JPH1143071A - Body front end structure of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To absorb sufficiently a colliding energy depending of the impact force at the collision of an automobile by a sufficient plastic deformation at the front end of a side frame, even when the lower end of a radiator support is supported to the front end of the side frame, as well as a retainer for subframe is installed to the front end of the side frame. SOLUTION: In this body front part structure of an automobile, the lower end 48 of a radiator support 46 is supported to the front end 21 of a side frame 20 extending in the longitudinal direction, as well a retainer 14 supporting a subframe is installed to the front end 21 of the side frame 20. At the same time, a support part of the lower end 48 of the radiator support 46 is positioned at the place almost same as the installing part of the retainer 14 at the front end 21 of the side frame 20, in the longitudinal direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body front end structure in which a radiator support is supported at a front end of a side frame.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an automobile body in which a retainer for supporting a sub-frame is attached to a front end of a side frame extending in a front-rear direction. According to this, the wheels are preliminarily suspended on the sub-frame, and the engine and the transmission are supported to form a unit, and this unit is supported on the side frame via the retainer. The workability of assembling is improved.

[0003] Conventionally, the vehicle body of an automobile is conventionally equipped with an actual open flat 7
No. 19068.

According to this, the lower end of the radiator support is supported by the front end of the side frame extending in the front-rear direction, and the radiator is supported by the radiator support. When a vehicle travels, the traveling wind passes through the radiator so that the water for cooling the engine is air-cooled.

[0005] On the other hand, when a vehicle collides with, for example, an object existing in front of the vehicle while traveling forward, generally, the front end of the side frame is compressed in its longitudinal direction by an impact force received from the object, and plasticity is reduced. The plastic deformation allows the collision energy based on the impact force to be absorbed, and the transmission of the impact force toward the cabin located on the rear side of the vehicle body is suppressed. Have been.

[0006]

The mounting portion of the retainer for the sub-frame at the front end of the side frame and the support at the lower end of the radiator support oppose external force from the sub-frame and the radiator support. Therefore, each of them has sufficient rigidity, and is a portion that is hardly plastically deformed by the above-mentioned impact force.

For this reason, if the mounting portion of the retainer and the supporting portion at the lower end of the radiator support are simply arranged in front and rear with respect to the front end of the side frame, plastic deformation at the front end of the side frame is possible. Since the range is narrowed, sufficient plastic deformation cannot be obtained, that is, there is a problem that the collision energy cannot be sufficiently absorbed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. Even when a retainer for a sub-frame is attached to a front end of a side frame and a lower end of a radiator support is supported, the present invention is not limited to this. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to more sufficiently absorb collision energy based on an impact force at the time of collision by sufficient plastic deformation at the front end of the side frame.

In addition, the strength of the mounting portion of the retainer for the subframe with respect to the front end portion of the side frame and the strength of the support portion of the lower end portion of the radiator support can be improved with a simple configuration, so that the strength of the side frame with respect to the front end portion can be improved. An object of the present invention is to ensure that each support of the subframe and the radiator support is firmly provided.

[0010]

The structure of the front end of the vehicle body of the vehicle according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is as follows.

A first aspect of the present invention is a vehicle body front end in which a retainer 14 for supporting the sub-frame 12 is attached to a front end 21 of a side frame 20 extending in the front-rear direction and a lower end 48 of a radiator support 46 is supported. In structure

A support portion for a lower end portion 48 of the radiator support 46 is located at substantially the same position as a mounting portion of the retainer 14 at a front end portion 21 of the side frame 20 in the front-rear direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, the radiator support 46 is partially deviated rearward from the upper end 49 of the radiator support 46 in the vertical direction. The portion 57 is bent.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an automobile, and an arrow Fr indicates the front of the automobile 1. The left and right described below refer to the direction toward the front.

The vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 is supported on a traveling road surface by a pair of left and right wheels 3 suspended on front and rear portions of the vehicle body 2, respectively. The vehicle body 2 has a vehicle body frame 6 and a body 7 which is a vehicle body mounted on the vehicle body frame 6, and a front portion of the body 7 serves as an engine room 8 for housing a driving engine. The inside of the rear side of the body 7 is a vehicle compartment 9.

The body frame 6 includes a main frame 11 for supporting the body 7, a sub-frame 12 for suspending the wheels 3 and supporting the engine, and a main frame 1 for supporting the engine.
1 has a support 13 for supporting the sub-frame 12.

The support 13 includes a pair of left and right retainers 14, 14 attached to the front end of the front portion of the main frame 11, and a pair of left and right retainers 15 attached to the rear end of the front portion of the main frame 11. , 15 and each of the retainers 14, 15 before the sub-frame 12,
Fasteners 16, 1 for detachably supporting the rear ends, respectively
7 is provided.

