WO2023008371A1

WO2023008371A1 - Beam member, vehicle door structure, and vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023008371A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/028629
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亦根左; 建偉侍
Original assignee: 帝人株式会社
Priority date: 2021-07-30
Filing date: 2022-07-25
Publication date: 2023-02-02

Abstract

A beam member (1D) comprising an impact bar (3A) extending in one direction and at least one extensible bracket (2A), wherein: the extensible bracket (2A) has a substantially semi-cylindrical impact bar receiving part (5A) and a flange section (4A); at least one of the impact bar receiving part (5A) and the flange section (4A) has an undulating shape; and the impact bar receiving part (5A) is joined to an end of the impact bar (3A).

Description

Beam member, vehicle door structure, and vehicle

The present invention relates to a beam member, a vehicle door structure having the beam member, and a vehicle including the vehicle door structure.

　Vehicles represented by automobiles are required to meet various safety standards in order to minimize damage to passengers in the event of a collision. In particular, side collisions are more likely to occur than head-on collisions between automobiles. Side collisions often cause more serious damage to the vehicle body and occupants than head-on collisions. For this reason, many techniques have been reported, such as Patent Literature 1, in which a vehicle door structure is devised to improve the impact absorption capacity in the event of a side collision.

The vehicle door structure of Patent Document 1 has an inner panel made of a cast material and an upper guard beam that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle when the door is closed and has both ends fixed to the inner panel. Both ends of the upper guard beam are fixed to the inner panel via shock load absorbing front/rear brackets. Due to this feature, in the vehicle door structure of Patent Document 1, when another vehicle collides from the side, the shock load acting on the guard beam is transmitted to the inner panel after being relieved by the bracket. It is said that the vehicle door structure is capable of avoiding the extension and sufficiently absorbing the impact load.

In Patent Document 1, only the following 1) and 2) are shown as specific mechanisms for the front/rear brackets to alleviate the impact load.
1) When the vehicle door structure receives an impact, "first, the shock load mitigating bracket deforms".
2) As described in claim 3, when fastening the guard beam and the bracket by means of a bolt joint, the bolt insertion hole is elongated, and if the vehicle door structure receives an impact, the guard beam (a rod-shaped member ) slide against the front/rear brackets using slotted bolt holes.

Regarding the impact load mitigation mechanism in Patent Document 1, it is unclear from the description in Patent Document 1 how impact energy is preferentially applied to the bracket and causes deformation. This is because, when the vehicle door structure of a certain vehicle receives an impact due to a collision with another vehicle, it is impacted in the vicinity of the rod-shaped member of the beam member arranged over the planar portion of the door, resulting in considerable damage. This is because it is believed that a proportion of the impact energy is first applied to the rod-shaped member (guard beam).

Depending on how the bracket deforms, there is a possibility that impact load mitigation due to sliding using the elongated bolt insertion hole shown in claim 3 will be hindered. According to the description of Patent Document 1, the end of the bolt shaft passes through a hole in the bracket and is fastened with a nut. This is because there is a risk that one end of the guard beam will separate from the bracket and damage the surrounding parts, not to mention sliding, when receiving the force.

Furthermore, regarding impact load mitigation due to sliding using the elongated bolt insertion hole of Patent Document 1, it seems that the impact absorption stroke that can be secured is extremely limited. This is because the length of the long diameter of the elongated bolt insertion hole should be limited to the extent that the thin plate portion at the end of the side beam does not interfere with the strength of the side beam. Unfortunately, serious traffic accidents caused by violating vehicles traveling at speeds significantly exceeding the speed limit continue to occur, requiring a vehicle door structure having as large a shock absorbing stroke as possible.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-224120

The present invention provides a beam member that absorbs a large impact and imparts excellent collision safety to a vehicle, a vehicle door structure having the beam member, and a vehicle having the vehicle door structure.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following means.

