Spring seat and manufacturing method of spring seat

Abstract

To provide a spring seat which includes a plurality of holes formed proximately to each other.SOLUTION: A spring seat 36 is arranged over a tire mounted on a vehicle. The spring seat includes a plurality of holes (for example, 361a, 361b, 361c, 361d) formed to discharge stones where distances between the plurality of holes are respectively 10 mm or less. A hole size thereof in a long axis is 13 mm or more, and a hole size in a short axis is 12.5 mm or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a spring seat and a method for manufacturing the spring seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a pair of front side members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle are disposed on both sides of an engine compartment located at the front of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. Suspension members are disposed below the front side members in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, suspensions are attached to the suspension members as interference devices that absorb impacts from the road surface. The suspensions include shock absorbers extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle and spring seats supported by coil springs.

[0003] Gravel may accumulate on the spring seat from the ground while the vehicle is running, so holes are formed in the bottom surface of the spring seat to allow the accumulated gravel to be discharged. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-083973 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To ensure the reliable discharge of accumulated gravel, it is necessary to form multiple holes of a certain size. However, it is difficult to form multiple holes close together using conventional press molding. The present disclosure provides a spring seat with multiple holes formed close together. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The spring seat according to the present disclosure is a spring seat mounted above a tire of a vehicle, and includes a plurality of holes formed in the spring seat for discharging stones, the distance between the plurality of holes being 10 mm or less, the size of the major axis of the holes being 13 mm or more, and the size of the minor axis of the holes being 12.5 mm or more.

[0007] The hole may be formed in a substantially circular shape, and the diameter of the hole may be 13 mm or more. The thickness of the spring seat may be 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm.

[0008] The method for manufacturing a spring sheet according to the present disclosure is the method for manufacturing the above-mentioned spring sheet, wherein the plurality of holes are locally heat-formed by heating a high-strength steel plate of 780 MPa class or higher at 500 to 830°C for a short period of time of 10 seconds or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present disclosure may provide a spring seat having a plurality of closely spaced holes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a suspension structure including a spring seat. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the spring seat. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of a spring seat according to another embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a spring seat according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation.

[0012] An example of a suspension structure including a spring seat according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a suspension structure including a spring seat. Note that the arrow FR shown as appropriate in each figure indicates the front side of the vehicle, and the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle. Furthermore, the arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction.

[0013] The spring seat 36 is an annular member supported by a shock absorber 32 and a coil spring 34 that extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle and connects the front tire 28 mounted on the vehicle to the suspension tower.

[0014] 1, a radiator support 14 is disposed in a vehicle front portion 10 on the front side of an engine compartment 12 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, along the vehicle width direction, and supporting a cooling module. The radiator support 14 is configured to include an upper radiator support 14A that forms the upper edge, a lower radiator support 14B that forms the lower edge, a pair of vertical pillars 14C provided on the left and right that form both side portions, and a vertical pillar 14D that connects the centers of the upper radiator support 14A and the lower radiator support 14B in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] Furthermore, a front side member 16, which extends along the vehicle longitudinal direction and has a generally rectangular closed cross-section, is connected to the rear side of the vertical pillar 14C of the radiator support 14 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A vehicle floor 18 extends rearward of the front side member 16 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Furthermore, a rocker 20, which extends along the vehicle longitudinal direction and has a generally rectangular closed cross-section, is disposed outward of the vehicle floor 18 in the vehicle width direction. The rear side of the front side member 16 in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the front side of the rocker 20 in the vehicle longitudinal direction are connected by a torque box 22.

[0016] Furthermore, suspension towers (not shown) serving as a vehicle body are disposed on the outer sides of the front side members 16 in the vehicle width direction, and the suspension towers support suspensions 24 that absorb shocks from the road surface while the vehicle is traveling. In addition, the suspensions 24 are connected to a steel plate suspension member (not shown) on the lower side in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0017] The suspension 24 will now be described in more detail. A caliper 26, which constitutes part of the brake, is disposed on the outer side of the suspension 24 in the vehicle width direction. A front tire 28 is rotatably supported around the caliper 26 via a lower arm 30. Furthermore, a shock absorber 32 is provided on the upper side of the lower arm 30 in the vehicle vertical direction, extending in the vehicle vertical direction to connect the front tire 28 to the suspension tower. Furthermore, a spiral coil spring 34 is provided around the shock absorber 32 to support a load in the vehicle vertical direction, and the shock absorber 32, which has a substantially circular cross section, is wound by the coil spring 34. Furthermore, a spring seat 36, which has a substantially circular cross section, is disposed on the lower end side of the coil spring 34 in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0018] Furthermore, the spring seat 36 may be provided integrally with a protruding portion 38 that protrudes forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction beyond the coil spring 34 .

[0019] The front end 38A of the protruding portion 38 of the spring seat 36 in the vehicle longitudinal direction is located inside the vehicle width direction of a virtual kingpin axis S that connects the upper end of the shock absorber 32 in the vehicle vertical direction and the joint between the lower arm 30 and the front tire 28.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a top view of the spring seat. The spring seat 36 shown in FIG. 2 is for a front tire mounted on a vehicle, but the present disclosure is also applicable to a rear tire. The spring seat 36 is an annular member when viewed from above, and a hole 360 ​​is provided in the center of the spring seat 36 for connecting the shock absorber 32 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The spring seat 36 is formed in a dish shape with an outer edge 369 bent upward via several bending lines 364 (see FIG. 4 for details). The bottom surface of the spring seat 36 is formed with multiple holes (361a, 361b, 362a, 362b in FIG. 2) for discharging gravel that may accumulate while the vehicle is traveling. These holes are formed closer to the outer edge 369 of the spring seat 36 and toward the rear of the vehicle than the hole in the center that connects the shock absorber 32. The relatively large holes 361a, 361b may have a major axis LD of 13 mm or more and a minor axis SD of 12.5 mm or more. The spring seat has a thickness of 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm. Holes 361a, 361b of this size allow gravel and other debris that accumulates on the spring seat 36 while the vehicle is running to be expelled.

[0021] The shortest distance D between the relatively large holes 361a, 361b is 10 mm or less, thereby providing a spring seat having a plurality of holes that can discharge accumulated stones.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a top view of a spring seat according to another embodiment. Unlike Fig. 2, the holes 361c and 361d in Fig. 3 are formed in a substantially circular shape. The diameter of each of the holes 361c and 361d may be 13 mm or more. The shortest distance D between the relatively large holes 361c and 361d is 10 mm or less.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a spring seat according to some embodiments. The spring seat 36 is formed in a dish shape with its outer edge bent upward. The shock absorber 32 is tilted slightly rearward relative to the vertical direction. Therefore, the rear half of the spring seat 36, which has the hole 361a, is tilted downward compared to the front half.

[0024] The vehicle can basically travel forward, so the hole 361a is formed facing laterally downward toward the rear of the vehicle, so that stones ejected from the hole 361 can fall to the ground.

[0025] A method for manufacturing the holes 361a, b, c, and d described above can also be provided. These holes 361a, b, c, and d can be formed by localized heating. Localized heat forming can form each portion of the spring sheet by, for example, heating a high-strength steel plate of 780 MPa or higher to 500 to 830°C for a short period of time of 10 seconds or less. High-frequency induction heating using a coil can also be used to apply localized heating for a short period of time. An AC power source is connected to the coil to generate high-frequency induced electromotive force by passing an AC current through the coil. This localized heat forming can realize holes with a high degree of freedom in shape that cannot be achieved by ordinary press forming. Furthermore, multiple holes can be formed closely together.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 24 Suspension 26 Caliper 28 front tire 30 Lower arm 32 Shock absorber 34 coil spring 36 Spring seat 41 Wire harness 360 holes 361, 361a, 361b, 361c, 361d holes 362a, 362b holes 364 Bending Lines 365,366 Slope 369 Outer edge

Claims

1. A spring seat provided above a tire mounted on a vehicle, The spring seat has a plurality of holes formed therein for ejecting stones. The spring seat, wherein the distance between the plurality of holes is 10 mm or less from each other.

2. The size of the major axis of the hole is 13 mm or more, 2. The spring seat according to claim 1, wherein the minor axis of the hole is 12.5 mm or greater.

3. 2. The spring seat according to claim 1, wherein the hole is formed in a substantially circular shape and has a diameter of 13 mm or more.

4. 2. The spring seat according to claim 1, wherein the spring seat has a plate thickness of 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm.

5. A method for manufacturing a spring seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The method for manufacturing a spring seat includes locally heat-forming the plurality of holes by applying heat of 500 to 830°C to a high-strength steel plate of 780 MPa class or higher for a short period of time of 10 seconds or less.

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