The main frame 11 is composed of a pair of left and right sheet metal side frames 20 and 2 extending long in the front-rear direction.
0 is provided. A cross member 22 made of sheet metal extending long in the vehicle width direction is provided at the front ends 21 and 21 of the side frames 20 and 20. Each end 23 of the cross member 22 in the vehicle width direction is connected to a pair of upper and lower fasteners 24 and 24 by spot welding (the crosses in the figure, the front ends 21 and 21 of the side frames 20 and 20). Hereinafter the same).

Each of the side frames 20 has an outer panel 26 and an inner panel 27, which are press-formed products which are joined to face each other in the vehicle width direction. The outer panel 26 extends vertically. On the other hand, the inner panel 27 has an upper plate 28 facing up and down.
A lower plate 29, a connecting plate 30 extending in the vertical direction by integrally connecting inner edges of the upper plate 28 and the lower plate 29 in the vehicle width direction, and an outer edge of the upper plate 28 and the lower plate 29. With outward flanges 31 and 31 formed integrally, the cross section in a front view (or a rear view) is substantially U-shaped.

The upper and lower edges of the outer panel 26 and the flanges 31 of the inner panel 27 are joined to each other and spot-welded. Thereby, the cross section of the side frame 20 in a front view (or a rear view) has a box shape, and a closed internal space 32 is formed inside the side frame 20.

The front and rear retainers 14 and 15 are both made of sheet metal.
Is housed in the inner space 32 at the rear of the front end 21 of the side frame 20 and is firmly joined mainly to the lower plate 29 and the connecting plate 30 by spot welding. Further, by this connection, each of the retainers 14 reinforces a rear portion of the front end portion 21 of each of the side frames 20.
The rigidity of the mounting portion of the retainer 14 at the front end 21 of the zero is increased. On the other hand, each of the rear retainers 15 is firmly joined to the lower surface of the middle part of the side frame 20 by spot welding.

Then, as described above, the subframe 12
Is a fastener 1 for each of the retainers 14 and 15 before and after the above.
It is strongly supported by 6,17.

A plurality of (three) beads 33 extending vertically are formed on the outer panel 26 at the front end 21 of each side frame 20.

The cross member 22 has an outer panel 35 and an inner panel 36, which are press-formed products which are joined to face each other in the front-rear direction. The outer panel 35 includes an upper plate 37 and a lower plate 38 facing each other vertically separated from each other, a connecting plate 39 for integrally connecting the front edges of the upper plate 37 and the lower plate 38, and the upper plate 37 and the lower plate. 38, each of which has a flange 40, 40 integrally formed with each of the front edges thereof, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section in a side view. On the other hand, the inner panel 36 extends vertically.

Each flange 40 of the outer panel 35,
The upper panel 40 and the upper and lower edges of the inner panel 36 are joined to each other and spot-welded. This allows
The cross section of the cross member 22 in a side view is a box shape,
Inside the cross member 22 is a closed internal space 4.
1 is formed.

At the front end 21 of each of the side frames 20, the outer panel 26 and each end of the connecting plate 30 of the inner panel 27 are plate-like members extending in the front-rear direction.

In each end 23 of the cross member 22,
Partition walls 43 are provided as a pair of left and right sheet metal bulkheads extending in the front-rear direction. The outer edges of these partition walls 43 are joined to the outer panel 35 and the inner panel 36 of the cross member 22, respectively, and firmly joined by spot welding.
In addition, each of the partition walls 43 is formed of the plate-like material (the outer panel 26, the connecting plate 3
0) is located substantially on an imaginary extension line in the front-rear direction, and has substantially the same shape and size as the respective plate-like members of the front end 21 of each of the side frames 20 in front view (or rear view). Overlapped.

Each partition 43 can be plastically deformed in the front-rear direction by a compressive force applied thereto in the front-rear direction. A bead 44 extending in the vertical direction is formed on each of the partition walls 43, and the rigidity of each of the partition walls 43 is increased by the bead 44, while the plastic deformation is more smoothly obtained by the above-described compressive force. .

The main frame 11 has a radiator support 46 made of sheet metal and installed on the front ends 21 and 21 of the side frames 20 and 20. The radiator support 46 includes a pair of left and right support bodies 47, 47.
It has. Lower end 4 of radiator support 46
The lower end of each of the support bodies 47 constituting the support 8 is firmly connected to the corresponding rear end of the front end 21 of the side frame 20 by spot welding.
Further, a cross member 50 is provided on each upper end of each of the support bodies 47, and the two support bodies 47 are firmly connected.

