JPH10258770A - Front side member connecting structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress an upward movement of a front side member in head-on collision without adding any reinforcing frame by providing a displacement mechanism for displacing a strut housing in a car width direction inside in the head-on coillision of the vehicle, to a junction part between a strut housing and a front side member. SOLUTION: In a head-on collision of a vehicle, a radiator core upper for coupling the front end parts of left/right hood ridges 1 together is bent rearward, a bent is formed in an unstacked part 17 in the bottom side, the stacked part 18 is fell and runs along the top face of a front side member (FSM) main body 10 so that the upper-side unstacked part 16 is also bent, and the whole of the strut housing 5 is in the state of moving parallel to the inside of the car width direction. A vertical wall 7 is positioned in the center of the width of the FSM9 so that, when the FSM9 is moved upward, the vertical wall 7 between the hood ridge 1 and the strut housing 5 becomes a 'prop' so that the upper movement (d) of the FSM9 is surely suppressed, dispensing with a reinforcing frame.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a vehicle front side member connecting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Front side members, which provide rigidity at the front of a vehicle body, are arranged on both left and right sides of the vehicle body along the front-rear direction. The rear end of the front side member is bent downward after being joined to the dash panel forming the front wall of the vehicle compartment, and extends rearward along the lower surface of the vehicle compartment.

[0003] Strut housings for supporting the suspension are provided on both left and right sides of the engine room, and lower ends of the strut housings are connected to front side members. The upper part of the strut housing is connected to hood ridges arranged on both left and right sides of the vehicle body. The front ends of the hood ridges are connected by a bridging member extending in the vehicle width direction (for a similar technique, see JP-A-5-85410).

When a vehicle having such a structure causes a frontal collision, the rear end of the front side member is bent downward, so that the front side member bends from the bent portion and moves upward, and Of the hood ridge and the upper portion of the strut housing are displaced toward the engine room.

When the front side member moves upward, the joint between the rear end of the front side member and the dash panel is deformed, the deformation around the dash panel is increased, and the repair becomes troublesome.

Therefore, conventionally, a large-sized reinforcing frame is added to the engine room side of the strut housing, and the lower end of the reinforcing frame is connected to the front side member, so that the front side member can move upward at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle body. Has been suppressed.

[0007]

