Reinforcement material for bump stopper and suspension arm

Abstract

To provide a structure which can sufficiently apply a rust-proof paint to an inner surface of a reinforcement material around a collision part of a bump stopper and a surface of a suspension arm.SOLUTION: A reinforcement material 2 for a bump stopper comprises a first surface part 21 which is entirely adhered to a collision portion 113 of the bump stopper in a suspension arm 1; a second surface part 22 at least partially fastened to the suspension arm 1; and a third surface part 23 which is spaced apart from the suspension arm 1 and spans between the first surface part 21 and the second surface part 22. The reinforcement material 2 is attached to the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper to form the suspension arm 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a reinforcing member for a bump stopper attached to a suspension arm and the suspension arm.

Background Art

[0002] The suspension arm is, for example, swingably attached to the vehicle body upward, and absorbs an impact by contracting a shock absorber interposed between the vehicle body. At this time, the suspension arm collides with a bump stopper provided on the vehicle body, and the swing amount is regulated. Since the entire constituent members of the suspension arm are made thin for weight reduction, there is also a risk of deformation or damage to the collision portion (the upper surface of the suspension arm) of the bump stopper where the bump stopper repeatedly collides.

[0003] Therefore, a reinforcing member (a backing plate member) is attached to the collision portion of the bump stopper on the suspension arm so that deformation or damage to the collision portion does not occur even when the bump stopper repeatedly collides (Patent Document 1). The reinforcing member disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a plate material that follows the collision portion of the bump stopper, and is attached to the suspension arm in close contact with the collision portion of the bump stopper to increase the thickness of the collision portion of the bump stopper and reinforce the collision portion of the bump stopper.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The suspension arm has a reinforcing member attached to the collision part of the bumper stopper and then immersed in a paint tank, and an anti-rust paint is applied to the whole (for example, cationic electrodeposition coating). At this time, it is necessary to apply an anti-rust paint to the inner surface of the reinforcing member around the collision part of the bumper stopper and the surface of the suspension arm. However, since the gap between the reinforcing member around the collision part of the bumper stopper and the suspension arm is narrow, it is difficult for the anti-rust paint to flow in, and it is difficult to apply the anti-rust paint.

[0006] Therefore, in a suspension arm that closely adheres a reinforcing member, which is a plate material following the collision part of the bumper stopper, to the collision part of the bumper stopper, a structure in which an anti-rust paint can be sufficiently applied to the inner surface of the reinforcing member around the collision part of the bumper stopper and the surface of the suspension arm was studied.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] As a result of the study, what was developed is a reinforcing member for a bumper stopper attached to a suspension arm, which is composed of a first surface portion that is entirely in close contact with the collision part of the bumper stopper in the suspension arm, a second surface portion at least a part of which is fixed to the suspension arm, and a third surface portion that is bridged over the first surface portion and the second surface portion away from the suspension arm in a state where the first surface portion is in close contact with the collision part of the bumper stopper and a part of the second surface portion is fixed to the suspension arm. The third surface portion may be composed of an inclined surface portion rising from the edge of the first surface portion and a bridging surface portion connecting the upper edge of the inclined surface portion and the upper edge of the second surface portion.

[0008] The suspension arm to which the reinforcing member of the present invention is attached is as follows. That is, it is a suspension arm in which the reinforcing member is attached to the collision portion of the bump stopper. The reinforcing member has a configuration in which a third surface portion is bridged between a first surface portion and a second surface portion. The first surface portion is brought into close contact with the collision portion of the bump stopper, a part of the second surface portion is fixed to the suspension arm, and the reinforcing member is attached to the collision portion of the bump stopper with the third surface portion separated from the suspension arm. The third surface portion of the reinforcing member may be composed of an inclined surface portion rising from the edge of the first surface portion and a bridging surface portion connecting the upper edge of the inclined surface portion and the upper edge of the second surface portion.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] The reinforcing member of the present invention has a cross-sectional shape in which the first surface portion and the second surface portion are in contact with the suspension arm while the third surface portion is not in contact with the suspension arm. When attached to the suspension arm, a gap is formed by the inner surface of the third surface portion and the surface of the suspension arm being separated. Thereby, in the suspension arm to which the reinforcing member of the present invention is attached, the rust preventive paint flows into the periphery of the collision portion of the bump stopper, and the rust preventive paint can be applied. When the reinforcing member is provided with an inclined surface portion rising from the edge of the first surface portion, a gap is formed immediately around the first surface portion, and the rust preventive paint can be sufficiently made to flow into the periphery of the collision portion of the bump stopper and applied.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is applied to a type-A suspension arm 1 having a bifurcated shaft-attaching arm 11, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 for example. Since the present invention is applied to a suspension arm 1 for attaching a reinforcing member 2 to a bump stopper (not shown), it can also be used for suspension arms other than the exemplified type-A.

