JPH11115810A - Front part vehicle body structure for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide front part vehicle body structure for an automobile, effectively working on a load too in any direction applied to a suspension tower. SOLUTION: A means 16, for partitioning an engine room from a cabin, is equipped with a dash panel 24, a dash front panel 26 joined to the intermediate portion of the dash panel 24, a cowl panel 28 for forming a closed structure C in cooperation with these panels 24 and 26, and a cowl front panel 30 arranged in the front of the panel 28. The panels 26 and 28 are joined to the top part of a suspension tower 12, and the panel 30 is joined separably to the top part of the suspension tower 12 and the panel 26. A cowl, opened at the upper part, is formed of the panels 28 and 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a front body structure of a motor vehicle, and more particularly, to a front pillar disposed on left and right sides of a left and right suspension tower in an engine room and a means for separating the engine room and the vehicle room. And a front vehicle body structure of a passenger car comprising:

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An engine room and a passenger compartment of a passenger car are separated by a dash panel extending upward from a floor and a cowl disposed above the dash panel and connected to left and right front pillars. . The cowl secures the torsional rigidity of the car body and also functions as a duct that takes in outside air into the cabin.

[0003] As described above, since the cowl is related to the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body, it is usually formed so that a cross section cut by a virtual vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body has a closed structure. However, in the hope of improving the serviceability of the wiper and special effects such as the ease of introduction of outside air due to the large cross-sectional area, the so-called open type form with the top open It may be formed (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 64-47484). In the latter case, the thickness of the cowl is made larger than the thickness of the cowl in the case of the closed structure, and the required rigidity is secured.

The cowl described in the above publication is connected to the tops of left and right suspension towers provided in an engine room, and is designed to receive a load applied to the suspension tower from the wheels via the suspension.

[0005]

The load applied to the suspension tower from the wheels via the suspension is directed not only in the width direction of the vehicle body but also in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Mainly extends in the width direction of the vehicle body, and because the closed structure provided on the rear wall of the cowl is far from the suspension tower and is not effective against the longitudinal and vertical loads applied to the suspension tower. It is effective against loads directed in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0006] The present invention provides a front body structure of a motor vehicle capable of effectively acting on a load applied to a suspension tower in any direction.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a suspension tower provided on each of left and right sides in an engine room of an automobile, a means for partitioning the engine room and the vehicle compartment, and a left and right side of the partition means. 1 is a front vehicle body structure of an automobile including a front pillar disposed in each of the front and rear sections. The partition means includes a dash panel extending upward from the floor of the vehicle body, a dash front panel coupled to an intermediate portion of the dash panel, extending forward from the dash panel, and a dash front panel and the dash panel. The cowl panel includes a cowl panel that is combined with these panels and has a closed structure cut by a virtual vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body to form a closed structure, and a cowl front panel disposed in front of the cowl panel. The dash panel, the dash front panel, and the cowl panel are coupled to the left and right front pillars or a panel near the front pillar so that the closing structure extends between the left and right front pillars. The dash front panel and the cowl panel are coupled to the top of each of the left and right suspension towers. The cowl front panel is detachably coupled to the top of each of the left and right suspension towers and the dash front panel or the cowl panel. A cowl whose upper part is opened is formed by the cowl panel and the cowl front panel.

[0008] Preferably, a reinforcing panel is disposed within the closed cross-section structure.

[0009]

[Function and Effect] The load in the width direction of the vehicle body applied to the suspension tower is mainly transmitted from the cowl front panel to the closing structure, and the load in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is mainly transmitted from the dash front panel to the closing structure. The directional load is mainly transmitted from the cowl panel to the closed structure.

Since the closing structure is directly connected to the suspension tower, a load applied to the suspension tower in any direction is transmitted to the closing structure and received by the closing structure and the left and right front pillars. As a result, the rigidity against the load applied to the suspension tower is greatly improved, and thereby the vibration and noise generated near the suspension tower can be reduced.

