Tank structure

Abstract

To suppress generation of high stress in a mounting part of a tank structure by using an inexpensive structure.SOLUTION: A tank structure 10 interposed in a cooling system of a vehicle and capable of storing a cooling medium includes: a body part 11 that constitutes a storage tank capable of storing the cooling medium; and a mounting part 20 formed of a plate-shaped portion extending from the body part 11 in a predetermined extending direction and used for mounting the body part 11 to the vehicle. The mounting part 20 includes: a tip part 22 located in the extending direction with respect to a base end part 21 that is a connection portion to the body part 11 and forming a mounting portion to the vehicle side; and a stress absorption part 23 formed by punching trough a portion of the mounting part 20 between the tip part 22 and the base end part 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This case relates to a tank structure installed in a cooling system of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a surge tank type cooling system for engines, which is provided with a surge tank for removing air mixed in with the cooling medium (gas-liquid separation). This surge tank is installed in the cooling circuit through which the cooling medium circulates, and a portion of the cooling medium circulating in the cooling circuit flows into the surge tank. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a surge tank arranged on a cab bridge for supporting the cab of a cab-over truck. In this example, the surge tank is attached to the cab bridge by fastening bolts at a mounting portion extending from the body of the surge tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-131751 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a high-temperature cooling medium flows into the surge tank, the surge tank may be thermally deformed. As described above, in a structure in which the surge tank is attached to the cab bridge at a mounting portion extending from the main body, high stress due to thermal deformation of the surge tank tends to occur at the mounting portion, particularly at the base end of the mounting portion. As a technology for suppressing the generation of this high stress, for example, a rubber member has been used to attach the bolts, thereby alleviating (suppressing) the stress.

[0005] However, this technology increases costs because the rubber member is relatively expensive and the labor required to attach the rubber member increases. Therefore, the conventional tank structure has room for improvement in terms of suppressing the increase in costs and suppressing the occurrence of high stress due to thermal deformation. Therefore, one of the objects of the tank structure of the present invention is to suppress the occurrence of high stress in the mounting portions of the tank structure using an inexpensive structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized in the following aspects or application examples.

[0007] (1) The tank structure according to this application example is a tank structure that is interposed in a cooling system of a vehicle and is capable of storing a cooling medium used in the cooling system, and includes a main body portion that serves as a storage tank for storing the cooling medium, and a mounting portion that is formed of a plate-shaped portion extending in a predetermined extension direction from the main body portion and is for attaching the main body portion to the vehicle, and the mounting portion is located in the extension direction relative to a base end portion that is a connection point to the main body portion, and includes a tip portion that serves as an attachment point to the vehicle side, and a stress absorbing portion in which a portion of the mounting portion is punched out between the tip portion and the base end.

[0008] According to this tank structure, the tip of the mounting portion extending from the main body is attached to the vehicle side, and a stress absorbing portion whose cross-sectional area is set smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the base end is provided between the tip of the mounting portion and the base end. According to the above configuration, when the main body portion is thermally deformed, the elongation due to the thermal deformation is absorbed in the stress absorbing portion, so that the generation of stress in the mounting portion, particularly in the vicinity of the base end of the mounting portion, can be mitigated (suppressed) compared to when the entire mounting portion is elongated. In addition, the stress absorbing portion can be formed simply by setting the cross-sectional area of ​​the stress absorbing portion to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the base end portion, and there is no need to attach a separate member such as a rubber member, so costs due to increased parts costs and labor can be suppressed. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the tank structure of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of high stress in the mounting portion of the tank structure with an inexpensive structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a tank structure according to an application example and a truck on which the tank structure is mounted, viewed from above. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the tank structure and the truck in FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view of a tank structure according to an application example, as viewed from the arrow A in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view of a tank structure according to an application example, as viewed from the arrow B in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a mounting portion of a tank structure according to an application example. [Figure 6] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a mounting portion of a tank structure according to a modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the embodiments. The configurations of the following embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. In addition, they can be selected or combined as necessary.

[0012] Hereinafter, the front-rear direction of the vehicle to which the tank structure according to this embodiment is applied is also referred to as the vehicle length direction, and the left-right direction of the vehicle is also referred to as the vehicle width direction. The up-down direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is also referred to as the vehicle height direction. The left-right direction is determined based on the forward facing posture of the vehicle. In the drawings, the front is indicated by "FR", the rear is indicated by "RR", the left is indicated by "LH", the right is indicated by "RH", the top is indicated by "UP", and the bottom is indicated by "DW".