<1>
an impact bar extending in one direction;
at least one extensible bracket;
A beam member comprising
The extensible bracket is
a substantially half-cylindrical impact bar receiving portion;
a flange portion;
has
At least one of the impact bar receiving portion and the flange portion has an undulating shape,
The beam member, wherein the impact bar receiving portion is joined to an end portion of the impact bar.
<2>
The beam member according to <1> above, wherein brackets are respectively joined to both ends of the impact bar, and at least one of the two brackets is the extensible bracket.
<3>
The beam member according to <2> above, wherein each of the two brackets has a flange portion and is joined to both ends of the impact bar so that the thickness directions of the flange portions are in the same direction.
<4>
The beam member according to <2> or <3> above, wherein the two brackets are extensible brackets.
<5>
The beam member according to any one of <1> to <4> above, wherein the impact bar is made of a low-ductile material having an elongation rate of 15% or less.
<6>
The beam member according to any one of <1> to <5> above, wherein the extensible bracket is made of a highly ductile material having an elongation rate of more than 15%.
<7>
A vehicle door structure including the beam member according to any one of <1> to <6> above and an inner panel,
The beam member is arranged on the planar portion of the inner panel, and at least a part of the flange portion of the extensible bracket of the beam member is directly or indirectly joined to the inner panel in a state of surface contact. , the vehicle door structure, wherein the beam member is integrated with the inner panel.
<8>
The vehicle door structure according to <7> above, wherein the inner panel is made of a low-ductility material having an elongation rate of 15% or less.
<9>
The vehicle door structure according to the above <7> or <8>, wherein the beam member has two extensible brackets.
<10>
The two brackets of the beam member are in direct or indirect surface contact with the inner panel in such a manner that the thickness direction of each flange portion is substantially the same as the thickness direction of the inner panel. The vehicle door structure according to <9> above.
<11>
One flange portion of the two brackets of the beam member is joined to an end portion of the planar portion of the inner panel, and the other flange portion of the two brackets is connected to another planar portion of the inner panel. The vehicle door structure according to <9> or <10> above, which is joined to the end portion.
<12>
A vehicle having the vehicle door structure according to any one of <7> to <11>, wherein the beam member is arranged on the vehicle exterior side and the inner panel is arranged on the vehicle interior side.
<13>
The vehicle according to <12> above, wherein the beam member extends substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
<14>
The vehicle according to <12> above, wherein the beam member extends substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beam member that absorbs a large impact by having a specific bracket, and as a result, a vehicle having a vehicle door structure provided with the beam member exhibits excellent collision safety. Become.

It is a side view of 1 A of beam members. It is a top view of 1 A of beam members. 2A is a perspective view of extensible bracket 2A. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an extensible bracket 2C of another embodiment; FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram showing an example of an undulating shape of an extensible bracket (pattern 1) in a cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 1C. FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram showing another example of the undulating shape of the extensible bracket (pattern 2) in a cross section corresponding to the AA portion of FIG. 1C. FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram showing another example of the undulating shape of the extensible bracket (pattern 3) in a cross section corresponding to the AA portion of FIG. 1C. FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram showing another example of the undulating shape of the extensible bracket (pattern 4) in a cross section corresponding to the AA portion of FIG. 1C. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the beam member is deformed by an impact in the thickness direction of the extensible bracket, but from the side opposite to the joint surface of the flange portion of the extensible bracket, viewed in the same direction as FIG. 1A. 3B is a schematic view of the deformed beam member shown in FIG. 3A viewed from the same direction as in FIG. 1B; FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the deformed extensible bracket of the deformed beam member shown in FIG. 3A, viewed from the same direction as the extensible bracket of FIG. 1C; FIG. It is a schematic diagram of 1 C of beam members. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle door structure in which a beam member 1A extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and is attached to an inner panel 8 so that joint surfaces 6 of two flange portions 4A face the back side of the paper. The beam member 1C of FIG. 4 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is attached to the inner panel 8 so that the joint surface 6 of one flange portion 4A faces the right direction of the vehicle and the joint surface 6 of the other flange portion 4A faces downward. 1 is a schematic diagram of an installed vehicle door structure; FIG. FIG. 2 shows a vehicle door structure having a beam member and an auxiliary beam member of the type in which both ends of the rod-shaped member are fastened to a reinforcing object with bolts. 5 is a schematic diagram similar to 5. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle door structure in which a beam member 1A extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle and is attached to an inner panel 8 so that joint surfaces 6 of two flange portions 4A face the back side of the paper. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a non-extensible bracket 10 having a profile similar to that of the extensible bracket 2A but without contours. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a beam member 1D in which an extensible bracket 2A and a non-extensible bracket 10 are joined to both ends of an impact bar 3A; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle door structure having a beam member 1D, using a vehicle door shape, in which the beam members are arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A beam member according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein only one end of the impact bar has an extensible bracket attached thereto and the other end of the impact bar is bolted directly to the inner panel without a bracket. 1 is a schematic diagram of a beam member in which a bolt is inserted into a bolt fastening hole for the purpose. FIG. An example of an extensible bracket for use with the present invention having a shape similar to that of FIG. 1C, but with undulations on the impact bar receiving portion but not on the flange portion, viewed in an orientation similar to that of FIG. 1C. is a perspective view of the.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

<Typical configuration>
The beam member disclosed herein is a beam member that includes a unidirectionally extending impact bar and at least one extensible bracket. An extensible bracket is provided at the end of the impact bar and has a substantially semi-cylindrical impact bar receiving portion and a flange portion, at least one of the impact bar receiving portion and the flange portion having an undulating shape. The extensible bracket is joined to the end of the impact bar at its impact bar receiving portion.

FIG. 1A is a side view of a beam member 1A with extensible brackets 2A provided at both ends of an impact bar 3A, FIG. 1B is a plan view of the beam member 1A, and FIG. 1C is an embodiment of the present invention. is a perspective view of the extensible bracket 2A. In this beam member 1A, the impact bar 3A is provided so that the joint surfaces 6 of the flange portions 4A of the two identically shaped extensible brackets 2A are oriented in the same direction. 1C as well, in the beam member 1A of FIG. 1A, the joint surfaces 6 of the flange portions 4A of the two extensible brackets 2A are in the same direction (downward in FIG. 1B, back side in FIG. 1A). direction), extensible brackets 2A are provided at both ends of the impact bar 3A.