The upper end 49 of the radiator support 46
The upper part of a radiator (not shown) is supported by the above-mentioned cross member 50. Further, a headlamp (not shown) is supported on the upper end of each of the support bodies 47 constituting the upper end 49 of the radiator support 46, and the headlamp is fitted therein so that irradiation can be performed forward. A headlamp mounting hole 52 is formed.

The support body 47 supports a fender apron 53, which is a part of the body 7,
The fender apron 53 forms a side surface of the engine room 8.

In the above case, at least a part of the lower end portion of each support body 47 is spot-welded between the outer panel 26 and the inner panel 27 of the side frame 20 in the vehicle width direction. The radiator support 46 is firmly connected to each of the side frames 20.

Further, the lower end of each of the support bodies 47 is bridged between the upper and lower flanges 31, 31 of the inner panel 27 which is substantially U-shaped in front view (or rear view). The support bodies 4 are connected to each other by spot welding.
Reference numeral 7 denotes each of the side frames 20 so that the opening between the flanges 31 of the inner panel 27 is not deformed by an external force.
The front end 21 is reinforced.

At the rear of the front end 21 of each of the side frames 20 in the front-rear direction, the radiator support 4 is positioned substantially at the same position as the mounting portion of the front retainer 14.
The support portion of the lower end portion 48 (specifically, the lower end portion of the support main body 47) is located.

Also, in the side view, a vertically intermediate portion 57 of each support body 47 of the radiator support 46 is bent such that a lower end portion 48 of the radiator support 46 is deviated rearward from an upper end portion 49 thereof. ing.

According to the above configuration, the partition wall 43 extending in the front-rear direction is provided in each end 23 of the cross member 22, and the partition wall 43 is a plate-like material (the outer panel 26, the connecting plate 30).
Therefore, when the automobile 1 and any object collide with each other in the front-rear direction, the impact force F received from the object causes the front end 21 of the side frame 20 to be positioned. Is plastically deformed, and the cross member 22 is also plastically deformed. By these plastic deformations, the collision energy based on the impact force F is absorbed, and the impact force F is located at an intermediate portion of the vehicle body 2 in the front-rear direction. To the passenger compartment 9 side.

In addition, at the time of the collision, the reaction force generated on the plate-like material to support the impact force F is generated by the plate-like material 26,
In order to face in the front-back direction in which the extension 30 extends and in the direction opposing the impact force F, the plate-like members 26, 30
A large compressive stress is generated in each of the partition walls 43 located on the virtual extension line in the front-rear direction due to the impact force F and its reaction force.

Therefore, the partition 43 is sufficiently plastically deformed, and the collision energy is sufficiently absorbed.

As described above, since each partition 43 is provided in the internal space 41 of the cross member 22,
As described above, the partition 43 is used to absorb the collision energy.
Is provided, there is almost no change in the outer shape of the vehicle body 2, so that the appearance of the vehicle body 2 is maintained in a good condition, and a trouble or a change occurs in the configuration relating to the cross member 22 with other vehicle body components. Is also prevented, the body 2
It is useful in molding.

In FIGS. 1, 6, and 8, a bead 55 extending long in the vehicle width direction is pressed into a component of the intermediate portion 54 of the cross member 22 between the side frames 20, 20 in the vehicle width direction. It is formed by molding.
More specifically, the bead 55 is formed in the middle part 54 of the cross member 22 in the vertical direction of the inner panel 36, and the internal space 41 of the cross member 22 is vertically partitioned by the bead 55. Thus, the rigidity of the middle portion 54 of the cross member 22 is sufficiently increased.

Therefore, in particular, at the time of the “offset collision” in which the object at the time of the collision is deviated to one side of the vehicle body 2 in the vehicle width direction, the impact force applied to one side of the vehicle body 2 in the vehicle width direction. A part of F is reliably transmitted to the other side of the vehicle body 2 via the cross member 22.
The front end 21 of the side frame 20 and the cross member 2
2 is sufficiently plastically deformed, so that the collision energy is sufficiently absorbed.

Referring particularly to FIG.
The cross-sectional area of the middle portion 54 in a side view is smaller than the cross-sectional area of each end 23 thereof.

Therefore, the rigidity of the cross member 22 is prevented from being excessively increased, that is, the rigidity of the vehicle body 2 against the impact force F is prevented from being excessively improved as a whole.

Therefore, regardless of whether or not an “offset collision” has occurred, at the time of the collision of the vehicle 1, the front ends 21 and 21 of the side frames 20 and 20 and the cross member 22
Each of the ends 23, 23 is sufficiently plastically deformed,
The collision energy is sufficiently absorbed.

As described above, the support portion of the lower end portion 48 of the radiator support 46 is located at the front end portion 21 of the side frame 20 at substantially the same position as the mounting portion of the retainer 14 in the front-rear direction. ing.