[0013] [1. Configuration] Fig. 1 is a plan view of a tank structure 10 according to this embodiment and a truck 1 on which the tank structure 10 is mounted, viewed from above. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the tank structure 10 and the truck 1, viewed from the rear. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tank structure 10, viewed from the direction of arrow A in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the surge tank 10, viewed from the direction of arrow B in Fig. 3. Note that parts of the truck 1 and the tank structure 10 are omitted in Figs. 1 to 4. A truck 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is an example of a vehicle equipped with a tank structure 10. Here, a cab-over type truck 1 is taken as an example. The truck 1 is equipped with a ladder frame 2 that forms the skeleton of the vehicle body. The ladder frame 2 includes a pair of left and right side rails 3L, 3R extending in the vehicle length direction, and a plurality of cross members 4 extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting the side rails 3L, 3R to each other.

[0014] A cab 5 (shown by a broken line in the drawing) having a driver's seat is disposed at the front of the truck 1. An arch-shaped cab bridge 6 supporting the cab 5 is installed behind the front wheels 1L and 1R on the side rails 3L and 3R. In detail, as shown in FIG. 2, the cab bridge 6 is provided with vertical portions 6A extending upward from each of the side rails 3L and 3R, inclined portions 6B extending diagonally upward from the upper ends of each of the vertical portions 6A toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a horizontal portion 6C connecting the upper ends of the left and right inclined portions 6B. That is, the cab bridge 6 can be said to be formed in a U-shape with both upper left and right corners inclined by the inclined portions 6B when viewed from the front-rear direction. In addition, mount portions 50L, 50R for connecting the cab 5 to the cab bridge 6 are provided on each vertical portion 6A and extend outward in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] Further, a drive source 7 (indicated by a dashed line in the drawing) of the truck 1 is disposed below the cab 5 and in front of the cab bridge 6. The drive source 7 is, for example, an internal combustion engine. The truck 1 may be an engine vehicle equipped only with the engine 7 as a drive source, a hybrid vehicle equipped with the engine 7 and an electric motor, or an electric vehicle equipped only with an electric motor.

[0016] The tank structure 10 is a tank capable of storing a cooling medium used in a cooling system for cooling the engine 7 of the truck 1, and is attached to the cab bridge 6 located rearward of the engine 7. In detail, as shown in FIG. 2, the tank structure 10 is attached to the upper right side of the cab bridge 6, that is, to the area including the right inclined portion 6B.

[0017] In this embodiment, a surge tank for removing air mixed into the cooling medium (gas-liquid separation) is shown as an example of the tank structure 10. An example of the cooling medium is cooling water (coolant liquid). The surge tank 10 is disposed in a cooling circuit 9 (cooling system) for circulating a cooling medium between the engine 7, which is an object to be cooled, and a radiator 8 (indicated by a dashed line in the drawing) disposed in front of the engine 7. Specifically, the surge tank 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is disposed in the cooling circuit 9 via an upstream pipe 10A and a downstream pipe 10B. Note that in each drawing, piping such as the upstream pipe 10A and the downstream pipe 10B are depicted diagrammatically.

[0018] The upstream pipe 10A is composed of two pipes 10AX and 10AY. One of the pipes, 10AX, is connected to the upper tank (not shown) of the radiator 8 and allows some of the cooling medium in the cooling circuit 9 to flow from the radiator 8 side to the surge tank 10. The other pipe, 10AY, is connected to the engine 7 and allows some of the cooling medium to flow from the engine 7 to the surge tank 10. The downstream pipe 10B is connected to a water pump (not shown) arranged upstream of the engine 7 in the cooling circuit 9, and is a pipe that returns the cooling medium from the surge tank 10 to the cooling circuit 9.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the surge tank 10 includes a main body 11 that serves as a storage tank capable of storing the cooling medium flowing in from the cooling circuit 9, and an attachment portion 20 for attaching the main body 11 to a cab bridge 6 (vehicle).