An impact bar is a rod-shaped or plate-shaped part that extends in one direction. Generally, in the door structure of a vehicle, an impact bar has the function of increasing the rigidity of the door and absorbing the impact in order to ensure the safety of the occupants when another vehicle or the like collides with the door. The shape of the impact bar is not particularly limited. Examples of impact bars include those having circular, elliptical, polygonal, H-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped, star-shaped, irregular shapes, and combinations thereof as axial cross-sectional shapes. The longitudinal shape of the impact bar may be a linear shape with the same axial cross-sectional shape from one end to the other end, a curved shape with at least a partial bend, or a partially different size or shape of the axial cross-section. However, those having an inclined shape or the like are exemplified. The impact bar may be hollow, solid, or have hollow and solid portions within it. At least a part of the impact bar may be hollow, and the hollow portion may have ribs, partition walls, steps, or slopes in the longitudinal direction or axial cross-sectional direction of the impact bar.

The impact bar is preferably made of a low ductility material with an elongation of 15% or less. Examples of low ductility materials include hard steel, aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, or composite materials, particularly SMC (sheet molding compound) materials and resin-based fiber-reinforced composite materials (fiber-reinforced resin) is exemplified. As the fiber-reinforced resin, a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is preferable because it has excellent impact absorption ability, and a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is more preferable because it has not only excellent impact absorption ability but also rigidity. Better collision safety by making the impact bar, which has a large size and a proportion of the vehicle weight, made of fiber reinforced resin, especially fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin, more preferably carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin (CFRTP). It is possible to achieve both durability and weight reduction. This is because, in general, fiber-reinforced resins are lighter in weight and have better shock-absorbing ability than metal materials. By making the impact bar made of fiber-reinforced resin, it is possible to contribute to impact absorption.
As reinforcing fibers contained in the fiber-reinforced resin, one or more types selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, boron fibers, and basalt fibers are exemplified. Examples of the form of reinforcing fibers include woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, random mat, knit, braid, and those in which a plurality of reinforcing fibers are arranged in one direction. Carbon fibers include polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers, petroleum pitch-based carbon fibers, coal pitch-based carbon fibers, rayon-based carbon fibers, cellulose-based carbon fibers, lignin-based carbon fibers, phenol-based carbon fibers, or vapor growth. exemplified by carbon fiber.

The resin that is the matrix of the fiber-reinforced resin may be either a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. Examples of thermosetting resins include epoxy resins, vinyl ester resins, unsaturated polyester resins, diallyl phthalate resins, phenol resins, bismaleimide resins, cyanate resins, benzoxazine resins, dicyclopentadiene resins, and the like. As the thermoplastic resin, those having a softening point within the range of 180° C. to 350° C. are usually used. Examples include polyolefin resin, polystyrene resin, thermoplastic polyamide resin, polyester resin, polyacetal resin (polyoxymethylene resin), Polycarbonate resin, (meth)acrylic resin, polyarylate resin, polyphenylene ether resin, polyimide resin, polyethernitrile resin, phenoxy resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, polysulfone resin, polyketone resin, polyetherketone resin, thermoplastic urethane resin, fluorine-based resins, thermoplastic polybenzimidazole resins, and the like.

The above elongation rate is a value measured by a tensile test of JIS Z 2241 (corresponding to ISO-6892) for metal materials and JIS K 7161 (corresponding to ISO-527) for resin materials. and preferred. The elongation here means the ratio of the elongation between the marked lines on the test piece and the distance between the marked lines before the test piece breaks in the tensile test, expressed as a percentage. It is also called breaking elongation or ultimate elongation. The elongation rate may be a value determined by the above JIS or ISO standards, which is measured by a method based on a tensile test. Regarding the present invention, when measuring the elongation rate of a measurement object such as an extensible bracket, an impact bar, or an inner panel, a test piece having the dimensions and shape specified by the above JIS and ISO standards is cut out from the measurement object. can be used for measurement. If the impact bar is made of an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, or a composite material, particularly a low-ductility material such as the resin-based composite material as described above, the beam member including the impact bar, and thus the vehicle door structure having the same, can be made lightweight. can be preferred.

The beam member 1A disclosed in FIGS. 1A and 1B is provided with at least one extensible bracket 2A at the end of the impact bar 3A. Both of the two brackets are extensible brackets 2A, which is preferable because the shock absorbing ability is higher than the case where only one bracket is the extensible bracket 2A. FIG. 9B shows a beam member 1D of another embodiment. Two

brackets

2A, 10, each including at least one extensible bracket 2A, may be provided at both ends of the impact bar 3A, such as the beam member 1D shown in FIG. 9B. A bracket is a plate-like component used for fixing members or joining members together. Here, the term "plate-like" refers to a shape of a certain object whose thickness (height) is extremely small (for example, 1/5 or less) relative to its width and depth. It may have a part with uneven thickness.

