4, the left and right rear wheel houses 5, and the left and right rear frames 6 are included, and further, a portion of the first cross member 7 that connects the rear frames 6 to the left and right by the rear suspension tower 2 portion. Have. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the rear frame 6 and each portion of the first cross member 7 connecting between the rear frame 6 and the first cross member 7 are formed in a U-shape in cross section, and a floor made of the expanding member 12 as shown in FIG. 8
Are attached to form a closed section 10. That is, the casting member 11 and the expanding member 12 form a monocoque structure having a closed cross section.

The first cross member 7 is located in front of the rear seat so that the foot of an occupant can reach it, and the rear tire W is located in the rear wheel house 5.

Although an aluminum alloy is used as the light alloy here, it may be composed of a magnesium alloy or the like.

Conventionally, the peripheral portion of the rear suspension tower 2 is
As shown in FIG. 5, the left and right rear pillar inners 4, the left and right rear suspension tower uppers 3, the left and right rear wheel houses 5, and the left and right rear frames 6 are prepared as independent parts, respectively, and are configured by connecting them. It

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, by integrally forming these parts 2 to 6 by the cast member 11,
The support rigidity of the rear suspension tower 2 can be increased, and the input from around the feet, particularly the input to the tower top can be effectively dispersed to the surroundings.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional structure. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), at the rear suspension tower 2, the rear pillar inner 4 is on the outside, and here the rear wheel house 5, the rear suspension tower 2, the tower top 3, and the rear frame 6 come to the floor. 8 is a structure that continues. In this case, since the lower part is manufactured first in the manufacturing order, the rear frame 6 and the floor 8 can be hit with a spot gun as shown by the X mark. However, if you bring the cab side in this state, the spot will not be shot at the abutting part of the three shown as OSW (carbon dioxide spot welding) in the figure, a hole will be opened in the rear wheel house 5, and so-called "plug welding" The workability is not good because they have to be joined by OSW called arc welding.

As a constitution for avoiding this, as shown in FIG. 5B, it is conceivable to extend the floor 8 excessively and attach a downward flange to perform spot welding. In this case, the vertical surface of the rear wheel house 5 is used. The advantage of transmitting the input directly to the frame 6 through the frame 6 is lost, and the vertical surface of the rear wheel house 5 and the frame 6 are separated via a thin plate called the floor 8. Further, in the input in the vertical direction, the load in the peeling direction finally changes with respect to the welding, which is extremely disadvantageous as the welding strength.

However, as shown in FIG. 2, by using the cast member 11 that integrally takes in the rear frame 6 of the rear suspension tower 2, the place where the input becomes large can be efficiently reinforced by casting. it can. This is one of the advantages obtained by integrating the rear suspension tower 2 in particular.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the rear suspension tower 2 is used.
Although the whole is integrally incorporated by connecting the parts to the left and right with the first cross member 7, depending on the processing and other circumstances,
It is also possible to separate only the central portion of the first cross member 7 into left and right parts. This is shown in FIG.
The same applies to the embodiment.

Since it is a cast product, it is also advantageous that ribs can be easily attached. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are examples thereof, and regarding the periphery of the rear suspension tower 2, the ribs 13 are provided on the rear surface side of the rear wheel house 5 and the ribs 14 are provided on the front surface side to increase the rigidity around the rear suspension tower 2. These ribs 13 and 14 receive the input around the rear suspension tower 2. In the case of this embodiment, the rib 13 extends to the inside of the U-shaped cross section of the rear frame 6 to further increase the coupling rigidity with the rear frame 6. Further, ribs 15 are provided at the corners above the rear pillar inner 4 to increase the rigidity of the corners.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment. This is the same as that of FIG. 1 in which the whole is integrally formed by the cast member 11, but the second cross member 9 connects the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction slightly on the vehicle front side with respect to the rear suspension tower 2. .

Next, the structure of section B in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the B part. Conventionally, the B portion is composed of independent component elements 4 and 16 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 10 (a), the rear header 16 corresponds to the upper edge of the rear window 18 (see FIG. 8), the lower side of the rear pillar inner 4 is directed toward the wheel, and the left side of the rear pillar inner 4 is the edge. It is terminated at 4a. As a manufacturing order, usually, in many cases, the rear header 16 is first assembled to the roof panel 17 and then brought to the rear pillar inner 4. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10C, a working hole 19 is opened in the rear header 16, and a welding electrode 21 is inserted from here to the overlapping portion 2 as shown in FIG.
Weld zero. However, since the work hole 19 is opened for this welding work, the rear header 16 has a fragile portion near the corner. Also, since the welding is from the bottom to the top, workability is poor.

In FIG. 7, the rear header 16 and the rear pillar inner 4 are integrated by the cast member 11. By this integration by casting, the working hole 19 is eliminated, the rigidity of the corner portion is improved, and welding is not necessary. Further, ribs 22 are provided in the recesses of the portions corresponding to the rear header 16 and the rear pillar inner 4 to further reinforce. For such cast member 11,
The roof panel 17 is overlapped as shown in FIG. 8, and the closed cross-section portion 10 is formed between them. The rear window 18 is mounted flush with the roof panel 17. The ribs 22 can be provided in any number and shape as needed, and can be modified as shown in FIG. 9, for example.

As an advantage of the integration by the cast member, when the nut is attached and the bolt is raised, it is necessary to release the protruding amount of the tip of the bolt, so it is necessary to secure the sectional height corresponding to that. Since all of them are connected as one, the efficiency of connection is improved.

11, in addition to the structure having the rear header 16 of FIG. 6, the first cross member 7 described in FIG. 1 and the rear package tray portion 23 located below the rear window are also integrally formed by the cast member 11. It is a modified example. In addition to the first cross member 7, the rear header 16 and the rear package tray portion 23 are also integrated by the cast member 11, so that the rigidity is further improved.

FIG. 12 shows a modified example of the rear pillar inner 4 portion. The shoulder anchor mounting portion 24 and the seat belt retractor mounting portion 2 are attached to the cast member 11.
In this example, 5 is also integrated. As shown in FIG. 13, the shoulder anchor attaching portion 24 attaches the belt fitting 26 to the screw 28.
It is formed as a thick portion having a screw hole 29 to be mounted in. Further, the seat belt retractor mounting portion 25 is a thick portion sufficient to mount the retractor 30 as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 15, the lower lap belt anchor mounting portion 31 is formed as a thick portion on the edge portion 5a of the rear wheel house 5, and the belt anchor 32 has the screw 3 attached thereto.
Mounted by 3.

[0036]

In summary, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

(1) In Claim 1 or 2, the left and right rear pillar inners, the left and right rear suspension tower uppers, the left and right rear wheel houses, the left and right rear frames, and the left and right rear frames near the left and right rear suspension towers are connected by a cast member. Since the first cross member and the second cross member that are used are integrally formed, the input of the rear suspension can be effectively dispersed. In addition, since the monocoque structure having a closed cross section is formed by the cast member and the expanded member such as the floor, the structure is prevented from being complicated, and thereby weight reduction (weight reduction) can be achieved.

(2) Further, in claim 1, since the rear frame and the rear wheel house are integrated, the necessity of welding between them is avoided and the span between the welded portion and the rear frame is shortened. Can be achieved.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, the rear header and the rear package tray are integrated with the casting member.
In addition to the above effects, the torsional rigidity can be further improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent the connecting structure between the upper portion of the rear pillar and the rear header portion from becoming complicated. In this configuration, the closed cross section can be formed, for example, between the rear header portion and the roof panel.

(4) According to the fourth aspect, since the seat belt retractor mounting portion and the shoulder anchor mounting portion are integrated with the rear pillar inner portion, the mounting portion can be effectively reinforced and the input load can be effectively reduced. Can be dispersed in.

(5) According to the fifth aspect, since the lower lap belt anchor mounting portion is also integrated with the casting member, the mounting portion can be effectively reinforced and the input load can be effectively dispersed.

(6) According to the sixth aspect, by using a light alloy such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy for the cast member, weight reduction (weight reduction) of the vehicle body can be achieved. Further, by using the light alloy as the casting member, the goodness of the light alloy can be effectively utilized.

(7) The seventh aspect is that the wrought member is made of a light alloy. If the wrought member is also made of a light alloy such as an aluminum alloy, the effect of weight reduction is greatest.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view around a rear suspension tower, which is a vehicle body of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view of the rear wheel house as viewed from the inside of the vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is a view of the rear wheel house as viewed from the outside of the vehicle body.

5 is a view showing a conventional configuration as a view corresponding to a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, in which (a) is a first configuration example thereof,
(B) is a second configuration example.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view around a rear suspension tower, which is a vehicle body of an automobile according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a BB cross section of FIG. 7;

9 is a diagram showing a modified configuration example of a B section in FIG.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration of a conventional B part, (A) is an enlarged view of the B part similar to FIG. 7, (B) is a sectional view taken along the line BB of (A), and (C) is welding. It is CC sectional drawing which shows a working state.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a rear suspension tower, which is a vehicle body of an automobile according to another embodiment of the present invention, as seen obliquely from the rear.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a portion of a rear pillar inner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a diagram showing an AA cross section of FIG. 12;

14 is a diagram showing a BB cross section of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a view showing a lower lap belt anchor attachment portion.

16 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Rear suspension tower peripheral part 2 Rear suspension tower 3 Rear suspension tower upper 4 Rear pillar inner 5 Rear wheel house 6 Rear frame 7 1st cross member 8 Floor 9 2nd cross member 10 Closed cross section 11 Cast member 12 Expanded member 13,14 , 15 ribs 16 rear header 17 roof panel 18 rear window 19 working hole 20 overlapping part 21 welding electrode 22 rib 23 rear package tray part 24 shoulder anchor mounting part 25 seat belt retractor mounting part 26 belt metal fitting 28 screw 29 screw hole 30 re Tractor 31 Lower lap belt anchor attachment 32 Belt anchor 33 Screw

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Masahiro Osumi, No. 3 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Co., Ltd. (72) Risuke Nakanishi No. 3 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Stock In the company

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A casting member for forming left and right rear pillar inners, left and right rear suspension tower uppers, left and right rear wheel houses, left and right rear frames, and a first cross member connecting the left and right rear frames near the left and right rear suspension towers. A vehicle body structure of an automobile, characterized in that a monocoque structure having a closed cross section is formed by integrally forming and integrally expanding a casting member with respect to the casting member. 2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the casting member is formed by integrating a second cross member in addition to the first cross member. 3. The casting member according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the rear header and the rear package tray is integrated with the casting member.
The body structure of the automobile described. 4. The rear pillar inner is integrated with at least one of a seatbelt retractor mounting portion and a shoulder anchor mounting portion. Car body structure. 5. The vehicle body structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the cast member is also formed by integrating a lower lap belt anchor attachment portion. 6. The vehicle body structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the cast member is made of a light alloy. 7. The vehicle body structure for an automobile according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the wrought member is made of a light alloy.