[0020] The main body 11 is a three-dimensional container having a space (storage tank) capable of storing a cooling medium therein. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the main body 11 is formed of a rectangular column-shaped container that fits the inclined portion 6B (chamfered portion) of the cab bridge 6 (shown by a dashed line in Fig. 3) and is disposed on the upper surface of the inclined portion 6B. In detail, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a part 11A of the main body 11 is disposed on the upper surface of the inclined portion 6B, and the other part 11B of the main body 11 other than the part 11A is disposed rearward of the upper surface of the inclined portion 6B and is supported by a bracket 6D (shown by a dashed line in Fig. 3). The bracket 6D is a support member that is provided extending rearward of the inclined portion 6B.

[0021] The attachment portion 20 is a plate-like portion extending from the main body portion 11 in a predetermined extending direction. 1 to 4 show an example of the configuration of the surge tank 10 provided with three mounting parts 20A to 20C. The predetermined extension direction is the direction in which each of the mounting parts 20A to 20C extends from the main body 11, and is the direction along the extension direction of each portion of the cab bridge 6 to which each of the mounting parts 20A to 20C is attached.

[0022] The mounting portion 20A is a portion that is attached to the horizontal portion 6C of the cab bridge 6. This mounting portion 20A is disposed on the upper surface of the horizontal portion 6C, and extends substantially horizontally from the part 11A of the main body portion 11 toward the inside in the vehicle width direction along the vehicle width direction in which the horizontal portion 6C extends. As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting portion 20B and the mounting portion 20C are portions that are attached to the inclined portion 6B of the cab bridge 6 via a bracket 6D.

[0023] The mounting portion 20B is positioned adjacent to the rear of the inclined portion 6B, extends diagonally upward from the other portion 11B of the main body portion 11 toward the inside in the vehicle width direction along the inclined direction in which the inclined portion 6B extends, and is supported by the bracket 6D. The mounting portion 20C is positioned adjacent to the rear of the inclined portion 6B, extends diagonally downward from the other portion 11B of the main body portion 11 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction along the inclined direction in which the inclined portion 6B extends, and is supported by a bracket 6D. The sizes and shapes of the three mounting portions 20A to 20C may be appropriately set according to the shape and dimensions of the portion to which they are to be attached. When there is no need to distinguish between the three mounting portions 20A to 20C, they will be referred to as "mounting portions 20."

[0024] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing one of the mounting portions 20 as viewed from above. Here, mounting portion 20A is taken as an example of the mounting portion 20. The mounting portion 20 is provided with a tip portion 22 located in an extension direction D1 (direction moving away from the base end portion 21) relative to a base end portion 21 which is a connection portion with the main body portion 11. This tip portion 22 forms a mounting portion with respect to the horizontal portion 6C of the cab bridge 6 (vehicle side). The tip portion 22 has a bolt hole 22A for inserting a bolt 22B for mounting to the cab bridge 6. That is, the surge tank 10 is attached to the cab bridge 6 at the tip portion 22 provided at a distance from the main body 11 in the extending direction.

[0025] The mounting portion 20 is provided with a stress absorbing portion 23 at a position between the tip portion 22 and the base end portion 21 and closer to the base end portion 21 than the bolt hole 22A (shown by the dashed line in FIG. 5). The stress absorbing portion 23 is a portion that suppresses the generation of stress in the mounting portion 20, particularly in the vicinity of the base end portion 21 of the mounting portion 20, due to thermal deformation of the main body portion 11 (surge tank 10). In order to suppress stress, the stress absorbing portion 23 is provided with a structure having a cross-sectional area set smaller than that of the base end portion 21. Here, the cross-sectional area refers to the area of ​​a cut surface of the mounting portion 20 that intersects with the extension direction.

[0026] Specifically, an opening 23A is provided as a stress absorbing portion 23 in the mounting portion 20 shown in FIG. The opening 23A is disposed in the center of the mounting portion 20 in the plate width direction D2. This opening 23A is a through hole punched out in the thickness direction of the center of the mounting portion 20 (a part of the mounting portion 20). Since the opening 23A is provided through the mounting portion 20, it can be said that the cross-sectional area of ​​the stress absorbing portion 23 is set smaller than that of the base end portion 21. In other words, the stress absorbing portion 23 is provided with a structure in which a part of the mounting portion 20 is punched out in the thickness direction as a structure for suppressing stress.

[0027] The shape and dimensions of opening 23A are appropriately set from the viewpoints of stress suppression performance and ensuring the strength of mounting portion 20. For example, it can be said that the larger the dimensions of opening 23A, the higher the stress suppression performance becomes, but the more difficult it becomes to ensure the strength of mounting portion 20. 5 is formed in a rectangular shape with the long sides along the plate width direction D2 intersecting with the extension direction D1 on the plate surface of the mounting portion 20. The dimension of the opening 23A in the plate width direction D2 is set to be equal to or larger than the diameter of the bolt hole 22A, for example. Furthermore, when ribs are provided on both sides of the mounting portion 20 in the plate width direction D2 for reinforcement, the dimension of the opening 23A can be set larger.

[0028] The tip end 22 and base end 21 of the mounting portion 20 are not connected at the center where the opening 23A is provided, but are connected to the tip end 22 and base end 21 of the mounting portion 20 at both side portions 23B in the plate width direction D2 relative to the opening 23A. It can be said that the mounting portion 20 provided with the opening 23A (stress absorbing portion 23) has the tip end 22 and base end 21 partially connected only at both side portions 23B excluding the center where the opening 23A is provided. All three mounting portions 20A to 20C are provided with openings 23A (stress absorbing portions 23) as shown in Fig. 5. The openings 23A of the mounting portions 20A to 20C may have a common configuration, or may have different configurations. That is, the shape and dimensions of the openings 23A of the mounting portions 20A to 20C may be set appropriately according to the shape and dimensions of the mounting portions 20A to 20C.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a reservoir tank 30 is connected to the surge tank 10 via a pipe 10C. The reservoir tank 30 is a reserve tank into which a part of the cooling medium in the surge tank 10 flows and is temporarily stored when the cooling medium becomes hot and its volume increases. The surge tank 10 can be said to be interposed between the engine 7 and the reservoir tank 30.

[0030] [2. Effects] The surge tank 10 according to the present embodiment described above provides the following advantages. The surge tank 10 according to this application example is attached to the cab bridge 6 at the tip end 22 of the mounting portion 20 extending from the main body 11. On the mounting portion 20, closer to the base end 21 than the tip end 22, an opening 23A is provided as a stress absorbing portion 23 by punching out a central portion of the mounting portion 20 (a part of the mounting portion 20). That is, the cross-sectional area of ​​the stress absorbing portion 23 is set smaller than that of the base end 21 by providing the opening 23A.

[0031] According to the above configuration, when the main body 11 is thermally deformed and an elongation force along the thermal elongation direction shown by the white arrow in Fig. 5 is applied from the main body 11 to the mounting part 20, the elongation due to the thermal deformation is absorbed by the opening 23A of the stress absorbing part 23, and only the both side parts 23B are elongated. Therefore, compared to the case where the entire mounting part 20 is elongated, it is possible to alleviate (suppress) the generation of stress in the mounting part 20, particularly in the vicinity of the base end part 21 of the mounting part 20.

[0032] In addition, since the stress absorbing portion 23 can be formed simply by punching an opening 23A in the mounting portion 20 and setting its cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the base end portion 21, there is no need to attach a separate member such as a rubber member, and therefore it is possible to suppress cost increases due to increases in parts costs and labor hours. As described above, the surge tank 10 according to the application example can suppress the occurrence of high stress in the mounting portion 20 with an inexpensive structure.

[0033] [3.Others] The stress absorbing portion 23 is not limited to the structure having the opening 23A as shown in FIG. As a modified example of the stress absorbing portion 23, in the mounting portion 20' shown in Fig. 6, instead of the above-mentioned opening 23A, grooves 23C are provided on both sides (parts of the mounting portion 20') in the plate width direction D2, which are punched in the shape of a notch (recess) extending from the outside to the inside in the plate width direction D2. The grooves 23C are disposed between the tip portion 22 and the base end portion 21, and at a position closer to the base end portion 21 than the bolt hole 22A (shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6). That is, in this stress absorbing portion 23, the cross-sectional area is set smaller than that of the base end portion 21 by providing the grooves 23C punched in the thickness direction on both sides of the mounting portion 20'.

[0034] The shape and dimensions of each groove 23C are appropriately set from the viewpoints of stress suppression performance and ensuring the strength of the mounting part 20'. For example, it can be said that the smaller the distance between each groove 23C in the plate width direction D2 (the dimension in the plate width direction D2 of the central part 23D located between each groove 23C), the higher the stress suppression performance becomes, but the more difficult it becomes to ensure the strength of the mounting part 20'. Therefore, the dimension of the central portion 23D in the plate width direction D2 is set to be equal to or larger than the diameter of the bolt hole 22A, for example. For example, if ribs can be provided on both sides of the mounting portion 20' in the plate width direction D2 for reinforcement, the interval between each of the groove portions 23C in the plate width direction D2 can be set larger. Further, each groove 23C shown in FIG. 6 is formed by a curved notch that protrudes upward in the plate width direction D2.

[0035] 6, the tip end 22 and the base end 21 are not connected at each groove 23C provided on both sides in the plate width direction D2, and the tip end 22 and the base end 21 of the mounting part 20 are connected at a central part 23D located between each groove 23C. It can be said that the mounting part 20' provided with grooves 23C (stress absorbing part 23) has the tip end 22 and the base end 21 partially connected only at the central part 23D excluding both sides where the grooves 23C are provided.

[0036] 6, when the body 11 is thermally deformed and an elongation force is applied to the mounting part 20' in the thermal elongation direction shown by the white arrow, the elongation due to the thermal deformation is absorbed by the grooves 23C of the stress absorbing part 23, and only the central part 23D between the grooves 23C elongates. Therefore, compared to the case where the entire mounting part elongates, it is possible to alleviate (suppress) the occurrence of stress especially near the base end 21 of the mounting part 20'. Therefore, according to the surge tank 10 equipped with the mounting portion 20' according to the modified example of FIG. 6, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of high stress in the mounting portion 20 with an inexpensive structure.

[0037] Furthermore, opening 23A is not limited to a rectangular opening surrounded by straight lines as described above, but may be an opening surrounded by curved lines, such as an elliptical opening. Groove 23C is not limited to being formed by a curved cutout as described above, but may be formed by a linear cutout, such as a U-shape or V-shape. The stress absorbing portion 23 may be provided on all of the three mounting portions 20A to 20C provided on the surge tank 10, or the stress absorbing portion 23 may be selectively provided on only at least one of the three mounting portions 20A to 20C. For example, the stress absorbing portion 23 may be provided only on the mounting portion 20A, which has the longest dimension in the extension direction among the three mounting portions 20A to 20C.

[0038] The number of mounting portions 20 provided on the surge tank 10 is not limited to three, but may be one or more. The method of attaching the mounting portion 20 to the cab bridge 6 is not limited to fastening a bolt to the bolt hole 22A, and any other well-known attachment method may be appropriately adopted. The vehicle to which the surge tank 10 is applied is not limited to the cab-over type truck 1, but may be any type of vehicle. The tank structure 10 according to the present embodiment may be applied to any type of tank, not limited to the surge tank, as long as the tank is installed in the cooling system of the vehicle and is capable of storing the cooling medium used in the cooling system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Truck (vehicle) 1L,1R front wheel 2 Ladder frame 3B Slope 3L, 3R side rails 4 Cross member 5 Cab 6 Cab Bridge 6A Vertical section 6B Slope 6C Horizontal section 6D Bracket 7 Engine (power source) 8 Radiator 9 Cooling circuit (cooling system) 10 Surge tank (tank structure) 10A, 10AX, 10AY Upstream pipe 10B Downstream pipe 10C Pipe 11 Main body 20,20A~20C,20′ Mounting part 21 Proximal end 22 Tip 22A Bolt hole 22B Mounting bolt 23 Stress absorbing section 23A opening 23B Both sides 23C Groove 23D central part 30 Reservoir Tank 50L, 50R Mounting section

Claims

[Claim 1] A tank structure that is installed in a cooling system of a vehicle and is capable of storing a cooling medium used in the cooling system, comprising: A main body portion forming a storage tank capable of storing the cooling medium; a mounting portion formed of a plate-shaped portion extending from the main body portion in a predetermined extending direction, for mounting the main body portion to the vehicle; The mounting portion is a tip portion that is located in the extension direction relative to a base end portion that is a connection portion to the main body portion and that serves as an attachment portion to the vehicle side; A stress absorbing portion formed by punching out a part of the mounting portion between the tip portion and the base portion. A tank structure comprising:

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