However, such a conventional structure has a structure in which a large reinforcing frame is added to the engine room side of the strut housing in order to suppress the upward movement of the front side member. Therefore, the degree of freedom in layout around the strut housing is restricted, and the space in the engine room is compressed.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and it is possible to suppress the upward movement of the front side member at the time of a frontal collision without adding a reinforcing frame. It provides a member connection structure.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
The front end portions of the hood ridges arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle are connected to each other by a bridging member extending in the vehicle width direction, the hood ridges are respectively coupled to the upper end portions of the strut housings, and the lower end portions of the strut housings are connected to the front. In a vehicle front side member coupling structure coupled to a side member, a displacement mechanism for displacing the strut housing inward in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle is provided at a coupling portion between the strut housing and the front side member. It is.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lower end of the strut housing is bent inward in the vehicle width direction by the displacement mechanism provided at the joint between the strut housing and the front side member, and extends along the upper surface of the front side member. As a result, the vertical wall on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the strut housing moves parallel to the inner side in the vehicle width direction as a whole. Therefore, a vertical wall is formed between the hood ridge and the strut housing, and the vertical wall can sufficiently transmit and disperse the input accompanying the upward movement of the front side member to the skeleton member such as the hood ridge. The upward movement of the side member is suppressed. This eliminates the need for a conventional large reinforcing frame, improves the degree of freedom in layout around the strut housing, and makes it possible to widely use the space in the engine room.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the displacement mechanism is a thin plate provided at a joint between the strut housing and the front side member.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bending at the time of the frontal collision occurs in the thin plate portions above and below the connecting portion. Since the lower bent portion is generated near the corner of the front side member, the connecting portion is bent at a substantially right angle, and is in a state along the upper surface of the front side member. Therefore, the upper bent portion of the connecting portion is generated at a position moved inward in the vehicle width direction from the corner of the front side member by the vertical size of the connecting portion. Since the upper bent portion of the connecting portion has moved inward in the vehicle width direction, the vertical wall of the strut housing located above it is located between the hood ridge and the front side member in a nearly vertical state. Therefore, the vertical wall of the strut housing serves as a "holding", and suppresses the upward movement of the front side member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the thin plate portion has a bead shape.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since at least one of the thin plate portions is formed in a bead shape, a delicate input in the vertical direction from the strut housing to the front side member during normal running is applied to the thin plate portion having the bead shape. Can be absorbed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the coating of the front side member from being cracked, and it is possible to ensure watertightness at a joint between the front side member and another member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a downward flange is formed at a lower end portion of the strut housing, an upward flange is formed at a corner of the front side member, and an unpolymerized portion as a thin plate portion is left on both flanges. In a state of being polymerized with each other.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the thin plate portions can be formed above and below the connecting portion with a simple plate-assembly structure including the downward flange of the strut housing and the upward flange of the front side member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the front side member includes a front side member body having a closed cross-sectional structure made of an extruded material and a reinforce coupled to at least a portion of the front side member body corresponding to the strut housing. In this structure, the outer portion of the reinforcement in the vehicle width direction is extended upward to form an upward flange.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the upward flange is formed as a reinforce, the front side member main body may be made of an extruded material having a simple closed cross section, and the front side member main body can be easily manufactured.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the front side member is formed of an extruded material having a shape in which an upward flange is integrally formed at a corner of the closed section, and the thickness of the upward flange is a plate having the closed section. It is set smaller than the thickness.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the front side member is formed of an extruded material integrally provided with an upward flange at the closed cross section, the thickness of the upward flange is different from that of the closed cross section. You can control. Further, since the plate thickness of the upward flange is set smaller than that of the closed cross section, a thin plate portion can be easily formed by the upward flange.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the interval between the upper unpolymerized portions is 1-2 times the plate thickness of the downward flange, and the interval between the lower unpolymerized portions is 1-2 times the plate thickness of the upward flange. It is.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the distance between the upper and lower unpolymerized portions is 1 to 2 times the plate thickness of the downward flange and the upward flange, the unpolymerized portion is bent with a small curvature and the bending position is reduced. It will be constant.

In the invention according to claim 8, the vertical size of the overlapping portion of the downward flange and the upward flange is substantially half the width of the front side member.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the vertical size of the overlapping portion is substantially half the width of the front side member, the upper bent portion is located exactly at the center of the width of the front side member. The upward movement of the front side member can be effectively suppressed by the vertical wall of the housing.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the front side member is formed by a front side member main body made of a plate material having flanges at upper and lower ends of a U-shaped section and a flange of the front side member main body. A closing plate forming a closed cross section, wherein the closing plate has a flat plate shape, and is joined to the closing plate with the upper flange of the front side member body facing downward, thereby forming an upper end of the closing plate. Is formed with an upward flange.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, even when the front side member is formed of two parts, the front side member main body made of a plate material and the closing plate,
An upward flange can be formed by the upper end of the closing plate.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the front side member is formed by a front side member main body made of a plate material having flanges at upper and lower ends of a U-shaped section, and a flange of the front side member main body. A closing plate forming a closed cross section, wherein the upper end of the closing plate is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and joined to the upper surface of the front side member main body, and the upper flange of the front side member main body is formed. Thus, an upward flange is formed.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, even when the front side member is formed of the two parts of the front side member body and the closing plate made of a plate material, the upward flange is formed by the upper flange of the front side member. be able to.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figure, the engine room E
Of the vehicle is the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the opposite side is the outside in the vehicle width direction.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a hood ridge having a closed cross-sectional structure made of an extruded material, which is provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body along the front-rear direction. The front ends of the hood ridges 1 are connected to each other by a radial core upper 2 serving as an “erection member” along the vehicle width direction.