For this reason, at the front end 21 of the side frame 20, the mounting portion of the highly rigid retainer 14 and the supporting portion of the lower end 48 of the radiator support 46 are compact in the front-rear direction.
Is prevented from being narrowed in the plastically deformable range at the front end 21.

Therefore, since the plastically deformable portion of the front end 21 of the side frame 20 can be lengthened, the collision energy based on the impact force F at the time of the collision of the automobile 1 can be sufficiently reduced at the front end 21 of the side frame 20. Sufficient plastic deformation results in more sufficient absorption. This plastic deformation is further promoted by the beads 33.

Also, as described above, the side frame 2
Since the mounting portion of the retainer 14 with respect to the front end portion 21 and the supporting portion of the lower end portion 48 of the radiator support 46 are located at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction, the mounting portion and the supporting portion are separately reinforced. The members are reinforced with each other without providing any material, so that the strength can be improved with a simple configuration.

Therefore, the sub-frame 12 and the radiator support 4 for the front end 21 of the side frame 20
Each support 6 is made firmly with a simple configuration.

As described above, the middle portion 57 of the radiator support 46 in the vertical direction is bent so that the lower end portion 48 of the radiator support 46 is displaced rearward of the upper end portion 49.

For this reason, the lower end 4 of the radiator support 46 is provided with respect to the front end 21 of the side frame 20.
As a result, the front end portion 21 of the side frame 20 has a longer plastically deformable portion from the front end face toward the rear.

Therefore, the collision energy based on the impact force F is further sufficiently absorbed by the plastic deformation at the front end 21 of the side frame 20.

Further, in the above case, the middle portion 57 of the radiator support 46 is bent to position the lower end 48 of the radiator support 46 on the rear side. Therefore, the upper end 49 of the radiator support 46 is It can be located at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction as compared with.

For this reason, the configuration in which other vehicle components such as the upper part of the radiator and the head lamp with respect to the upper end part 49 of the radiator support 46 are not affected or changed is prevented. is there.

[0056]

The effects of the present invention are as follows.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body front end structure in which a retainer for supporting a sub-frame is attached to a front end of a side frame extending in the front-rear direction and a lower end of a radiator support is supported.

In the front-rear direction, a support portion at a lower end portion of the radiator support is located at substantially the same position as a mounting portion of the retainer at a front end portion of the side frame.

Therefore, the mounting portion of the highly rigid retainer at the front end of the side frame and the support at the lower end of the radiator support are compact in the front-rear direction,
Accordingly, the plastically deformable range at the front end of the side frame is prevented from being narrowed.

Therefore, since the plastically deformable portion can be lengthened at the front end of the side frame, the collision energy based on the impact force at the time of the collision of the vehicle can be further reduced by the sufficient plastic deformation at the front end of the side frame. It will be fully absorbed.

As described above, the mounting portion of the retainer with respect to the front end of the side frame and the supporting portion of the lower end of the radiator support are located at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction. The parts reinforce each other without providing a separate reinforcing material, and the strength can be improved with a simple configuration.

Therefore, the support of the sub-frame and the radiator support with respect to the front end of the side frame can be made firmly with a simple structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the radiator support is bent at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction so that the lower end of the radiator support is deviated rearward from the upper end thereof.

For this reason, the lower end of the radiator support is positioned more rearward than the front end of the side frame, and accordingly, the front end of the side frame is provided rearward from the front end face. A longer plastically deformable portion is obtained.

Therefore, the collision energy based on the impact force is further sufficiently absorbed by more sufficient plastic deformation at the front end of the side frame.

In the above case, the radiator support is bent halfway in order to position the lower end of the radiator support on the rear side. Therefore, the upper end of the radiator support is more forward and backward than the conventional radiator support. Can be located almost at the same place.

For this reason, the configuration in which other vehicle components such as the upper portion of the radiator and the headlamp are related to the upper end portion of the radiator support is prevented from being hindered or changed, which is beneficial in forming the vehicle body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a left side portion of a front portion of a vehicle body.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a front portion of a vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a front portion of a vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a front portion of the vehicle body.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3;

7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile 2 Body 11 Main frame 12 Subframe 14 Retainer 16 Fastener 20 Side frame 21 Front end 46 Radiator support 48 Lower end 49 Upper end 57 Midway

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body front end structure in which a retainer for supporting a sub-frame is attached to a front end of a side frame extending in the front-rear direction and a lower end of a radiator support is supported. A vehicle body front end structure in which a support portion at a lower end portion of the radiator support is located at substantially the same position as a mounting portion of the retainer at a front end portion. 2. The front end structure of a vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein a middle portion in a vertical direction of the radiator support is bent such that a lower end portion of the radiator support is deviated rearward from an upper end portion thereof.