JPS6329670B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an improvement in the front body structure of an automobile.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, near both side edges of a cowl at the front of an automobile body, a closed cross-section structure consisting of a cowl side top and a wheel apron joined to the upper side of a dash panel is provided extending forward from the front pillar.
This constitutes a reinforcing structure, but such a closed cross-section structure has a weak connection to the front pillar, which poses a problem in terms of collision prevention.

Therefore, it has been proposed to increase the structural strength by connecting the wheel apron reinforcement and the front pillar that constitute the closed cross-section structure with a gusset plate (for example,
(See Special Publication No. 54-14005).

In addition, the dash panel, plate, and frame form a closed cross-section structure extending forward from the front pillar on the upper side of the dash panel, and a notch that opens laterally is provided in the lower part of the front pillar outer, and this notch is closed. There is also a structure in which a closed section structure is formed on the lower side of the darts panel by the reinforcement, the pillar outer and the darts panel (see Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 123514/1983).

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, since a door is attached to the hinge pillar that is connected to the front pillar, loads such as twisting and bending are applied when the door is opened and closed.
In the case of the conventional technology provided with the above gusset plate,
Since this gusset plate merely connects the wheel apron reinforcement and the hinge pillar, it cannot be said to have sufficient strength.

Furthermore, the dash panel extends in the vehicle width direction and has both ends connected to the side portions of the vehicle body.
This side portion of the vehicle body receives a force in the direction of inward tilting due to the load from the suspension. On the other hand, in the case where the two closed cross-section structures, upper and lower, are provided, the inner edges of both closed cross-section structures are offset to the left and right, so that the load is sufficiently transmitted between them. On the contrary, stress tends to concentrate on the dash panel between the offsets of the inner edge, and the dash panel does not exert an effective tensioning action against the inward tilting.

That is, the present invention aims to improve the strength of the side portion of the vehicle body in relation to the hinge pillar and the dash panel, taking into account the load from the door and the load from the suspension.

(Means for solving the problem) The present invention, as a means for solving the problem,
On the upper side of the dash panel that extends in the vehicle width direction,
This darts panel, cowl side top and wheel apron reinforcement form an upper closed section connected to the front pillar,
The upper part of the cowl side, which is formed by extending the hinge pillar outer connected to the front pillar forward, has a horizontal part that extends inward of the vehicle body and whose front part is connected to the lower surface of the front end of the dash panel, and a horizontal part that extends upward from the inner edge of the cowl side. A bent part is formed which extends and has an upper end facing forward and a vertical part that slopes downward and whose front part is continuous with the horizontal part, and the upper end of the vertical part of this bent part is connected to the dash panel and the cowl side top. The gusset is fixed to the lower surface of the dash panel at the position, and the upper end of the gusset located outside the cowl side faces forward and slopes downward, and the front part thereof is flush with the horizontal part of the bent part to form the dash panel. The lower end of the gusset is fixed to the vertical wall of the cowl side, and the rear end of the gusset is fixed to the hinge mounting part of the hinge pillar outer to serve as a hinge reinforcement part. The present invention provides a front body structure for an automobile in which the bent portion, the dash panel, and the gusset form a lower closed cross section that is partitioned from the upper closed cross section by the dash panel and whose front portion is closed.

(Function) In the case of the above-mentioned front vehicle body structure, the upper closed cross section and the lower closed cross section form a highly rigid two-stage closed cross section structure that is partitioned into upper and lower sections using the side portion of the dash panel as a node. The front part of the lower closed cross section is closed to increase its own rigidity, which contributes to improving the rigidity of the two-stage closed cross section structure and, in turn, improving the strength of the side of the vehicle body. There is.

As described above, since the side portions of the dash panel are connected to the two-stage closed section structure as nodes, the strength of the connection to the side portions of the vehicle body is high, and the connected side portions are It is reinforced with a two-stage closed cross-section structure, which increases the tensile strength against inward collapse of the side of the vehicle body due to uplift loads from the suspension. In addition, since the lower end of the gusset that constitutes the lower closed cross section is joined to the vertical wall surface of the cowl side, the vertical load from the suspension acts on the gusset in the shear direction, which is advantageous in terms of the strength of the lower closed cross section. There is.

On the other hand, the two-stage closed cross-section structure is connected to the front pillar and the hinge pillar to improve the strength of this pillar member. In this case, the bent part constituting the lower closed section is formed by the cowl side that is an extension of the hinge pillar outer, and the gusset is joined to the hinge mounting part of the hinge pillar, and the rear end is used as the hinge reinforcement part. Therefore, the lower closed cross section and the hinge pillar are integrated, and the load distribution between them is improved.