[0012] The suspension arm 1 in this example is a hollow member formed by combining an upper member 111 and a lower member 112 which are sheet metal members. The shaft-attaching arms 11 are provided with shaft-attaching brackets 13 at their respective protruding ends. Further, the upper member 111 is provided with a mounting bracket 12 at the confluence position of the shaft-attaching arms 11. The shaft-attaching brackets 13 are respectively shaft-attached to a vehicle body (not shown) on the same straight line to form a swing axis of the suspension arm 1. The mounting bracket 12 shaft-attaches the lower end of a shock absorber (not shown) whose upper end is shaft-attached to the vehicle body.

[0013] The reinforcing member 2 is attached so as to cover the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper provided on the upper surface of one of the shaft-attaching arms 11. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the reinforcing member 2 in this example is composed of a first surface portion 21 that is in close contact with the upper surface of the shaft-attaching arm 11, a second surface portion 22 that is fixed to the side surface of the shaft-attaching arm 11 by welding, and a third surface 23 that bridges the first surface portion and the second surface portion. The reinforcing member 2 in this example is a sheet metal member shaped like a pedestal in plan view following the tapered shaft-attaching arm 11.

[0014] The first surface portion 21 is a substantially rhombus-shaped horizontal surface in plan view that combines a pair of protruding surfaces reaching from the circular surface in plan view corresponding to the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper to the edge of the plate material. The first surface portion 21 in this example is provided with a rubber mounting hole 211 for attaching a bumper rubber (not shown). The first surface portion 21 has a shape as close as possible to the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper and is in close contact with the upper surface of the shaft-attaching arm 11 where the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper is set.

[0015] The second face portion 22 is a pair of left and right vertical faces that are in contact with the side surface of the shaft mounting arm 11, and each is bent in the extending direction following the shaft mounting arm. Each of the second face portions 22 is fixed by welding the lower edge to the shaft mounting arm 11 (the upper member 111 in this example), and the reinforcing member 2 is fixedly attached to the suspension arm 1 at a fixed position. The fixing means of the second face portion 22 to the shaft mounting arm 11 may be other than welding.

[0016] The third face portion 23 is formed based on a configuration including an inclined face portion 231 which is an inclined surface with an ascending gradient that rises from the first face portion 21 and gradually separates from the upper surface of the shaft mounting arm 11 in a state where the first face portion 21 is in close contact with the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper on the shaft mounting arm 11 and the lower edge of the second face portion 22 is welded to the side surface of the shaft mounting arm 11, and a bridging face portion 232 which is a substantially flat surface that is entirely separated from the shaft mounting arm 11 and bridges the inclined face portion 231 and the second face portion 22.

[0017] The inclined face portion 231 is an inclined surface with an ascending gradient that smoothly rises from the edge of the first face portion 21. The inclined face portion 231 in this example curves along the circle of the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper and surrounds the first face portion 21. The bridging face portion 232 is a substantially flat surface that connects the upper edge of the inclined face portion 231 and the upper edge of the second face portion 22. In this example, the connection corner portion 233 of the bridging face portion 232 has a circular arc cross-section and is smoothly connected to the upper edge of the second face portion 22.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the reinforcing member 2 has a gap 14 formed because the bridging face portion 232 is separated from the arm corner portion 114 that connects the upper surface and the side surface of the shaft mounting arm 11. In this example of the reinforcing member 2, there is no inclined face portion 231 on the thinner side of the tapered shaft mounting arm 11, and the bridging face portion 232 is directly connected to the first face portion 21. However, since the circular arc cross-section of the arm corner portion 114 of the shaft mounting arm 11 is larger than the circular arc cross-section of the connection corner portion 233 of the bridging face portion 232, a gap 14 is still formed.

[0019] Thus, the gap 14 formed between the reinforcing member 2 and the pivot arm 11 allows the rust preventive paint to flow into the periphery of the first surface portion 21, that is, the periphery of the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper. Thus, according to the reinforcing member 2 of the present invention, the rust preventive paint can flow into and be applied to the periphery of the collision portion 113 of the bump stopper where the application of the rust preventive paint is required, so that the necessary and sufficient rust preventive performance can be imparted to the suspension arm 1.

[0020] The reinforcing member 2 of the present invention has a complex cross-sectional shape combining the first surface portion 21, the second surface portion 22, and the third surface portion 23. And, in addition to the basic configuration (see FIG. 4) in which the third surface portion 23 of this example consists of an inclined surface portion 231 and a bridging surface portion 232, there is also a configuration (see FIG. 5) in which the inclined surface portion 231 is absent and the bridging surface portion 232 is directly connected to the first surface portion 21, further complicating the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing member 2. Thus, the reinforcing member 2 of the present invention becomes a sheet metal member with greater strength and resistance to bending stress compared to conventional similar reinforcing members formed by simply bending a flat plate.

[0021] Since the first surface portion 21 is in close contact with the upper surface of the pivot arm 11, most of the impact force of the bump stopper is transmitted from the first surface portion 21 to the pivot arm 11, and only a small remaining amount is transmitted from the third surface portion 23 to the second surface portion 22. And, since the reinforcing member 2 of the present invention is a sheet metal member with great strength and resistance to bending stress, there is almost no possibility that the second surface portion 22 will be deformed by the small impact force of the bump stopper transmitted. Thus, the reinforcing member 2 of the present invention can be stably mounted on the pivot arm 11 without the fixing portion (the welding bead in this example) to the pivot arm 11 being damaged.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0022] 1 Suspension arm 11 Pivot arm 111 Upper member 112 Lower member 113 Collision portion of bump stopper 114 Arm corner 12 Mounting bracket 13 Pivot bracket 14 Gap 2 Reinforcement member 21 First face part 211 Rubber mounting hole 22 Second face part 23 Third face part 231 Inclined face part 232 Bridging face part 233 Connection corner part

Claims

1. A reinforcing member for a bump stopper attached to a suspension arm, comprising a first face portion that is entirely in close contact with the collision portion of the bump stopper on the suspension arm, a second face portion at least a part of which is fixed to the suspension arm, and a third face portion that bridges the first face portion and the second face portion while being separated from the suspension arm in a state where the first face portion is in close contact with the collision portion of the bump stopper and a part of the second face portion is fixed to the suspension arm. The reinforcing member for a bump stopper.

2. The third face portion is composed of an inclined face portion rising from the edge of the first face portion and a bridging face portion connecting the upper edge of the inclined face portion and the upper edge of the second face portion. The reinforcing member for a bump stopper according to Claim 1.

3. A suspension arm with a reinforcing member attached to the collision portion of the bump stopper, wherein the reinforcing member has a configuration in which the third face portion bridges the first face portion and the second face portion, the first face portion is in close contact with the collision portion of the bump stopper, a part of the second face portion is fixed to the suspension arm, and the reinforcing member is attached to the collision portion of the bump stopper with the third face portion separated from the suspension arm. The suspension arm.

4. The third face portion of the reinforcing member is composed of an inclined face portion rising from the edge of the first face portion and a bridging face portion connecting the upper edge of the inclined face portion and the upper edge of the second face portion. The suspension arm according to Claim 3.

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