An upper end portion of a wheel house panel 3 having a wheel house portion 3a is connected to the inside of the hood ridge 1 in the vehicle width direction. An opening 4 is formed in the center of the wheel house 3a, and a strut housing 5 is attached to the opening 4. Curved flanges 6 are provided on both sides of the strut housing 5.
Are joined to the edge of the opening 4. This curved flange 6
And the lower end of the vertical wall 7 of the strut housing 5 are formed as vertical downward flanges 8.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a front side member, which is a front side member body 10 having a closed cross-section structure made of extruded material, and a strut housing 5 of the front side member body 10.
And a reinforce 11 attached from below to a portion corresponding to. Front side member body 10
A horizontal flange 12 is integrally formed at a corner portion of the wheel house panel 3, and the horizontal flange 12 is cut away except for a front portion, and the remaining horizontal flange 12 is joined to the wheel house panel 3. The rear end portion 13 of the front side member body 10 is bent downward by press working after extrusion molding.

The reinforce 11 is formed by press molding, has a basically U-shaped cross section, and has a suspension mounting portion 14 formed below. The rear end of the reinforcement 11 is also bent downward similarly to the rear end 13 of the front side member body 10. An outer portion in the vehicle width direction of the reinforcement 11 is extended upward as an upward flange 15. The upward flange 15 is spot-welded to the downward flange 8 formed at the lower end of the strut housing 5.

Next, a method of connecting the strut housing 5 and the front side member 9 will be described. The downward flange 8 of the curved flange 6 and the upward flange 15 of the front side member 9 are not joined to each other, but leave unpolymerized portions 16 and 17 as “thin plate portions (displacement mechanisms)” above and below. Polymerized in a state.

The interval between the unpolymerized portions 16 and 17 is about 1.5 times (1 time) the plate thickness of the downward flange 8 and the upward flange 15.
~ 2 times is possible). The vertical size of the overlapping portion 18 is half the width W of the front side member body 10. Since the overlapped portion 18 is spot welded, an “unpolymerized portion” is formed above the spot welding point within the range of the overlapped portion 18, but the “unpolymerized portion” formed in the overlapped portion 18 has a spot. In the present embodiment, a force in the peeling direction may act on the spot welding point when the “unpolymerized portion” is bent due to an error in the position of the welding point. A polymerization section 16 was provided.

Next, the operation when the vehicle has a frontal collision will be described. When the radial core upper 2 connecting the front ends of the left and right hood ridges 1 is bent backward, the upper portions of the hood ridge 1 and the strut housing 5 tend to fall down to the engine room E side. 17 is bent. This bending occurs at a substantially right angle at the corner of the front side member body 10 because the interval between the unpolymerized portions 17 is as small as about 1.5 times the plate thickness.

When the lower non-overlapping portion 17 is bent, the overlapping portion 18 falls down around the unfolded portion 17 to be in a state along the upper surface of the front side member body 10. When the overlapping portion 18 is in a state along the upper surface of the front side member main body 10, the upper non-overlapping portion 16 is also bent, and the strut housing 5 is in a state in which the strut housing 5 is entirely moved inward in the vehicle width direction.
Since the vertical size of the overlapping portion 18 is just half of the width W of the front side member 9, the vertical wall 7 is located at the center of the width of the front side member 9.

Therefore, even if the front side member 9 moves upward, the vertical wall 7 is formed at the center of the width of the front side member 9 between the hood ridge 1 and the strut housing 5. The vertical wall 7 serves as a “refill”, and the input accompanying the upward movement of the front side member 9 is sufficiently transmitted to the skeleton member such as the hood ridge 1.
It becomes possible to disperse, and the upward movement d (see FIG. 2) of the front side member 9 is reliably suppressed.

According to this embodiment, the downward flange 8 of the strut housing 5 and the front side member 9
The unpolymerized portions 16 and 17 which are "thin plate portions" can be formed by a simple plate assembly structure using the upwardly directed flange 15.

Further, since the upward flange 15 is formed on the reinforce 11, the front side member main body 10
Suffices to be an extruded material having a simple closed cross-sectional shape, and the manufacture of the front side member body 10 is easy.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Front side member 19 of the second embodiment
Is the front side member body 10 and the rain force 1
1 are joined at the corners of the front side member body 10 by arc welding. Accordingly, the fillet 20 formed by arc welding is formed at the corner of the front side member body 10.
Is formed, but the lower unpolymerized portion 21 is formed by this fillet 20.
Is formed without containing. That is, since the portion where the fillet 20 is formed is difficult to bend, the space between the unfilled portions 21 is ensured between the fillet 20 and the lower end of the downward flange 8. Therefore, the unpolymerized portion 21 is reliably bent without being disturbed by the fillet 20.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In the front side member 22 of the third embodiment, the lower unpolymerized portion 23 has a bead shape. In this manner, the vertical input applied to the front side member 22 from the strut housing 5 during normal running can be absorbed by the bead-shaped unpolymerized portion 23. The coating 24 can be prevented from cracking, and watertightness at the joint between the front side member 22 and another member can be ensured.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the front side member 2
5 was formed entirely of an extruded material. That is, the front side member 25 has a structure in which the closed section 26 and the upward flange 27 are integrally provided. The plate thickness of the upward flange 27 is half of the plate thickness of the closed section 26 in order to form the unpolymerized portion 28 that is easily bent. The upward flange 27 is integrally formed by extrusion molding, and its thickness can be controlled independently, so that an optimal thickness can be arbitrarily selected.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, the front side member 2
9 is not an extruded material but formed by two plate materials. That is, the flanges 3 are located at the upper and lower ends of the U-shaped section.
Front side member main body 32 having a shape having 0, 31
A flange 30 of the front side member body 32;
And a closing plate 33 that forms a closed cross section by being superimposed on the closing plate 31. A U-shaped reinforcing panel 34 is also joined inside. Closing plate 3
Reference numeral 3 denotes a flat plate, which is joined to the closing plate 33 with the upper flange 30 of the front side member body 32 facing downward, thereby being joined to the downward flange 8 of the strut housing 5 at the upper end of the closing plate 33. An upward flange 35 is formed. Other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the previous embodiment. The joining between the upper flange 30 and the closing plate 33 is one-way welding from the outside.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The sixth embodiment shows a front side member 35 having another plate assembly structure using two plate members. The difference from the fifth embodiment is that a closing plate 36 is provided.
Is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and joined to the upper surface of the front side member main body 37. Of the upper and lower flanges 38, 39 of the front side member main body 37,
The upper flange 38 is used as an “upward flange”. The joining between the upper end 36a of the closing plate 36 and the upper surface of the front side member body 37 is one-way welding from the outside.

[0046]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lower end of the strut housing is bent inward in the vehicle width direction by the displacement mechanism provided at the joint between the strut housing and the front side member, so that the upper surface of the front side member is formed. , And the vertical wall of the strut housing on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is moved in parallel as a whole inward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, a vertical wall is formed between the hood ridge and the strut housing, and the vertical wall can sufficiently transmit and disperse the input accompanying the upward movement of the front side member to the skeleton member such as the hood ridge. The upward movement of the side member is suppressed. This eliminates the need for a conventional large reinforcing frame, improves the degree of freedom in layout around the strut housing, and makes it possible to widely use the space in the engine room.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bending at the time of the frontal collision occurs in the thin plate portions above and below the connecting portion. Since the lower bent portion is generated near the corner of the front side member, the connecting portion is bent at a substantially right angle, and is in a state along the upper surface of the front side member. Therefore, the upper bent portion of the connecting portion is generated at a position moved inward in the vehicle width direction from the corner of the front side member by the vertical size of the connecting portion. Since the upper bent portion of the connecting portion has moved inward in the vehicle width direction, the vertical wall of the strut housing located above it is located between the hood ridge and the front side member in a nearly vertical state. Therefore, the vertical wall of the strut housing serves as a "holding", and suppresses the upward movement of the front side member.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since at least one of the thin plate portions has a bead shape, a delicate input in the vertical direction applied to the front side member from the strut housing during normal traveling can be obtained by using the bead shaped thin plate portion. Can be absorbed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the coating of the front side member from being cracked, and it is possible to ensure watertightness at a joint between the front side member and another member.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a thin plate portion can be formed above and below the connecting portion with a simple plate-assembly structure including the downward flange of the strut housing and the upward flange of the front side member.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the upward flange is formed as a reinforce, the front side member main body may be formed of an extruded material having a simple closed cross section, and the front side member main body can be easily manufactured.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the front side member is formed of an extruded member integrally provided with an upward flange at the closed cross section, the thickness of the upward flange is different from that of the closed cross section. You can control. Further, since the plate thickness of the upward flange is set smaller than that of the closed cross section, a thin plate portion can be easily formed by the upward flange.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the distance between the upper and lower unpolymerized portions is 1 to 2 times the plate thickness of the downward flange and the upward flange, the unpolymerized portion is bent with a small degree of curvature, and the position of the bending is small. It will be constant.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the vertical size of the overlapping portion is substantially half the width of the front side member, the upper bent portion is located exactly at the center of the width of the front side member, and The upward movement of the front side member can be effectively suppressed by the vertical wall of the housing.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, even when the front side member is formed of two parts, the front side member main body made of a plate material and the closing plate,
An upward flange can be formed by the upper end of the closing plate.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, even when the front side member is formed of two parts, the front side member main body made of a plate material and the closing plate, the upward flange is formed by the upper flange of the front side member. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front side member connecting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line SA-SA shown in FIG. 1 and shows a state in which the upward movement of the front side member is suppressed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a front side member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a front side member according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a front side member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a front side member according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a front side member according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 food ridge 2 radial core upper (construction member) 5 strut housing 8 downward flange 9, 19, 22 front side member 11 reinforcement 15, 27, 33 a, 38 upward flange 16 upper unpolymerized portion (displacement mechanism) 17, 21, 23 , 28 Lower unpolymerized part (displacement mechanism) 18 Polymerized part (displacement mechanism) 25, 29, 35 Front side member 32, 37 Front side member body 33, 36 Closing plate W Width size

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A front end portion of a hood ridge arranged on both left and right sides of a vehicle is connected to each other by a bridging member extending in a vehicle width direction, and each of the hood ridges is connected to an upper end portion of a strut housing. Wherein the lower end portion of the strut housing is coupled to the front side member, wherein the strut housing is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction at a frontal collision of the vehicle at a coupling portion between the strut housing and the front side member. A vehicle front side member coupling structure provided with a mechanism. 2. The front side member connecting structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the displacement mechanism is a thin plate provided at a connecting portion between the strut housing and the front side member. 3. The front side member connecting structure for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the thin plate portion has a bead shape. 4. A downward flange is formed at a lower end of the strut housing, an upward flange is formed at a corner of the front side member, and both flanges are superimposed on each other while leaving an unpolymerized portion as a thin plate. Claim 2
A vehicle front side member connecting structure according to claim 3 or 4. 5. A front side member comprising: a front side member main body having a closed cross-section structure formed by an extruded material; and a reinforcement coupled to at least a portion of the front side member main body corresponding to a strut housing;
5. The front side member connecting structure for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein an outer portion of the reinforcement in the vehicle width direction is extended upward to form an upward flange. 6. The front side member is formed of an extruded material having a shape in which an upward flange is integrally formed at a corner of a closed cross section, and the thickness of the upward flange is set smaller than the thickness of the closed cross section. The vehicle front side member coupling structure according to claim 5, wherein: 7. The gap between the upper unpolymerized portions is 1 to 2 times the plate thickness of the downward flange, and the interval between the lower unpolymerized portions is 1 to 2 times the plate thickness of the upward flange. The vehicle front side member connecting structure according to any one of claims 6 to 7. 8. The vehicle front side member coupling structure according to claim 4, wherein the vertical size of the overlapping portion of the downward flange and the upward flange is substantially half the width of the front side member. . 9. A front side member body made of a plate material having a front side member having flanges at upper and lower ends of a U-shaped section, and a closing formed by being overlapped with the flange of the front side member body to form a closed cross section. An upper flange at the upper end of the closing plate by joining the closing plate to the closing plate with the upper plate of the front side member facing downward and the upper plate facing downward. The vehicle front side member connecting structure according to claim 4, wherein 10. A front side member main body made of a plate material having a front side member having a flange at upper and lower ends of a U-shaped section, and a closing portion formed by overlapping the flange of the front side member main body to form a closed cross section. An upper end of the closing plate is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and joined to an upper surface of the front side member main body, and an upward flange is formed by the upper flange of the front side member main body. The vehicle front side member connecting structure according to claim 4.