A-pillar and vehicle body with an A-pillar

Abstract

A-pillar (4), in particular for a motor vehicle body (1), wherein the A-pillar (4) is constructed by an inner A-pillar (6) and an outer A-pillar (7) which are connected to one another and which form a cavity between them, wherein the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) have a front region (8, 9) and a rear region (10, 11), characterized in that the strength of the front region (8, 9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) is lower than the strength of the rear region (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear region (11) of the outer A-pillar (7) and / or that the elongation at break of the front region (8, 9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) is higher than the elongation at break of the rear region (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear region (10) of the outer A-pillar (7).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an A-pillar and a vehicle body with an A-pillar.

[0002] Motor vehicles are equipped with A-pillars on both sides of the vehicle, extending from the front side sill up to the windshield frame. These A-pillars are designed to protect the structural integrity of the vehicle interior. Such A-pillars are known for having an upper and a lower section, with the A-pillar consisting of an inner and an outer pillar. It is also known that the inner pillar is more rigid than the outer pillar. This is advantageous in the event of a central impact, as the impact energy is absorbed by the front-end structure of the body.

[0003] However, in a frontal collision with a small overlap between the two vehicles, the impact energy is not absorbed by the front end structure of the body, as the front longitudinal members are not hit during the impact. Instead, the front wheel and rigid barrier impact directly against the sill head and the lower A-pillar. This offers potential for improving passenger cell protection.

[0004] DE 10 2013 101 698 A1 discloses a motor vehicle structure with an A-pillar and a sliding surface for the front wheel.

[0005] US 2007 / 0063546 A1 discloses a motor vehicle body with a hydroformed A-pillar.

[0006] US 2012 / 0161475 A1 discloses a motor vehicle body with components having a shock-absorbing structure, wherein the correspondingly designed B-pillar has a reinforcement at the belt line.

[0007] It is the object of the present invention to provide an A-pillar and a body with an A-pillar which allows improved protection of the passenger cell even in the event of a frontal impact with a small overlap.

[0008] The problem of the A-pillar is solved with the features of claim 1.

[0009] An embodiment of the invention relates to an A-pillar, in particular for a motor vehicle body, wherein the A-pillar is constructed by an inner A-pillar and an outer A-pillar which are connected to one another and which form a cavity between them, wherein the inner A-pillar and the outer A-pillar have a front region and a rear region, wherein the strength of the front region of the inner A-pillar is lower than the strength of the rear region of the inner A-pillar and / or the rear region of the outer A-pillar and / or the elongation at break of the front region of the inner A-pillar is higher than the elongation at break of the rear region of the inner A-pillar and / or the rear region of the outer A-pillar.

[0010] This has the advantage that the soft area absorbs energy through deformation and, by allowing local A-pillar deformation, significantly reduces the load on the body areas behind it, so that the survival space of the occupants is protected in a particularly robust manner and remains essentially undeformed.

[0011] The separation, particularly the vertical separation, between the front soft and rear high-strength A-pillar areas in the inner A-pillar and the outer A-pillar leads to additional advantages in so-called small overlap crashes due to more stable attachment of the front doors, particularly the door hinges in the high-strength area, while still allowing compliance in the front area. There are also advantages for other crash load cases such as roof load cases in a vehicle rollover, where the higher strength of the outer A-pillar in the rear area has a beneficial effect on the stability of the passenger cell. The high-strength rear area of ​​the outer A-pillar can also lead to a reduction in intrusions in a barrier side crash, where the vehicle doors act as bending beams supported by the A and B pillars.In addition, this high-strength area has a positive effect on the permanent deformation under static door loads, as the deformation of the A-pillar only deforms elastically due to the high yield strength of the high-strength area.

[0012] In one embodiment, it is advantageous if the strength of the front region of the inner A-pillar and / or the outer A-pillar is at most half or less than the strength of the rear region of the inner A-pillar and / or the rear region of the outer A-pillar. This allows the soft front region to be even more clearly separated from the higher-strength or high-strength rear region.

[0013] It is also advantageous if the elongation at break of the front area of ​​the inner A-pillar and / or the outer A-pillars is at least twice as great or greater than the elongation at break of the rear area of ​​the inner A-pillar and / or the rear area of ​​the outer A-pillar. This also allows the soft front area to be further separated from the higher-strength or high-strength rear area.

[0014] It is also advantageous if the separation between the front area of ​​the inner A-pillar and the rear area of ​​the inner A-pillar runs essentially vertically and / or if the separation between the front area of ​​the outer A-pillar and the rear area of ​​the outer A-pillar runs essentially vertically. This allows for a clear distinction between the areas with a clear assignment of the desired properties, and sufficient material can be allocated to each area.

[0015] It is also advantageous if the areas of the inner and / or outer A-pillar with different properties regarding strength and elongation at break are achieved by two separate components that have different properties regarding strength and elongation at break, are made of different materials, and / or have undergone different heat treatments. This allows two different components to be assembled and joined together, for example, by welding.

[0016] It is also advantageous if the areas of the inner and / or outer A-pillar with different properties regarding strength and elongation at break are achieved by a component that has undergone different heat treatment in different areas or, as a tailor-welded blank component, has a different alloy composition to achieve different strength and elongation at break. Thus, different strength and / or elongation at break can be achieved through heat treatment and / or mechanical treatment of the respective areas.

[0017] It is also advantageous if the respective inner and / or outer A-pillars are made of sheet metal, particularly steel and / or aluminum. This allows for a good fit of the front and rear sections.

[0018] It is particularly advantageous if the rear section of the inner and / or outer A-pillar is made of a boron-alloyed and hot-formed material, such as steel. This defines a high-strength material that can be suitable for the rear section of the respective A-pillar.

[0019] It is also advantageous if the rear section of the inner and / or outer A-pillar is larger than the front section of the inner and / or outer A-pillar. This leaves more material or volume for the more stable rear section, which increases stability.

[0020] In a further embodiment, it is also advantageous if the front area of ​​the outer A-pillar is larger than the front area of ​​the inner A-pillar. This allows for defined stability on the one hand and softness on the other.

[0021] It is also advantageous if the inner A-pillar has a thicker wall than the outer A-pillar. This also allows the strength and ultimate elongation to be modulated.

[0022] It is also advantageous if the front area of ​​the inner A-pillar and / or the outer A-pillar is thinner and / or softer than the rear area of ​​the inner A-pillar and / or the outer A-pillar.

[0023] The problem of the vehicle body is solved with the features of claim 14.

[0024] An embodiment of the invention relates to a vehicle body, in particular for a motor vehicle, with at least one A-pillar or with two A-pillars according to the invention.

[0025] It is also advantageous if on each side of the body, as on each side of the vehicle, an A-pillar is provided which extends with its lower region from a front end of a side sill substantially vertically in the direction of the lateral windscreen root and / or beyond it upwards and / or wherein the respective A-pillar, which has an inner A-pillar and an outer A-pillar, which are each directly or indirectly connected to one another by corresponding substantially vertically running flanges at their front and rear ends in the direction of the vehicle and / or wherein the inner A-pillar and the outer A-pillar are each directly or indirectly connected with their lower ends to the front end of the side sill.

[0026] The invention is explained in detail below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a schematic, perspective view of a vehicle body with two A-pillars, Fig. 2 a schematic, perspective view of the vehicle body of the Fig. 1, but from a different perspective, Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the left inner A-pillar of the vehicle body of the preceding figures, and Fig. 4 a schematic perspective view of the left outer A-pillar of the vehicle body of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0027] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a vehicle body 1 with a passenger cell 2 surrounded by body structural parts. Side sills 3 are arranged longitudinally on the vehicle sides. These sills are located below the doors (not shown) and between which the vehicle floor is arranged.

[0028] It can be seen that on each side of the vehicle body 1, as on each side of the vehicle, an A-pillar 4 is provided, which extends with its lower region from a front end of a side sill 3 essentially vertically in the direction of the lateral windscreen root 5 and optionally also beyond it upwards.

[0029] The A-pillar 4 has an inner A-pillar 6 and an outer A-pillar 7.

[0030] The respective A-pillars 6, 7 can be connected to one another directly or indirectly by corresponding, substantially vertically extending flanges at their front and rear ends in the direction of the vehicle and / or the inner A-pillar 6 and the outer A-pillar 7 can each be connected with their lower ends directly or indirectly to the front end of the side sill 3.

[0031] In the example shown, the vehicle body 1 therefore has at least one A-pillar 4 or, in particular, two A-pillars 4.

[0032] The respective A-pillar 4 is constructed by at least one inner A-pillar 6 and one outer A-pillar 7, see also the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The two A-pillars 6, 7 are connected to each other and form a hollow space between them.

[0033] The inner A-pillar 6 and the outer A-pillar 7 each have a front area 8, 9 and a rear area 10, 11.

[0034] According to the invention, the strength of the front region 8, 9 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the outer A-pillars 7 is lower than the strength of the rear region 10 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the rear region 11 of the outer A-pillar 7 and / or the elongation at break of the front region 8, 9 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the outer A-pillars 7 is higher than the elongation at break of the rear region 10 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the rear region 11 of the outer A-pillar 7.

[0035] Particularly preferably, the strength of the front region 8, 9 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the outer A-pillars 7 is at most half as great as or less than the strength of the rear region 10 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the rear region 11 of the outer A-pillar 7.

[0036] Also, the elongation at break of the front region 8, 9 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the outer A-pillars 7 can be at least twice as large or more than the elongation at break of the rear region 10 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the rear region 11 of the outer A-pillar 7.

[0037] In the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the front areas 8, 9 of the A-pillars and the rear areas 10, 11 of the A-pillars are shown differently. The separation 12, 13 between the front areas 8, 9 of the A-pillars and the rear areas 10, 11 of the A-pillars is marked by the transition.

[0038] The separation 12 between the front region 8 of the inner A-pillar 6 and the rear region 10 of the inner A-pillar 6 is designed to run essentially vertically. The separation 13 between the front region 9 of the outer A-pillar 7 and the rear region 11 of the outer A-pillar 7 is also designed to run essentially vertically in the example shown.

[0039] During the production of the A-pillar 4, the regions 8, 9, 10, 11 of the front and / or rear A-pillar 6, 7, with different properties regarding strength and elongation at break, can be achieved, for example, by two separate components that are joined together, for example, by welding. These two components are designed in such a way that they have different properties regarding strength and elongation at break, for example, by being made of different materials and / or having undergone different heat treatments.

[0040] The areas 8, 9, 10, 11 of the front and / or rear A-pillar 6, 7 can also be provided with different properties with regard to strength and elongation at break by a component which has undergone a different heat treatment in different areas 8, 9, 10, 11 in order to achieve a different strength and / or elongation at break.

[0041] Tailored tempering can be performed during hot forming to achieve the desired properties. For example, by quenching the tool in the rear area (10, 11) and by slow cooling in the front area (8, 9) using different tool temperatures.

[0042] Tailor-made tempering can also be carried out during hot forming: heating of boron-alloyed steel blanks to over 900 °C, whereby the later soft part of the blank (front) is heated to a lower temperature, resulting in no or less martensite being formed.

[0043] Vertical separation can also be achieved using tailor-made welded sheets: before the forming process, coils or blanks with significantly different strengths and elongations are welded together, for example, by laser welding. This allows a component to be produced in one tool that has two areas with different properties.

[0044] The respective inner and / or outer A-pillars 6, 7 can be made of sheet metal.

[0045] Preferably, the inner A-pillar 6 and the outer A-pillar 7 are formed from steel and / or aluminum, in particular from sheet metal made of steel and / or aluminum.

[0046] For example, the rear region 10, 11 of the inner and / or outer A-pillar 6, 7 consists of a boron-alloyed and hot-formed material, such as steel.

[0047] In a further embodiment, the rear region 10, 11 of the inner and / or outer A-pillar 6, 7 is larger than the front region 8, 9 of the inner and / or outer A-pillar 6, 7. Larger means that the extension in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is longer.