[0011] Since the dash front panel is joined to the middle portion of the dash panel and extends forward from the dash panel, even if water may enter the joint between the two,
Water can be easily prevented from entering the vehicle interior. In other words, water leakage can be prevented without taking any measures against water leakage. On the other hand, in the case where the cowl is joined to the top of the dash panel as described in the above-mentioned publication, it is necessary to apply the sealant to both joints, but the application work is troublesome.

Since the cowl front panel can be separated into the suspension tower and the dash front panel or the cowl panel, parts such as the wiper can be inspected or replaced in a state in which the suspension tower is separated and the serviceability is improved. it can. Further, where the cowl is formed by the cowl panel and the cowl front panel, it is possible to increase the cross-sectional area of the cowl by selecting the position of the cowl front panel, thereby making it easier to take in outside air.

According to a preferred aspect, since the deformation of the closing structure due to the load applied to the closing structure from the suspension tower can be prevented by the reinforcing panel, it is possible to further contribute to the improvement in rigidity against the load applied to the suspension tower.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, which shows a perspective view of a front body structure of an automobile in which a cowl front panel is disassembled, left and right sides (right side in FIG. 1) in an engine room 10 of the automobile. (Only the right side is shown in the figure), means 16 for partitioning the suspension tower 12, the engine room 10 and the cabin 14, respectively, provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle. And the front pillars 18 arranged respectively.

Referring to FIG. 3 showing an exploded perspective view, the suspension tower 12 is formed in a tubular shape.
It has a support 20 at its upper end. Support 20
Flange 21 is the panel 2 of the apron side member 22
3 and are joined by spot welding. Struts and coil springs of a suspension (not shown) support 20
Is combined with

The partitioning means 16 is connected to a dash panel 24 extending upward from the floor of the vehicle body and an intermediate portion of the dash panel 24 as shown in detail in FIG. A cowl panel 28 coupled to the dash front panel 26 and the dash panel 24, and a cowl front panel 30 disposed in front of the cowl panel 28. The cowl panel 28
Together with the dash panel 24 and the dash front panel 26, a cross section cut along a virtual vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body forms a closed structure C.

The dash panel 24, the dash front panel 26, and the cowl panel 28 are connected to the left and right front pillars 18 or panels near the front pillars 18 so that the closing structure extends between the left and right front pillars 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dash front panel 26 has two flanges 32, 33 spaced apart from each other.
And the flange 33 is spot-welded to the dash panel 24. The cowl panel 28 has two flanges 34 and 35 that are vertically spaced from each other, and a flange 36 that protrudes outward from the side. Flange 34 is spot welded to flange 32 of dash front panel 26 and flange 35 is spot welded to flange 25 at the upper end of dash panel 24. The cowl panel 28 is attached to the side pillar 36 by the front pillar 18.
The inner panel 19 and the panel 23 of the apron upper member 22 are overlapped and spot-welded to be joined to the front pillar 18 and the apron upper member 22. Further, the dash panel 24 has a flange 38 on the side.
Having. The flange 38 is spot-welded to a joint 39 between the front pillar 18 and the apron upper member 22, and the dash panel 24 is connected to the front pillar 18 and the apron upper member 22.

The dash front panel 26 and the cowl panel 28 are connected to the tops of the left and right suspension towers 12, that is, the support portions 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the suspension tower 12 and the front pillar 1
8 and are spaced apart in front and back, and a closed structure C extends between the left and right front pillars 18. Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 3, the dash front panel 26 has an overhang portion 40, and the cowl panel 28 has an overhang portion 41.
And these are projected toward the suspension tower 12. Flange 43 of overhang 41
The dash panel 26 and the cowl panel 2 are overlapped with the flange 42 of the overhang portion 40 and further overlapped with the support portion 20 of the suspension tower and spot-welded.
8 are connected to the suspension tower 12.

The cowl front panel 30 is detachably connected to the tops of the left and right suspension towers 12 and the dash front panel 26 or the cowl panel 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the cowl front panel 3
0 is a hole 46 in which the convex portion of the support portion 20 of the suspension tower 12 fits, and a dash front panel 26
And a connecting piece 47 overlapped with the connecting portion 44 protruding forward. Guide the hole 46 to the convex part and fit it.
A bolt 48 is inserted into the peripheral edge of No. 6 and screwed into a nut attached to the support portion 20 of the suspension tower 12. Further, a bolt is passed through the connecting piece 47 and the connecting portion 44 and screwed into a nut. Thereby, the cowl front panel 30 is detachably connected to the suspension tower 12 and the dash front panel 26. The cowl front panel 30 may be coupled to the cowl panel 28.

When the cowl front panel 30 is mounted at a predetermined position, the cowl panel 28 and the cowl front panel 30 form a cowl 50 whose upper part is open as shown in FIG. Above the cowl 50, a front windshield glass 52 and a cowl louver 5
4 are arranged.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
Are arranged in the closed structure C. The reinforcing panel 60
It is sandwiched between the cowl panel 28, the dash panel 24 and the dash front panel 26, and is connected thereto. This increases the rigidity of the closed structure C. As shown in FIG. 4, the rigidity of the closing structure C can also be increased by forming a bead 56 by forming a recess in the dash panel 24. Preferably, a plurality of beads 56 are provided at intervals in the width direction of the vehicle body. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the dash front panel 26 extends linearly and substantially horizontally from the dash panel 24. This is effective against the longitudinal load applied to the suspension tower 12 of the vehicle body.

When a vehicle having a front vehicle body structure travels, a load is applied to the suspension tower 12 via the wheels and the suspension in the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the vertical direction of the vehicle body. The load in the width direction of the vehicle body is mainly transmitted from the cowl front panel 30 to the closing structure C, the load in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is mainly transmitted from the dash front panel 26 to the closing structure C, and the vertical load of the vehicle body is It is mainly transmitted from the cowl panel 28 to the closing structure C.
Since all loads are transmitted to the closed structure C and further transmitted to the front pillar 18, and since each load is directly transmitted to the closed structure C, extremely high rigidity is exhibited.

In a conventional vehicle front body structure in which the cowl is located away from the suspension tower and connected to the upper end of the dash panel, the rigidity in the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the vertical direction is 5000, 8000, respectively. , 10,000 N / mm. On the other hand, in the present invention, the rigidities in the width direction, the front-rear direction, and the vertical direction are 10000, 20000,
It was 0 N / mm.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a cowl front panel of an embodiment of a vehicle front body structure according to the present invention.

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

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a vehicle body front structure according to the present invention, in which a cowl front panel is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a use state of a front vehicle body structure of an automobile according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 engine room 12 suspension tower 14 cabin 16 partition means 18 front pillar 20 support part (top) 24 dash panel 26 dash front panel 28 cowl panel 30 cowl front panel

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A suspension tower provided on each of left and right sides in an engine room of an automobile, means for partitioning the engine room from the vehicle compartment, and front pillars respectively arranged on left and right sides of the partitioning means. A dash panel extending upward from a floor of the vehicle body, and a dash panel coupled to an intermediate portion of the dash panel and extending forward from the dash panel. A front panel, a cowl panel coupled to the dash front panel and the dash panel, and coupled with these panels, a section cut along a virtual vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body to form a closed structure; and a cowl panel in front of the cowl panel. A dash panel and a dash front, comprising a cowl front panel to be arranged. The front panel and the cowl panel are coupled to left and right front pillars or a panel near the front pillar so that the closing structure extends between the left and right front pillars. The dash front panel and the cowl panel are connected to the left and right suspensions. The cowl front panel is coupled to the top of each of the towers, and the cowl front panel is separably coupled to the top of each of the left and right suspension towers and the dash front panel or the cowl panel. The cowl panel and the cowl front panel The front body structure of the car, in which a cowl whose upper part is opened is formed. 2. The front body structure of an automobile according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing panel disposed in the closed structure.