Brackets are joined to both ends of the impact bar 3A of the beam member 1A, and at least one of the two brackets may be an extensible bracket 2A. If the two brackets attached to both ends of the impact bar 3A are both extensible brackets 2A, the vehicle door structure including the beam member 1A will have a higher impact absorption capability, which is preferable. Taking FIG. 1C as an example, the extensible bracket 2A has a substantially semi-cylindrical impact bar receiving portion 5A and a flange portion 4A.
An end portion of the flange portion 4A on the side of the beam member 1A (upper right side in FIG. 1C) is provided with an insertion hole 4a through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted when connecting to the inner panel 8. good too. Further, at the end of the flange portion 4A on the side connected to the impact bar 3A (lower left side in FIG. 1C), there is provided an insertion hole 4b through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted when connecting to the impact bar 3A. good.
In the beam member 1A, at least one of the impact bar receiving portion 5A and the flange portion 4A is preferably a bracket having an undulating shape.

FIG. 11 illustrates an extensible bracket 2B of another embodiment. Although the impact bar receiving portion 5A of the extensible bracket 2B of FIG. 11 has an undulating shape, the flange portion 4B does not have an undulating shape.

More preferably, both the impact bar receiving portion 5A and the flange portion 4A have undulating shapes like the extensible bracket 2A illustrated in FIG. 1C, and the undulating shape continues to both the impact bar receiving portion 5A and the flange portion 4A is more preferable. That the impact bar receiving portion 5A has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape means that, as shown in FIG. 1C, there is a space suitable for joining with the end portion of the rod-shaped impact bar 3A in the thickness direction (upward direction in FIG. 1C). It is a shape with a concave cross section. The cross-sectional shape of the impact bar receiving portion 5A is the U-shape shown in FIG. 1C. ), a semicircular shape, an M shape, an irregular shape, and the like. The extensible bracket in FIG. 1C has a so-called open cross-section structure in which the bottom side of the drawing is not closed.
The impact bar receiving portion 5A may be provided with an insertion hole 5a through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted when connecting to the end portion of the impact bar 3A arranged in the space.

Another embodiment of an extensible bracket 2C is illustrated in FIG. 1D. As shown in FIG. 1D, the extensible bracket 2C is closed at the bottom side of the drawing, and the impact bar receiving portion 5C has a substantially cylindrical shape. It has a shaped insertion hole 59 . Even an extensible bracket 2C having a so-called closed cross-sectional structure, in which the cross-sectional shape of the impact bar receiving portion 5C is substantially O-shaped, can be preferably used for the beam member.
When using the extensible bracket 2C shown in FIG. 1D, the end of the impact bar 3B having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the insertion hole 59 is inserted into the insertion hole 59, and the impact bar receiving portion 5C and the end of the impact bar 3B are inserted. It should be joined. A bolt connecting to the inner panel 8 may be inserted through an insertion hole 4b provided at the end of the flange portion 4A on the side (lower left side in FIG. 1D) connected to the impact bar 3B.

The undulating shape of the extensible bracket is, as illustrated in the extensible bracket 2A of FIG. It is a shape having protruding parts (convex parts 41, 51) and concave parts (concave parts 42, 52). As the undulating shape, a shape having a plurality of

protrusions

41, 51 and recesses 42, 52 is preferable because the impact absorption capacity of the beam member 1A can be further enhanced. and are alternately continuous. The plurality of

convex portions

41, 51 and

concave portions

42, 52 in the undulating shape may all have the same shape and height (depth) or may have different shapes.

Furthermore, as an undulating shape, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, the extensible bracket 2A extends from the side (lower left side in FIG. 1C) connected to the impact bar 3A to the side (upper right side in FIG. 1C) that becomes the end of the beam member 1A. If a plurality of convex portions 51 and concave portions 52 are alternately continuous to the side), the beam member 1A having the extensible bracket 2A can have particularly excellent shock absorbing ability. Therefore, it is preferable.

An example of a wavy shape as the undulating shape of the extensible bracket 2A is shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1C. In FIG. 2A, the mating surface 6 of the flange portion 4A of the extensible bracket 2A faces downward. 2B to 2D are cross-sectional views corresponding to line AA in FIG. 1C. The left side in FIGS. 2A to 2D is the side of the extensible bracket 2A connected to the impact bar 3A (lower left side in FIG. 1C), and the right side in FIGS. 2A to 2D is the end of the beam member 1A (FIG. 1C upper right side). Regarding the wavy shape as the undulating shape of the extensible bracket 2A, the plurality of protrusions and recesses may all have the same shape and height, or may have different shapes. Further, the plurality of recesses 52 may all have the same shape and depth, or may have different shapes. Here, the height of the convex portion 51 is the height from the deepest portion of the adjacent concave portion 52 to the highest portion of the convex portion 51 . The depth of the recess 52 is the depth from the highest portion of the adjacent protrusion 51 to the deepest portion of the recess 52 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the plurality of protrusions 51 may all have the same shape, and the plurality of recesses 52 may all have the same shape (pattern 1).
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2B, the beam member 1A may have recesses 54 whose width in the extending direction is larger than that of the recesses 52 (pattern 2).
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2C, it may have a convex portion 53 whose height is greater than that of the convex portion 51 (pattern 3).
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2D, there may be recesses 56 deeper than the recesses 52 and recesses 58 deeper than the recesses 52 and wider than the recesses 52 (pattern 4). .

The corrugated unevenness, which is the undulating shape of the extensible bracket 2A shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D, has a curved or flat shape at the top of the convex portion or the deepest portion of the concave portion. The shape is not limited, and the top portion of the convex portion and the deepest portion of the concave portion may be sharply pointed.

The undulating shape of the extensible bracket 2A may be generated only by increasing or decreasing the thickness of the plate-shaped material constituting the extensible bracket 2A, but the plate-shaped material itself is undulated as illustrated in FIGS. It is preferable in terms of contribution to impact absorption ability and easiness of manufacturing.

The extensible bracket 2A is preferably made of a highly ductile material with an elongation rate of over 15%. Examples of such good ductile materials include resin materials, mild steel, stainless steel, and titanium. A preferred method for measuring the elongation value of this good ductility material is as described above for the low ductility material of the impact bar 3A. The beam member 1A has an impact bar 3A made of a low ductility material with an elongation rate of 15% or less, and an extensible bracket 2A made of a good ductility material with an elongation rate of more than 15% as at least one of the two brackets. If there is, it becomes a thing excellent in shock absorption ability, and it is preferable.

Regarding the beam member 1A, it is essential that the brackets, including the extensible bracket 2A, and the impact bar 3A are joined. Examples of means for joining the bracket and the impact bar 3A include mechanical fastening such as bolt and nut tightening, fitting, adhesion, welding, and integral molding such as insert molding. When either the extensible bracket 2A or the impact bar 3A is made of a fusible material such as a thermoplastic resin, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, infrared welding, or laser welding may be used as the welding means. can.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a beam member 1B according to another embodiment of the invention. "A beam member comprising a unidirectionally extending impact bar and at least one extensible bracket, said extensible bracket having a substantially semi-cylindrical impact bar receiving portion and a flange portion, said At least one of the impact bar receiving portion and the flange portion has an undulating shape, and the impact bar receiving portion is joined to the end portion of the impact bar. A beam member 1B is included. That is, the extensible bracket 2A may be joined to only one end of the impact bar 3A, and the beam member 1B joined to the inner panel 8 may be the other end of the impact bar 3A without the bracket. FIG. 10 shows a beam member 1B joined to the inner panel 8 by fastening one end of the impact bar 3A with a bolt 13 without a bracket. The bracketless end portion of the impact bar 3A may be joined to the inner panel 8 by the joining method other than bolting, such as adhesion.

As is clear from the above, the present invention has a substantially semi-cylindrical impact bar receiving portion and a flange portion, and at least one of the impact bar receiving portion and the flange portion has an undulating shape, preferably an elongation rate of 15%. Also included is an extensible bracket made of an excess of good ductility material.

<Mechanism of shock absorption>
The shock absorbing mechanism of the beam members disclosed herein will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 1A-1C, and 3A-3C.

FIG. 5 is an example of a vehicle door structure having a beam member 1A and an inner panel 8, and is a schematic view of the vehicle door structure for the left side door of the vehicle viewed from the outside of the left side of the vehicle 100 toward the inside of the vehicle. is. As shown in FIG. 5, in the case, the front and rear direction of the vehicle is oriented as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 with the beam member attached, the beam member 1A is arranged on the vehicle exterior side with respect to the inner panel 8 .
The inner panel 8 generally has an opening or a step for attachment of functional parts, reduction in weight, designability as a vehicle door, and the like. In the schematic diagrams of FIG. 5 and FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9C, which will be described later, the arrangement of the beam members is clearly and simply shown. Only the part is shown, and description of other detailed shapes is omitted.

There is a vehicle having the vehicle door structure shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle door structure is designed such that the X direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the Y direction is the lateral direction of the vehicle, and the Z direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle. Suppose it exists. Here, the +X direction (left direction in FIG. 5) is the front direction of the vehicle, the -X direction (right direction in FIG. 5) is the rear direction of the vehicle, and the +Y direction (back direction in FIG. 5) is the direction of the vehicle. The -Y direction (forward direction in FIG. 5) is the left direction of the vehicle, the +Z direction (upward direction in FIG. 5) is the upward direction of the vehicle, and the -Z direction (downward direction in FIG. 5). is the downward direction of the vehicle. Another vehicle faces this vehicle door structure from the left side of the vehicle 100, that is, in the direction in which the vehicle door structure is viewed in FIG. Assume a collision. In the present invention, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle includes not only a completely horizontal direction with respect to the ground plane, but also a slightly inclined direction with respect to the ground plane, such as the beam member 1A of the vehicle door structure shown in FIG. . Therefore, the front-rear direction may be referred to as a substantially front-rear direction. Similarly, the vertical direction of the vehicle may be referred to as a substantially vertical direction.

When the side impact assumed above occurs, the impact force is first applied to the impact bar 3A of the beam member 1A and then transmitted to the extensible bracket 2A and the inner panel 8. As the impact bar 3A deforms due to the impact force, the extensible bracket 2A and the inner panel 8 are moved to the center of the plus and minus directions of X shown in FIG. It is pulled to the center side in the length direction. Here, by extending the undulating shape of the extensible bracket 2A in the longitudinal direction of the beam member 1A, a sufficiently large shock absorbing stroke can be secured, and the energy of impact can be absorbed. Here, the "impact absorption stroke" is the extension amount of the extensible bracket 2A in the X-axis direction when the beam member 1A receives an impact force. As a result, the risk of the vehicle door structure being severely damaged by a collision, the risk of the beam member separating from the vehicle door structure, and the risk of the separated beam member harming the interior of the vehicle can be significantly reduced.

For a vehicle having the vehicle door structure shown in FIG. 5, the beam member is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B before being subjected to an impact force such as that caused by the side impact described above, and the extensible bracket of the beam member is shown prior to being subjected to an impact force. 1C illustrates the beam member after being subjected to an impact force in FIGS. 3A and 3B and the extensible bracket of the beam member after being subjected to an impact force in FIG. 3C. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the buckling of the impact bar 3A upon receiving the impact force pulls the extensible bracket 2A toward the center in the length direction of the beam member 1A, and the undulating shape of the extensible bracket 2A. extends in the length direction of the beam member 1A.

If the brackets provided on both ends of the impact bar 3A of the beam member 1A of the vehicle door structure are brackets 10 (illustrated in FIG. 9A, which are exemplified in FIG. When the impact force is transmitted as described above, the fastening portion between the bracket 10 and the inner panel 8 (for example, the portion provided with the

insertion holes

4b and 5a, the insertion hole 4b, The beam member 1A including the extensible bracket 2A is exposed to the risk of further damage to the interior of the vehicle due to the rapid breakage of the bolts, etc. inserted in the bracket 5a, which causes the beam member 1A to be violently separated from the inner panel 8. is higher than with a vehicle door structure having a

<Various Embodiments>
FIG. 4 shows a beam member 1C of another embodiment of the invention. In the beam member 1C shown in FIG. 4, two extensible brackets 2A are provided at opposite ends of the impact bar 3C in opposite directions. In this beam member 1C, when the beam member is viewed from one end in the longitudinal direction (axial direction), the joint surfaces 6 of the flange portions of the two extensible brackets 2A form a right angle. Brackets 2A are provided at both ends of the impact bar 3C. As in this embodiment, depending on the shape of the inner panel 8 to which the beam member 1C is attached, the two extensible brackets 2A are arranged such that the joint surfaces 6 of the respective flange portions 4A face different directions. There may be a beam member 1C attached to each end of 3C.

FIG. 9A shows a perspective view of a non-extensible bracket 10 having a profile similar to that of the extensible bracket 2A but without contours. FIG. 9B shows a beam member 1D according to another embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the beam member 1D is provided with an extensible bracket 2A at one end of the impact bar 3A and a non-extensible bracket 10 that is not the extensible bracket 2A at the other end. Stated another way, at least one of the two brackets of the beam member 1D is an extensible bracket 2A, the two

brackets

2A, 10 both having

flange portions

4A, 4, and the two brackets The

flange portions

4A and 4 of 2A and 10 are joined to both ends of the impact bar 3A so that the thickness directions of the

flange portions

4A and 4 are in the same direction, more preferably so that the joining surfaces 6 of the

flange portions

4A and 4 are also in the same direction. ing. In this way, even with a beam member 1D that uses one extensible bracket 2A, the impact can be absorbed by the extensible bracket 2A.

<< vehicle door structure >>
FIG. 9C shows a vehicle door structure according to this embodiment. The vehicle door structure illustrated in FIG. 9C has a beam member 1D including the extensible bracket described above and an inner panel 8, the beam member 1D being disposed on the planar portion of the inner panel 8, and the beam member 1D The beam member 1D is integrated with the inner panel 8 by joining at least a portion of the flange portion 4A of the extensible bracket 2A to the inner panel 8 in direct or indirect surface contact. "The beam member is disposed on the planar portion of the inner panel" means that both ends of the beam member are joined to the planar portion ends 8A and 8B of the inner panel 8, as illustrated in FIG. , means that the impact bar 3A is not joined to the central portion between the

ends

8A, 8B of the inner panel 8. “At least part of the flange portion 4A” is “joined in direct surface contact with the inner panel 8” means that, for example, the flange portion 4A and the inner panel 8 are in direct surface contact with a joining member. It means to be joined, to weld the flange portion 4A and the inner panel 8, or to fuse the flange portion 4A and the inner panel 8 together. The term "joined in an indirect surface contact state" means that the flange portion 4A and the inner panel 8 are joined in a state in which an inclusion such as a brazing alloy, a joining member, or a spacer is interposed. It means to be

With respect to the vehicle door structure, at least a portion of the flange portion 4A of the extensible bracket 2A of the beam member 1D is joined to the inner panel 8 in direct or indirect surface contact. The entire surface of the flange portion 4A of the extensible bracket 2A may be joined to the inner panel 8.
In the case of a beam member 1A having extensible brackets 2A provided at both ends of an impact bar 3A, or a beam member 1D having an extensible bracket 2A provided at one end of the impact bar 3A and a non-extensible bracket 10 provided at the other end. , the entire surfaces of both flange portions 4 of both end brackets may be joined to the inner panel 8 in direct or indirect surface contact. Alternatively, the flange portion of one bracket is joined in direct or indirect surface contact with the inner panel 8 over its entire surface, and the flange portion of the other bracket is partially connected directly or indirectly to the inner panel 8. They may be bonded in a state of surface contact. A portion of the flange portion of the bracket that is joined to the inner panel in direct or indirect surface contact is herein referred to as a joint surface.

At least part of the flange portion of the extensible bracket 2A of the beam member 1D may be directly joined to the inner panel 8 in surface contact, but may be indirectly attached to the inner panel via other functional parts. They may be joined in contact. The bracket at one end may be joined directly to the inner panel 8 and the bracket at the other end may be joined to the inner panel 8 indirectly in surface contact.

At least part of the flange portion 4A of the extensible bracket 2A of the beam member 1D is joined to the inner panel 8 by bolt-nut tightening, similar to the above-described joining of the extensible bracket 2A and the impact bar 3A. Mechanical fastening, fitting, gluing, or welding are exemplified. When either the flange portion 4A of the extensible bracket 2A or the inner panel 8 is made of a meltable material such as a thermoplastic resin material, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, infrared welding, or laser welding is used as the welding means. Welding can also be used.

It is preferable that the inner panel 8 of the vehicle door structure is made of a low-ductile material having an elongation of 15% or less, because the impact absorbing ability of the beam member is easily exhibited. Examples of the type and elongation of this low ductility material are as described above for the impact bar of the beam member. To reduce the weight of a vehicle door structure having an inner panel when the inner panel is made of an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, and a composite material, particularly a low-ductility material such as a resin-based composite material as described above. Preferably, both the inner panel and the impact bar are made of one or more selected from the group of low ductility materials exemplified above to achieve even greater vehicle weight savings. More preferred. The low ductility material is more preferably a fiber reinforced resin, more preferably a fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin, and particularly preferably a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin.
The inner panel, which is large in size and accounts for a certain proportion of the vehicle weight, is made of fiber-reinforced resin, especially fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, and more preferably carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin (CFRTP), resulting in better collision safety. It is possible to achieve both durability and weight reduction. This is because, in general, fiber-reinforced resins are lighter in weight and have better shock-absorbing ability than metal materials. By making the inner panel made of fiber-reinforced resin, it is possible to contribute to shock absorption. As the reinforcing fibers contained in the fiber-reinforced resin used for the inner panel and the resin that is the matrix of the fiber-reinforced resin, the same fiber-reinforced resin as used for the impact bar can be used.

The vehicle door structure includes an inner panel 8 made of a low ductility material with an elongation of 15% or less, an impact bar 3A made of a low ductility material with an elongation of 15% or less, and at least one of the two brackets having an elongation A beam member having an extensible bracket 2A made of more than 15% of a highly ductile material is particularly preferable because it has excellent impact absorption ability.

The vehicle door structure has two brackets in its beam member, as illustrated in FIGS.

The vehicle door structure is such that the two brackets of the beam member as exemplified in FIGS. Y-axis direction, vehicle width direction), and is joined directly or indirectly to the inner panel in a state of surface contact, which facilitates manufacturing and improves impact resistance. An excellent vehicle door structure is obtained, which is preferable. More preferably, the vehicle door structure is such that both brackets are extensible brackets.

FIG. 6 shows the vehicle door structure to which the beam member 1C shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram. In consideration of the design of the vehicle door and the functional parts that need to be attached, the bracket of the beam member 1C is mounted on the inner panel 8 so that the thickness direction of the flange portion of the bracket is substantially the same as the thickness direction of the inner panel 8. It may be difficult to join to In such a case, the beam member 1C of FIG. 4 can be used in a vehicle door construction as illustrated in FIG. That is, the beam member 1C may be attached to the inner panel 8 so that the joint surfaces 6 of the two flange portions 4A of the beam member 1C face different directions. For example, the beam member 1C extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100, the joint surface 6 of one flange portion 4A faces the vehicle right direction (+Y direction), and the joint surface 6 of the other flange portion 4A faces downward (-Z direction). ) may be attached to the inner panel 8. In FIG. 6, the joint surface 6 of the flange portion 4A on the vehicle rear side (-X side) faces the right direction of the vehicle (+Y direction), and the joint surface 6 of the flange portion 4A on the vehicle front side (+X side) faces downward (- Z direction) is attached to the inner panel 8. Alternatively, the joint surface 6 of the flange portion 4A on the vehicle front side (+X side) faces the vehicle right direction (+Y direction), and the joint surface 6 of the flange portion 4A on the vehicle rear side (−X side) faces downward (−Z direction ) may be attached to the inner panel 8.

5, 6, 7, 8, and 9C, the flange portion of one of the two brackets of the beam member 1A is attached to the planar portion of the inner panel 8. A vehicle door structure with excellent impact resistance when one flange portion of the two brackets is joined to an end portion 8A and one flange portion of the two brackets is joined to the other end portion 8B of the planar portion of the inner panel. is preferable. The impact bar 3A of the beam member 1A may not be joined to the inner panel 8. More preferably, the vehicle door structure is such that both brackets of the beam member are extensible brackets. The two brackets are joined in direct or indirect surface-to-surface contact with the inner panel in such a way that the thickness direction of each flange portion is substantially the same as the thickness direction of the inner panel. is more preferable. Furthermore, the two brackets are extensible brackets, and the thickness direction of the flange portion is arranged in substantially the same direction as the thickness direction of the inner panel, and the state is in direct or indirect surface contact with the inner panel. is more preferable. It is more preferable that the joint surfaces of the two brackets face the same direction.

A vehicle door structure may have a beam member 1A with an extensible bracket as illustrated in FIG. 7 and an auxiliary beam member 9 without an extensible bracket 2A. The auxiliary beam member 9 shown in FIG. 7 is of the type in which both ends of a rod-shaped member corresponding to an impact bar are fastened to the object to be reinforced with bolts 13, but the auxiliary beam member is limited to those illustrated in FIG. not. For example, auxiliary beam members having box-like brackets with pocket-like insertion holes 59 at one or both ends of the bar member may be used, as shown in FIG. 1D. Alternatively, auxiliary beam members may be used having one or both non-extensible brackets 10 shown in FIG. 9A at the ends of the bar.

<<Vehicle>>
A vehicle having the vehicle door structure described above, in which the beam member of the vehicle door structure is arranged on the outside of the vehicle and the inner panel is on the inside of the vehicle, is also an embodiment of the present invention. . As illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7 and 9C, the vehicle may have a vehicle door structure in which the

beam members

1A and 1C are arranged to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 100 indicated by broken lines. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the vehicle may have a vehicle door structure in which the beam member 1A is arranged to extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle 100. FIG. The vehicle here is represented by an automobile, but of course, it may be a so-called flying automobile, a small mobility vehicle, a vehicle that runs on a railroad track, or the like.

The beam member, vehicle door structure, and vehicle disclosed herein are suitable for use in industries related to vehicles such as automobiles.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-125227 filed on July 30, 2021.

Claims

an impact bar extending in one direction;
at least one extensible bracket;
A beam member comprising
The extensible bracket is
a substantially half-cylindrical impact bar receiving portion;
a flange portion;
has
At least one of the impact bar receiving portion and the flange portion has an undulating shape,
The beam member, wherein the impact bar receiving portion is joined to an end portion of the impact bar.
A beam member according to claim 1, wherein brackets are respectively joined to both ends of said impact bar, and at least one of said two brackets is said extensible bracket.
The beam member according to claim 2, wherein each of the two brackets has a flange portion and is joined to both ends of the impact bar so that the thickness directions of the flange portions are in the same direction.
The beam member according to claim 2 or 3, wherein both said two brackets are extensible brackets.
The beam member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the impact bar is made of a low ductility material with an elongation rate of 15% or less.
The beam member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the extensible bracket is made of a highly ductile material with an elongation rate of more than 15%.
A vehicle door structure comprising the beam member according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and an inner panel,
The beam member is disposed on the planar portion of the inner panel, and at least a portion of the flange portion of the extensible bracket of the beam member is joined to the inner panel in direct or indirect surface contact. the vehicle door structure, wherein the beam member is integrated with the inner panel.
The vehicle door structure according to claim 7, wherein the inner panel is made of a low ductility material with an elongation rate of 15% or less.
The vehicle door structure according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said beam member has two said extensible brackets.
The two brackets of the beam member are in direct or indirect surface contact with the inner panel in such a manner that the thickness direction of each flange portion is substantially the same as the thickness direction of the inner panel. 10. The vehicle door structure according to claim 9, wherein the door structure is joined with.
One flange portion of the two brackets of the beam member is joined to an end portion of the planar portion of the inner panel, and the other flange portion of the two brackets is connected to another planar portion of the inner panel. Vehicle door structure according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the door structure is joined with an edge.
A vehicle having the vehicle door structure according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the beam member is arranged on the vehicle exterior side and the inner panel is arranged on the vehicle interior side.
The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the beam members are arranged to extend substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the beam member is arranged to extend substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle.