Vehicle body framework structure and method for manufacturing vehicle body framework structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle body skeleton structure and a manufacturing method of the vehicle body skeleton structure, having high energy absorption efficiency in collision, accurately arrangeable with a high degree of freedom, easy in construction, and capable of reducing weight.SOLUTION: The automotive body frame structure 100 includes a hat-shaped outer panel 11 having a pair of outer panel flange portion side 11a and an outer panel protruding portion side 11a protruding between the pair of outer panel flange portion side 11b in a cross-sectional view orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, a flat plate-shaped support body 13 disposed on a side opposite to a side where the outer panel protruding portion side 11b protrudes, joined to the pair of outer panel flange portion side 11a to form an outer panel internal space, and having a plurality of through-hole side 13a formed along the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of pipe members 15 each having a pipe outer peripheral surface in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through-hole side 13a, having a pipe shaft disposed in a thickness direction, and having one end in contact with an inner surface of the outer panel protruding portion side 11b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle body skeleton structure and a method for manufacturing the vehicle body skeleton structure.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, improvement in the safety of passengers in a vehicle has been demanded, and for this purpose, the strength of the vehicle body has been improved. On the other hand, against the backdrop of the intensification of problems such as global warming, the movement to improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles has been accelerating. It is known that weight reduction of the vehicle body is effective for improving fuel efficiency. In addition, a vehicle is required to have high collision safety performance, and a side sill having a closed cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body extends and is provided on the lower side portion of the vehicle body. In recent years, in vehicles equipped with a battery such as an EV vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, a battery case is arranged inside the vehicle body below the side sill. Therefore, the strength of the side sill is particularly increased so that the battery is protected even when a collision (side collision) occurs on the side of the vehicle body. Specifically, by arranging a reinforcing member in the inner space of the side sill, while absorbing the collision energy during a side collision, the stress propagation to the inside of the vehicle body is blocked. As a reinforcing material for the side sill, for example, a configuration of a side sill (rocker) in which a plurality of reinforcing members whose axial direction extends in the vehicle width direction are arranged and crushed to efficiently absorb an impact is described in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the reinforcing material disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires that: [1] the reinforcing member be joined to the outer or inner side sill by welding or adhesive; [2] the end of the reinforcing member be joined to a retaining member (a retaining mechanism for the reinforcing member); and [3] the reinforcing member be sandwiched between the outer and inner side sills. Each of the above steps [1] to [3] has the following problems.

[0005] [1] When welding reinforcing members, dissimilar welding of aluminum and steel is difficult, making it difficult to use aluminum components. Even if the reinforcing members are made of the same steel material as the outer and inner side sills, for example, if the reinforcing members are made of high-tensile steel, weld cracks (delayed cracking due to hydrogen) may occur, making it difficult to select the high-tensile steel that will achieve weight reduction. Furthermore, as the number of reinforcing members increases, the number of welds increases, and the thermal effects become greater, making the effects of thermal distortion due to welding no longer negligible. On the other hand, when joining with adhesive, the reinforcing members are more likely to collapse before they are crushed and deformed during a collision, which reduces the energy absorption efficiency compared to welding.

[0006] [2] The addition of a retaining member increases the number of components and the weight of the side sill.

[0007] [3] When sandwiching the outer and inner side sills, the reinforcing members must be large, and they must be temporarily joined to the fixed member when assembling the side sill, which creates the welding and bonding problems mentioned in [1]. Furthermore, the reinforcing members tend to be larger than the required energy absorption efficiency, which leads to an increase in the weight of the side sill.

[0008] Furthermore, in any of the above-mentioned embodiments [1] to [3], there is a limit to the degree of freedom in arranging the reinforcing member. For these reasons, conventional side sills have not been able to satisfy the following required characteristics: (1) The reinforcing members can be deformed without collapsing during a collision, maintaining high energy absorption efficiency. (2) The reinforcing members can be positioned with high flexibility and precision without causing thermal distortion. (3) Easy installation (4) Minimizing the weight of the side sill

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle body frame structure and a method for manufacturing the vehicle body frame structure that has high energy absorption efficiency during a collision, can be positioned with high degree of freedom and precision, is easy to install, and can be made lighter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention comprises the following configurations. (1) A vehicle body frame structure provided on the outside of a vehicle body and extending in at least one direction, a hat-shaped outer panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body frame structure, a pair of outer panel flange portions provided at both ends in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an outer panel protrusion protruding in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the pair of outer panel flange portions; a flat support member disposed on the opposite side of the outer panel from the side from which the outer panel protruding portion protrudes, joined to the pair of outer panel flange portions to form an outer panel internal space between the outer panel protruding portion and the flat support member, and having a plurality of through holes formed along the longitudinal direction that communicate with the outer panel internal space; a plurality of pipe members each having a pipe outer peripheral surface in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the support body, the pipe axis of each pipe being arranged in the thickness direction, and one end of each pipe member being in contact with an inner surface of the outer panel protruding portion; A vehicle body frame structure comprising: (2) A method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure that is provided on the outside of a vehicle body and extends in at least one direction, A support body having a plurality of through holes formed along a longitudinal direction thereof and a plurality of pipe members are provided; inserting one end of the pipe member into each of the through holes of the support; the pipe member inserted into the through hole is expanded to bring an outer peripheral surface of the pipe member into close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole and fix the pipe member; a hat-shaped outer panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a pair of outer panel flange portions provided at both ends in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an outer panel protrusion portion protruding in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the pair of outer panel flange portions; The support body and the outer panel are overlapped so that the inner surface of the outer panel protrusion abuts against the other end of the pipe member fixed to the support body, and the pair of outer panel flange portions of the outer panel are respectively joined to the support body to form an outer panel internal space between the outer panel and the support body. A method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a vehicle body frame structure can be obtained which has high energy absorption efficiency in the event of a collision, can be positioned with high degree of freedom and precision, is easy to install, and is lightweight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012]

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[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, an example in which the vehicle body frame structure according to the present invention is applied to a side sill of an automobile will be described, but the application is not limited to this.

[0014] <First configuration example of body frame structure> Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of a body frame structure 100 of a first configuration example. Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the body frame structure 100 shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the rear side. Fig. 3 is a side view of the body frame structure 100 of Fig. 1 as seen from the V1 direction. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the body frame structure 100 includes a hat-shaped outer panel 11, a flat support body 13, and a plurality of pipe members 15.

[0015] Here, the longitudinal direction of the body frame structure 100 is defined as the X direction, the width direction of the strip-shaped support body 13 along the longitudinal direction is defined as the Y direction, and the thickness direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction. In the drawings shown below, the same members and parts are denoted by the same reference numerals to simplify or omit their explanation.

[0016] The outer panel 11 is made of steel plate and has a pair of outer panel flange portions 11a and an outer panel protrusion portion 11b in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the body frame structure 100 shown in Fig. 3. The outer panel flange portions 11a are provided on both ends in the width direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X direction). The outer panel protrusion portion 11b protrudes in the thickness direction (Z direction) between the pair of outer panel flange portions 11a.

[0017] The support body 13 is disposed on the side opposite to the side from which the outer panel protrusion 11b of the outer panel 11 protrudes, and its ends in the width direction (Y direction) are joined to the pair of outer panel flange portions 11a. Specifically, the outer panel flange portions 11a and the support body 13 are joined by resistance spot welding a plurality of steel piercing metals 17 (described later) to the outer panel flange portions 11a with the support body 13 sandwiched therebetween. An outer panel internal space 19 is formed between the support body 13 and the outer panel 11, which are overlapped with each other, by the outer panel protrusion 11b. Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 13a communicating with the outer panel internal space 19 are formed in the support body 13 along the longitudinal direction (X direction).

[0018] The support 13 shown here is an aluminum extrusion having at least one continuous hollow hole 21 (two rows in this example) along the plate surface. Specifically, aluminum alloys such as 5000, 6000, and 7000 series aluminum alloys specified by JIS or AA standards are preferred because they have excellent strength and can be made thinner. These aluminum alloy hollow extrusions can be suitably manufactured by a suitable combination of casting (DC casting or continuous casting), homogenization heat treatment, hot extrusion, solution treatment and quenching, and, if necessary, artificial aging treatment. Examples of the aluminum castings include Al-Si alloys, Al-Mg alloys, Al-Cu-Mg alloys, Al-Si-Cu alloys, Al-Si-Mg alloys, Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys, Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys, Al-Si-Cu-Mg-Ni alloys, and hypereutectic Al-Si alloys.

[0019] In this example, the support 13 has two rows of hollow holes 21 that are continuous in the longitudinal direction (X direction) and aligned in the width direction (Y direction), but the size and number of the hollow holes 21 can be set as desired.

[0020] The pipe member 15 is arranged with the pipe axis Axp oriented in the thickness direction (Z direction) and the outer circumferential surface of the pipe in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 13a of the support body 13. A flange portion 15c at one end of the pipe member 15 abuts against an inner surface 23 of the outer panel internal space 19 of the outer panel protruding portion 11b. The multiple pipe members 15 may be arranged at equal or unequal intervals along the longitudinal direction (X direction). The flange portions 15c and the inner surface 23 of the pipe members 15 may be bonded to each other. The pipe member 15 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, and examples of such aluminum alloys include 5000 series and 6000 series.

[0021] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the skeletal structure of a vehicle body. The vehicle body skeletal structure 100 having the above-described configuration can be applied to the side sill 25 of the vehicle body, as well as to various other skeletal parts such as the center pillar 27, the front pillar 29, the front side member 31, the roof pillar 33, and further to floor side members, rear side members, dash panels, and cross members. As will be described in detail later, in addition to a skeletal part provided extending in one direction on the outside of the vehicle body, the vehicle body skeletal structure may have a structure in which a plurality of skeletal parts extend in multiple directions and are integrated together.

[0022] <Method of manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure> Fig. 5 is a schematic process diagram illustrating the steps of manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure. First, a flat support body 13 is prepared (St. 1), and a plurality of through holes 13a are formed in the support body 13 along the longitudinal direction (X direction) (St. 2). Fig. 5 shows only one through hole. Then, one end of a hollow blank tube 41 that will become the pipe member 15 described above is inserted into each of the through holes 13a (St. 3), and the tube is expanded by electromagnetic forming (St. 4).

[0023] 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the state in which an electromagnetically formed pipe member 15 is joined to a support body 13. In electromagnetic forming, a solenoid coil 43 is disposed in a position corresponding to the support body 13 within the hollow blank tube 41, and a large impulse current is passed through the solenoid coil 43. This current passage induces an induced current in the hollow blank tube 41, and the hollow blank tube 41 is expanded by the electromagnetic force generated by the induced current.

[0024] The expanded hollow blank 41 has a crimped portion 15a where the outer circumferential surface of the hollow blank 41 is fitted into the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 13a of the support body 13, and expanded portions 15b (see also Figure 3) at both ends of the crimped portion 15a, resulting in the shape of the pipe member 15 described above. As a result, the pipe member 15 is crimped and joined to the support body 13 with sufficient strength. At this time, it is preferable to insert a hollow blank 41 and a solenoid coil 43 into each of the multiple through holes 13a of the support body 13 and expand multiple hollow blanks 41 at once. In this case, the ease of joining the support body 13 and the pipe member 15 can be improved.

[0025] Furthermore, when the through-hole 13a is formed so as to penetrate the hollow hole of the support 13, the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 13a is uneven, and the pipe member 15 is strongly crimped to the unevenness, which further improves the joining strength between the support 13 and the pipe member 15.

[0026] A flange portion 15c having a flat end surface is formed at the other end of the pipe member 15 (hollow blank 41). This flange portion 15c may be formed by pressing or the like before expanding the hollow blank 41, or may be formed by expanding the hollow blank 41 together with the electromagnetic expansion of the expanded portion 15b. Note that the expansion of the hollow blank 41 described above is not limited to electromagnetic forming, and other methods such as a hydraulic bulge process may also be used.

[0027] Next, the support body 13 and the outer panel 11 are overlapped so that the inner surface of the outer panel protrusion 11b abuts against the flange portion 15c at the other end of the pipe member 15 fixed to the support body 13, and the overlapping portions of the pair of outer panel flange portions 11a of the outer panel 11 and the support body 13 are joined by resistance spot welding (Step 5). In this way, an outer panel internal space 19 is formed between the outer panel 11 and the support body 13.

[0028] Piercing metal is used to join the outer panel 11 and the support body 13. 7A to 7C are explanatory diagrams showing the steps of fixing the piercing metal piece 17 to the support member 13. As shown in FIG. 7A, the support member 13 is placed on a die 45, and the head 17a and shank 17b of the piercing metal piece 17 are positioned on the support member 13 so that the shank 17b faces downward, corresponding to the position of the die 45. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, a punch 47 is pressed toward the die 45. This drives the shank 17b of the piercing metal piece 17 into the support member 13, and a blank 49 is cut off from the support member 13. As a result, the support member 13 and the piercing metal piece 17 are crimped and fixed together by driving the piercing metal piece 17 into the support member 13 as shown in FIG. 7C. Alternatively, a pilot hole (not shown) may be formed in the support member 13, and the shank 17b of the piercing metal piece 17 may be inserted into the pilot hole to fix the piercing metal piece 17 to the support member 13.

[0029] 8 is a process explanatory diagram showing how the support body 13 is resistance spot welded to the outer panel 11. The support body 13 to which the piercing metal 17 shown in FIG. 7C is fixed and the outer panel 11 are overlapped and sandwiched between resistance spot welding electrodes 51A, 51B. Pressure is then applied and electricity is passed between the resistance spot welding electrodes 51A, 51B to form a nugget 53 between the steel piercing metal 17 and the steel outer panel 11.

[0030] The above procedure can be summarized as the following steps (1) to (5). (1) A support body 13 having a plurality of through holes 13a formed along the longitudinal direction (X direction) and a plurality of hollow tubes 41 (pipe members 15) are prepared. (2) One end of the hollow tube 41 (pipe member 15) is inserted into each of the through holes 13a of the support body 13. (3) The hollow blank tube 41 (pipe member 15) inserted into the through hole 13a is expanded, and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe member 15 is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 13a and fixed. (4) Prepare a hat-shaped outer panel 11 having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X direction), outer panel flange portions 11a provided at both ends in the width direction (Y direction) and outer panel protrusion portions 11b protruding in the thickness direction (Z direction) between the pair of outer panel flange portions 11a. (5) The support body 13 and the outer panel 11 are overlapped so that the inner surfaces of the outer panel protrusions 11b abut against the other end of the pipe member 15 fixed to the support body 13, and the pair of outer panel flanges 11a of the outer panel 11 are joined to the support body 13. In this way, an outer panel internal space 19 is formed between the outer panel 11 and the support body 13.

[0031] In the vehicle body frame structure 100 described above, the multiple pipe members 15 are arranged between the support body 13 and the outer panel 11 with the pipe axis Axp oriented in the thickness direction (Z direction) in which the outer panel protrusion 11b protrudes. The outer panel flange portion 11a is resistance spot welded to the support body 13, thereby forming a structure in which the outer panel protrusion 11b and the support body 13 are reinforced from the inside by the pipe members 15 in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X direction).

[0032] Therefore, when an external force (collision load) acts particularly in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the body frame structure 100, the external force is transmitted to the pipe members 15 supporting the outer panel 11. The pipe members 15 then absorb the energy of the external force by deforming like bellows in the axial direction. If the pipe members 15 were to collapse at the start of or during the bellows deformation, they would not be able to absorb the energy sufficiently. However, because the pipe members 15 are held by crimping on the support, the pipe members 15 do not collapse during the deformation, and high energy absorption efficiency can be achieved.

[0033] Even if a large impact load acts on the outer panel 11 in the thickness direction (Z direction), the appropriately arranged multiple pipe members 15 individually plastically deform according to the position of the load, providing a cushioning effect. Compared to the conventional side sill internal structure in which a reinforcing material is arranged in contact with a portion of the side sill's inner surface, the annular end of the pipe member 15 in this configuration has a diameter approximately equal to the maximum width (Y direction width) of the flat protruding tip surface of the outer panel protrusion 11b, so that a wide area of ​​the outer panel protrusion 11b is substantially supported by the pipe member 15. This allows the outer panel protrusion 11b to more efficiently absorb inward deformation caused by external force and widely distribute the plastic deformation caused by the impact. As a result, the effect of preventing load propagation to the interior of the vehicle due to an impact such as a side collision is improved. Note that the pipe member 15 shown here has a circular cross section, but it may have other cross-sectional shapes, such as an ellipse or a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a rectangle.

[0034] Furthermore, by arranging the pipe members 15 at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction (X direction), the rigidity of the body frame structure 100 can be equalized along the longitudinal direction. The support body 13 may have a mixture of regions in which the through holes 13a are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction (X direction) and regions in which the through holes 13a are arranged at unequal intervals. For example, a mixture of regions in which a plurality of pipe members 15 are arranged at a specified interval along the longitudinal direction (X direction) and regions in which the pipe members 15 are arranged at intervals different from the specified regular intervals may be used. In this case, the intervals between the pipe members 15 can be narrowed in regions where particularly high strength is required, and the intervals between the pipe members 15 can be widened in regions where particularly high strength is not required, thereby selectively imparting the required strength only to the required regions.

[0035] Furthermore, the vehicle body frame structure 100 of this configuration is easy to process and lightweight because an aluminum alloy is used for the support body 13 and the pipe member 15. In particular, the support body 13 is a hollow extruded plate material having at least one continuous hollow hole 21 along the flat plate surface, which provides high dimensional accuracy and high rigidity.

[0036] <Second example of the body frame structure> FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a second configuration example of a vehicle body frame structure. The vehicle body frame structure 200 of the second configuration example includes an outer panel 11A, a support body 13A, an inner panel 12, and multiple pipe members 16. The outer panel 11A has a pair of outer panel flange portions 11a and an outer panel protrusion 11b protruding in the thickness direction (Z direction) between the pair of outer panel flange portions 11a. The inner panel 12 is disposed on the side of the support body 13A opposite to the side on which the outer panel 11A is disposed, and has a pair of inner panel flange portions 12a provided at both ends in the width direction (Y direction), and an inner panel protrusion 12b protruding between the pair of inner panel flange portions in the thickness direction (Z direction) opposite to the protrusion direction of the outer panel protrusions 11b. Like the outer panel 11A, the inner panel 12 has a hat shape in a cross section in the thickness direction (Z direction). The outer panel 11A and the inner panel 12 may have the same shape as shown in FIG. 9 or may be different from each other.

[0037] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the support body 13A and the plurality of pipe members 16. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of the body frame structure 200 shown in Fig. 10. 10 and 11, the support body 13A has a support body main body 55, a pair of strip-shaped tabs 57 made of steel plate, and a pierced metal 17 that joins the support body main body 55 and the tabs 57. Like the support body 13 of the body frame structure 100 of the first configuration example, the support body main body 55 is a hollow extruded plate material made of an aluminum alloy that has at least one hollow hole 21 (two rows in this example) that is continuous along the plate surface, and the size and number of the hollow holes 21 are arbitrary. The tab 57 is overlapped on a flat plate-shaped mounting portion 55a provided on both ends of the support body main body 55 in the width direction (Y direction), and is fixed using the pierced metal 17.

[0038] A through hole 55b for supporting the pipe member 16 is formed in the support body 55. As in the first configuration example, a hollow blank (not shown) having a smaller diameter than the through hole 55b is inserted into the through hole 55b and expanded from the inner diameter side to the outer diameter side by electromagnetic forming. The outer peripheral surface of the expanded hollow blank is pressed into the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 55b of the support body 55 to form a crimped portion 16a. As shown in FIG. 11 , the pipe member 16 has an expanded diameter portion 16b on both sides of the crimped portion 16a. That is, the pipe member 16 has a crimped portion 16a whose diameter is narrowed and has a minimum diameter at a portion that closely contacts the through hole 55b in the support body 55 of the support body 13A, and an expanded diameter portion 16b whose diameter increases with increasing distance from the through hole 55b. This allows the pipe member 16 to be crimped and joined to the support body 55 with sufficient strength. Furthermore, flange portions 16c extending radially outward are formed on both ends of the pipe member 16.

[0039] 12 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint between the support body 55 and the tab 57. The piercing metal 17 has a head 17a and a shaft 17b having a smaller diameter than the head 17a. Flat mounting portions 55a are provided on both ends of the support body 55 in the width direction (Y direction), and the piercing metal 17 is attached to the mounting portions 55a by being punched or inserted into a pre-formed pilot hole. The tip of the shaft 17b of the piercing metal 17 is then overlapped with the tab 57 and resistance spot welded to obtain the support 13A shown in FIG. 10, in which the support body 55 and the pair of tabs 57 are integrated.

[0040] Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the outer panel 11A is placed on one side (the right side in FIG. 11) of the support body 13A, and the inner panel 12 is placed on the other side (the left side in FIG. 11), and the opposing outer panel flange portion 11a and inner panel flange portion 12a are joined together with a tab 57 sandwiched between them. This joining can be achieved, for example, by three-ply resistance spot welding, but other methods such as seam welding and laser welding may also be used. After joining, the tip surface of the flange portion 16c formed at the end of the pipe member 16 abuts against the inner surfaces 23 of the outer panel 11A and inner panel 12. Note that the flange portion 16c and the inner surface 23 may be bonded to each other.

[0041] 13 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing another example of joining between the support body 55 and the tab 57. The joining between the support body 55 and the tab 57 using the piercing metal 17 described above may be achieved by joining the tab 57 to the head 17a of the piercing metal 17. In this case, if the support body 55 is made of an aluminum alloy and the tab 57 is made of a steel plate, contact between the support body 55 and the steel material is minimized, thereby suppressing the occurrence of electrolytic corrosion. Furthermore, a gap is formed between the tab 57 and the mounting portion 55a, which improves the applicability of corrosion-resistant coating such as cathodic electrodeposition coating.

[0042] According to the vehicle body frame structure 200 configured as described above, the support body 13A is sandwiched between the outer panel 11A and the inner panel 12, and an outer panel internal space 19 is formed between the outer panel 11A and the support body 13A, and an inner panel internal space 59 is formed between the inner panel 12 and the support body 13A. The outer panel protrusion 11b and the inner panel protrusion 12b are reinforced from the inside by the pipe member 16 fixed to the support body 13A. The crimped portion 16a formed by narrowing the middle portion of the pipe member 16 disperses stress generated by external force between the crimped portion 16a and the enlarged diameter portions 16b on both sides thereof, thereby improving the strength of the pipe member 16. Furthermore, since the outside of the vehicle body frame structure 200 is covered with steel material, the rigidity of the vehicle body frame structure 200 is increased, and mechanical strength such as bending strength and torsional strength is improved.

[0043] Furthermore, because support body 13A supports support body main body 55 via tab 57, the degree of freedom in the shape of support body main body 55 is increased, allowing support body main body 55 to be shaped more appropriately depending on the intended use. Furthermore, the joining of outer panel flange portion 11a, inner panel flange portion 12a, and tab 57 is a joining of steel materials, which can be achieved through a simple process and with higher strength than in the case of joining dissimilar materials.

[0044] <Third example of the body frame structure> Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a third configuration example of the body frame structure. Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the support body 13B and the pipe member 16 used in the body frame structure 300 shown in Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of the body frame structure shown in Fig. 14. The body frame structure 300 of the third configuration example has the same configuration as the body frame structure 200 of the second configuration example, except that the support body 13B is made of a single strip-shaped steel plate.

[0045] 14 and 15, a plurality of through holes 13a are formed in the support body 13B along the longitudinal direction (X direction). Each through hole 13a has a cylindrical protruding portion 13b that protrudes from the plate surface of the support body 13B shown in Fig. 16 to one side in the thickness direction. The inner peripheral surface of this protruding portion 13b forms the through hole 13a.

[0046] When a hollow blank (not shown) is inserted into the through hole 13a and expanded from the inner diameter side to the outer diameter side by electromagnetic forming, the outer peripheral surface of the hollow blank is pressed against the protruding portion 13b, thereby restricting the expansion of the hollow blank. In this way, a crimped portion 16a is formed in the hollow blank by being embedded in the protruding portion 13b, and expanded diameter portions 16b are formed on both sides of the crimped portion 16a. In addition, flange portions 16c are formed on both ends of the hollow blank. The flange portions 16c may be formed simultaneously with the electromagnetic forming of the crimped portion 16a, or may be formed by another method.

[0047] According to the body frame structure 300 configured as described above, the structure can be simplified by using a single steel plate for the support body 13B. Furthermore, the outer panel flange portion 11a, the inner panel flange portion 12a, and the support body 15B are joined by steel members, which allows for a simple joining process and achieves higher strength than joining dissimilar materials.

[0048] <First Modification> In each of the above configuration examples, the pipe members are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the support body, but it is also possible to arrange pipe members of different sizes depending on the usage pattern, etc., or to arrange the pipe members at unequal intervals. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration in which a plurality of pipe members 16A, 16B of different sizes are arranged on a support body 13C. In this case, through holes 13a of different diameters are selectively formed in the support body 13C, and pipe members 16A, 16B of different diameters are selectively arranged in each through hole 13a. This makes it easy to change the shape when it is desired to change the length of the body frame structure in the width direction (Y direction) along the longitudinal direction (X direction), or when it is desired to change the sizes of the outer panel internal space 19 and the inner panel internal space 59 described above.

[0049] For example, among the application areas of the body frame structure on the vehicle body, the width (Y-direction width) of the body frame structure can be increased in areas where a relatively large load acts to increase strength, and the width of the body frame structure can be reduced in areas where only a relatively small load acts to achieve size and weight reduction. This allows for an efficient shape according to the usage mode, improving design freedom.

[0050] <Second Modification> 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration in which pipe members are arranged at different densities on a support 13D. In this case, the support 13D is a mixture of pipe members 16B arranged singly in the width direction (Y direction) and pipe members 16C arranged in two rows. The pipe members 16C arranged in two rows support an outer panel and an inner panel (not shown) with two pipe members 16C at positions in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the support 13D. Therefore, compared to when a single pipe member 16B is arranged, the diameter (size) of the pipe member 16C can be made smaller (reduced in size), and by arranging multiple pipe members 16C, higher rigidity can be obtained.

[0051] In other words, the outer panel (not shown) disposed opposite the supports 13C and 13D shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 has a shape-changing portion in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the outer panel internal space 19 changes along the longitudinal direction (X direction). In FIG. 17, the Y-direction width of the outer panel at the position where the small-diameter pipe member 16B is disposed can be smaller than the Y-direction width of the outer panel at the position where the large-diameter pipe member 16A is disposed. In FIG. 18, the Y-direction width at the position where the single row of pipe members 16B is disposed can be smaller than the Y-direction width at the position where multiple rows of pipe members 16C are disposed. Furthermore, the Y-direction width of the supports 13C and 13D may be changed to match the Y-direction width of the shape-changing portion. In this way, the pipe members disposed in the shape-changing portion have a different pipe shape (e.g., diameter) or a different arrangement density (e.g., at least one of the number and the arrangement interval) from the pipe members disposed outside the shape-changing portion, thereby enabling the shape of the vehicle body frame structure to be freely changed to obtain the required strength.

[0052] <Third Modification> FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration in which pipe members 15, 16A, and 16B are arranged on a support 13E extending in multiple directions different from each other. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the support 13E and the pipe members 15 and 16A shown in FIG. 19 taken along line XX-XX. The support 13E has a first support 61 extending in the X direction and a second support 63 connected to the first support 61 at one end and extending in the Y direction. The first support 61 and the second support 63 may extend in any direction without being perpendicular to each other. The support 13E may also be bent or curved in the Z direction from the XY plane.

[0053] With this configuration of the support body 13E and the pipe members 15, 16A, and 16B, as shown in FIG. 20, the size and shape of the outer panel internal space 19 and the inner panel internal space 59 can be freely set depending on the installation location on the vehicle. In other words, the body frame structure is not limited to a linear shape with a constant width and thickness, but can be shaped in multiple directions, or with locally varying widths and thicknesses, improving the degree of freedom in shape. Therefore, while previously a desired three-dimensional shape was formed by combining multiple linear body frame structures, by using a body frame structure with support bodies extending in multiple directions, it is now possible to easily form the desired shape while reducing the number of parts. This simultaneously simplifies the structure, reduces weight, and increases rigidity.

[0054] As such, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and these modifications and applications are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0055] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: (1) A vehicle body frame structure provided on the outside of a vehicle body and extending in at least one direction, a hat-shaped outer panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body frame structure, a pair of outer panel flange portions provided at both ends in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an outer panel protrusion protruding in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the pair of outer panel flange portions; a flat support member disposed on the opposite side of the outer panel from the side from which the outer panel protruding portion protrudes, joined to the pair of outer panel flange portions to form an outer panel internal space between the outer panel protruding portion and the flat support member, and having a plurality of through holes formed along the longitudinal direction that communicate with the outer panel internal space; a plurality of pipe members each having a pipe outer peripheral surface in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the support body, the pipe axis of each pipe being arranged in the thickness direction, and one end of each pipe member being in contact with an inner surface of the outer panel protruding portion; A vehicle body frame structure comprising: According to this vehicle body frame structure, the pipe members are arranged in the space inside the outer panel between the outer panel protrusion and the support body, with the pipe axes oriented in the thickness direction. Therefore, the outer panel protrusion is efficiently reinforced from the inside by the pipe members, resulting in high rigidity. Furthermore, because the structure is such that multiple pipe members are individually supported by the support body, the shape of the vehicle body frame structure can be easily changed by changing the arrangement of the pipe members, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in shape.

[0056] (2) In a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the support body is provided with a hat-shaped inner panel, which is disposed on the opposite side of the support body from the side on which the outer panel is disposed, and which has a pair of inner panel flange portions provided at both ends in the width direction, and an inner panel protrusion between the pair of inner panel flange portions that protrudes in a direction opposite to the protrusion direction of the outer panel protrusion in the thickness direction, the support body is joined to the pair of inner panel flange portions to form an inner panel internal space between the support body and the inner panel; The vehicle body structure according to (1), wherein the other end of the pipe member abuts against an inner surface of the inner panel protrusion. According to this vehicle body frame structure, the outer panel protrusion and the inner panel protrusion overlap to form an inner space of the outer panel and an inner space of the inner panel. In each space, one end of the pipe member abuts on the outer panel protrusion and the other end abuts on the inner panel protrusion, thereby reinforcing the outer panel and the inner panel from the inside.

[0057] (3) The vehicle body frame structure according to (1) or (2), wherein the outer circumferential surface of the pipe member that is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through hole of the support body is an electromagnetically expanded bulged surface. According to this vehicle body frame structure, the electromagnetically expanded bulging surface of the pipe member is brought into close contact with the through hole of the support member, so that the pipe member is crimped to the support member with sufficient strength.

[0058] (4) The vehicle body frame structure according to (3), wherein the pipe member has a smallest diameter at a portion that is in close contact with the through hole of the support body and has an expanding portion whose diameter increases as it moves away from the through hole. According to this vehicle body frame structure, the portion where the pipe member comes into close contact with the through-hole has a constricted shape, which has the effect of dispersing the stress generated, thereby improving the strength of the pipe member itself.

[0059] (5) The outer panel has a shape-changing portion in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the inner space of the outer panel changes along the longitudinal direction, The pipe members arranged in the shape-changing portion have a different pipe shape or a different arrangement density from the pipe members arranged outside the shape-changing portion. The body frame structure according to (3) or (4). According to this vehicle body frame structure, by varying the pipe shapes or arrangement density of the pipe members, the shape of the vehicle body frame structure can be freely changed so as to obtain the required strength.

[0060] (6) The vehicle body frame structure according to (5), wherein the pipe shapes are such that the diameters of the pipe members are different. According to this vehicle body frame structure, by varying the diameter of the pipe members, the shape-changing portion can be set to a size that corresponds to the size of the internal space of the outer panel.

[0061] (7) The vehicle body frame structure according to (5) or (6), wherein the arrangement density varies depending on either the number of arranged pipe members or the arrangement interval. According to this vehicle body frame structure, by varying the number and spacing of the pipe members, the shape-changing portion can be set to a size that corresponds to the size of the interior space of the outer panel.

[0062] (8) The vehicle body frame structure according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the through holes are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction. According to this vehicle body frame structure, the rigidity of the vehicle body frame structure can be equalized along the longitudinal direction.

[0063] (9) A body frame structure described in any one of (1) to (7), wherein the support body has a mixture of regions in which the through holes are arranged at a specified constant interval along the longitudinal direction and regions in which the through holes are arranged at intervals different from the specified constant interval. With this body frame structure, the spacing between pipe members can be narrowed in areas where particular strength is required, and widened in areas where particularly high strength is not required, thereby selectively imparting the necessary strength only to the areas where it is needed.

[0064] (10) The outer panel is made of steel plate; A plurality of steel piercing metals are fixed to the support body in a portion facing the outer panel flange portion, A plurality of the pierced metals are resistance spot welded to the outer panel flange portion. A vehicle body frame structure according to any one of (1) to (9). According to this vehicle body frame structure, the support body and the outer panel are joined by pierced metal.

[0065] (11) A vehicle body frame structure according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the support is a hollow extruded plate material made of an aluminum alloy having at least one continuous hollow hole along the flat plate surface. According to this vehicle body frame structure, by using an aluminum alloy hollow extruded plate material for the support body, high dimensional accuracy and high rigidity can be obtained, and the weight can also be reduced.

[0066] (12) The vehicle body frame structure according to (11), wherein the through-hole is formed so as to penetrate through the hollow hole. According to this vehicle body frame structure, the through hole passes through the hollow hole, creating irregularities on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, and the pipe member is strongly crimped to these irregularities, thereby improving the joining strength between the support body and the pipe member.

[0067] (13) The support is a pair of band-shaped tabs that are sandwiched between the outer panel flange portion and the inner panel flange portion at one end side and the other end side in the width direction, respectively, and that protrude toward the pipe member; a support body portion joined to the pair of tabs; The vehicle body frame structure according to (2) above, comprising: According to this vehicle body frame structure, the support body main body is fixed to the outer panel and the inner panel via a pair of tabs, which increases the freedom of shape of the support body main body and allows the support body main body to be shaped in a more appropriate manner depending on the intended use.

[0068] (14) The vehicle body frame structure described in (13), wherein the support body main body is a hollow extruded plate material made of an aluminum alloy, having a through hole formed therein that connects the internal space of the outer panel with the internal space of the inner panel, and having at least one hollow hole that is continuous along the flat plate surface. According to this vehicle body frame structure, by using an aluminum alloy hollow extruded plate material for the support body, high dimensional accuracy and high rigidity can be obtained, and the weight can also be reduced.

[0069] (15) The pair of tabs are made of steel plate, a plurality of steel piercing metals are fixed to the overlapping portions of the support body and the tabs; The piercing metal and the tab are resistance spot welded together. (13) The vehicle body frame structure according to (13). According to this vehicle body frame structure, the support body portion and the tab are joined via the pierced metal.

[0070] (16) The pair of tabs are made of steel plates, The body frame structure according to (13) or (14), wherein a plurality of steel piercing metal pieces, each having a head and a shaft having a diameter smaller than that of the head, are embedded in the overlapping portion of the support body main body with the tab, penetrating from the tab side, and the heads are resistance spot welded to the tab. According to this vehicle body frame structure, the support body portion is fixed with a gap between it and the tab.

[0071] (17) A method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure provided on the outside of a vehicle body so as to extend in at least one direction, comprising: A support body having a plurality of through holes formed along a longitudinal direction thereof and a plurality of pipe members are provided; inserting one end of the pipe member into each of the through holes of the support; the pipe member inserted into the through hole is expanded to bring an outer peripheral surface of the pipe member into close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole and fix the pipe member; a hat-shaped outer panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a pair of outer panel flange portions provided at both ends in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an outer panel protrusion portion protruding in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the pair of outer panel flange portions; The support body and the outer panel are overlapped so that the inner surface of the outer panel protrusion abuts against the other end of the pipe member fixed to the support body, and the pair of outer panel flange portions of the outer panel are respectively joined to the support body to form an outer panel internal space between the outer panel and the support body. A method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure. According to this method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure, pipe members are arranged in the space inside the outer panel between the outer panel protrusion and the support body, with the pipe axes oriented in the thickness direction. This allows the outer panel protrusion to be efficiently reinforced from the inside by the pipe members, resulting in high rigidity. Furthermore, because multiple pipe members are individually supported by the support body, the shape of the vehicle body frame structure can be easily changed by changing the arrangement of the pipe members, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in shape.

[0072] (18) A hat-shaped inner panel is provided having, in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a pair of inner panel flange portions provided at both ends in the width direction and an inner panel protrusion protruding in the thickness direction between the pair of inner panel flange portions, the inner panel is disposed on the side of the support opposite to the side on which the outer panel is disposed, in a direction in which the inner panel protrusion protrudes in a direction opposite to the protrusion direction of the outer panel protrusion; The method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure according to (17), wherein a pair of the inner panel flange portions are joined to the support body, respectively, to form an inner panel internal space between the inner panel and the support body. According to this method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure, the outer panel protrusion and the inner panel protrusion overlap to form an inner space in the outer panel. In each space, one end of the pipe member abuts against the outer panel protrusion, and the other end abuts against the inner panel protrusion, thereby reinforcing the outer panel and the inner panel from the inside.

[0073] (19) The method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure according to (17) or (18), wherein a plurality of the pipe members are expanded at once by electromagnetic forming. According to this method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure, the pipe member can be efficiently fixed to the support body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 11,11A Outer panel 11a Outer panel flange 11b Outer panel protrusion 12 Inner Panel 12a Inner panel flange 12b Inner panel protrusion 13,13A,13B,13C,13D,13E Support 13a Through hole 13b Protruding part 15 Pipe members 15a Crimping part 15b Expanded tube part 15c flange 16 Pipe members 16a Crimping part 16b Expanded diameter part 16c Flange 17 Piercing Metal 17a head 17b Shaft 19 Outer panel internal space 21 Hollow hole 23 Inner surface 25 Side sill 27 Center pillar 29 Front pillar 31 Front side member 33 Roof pillar 41 Hollow tube 43 Solenoid coil 45 dice 47 Punch 49 Blank 51A, 51B Resistance spot welding electrodes 53 Nugget 55 Support body 55a Mounting part 55b Through hole 57 tabs 59 Inner panel internal space 61 First support 63 Second support 100,200,300 Body frame structure

Claims

1. A vehicle body frame structure provided on the outside of a vehicle body and extending in at least one direction, a hat-shaped outer panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body frame structure, a pair of outer panel flange portions provided at both ends in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an outer panel protrusion protruding in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the pair of outer panel flange portions; a flat support member disposed on the opposite side of the outer panel from the side from which the outer panel protruding portion protrudes, joined to the pair of outer panel flange portions to form an outer panel internal space between the outer panel protruding portion and the flat support member, and having a plurality of through holes formed along the longitudinal direction that communicate with the outer panel internal space; a plurality of pipe members each having a pipe outer peripheral surface in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the support body, the pipe axis of each pipe being arranged in the thickness direction, and one end of each pipe member being in contact with an inner surface of the outer panel protruding portion; A vehicle body frame structure comprising:

2. a hat-shaped inner panel disposed on the opposite side of the support body from the side on which the outer panel is disposed in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the hat-shaped inner panel having a pair of inner panel flange portions provided at both ends in the width direction, and an inner panel protrusion between the pair of inner panel flange portions that protrudes in a direction opposite to the protrusion direction of the outer panel protrusion in the thickness direction; the support body is joined to the pair of inner panel flange portions to form an inner panel internal space between the support body and the inner panel; The other end of the pipe member abuts against the inner surface of the inner panel protrusion. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 .

3. The outer circumferential surface of the pipe member that is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through hole of the support body is an electromagnetically expanded bulged surface. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 .

4. the pipe member has a smallest diameter at a portion that is in close contact with the through hole of the support body, and an expanding diameter portion that expands in diameter as it moves away from the through hole; The vehicle body structure according to claim 3 .

5. The outer panel has a shape-changing portion in which a cross-sectional area of ​​an inner space of the outer panel changes along the longitudinal direction, The pipe members arranged in the shape-changing portion have a different pipe shape or a different arrangement density from the pipe members arranged outside the shape-changing portion. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3 .

6. The pipe shape has different diameters of the pipe members. The vehicle body frame structure according to claim 5.

7. The arrangement density varies depending on either the number of arranged pipe members or the arrangement interval. The vehicle body frame structure according to claim 5.

8. The through holes are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction. The vehicle body frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. The support includes a region in which the through holes are arranged at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction and a region in which the through holes are arranged at an interval different from the predetermined interval. The vehicle body frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. the outer panel is made of steel plate; A plurality of steel piercing metals are fixed to the support body in a portion facing the outer panel flange portion, A plurality of the pierced metals are resistance spot welded to the outer panel flange portion. The vehicle body frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

11. The support is a hollow extruded plate material made of an aluminum alloy and having at least one continuous hollow hole along a flat plate surface. The vehicle body frame structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

12. The through hole is formed to penetrate the hollow hole. The vehicle body frame structure according to claim 11.

13. The support is a pair of band-shaped tabs that are sandwiched between the outer panel flange portion and the inner panel flange portion at one end side and the other end side in the width direction, respectively, and that protrude toward the pipe member; a support body portion joined to the pair of tabs; Equipped with The vehicle body structure according to claim 2 .

14. The support body is a hollow extruded aluminum alloy plate having a through hole communicating the inner space of the outer panel with the inner space of the inner panel, and at least one continuous hollow hole along a flat plate surface. The vehicle body frame structure according to claim 13.

15. The pair of tabs are made of steel plate, a plurality of steel piercing metals are fixed to the overlapping portions of the support body and the tabs; The piercing metal and the tab are resistance spot welded together. The vehicle body frame structure according to claim 13.

16. The pair of tabs are made of steel plate, A plurality of steel piercing metal pieces, each having a head and a shaft with a diameter smaller than that of the head, are embedded in the overlapping portion of the support body with the tab, penetrating from the tab side, and the heads are resistance spot welded to the tab. The vehicle body frame structure according to claim 13 or 14.

17. A method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure that is provided on the outside of a vehicle body and extends in at least one direction, A support body having a plurality of through holes formed along a longitudinal direction thereof and a plurality of pipe members are provided; inserting one end of the pipe member into each of the through holes of the support; the pipe member inserted into the through hole is expanded to bring an outer peripheral surface of the pipe member into close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through hole and fix the pipe member; a hat-shaped outer panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a pair of outer panel flange portions provided at both ends in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an outer panel protrusion portion protruding in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the pair of outer panel flange portions; The support body and the outer panel are overlapped so that the inner surface of the outer panel protrusion abuts against the other end of the pipe member fixed to the support body, and the pair of outer panel flange portions of the outer panel are respectively joined to the support body to form an outer panel internal space between the outer panel and the support body. A method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure.

18. a hat-shaped inner panel having, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a pair of inner panel flange portions provided at both ends in the width direction and an inner panel protrusion portion protruding in the thickness direction between the pair of inner panel flange portions; the inner panel is disposed on the side of the support opposite to the side on which the outer panel is disposed, in a direction in which the inner panel protrusion protrudes in a direction opposite to the protrusion direction of the outer panel protrusion; The pair of inner panel flange portions are respectively joined to the support body to form an inner panel internal space between the inner panel and the support body. The method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure according to claim 17.

19. A plurality of the pipe members are expanded at once by electromagnetic forming. The method for manufacturing a vehicle body frame structure according to claim 17 or 18.

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