[0048] The front area 9 of the outer A-pillar 7 can also be larger than the front area 8 of the inner A-pillar 6.

[0049] The inner A-pillar 6 can also have a greater wall thickness than the outer A-pillar 7.

[0050] In particular, in one embodiment, the front region 8, 9 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the outer A-pillar 7 is thinner and / or softer than the rear region 10, 11 of the inner A-pillar 6 and / or the outer A-pillar 7. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle body 2 passenger compartment 3 side skirts 4 A-pillar 5 Windscreen root 6 A-pillar 7 A-pillar 8 Front area 9 Front area 10 Rear area 11 Rear area 12 Separation 13 Separation

Claims

[1] A-pillar (4), in particular for a motor vehicle body (1), wherein the A-pillar (4) is constructed by an inner A-pillar (6) and an outer A-pillar (7) which are connected to one another and which form a cavity between them, wherein the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) have a front region (8, 9) and a rear region (10, 11), characterized by that the strength of the front region (8,9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) is lower than the strength of the rear region (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear region (11) of the outer A-pillar (7) and / or that the elongation at break of the front region (8,9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) is higher than the elongation at break of the rear region (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear region (10) of the outer A-pillar (7). [2] A-pillar (4) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the strength of the front area (8,9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) is at most half as great as the strength of the rear area (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear area (11) of the outer A-pillar (7). [3] A-pillar (4) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the elongation at break of the front region (8,9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) is at least twice as great as the elongation at break of the rear region (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear region (11) of the outer A-pillar (7). [4] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a separation (12,13) ​​between the front region (8) of the inner A-pillar (6) and the rear region (10) of the inner A-pillar (6) runs essentially vertically and / or that a separation (12,13) ​​between the front region (9) of the outer A-pillar (7) and the rear region (11) of the outer A-pillar (7) runs essentially vertically. [5] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the areas (8,9,10,11) of the inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7) with different properties with regard to strength and elongation at break are achieved by two separate components which have different properties with regard to strength and elongation at break, which are made of different materials and / or have undergone a different heat treatment. [6] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the areas (8,9,10,11) of the inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7) with different properties with regard to strength and elongation at break are achieved by a component which has undergone a different heat treatment in different areas (8,9,10,11) in order to achieve different strength and elongation at break. [7] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the areas (8,9,10,11) of the inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7) with different properties with regard to strength and elongation at break are achieved by a component which has a different alloy in different areas (8,9,10,11) in order to achieve different strength and elongation at break. [8] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the respective inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7) is formed from sheet metal, in particular from sheet metal made of steel and / or aluminum. [9] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the rear region (10,11) of the inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7) consists of a boron-alloyed and hot-formed material or of a boron-alloyed and hot-formed steel. [10] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the rear region (10,11) of the inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7) is larger than the front region (8,9) of the inner and / or outer A-pillar (6,7). [11] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the front area (9) of the outer A-pillar (7) is larger than the front area (8) of the inner A-pillar (6). [12] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the inner A-pillar (6) has a greater wall thickness than the outer A-pillar (7). [13] A-pillar (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the front region (8,9) of the inner A-pillar (6) and / or the outer A-pillar (7) is thinner and / or softer than the rear region (10,11) of the inner A-pillar (6) and / or the outer A-pillar (7). [14] Vehicle body (1), in particular for a motor vehicle, with at least one A-pillar (4) or with two A-pillars (4) according to one of the preceding claims. [15] Vehicle body (1) according to claim 14, characterized bythat on each side of the body an A-pillar (4) is provided, the lower region of which extends upwards from a front end of a side sill (3) essentially vertically in the direction of the lateral windscreen root (5) and / or beyond it, and / or wherein the respective A-pillar (4), which has an inner A-pillar (6) and an outer A-pillar (7), which is connected to one another directly or indirectly by corresponding essentially vertically running flanges at its front and rear end in the direction of the vehicle, and / or wherein the inner A-pillar (6) and the outer A-pillar (7) are each connected directly or indirectly with their lower end to the front end of the side sill (3).

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