In particular, the hinge mounting portion is reinforced at the rear end of the gusset to increase its rigidity, and
Loads such as bending and torsion applied to the hinge mounting part when the door is opened and closed are transmitted directly to the gusset and are received by the lower closed cross section, and conversely, the suspension load mentioned above is also distributed from the gusset to the hinge pillar. become more susceptible to

In the two-stage closed cross-section structure described above,
The load from the suspension and door is mainly input to the lower closed section and is distributed to the upper closed section, but this lower closed section is made highly rigid by closing its front part, so the above-mentioned It can absorb and distribute loads without deforming them.

(Effects of the Invention) Therefore, according to the present invention, when forming a closed section structure with upper and lower two stages, the darts panel is used as a joint, and the lower closed section is made highly rigid by closing its front part, and , since the gusset that constitutes this lower closed cross section is joined to the vertical wall surface of the cowl side,
The rigidity of the closed cross-section structure is increased, and the strength of the side portion of the vehicle body against the suspension load can be improved.
In connecting the closed cross-section structure to the pillar member, the rear end of the gusset constituting the lower closed cross section is joined to the hinge attachment part to form a hinge reinforcement part, so this hinge attachment part has a double structure. This not only increases the rigidity, but also makes it easier for the load from the door that acts on this hinge attachment part to be dispersed to the lower closed cross section, and by extension to the closed cross section structure, which reduces the strength of the pillar member against the load from the door. Improvements can be made.

(Embodiments) Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the front part of the vehicle body shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a cowl side top 2 and a wheel apron reinforcement 3 have a mountain-shaped cross section on the upper side edge of a dash panel 1 that extends horizontally in the vehicle width direction. An upper closed section A is formed which is joined and fixed and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. This upper closed section A
The rear end portion is connected to the front pillar 4.

The cowl side upper 2 includes an upper joint part 2a joined to the wheel apron reinforcement 3, and an intermediate bent part that is bent so as to protrude inward from the vehicle body from the lower edge of the joint part 2a and extends downward. 2b, and a lower joint part 2 that extends inward from the lower edge of the bent part 2b and is joined to the upper surface of the dash panel 1.
It consists of c. The wheel apron reinforcement 3 has an upper joint 3a joined to the upper joint 2a of the cowl side upper 2, and a lower edge of the joint 3a that is bent so as to protrude outward from the vehicle body. It consists of an intermediate bent portion 3b extending downward, and a lower joint portion 3c extending outward from the vehicle body from the lower edge of the bent portion 3b and joined to the dash panel 1.

A pillar outer panel 5 includes a front pillar outer 6 and a hinge pillar outer 7 continuous to the front pillar outer 6. The front portion of the hinge pillar outer 7 is extended to form a cowl side 8, and the side edge 9a of the dart lower panel 9 is bonded and fixed to the front edge of the cowl side 8 (see Fig. 3). ).

The upper portion of the cowl side 8 in front of the hinge pillar 10 is bent toward the inside of the vehicle body, and this bent portion 8a, the dash panel 1, and the gusset 11 located on the outside of the cowl side 8 close the upper side. Lower closed section B located below section A
is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cowl side 8 basically includes a lower vertical portion 8b and an intermediate inclined portion extending upward and outward from the upper edge of the vertical portion 8b. 8c, an intermediate vertical portion 8d extending vertically upward from the upper edge of the inclined portion 8c, and the vertical portion 8
An upper horizontal portion 8e extends inward from the upper edge of d and has a front portion connected to the lower surface of the front end of the dash panel 1.
, a triangular upper vertical portion 8f extending vertically upward from the inner edge of the horizontal portion 8e; and a triangular upper vertical portion 8f extending inward from the upper edge of the vertical portion 8f at the joining position of the dash panel 1 and the cowl side upper 2. It consists of an upper flange 8g joined to the lower surface of the dash panel 1. In this case, the upper collar part 8g constituting the upper end of the upper vertical part 8f is inclined downward toward the front as shown in FIG.
It is continuous.

The gusset 11 includes a vertical base portion 11a whose lower edge portion is joined to an intermediate vertical portion (vertical wall surface) 8d of the cowl side 8, and a vertical base portion 11a which extends outward from the upper edge of the base portion 11a and connects the dash panel 1 and the wheel apron rain. A joint flange portion 11b joined to the lower surface of the dash panel 1 at the joint position with the forcement 3, and a hinge reinforcement portion 11c at the rear end joined to the hinge mounting portion 7a of the hinge pillar outer 7 shown in FIG. It is made up of in this case,
The joint flange 11 forming the upper end of the gusset 11
As shown in FIG. 5, b is inclined downward toward the front, and its front portion is formed on the same plane as the horizontal portion 8e of the bent portion 8a.

Therefore, the lower closed section B connects the front part of the horizontal part 8e of the bent part 8a to the lower surface of the front end of the dash panel 1, and connects the upper flange part 8g of the upper end of the vertical part 8f to the upper end of the gusset 11. The lower closed section B is closed by making the flange portions 11b downwardly inclined forward until they are at the same height as the horizontal portion 8e and joining them to the lower surface of the dash panel 1.

Note that 12 is a pillar inner panel, which is joined to the pillar outer panel 5 and forms the front pillar 4 and the hinge pillar 10. 13 is a hinge reinforcement, 14 is a cowl, 15 is a front fender, and 16 is a lid.

With the above configuration, at the front of the vehicle,
A two-tiered closed cross-section structure consisting of upper and lower closed cross sections A and B is formed on the side of the dash panel 1, and the side of the dash panel 1 is
It plays the role of a node that separates the upper and lower two-stage closed section structure, and the rigidity of the lower closed section B is increased by closing its front part, so this two-stage closed section structure can be completed without increasing the weight. It can increase the rigidity of the body. This highly rigid two-stage closed section structure is then connected to the front pillar 4 and the hinge pillar 10, and the lower closed section B is at the corner of the connection between the upper closed section A and the closed section of the front pillar 4. Since the two closed cross sections A and B are bridged together, the strength of the front pillar 4 and the hinge pillar 10 is increased, and the structural strength of the front portion of the vehicle body is improved.

That is, when a door is attached to the hinge pillar 10, loads such as twisting and bending are applied to the hinge pillar 10 by opening and closing the door, but this load is distributed to the upper and lower closed sections A and B, so that stress concentration is reduced. Furthermore, since the structure formed by the upper and lower closed sections A and B has high rigidity, it will not be deformed by the transmission of the load and will not have an adverse effect on surrounding members.

In particular, the hinge attachment portion 7a where the door is attached.
Since the rigidity is increased by joining the hinge reinforcement part 11c of the gusset 11, it is strong against the load from the door, and this load is directly transmitted to the gusset 11 and is received by the lower closed section B. This results in better load distribution.

In addition, since the side portions of the darts panel 1 are interposed as nodes in the structure having the closed cross sections A and B, the strength of the connection to the side portions of the vehicle body is increased, and the connected side portions are reinforced to strengthen the vehicle. The tensile strength in the width direction is increased, and even if a force in the direction of inward collapse is applied around the suspension tower or cowl side due to an uplift load from the suspension, the dash panel 1 effectively prevents this inward collapse.

Furthermore, since the lower end of the gusset 11 is joined to the intermediate vertical portion 8d of the cowl side 8, the load from the suspension acts on the gusset 11 in the shear direction, and moreover, the load is distributed from the gusset 11 to the hinge pillar 10. This effectively prevents deformation of the lower closed section B and its surrounding members due to the load from the suspension.

In addition, in the lower closed section B, the upper flange 8g of the cowl side 8 is
On the outside, the joint flange portions 11b of the gusset 11 are joined to form a double seal structure, so
There is almost no possibility that water such as rainwater will enter the interior of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the lower closed section is formed by using the bent portion 8a (upper horizontal portion 8e, upper vertical portion 8f, upper collar portion 8g) of the cowl side 8, which is the forward extension portion of the hinge pillar outer 6, and the gusset 11. B, it does not protrude much towards the inside of the vehicle body, making it possible to secure a relatively large interior space.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front part of an automobile body, and FIG.
3 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pillar outer panel, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the gusset. 1... Dash panel, 2... Cowl side top, 3... Wheel apron reinforcement, 4... Front pillar, 6... Front pillar outer, 7... Hinge pillar outer, 7a...
...Hinge mounting part, 8...Cowl side, 8d...
Intermediate vertical part (vertical wall surface), 8e... Upper horizontal part, 8
f... Upper vertical part, 10... Hinge pillar, 11
...Gusset, 11C...Hinge reinforcement part, A...
Upper closed cross section, B...lower closed cross section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An upper closed section formed by the dash panel, the cowl side upper, and the wheel apron reinforcement is connected to the front pillar on the upper side of the dash panel extending in the vehicle width direction, and the hinge pillar outer connected to the front pillar is connected to the front pillar. The front part is extended to form a cowl side, and the upper part of the cowl side forward of the hinge pillar includes a horizontal part that extends inward of the vehicle body and whose front part is connected to the lower surface of the front end of the dash panel, and the horizontal part. A bent part is formed that extends upward from the inner edge of the dash panel, has an upper end facing forward and a vertical part that slopes downward, and whose front part is continuous with the horizontal part, and the upper end of the vertical part of the bent part is connected to the dash panel. It is fixed to the lower surface of this dash panel at the joint position of the cowl side top, and is located on the outside of the bent part, the cowl side, and the cowl side, and its upper end faces forward and slopes downward. It is formed on the same plane as the horizontal part of the bending part, and the lower end is fixed to the vertical wall surface of the cowl side on the lower surface of this dartshi panel at the joint position of the dartshi panel and the wheel apron reinforcement, and the rear end is fixed to the hinge of the hinge pillar outer. A gusset that is fixed to the upper closed section and serves as a hinge reinforcing section forms a lower closed section below the upper closed section, which is partitioned from the upper closed section by the dash panel and whose front portion is closed. An automobile front body structure characterized by: