Vehicle frame structure

Abstract

In a vehicle frame structure where the front frame is formed by casting, the objective is to obtain a vehicle frame structure that can suppress cross-sectional collapse when a collision load is applied. [Solution] The vehicle frame structure comprises a front frame body 10 integrally formed by casting, which includes a dash portion 12 positioned at the front of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a front and rear extending portion 14 extending from the dash portion 12 toward the front of the vehicle and having an opening on one side in the vehicle width direction, and a cover member 20 attached to the front and rear extending portion 14 that covers at least a part of the opening from the vehicle width direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle skeleton structure.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure composed of die-cast parts in which the skeleton of the front part of a vehicle is integrally formed by casting.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a structure in which the skeleton of the front part of a vehicle is integrally formed by casting as in the structure described in Patent Document 1, the portion corresponding to the front side member and the portion corresponding to the crash box have an open cross-sectional shape with one side in the vehicle width direction being open. In this case, compared with the case where the skeleton is composed of a closed cross-section, the cross-section is likely to collapse when a collision load is input.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle skeleton structure that can suppress cross-section collapse when a collision load is input in a structure in which the skeleton of the front part of a vehicle is formed by casting.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle skeleton structure according to claim 1 includes a dash part disposed at the front part of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a front-rear extending part extending from the dash part toward the front side of the vehicle and having an opening on one side in the vehicle width direction, and is integrally formed by casting as a front skeleton main body, and a cover member attached to the front-rear extending part and covering at least a part of the opening from the vehicle width direction.

[0007] In the vehicle frame structure according to claim 1, the front frame body is integrally formed by casting, including a dash portion and a front-to-rear extension portion extending from the dash portion toward the front of the vehicle. The front-to-rear extension portion has an opening on one side in the vehicle width direction, and at least a part of this opening is covered from the vehicle width direction by a cover member. This prevents the opening of the front-to-rear extension portion from opening, even when the front frame body is formed by casting.

[0008] The vehicle frame structure according to claim 2 is configured in claim 1, wherein the front and rear extending portion includes an upper plate portion located on the upper side of the vehicle, a lower plate portion located on the lower side of the vehicle, and a middle plate portion located between the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion, and the cover member covers from the upper plate portion to the lower plate portion.

[0009] In the vehicle frame structure according to claim 2, the front and rear extending portion is composed of an upper plate portion, a lower plate portion, and a middle plate portion, and the cover member covers from the upper plate portion to the lower plate portion. As a result, the entire opening is covered when viewed from the front and rear direction of the vehicle, so a closed cross-section structure can be obtained.

[0010] The vehicle frame structure according to claim 3 is as described in claim 2, wherein the front and rear extending portion is provided with vertical ribs that divide the opening into front and rear sections, and the cover member is mechanically fastened at at least two locations: the connection portion between the vertical ribs and the upper plate portion, and the connection portion between the vertical ribs and the lower plate portion.

[0011] In the vehicle frame structure according to claim 3, the openings in the front and rear extending portions are divided front and rear by vertical ribs. Furthermore, the cover member is mechanically fastened at at least two locations: the connection portion between the vertical ribs and the upper plate portion, and the connection portion between the vertical ribs and the lower plate portion. Therefore, it can be fastened more securely compared to a structure in which fastening is performed in a location without vertical ribs.

[0012] The vehicle frame structure according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in claim 3, a plurality of longitudinal ribs are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the cover member has a weak portion provided between adjacent longitudinal ribs.

[0013] In the vehicle frame structure according to claim 4, since a weak point is provided between adjacent longitudinal ribs in the cover member, when the longitudinally extending portion breaks due to a vehicle collision, the cover member does not hinder the breaking of the longitudinally extending portion, and the collision energy can be effectively absorbed.

[0014] The vehicle frame structure according to claim 5, in claim 2, comprises a main body portion that covers the opening, an upper flange portion that extends from the upper end of the main body portion in the vehicle width direction and is fastened to the upper plate portion in a manner that overlaps it, and a lower flange portion that extends from the lower end of the main body portion in the vehicle width direction and is fastened to the lower plate portion in a manner that overlaps it.

[0015] In the vehicle frame structure according to claim 5, the upper flange portion of the cover member is fastened while overlapping the upper plate portion, and the lower flange portion is fastened while overlapping the lower plate portion. As a result, the fastening direction of the cover member is in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the fastening state can be maintained well even when external forces are applied in the vertical direction of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, according to the vehicle frame structure of the present invention, in a structure in which the frame of the front part of the vehicle is formed by casting, it is possible to suppress cross-sectional collapse when a collision load is applied. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts of the vehicle frame structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a side view showing the main parts of the vehicle frame structure according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state after cutting along line 3-3 in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state after cutting along line 4-4 in Figure 2. [Figure 5]It is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a main part of the vehicle skeletal structure according to a modified example.

Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention

[0018] The vehicle skeletal structure according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of the vehicle skeletal structure according to the embodiment. In the figure, the arrows FR, UP, RH, and LH indicate the vehicle front direction, vehicle upper direction, vehicle right direction, and vehicle left direction in the vehicle, respectively. In the following description, when the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are used without special mention, they shall respectively indicate the front and rear in the vehicle front-rear direction, the up and down in the vehicle up-down direction, and the left and right in the vehicle left-right direction (width direction).

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the front skeletal body 10 constituting the vehicle skeletal structure is a component arranged at the front of the vehicle and is formed by casting. The front skeletal body 10 of the present embodiment is a die-cast component mainly composed of an aluminum alloy integrally formed by casting, including a dash part 12, a front-rear extending part 14, and a suspension tower part 16.

[0021] The dash part 12 extends in the vehicle width direction and constitutes a part of a member that partitions the passenger compartment space and the outside of the vehicle (power unit room).

[0022] The front-rear extending parts 14 extend forward from both ends in the vehicle width direction of the dash part 12. The front-rear extending part 14 in the present embodiment is, for example, a part corresponding to a front side member. Details of the front-rear extending part 14 will be described later.

[0023] Above the front-rear extending part 14, a suspension tower part 16 is provided. A pair of left and right suspension tower parts 16 are provided in the same manner as the front-rear extending part 14, and each bulges upward in the vehicle and has a structure capable of supporting the illustrated suspension.

[0024] A roughly rectangular cylindrical connecting portion 18 is provided at the front end of the front and rear extending portion 14. The rear end of the connecting portion 18 is fixed to the front and rear extending portion 14, and a frame (not shown) is connected to the front end of the connecting portion 18. A bumper reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction is attached to the frame.

[0025] Here, the front and rear extending portion 14 is formed in an open cross-sectional shape with an opening on one side in the vehicle width direction, and at least a part of the opening of the front and rear extending portion 14 is covered by the cover member 20. In this embodiment, as an example, the front and rear extending portion 14 is formed in a shape with an opening on the outside in the vehicle width direction, and the cover member 20 is attached to the front and rear extending portion 14 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0026] Figure 2 is a side view showing the main part of the vehicle frame structure according to the embodiment, Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state cut along line 3-3 in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state cut along line 4-4 in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the front and rear extending portion 14 is composed of a front side member front portion 14A and a front side member rear portion 14B.

[0027] The front portion 14A of the front side member constitutes the front portion of the front-to-rear extension portion 14, and is formed in such a shape that the rear portion is longer in the vertical direction of the vehicle than the front portion. Furthermore, the front portion 14A of the front side member and the rear portion 14B of the front side member are formed as a continuous, integral part.

[0028] The rear section 14B of the front side member has an open cross-section structure with the outer side in the vehicle width direction open, and multiple molten metal pools 42 are provided within the cross-section. In addition, multiple ribs 44 are provided on the rear section 14B of the front side member, connecting the molten metal pools 42 to the upper and lower wall sections. The ribs 44 provided on the rear section 14B of the front side member include ribs extending in the vehicle vertical direction, ribs extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and ribs extending diagonally.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the front portion 14A of the front side member has a roughly E-shaped cross-section when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Specifically, the front portion 14A of the front side member is composed of an upper plate portion 30, a lower plate portion 32, a middle plate portion 34, and a vertical wall portion 36.

[0030] The upper plate portion 30 is positioned on the upper side of the vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction, with the vehicle vertical direction being the plate thickness direction. The lower plate portion 32 is located below the upper plate portion 30 and extends in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction, with the vehicle vertical direction being the plate thickness direction.

[0031] The intermediate plate section 34 is positioned between the upper plate section 30 and the lower plate section 32, and extends in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction with the vehicle's vertical direction as the plate thickness direction. The vertical wall section 36 also extends in the vehicle's vertical direction and the vehicle's front-rear direction with the vehicle width direction as the plate thickness direction, and connects the inner ends of the upper plate section 30, the lower plate section 32, and the intermediate plate section 34 in the vehicle width direction vertically.

[0032] Here, the front portion 14A of the front side member is provided with a plurality of longitudinal ribs 38. The longitudinal ribs 38 are provided between the upper plate portion 30 and the middle plate portion 34, and between the lower plate portion 32 and the middle plate portion 34, respectively, and partition the opening in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the longitudinal ribs 38 are integrally formed together with the longitudinally extending portion 14 by casting, and the central portion in the vertical direction is recessed inward in the vehicle width direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, the length in the vehicle width direction may be such that it does not change from the upper end to the lower end.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the longitudinal ribs 38 are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a pool of molten metal (not shown) is formed at the connection between the longitudinal ribs 38 and the upper plate portion 30. Similarly, pools of molten metal (not shown) are also formed at the connection between the longitudinal ribs 38 and the middle plate portion 34, and at the connection between the longitudinal ribs 38 and the lower plate portion 32.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the cover member 20 is constructed of sheet metal or the like, with the vehicle width direction as the plate thickness direction, and its length in the vehicle vertical direction is slightly longer than the front part 14A of the front side member. Furthermore, the shape of the cover member 20 corresponds to the shape of the front part 14A of the front side member (see Figure 2).

[0035] The cover member 20 is mechanically fastened by multiple bolts 40 in a state where it overlaps the front part 14A of the front side member from the outside in the vehicle width direction so as to cover from the upper plate part 30 to the lower plate part 32. In this embodiment, as an example, the structure is such that bolts 40 are screwed into the upper plate part 30, the middle plate part 34 and the lower plate part 32 respectively, but it is not limited to this, and fastening with bolts 40 at two locations, upper and lower, of the upper plate part 30 and the lower plate part 32 is also possible.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the cover member 20 is provided with a plurality of weak points 20A. The weak points 20A are located between adjacent longitudinal ribs 38 and have a shape that locally thins the surface of the cover member 20 on the vehicle width side. In this embodiment, as an example, the weak points 20A are provided in a substantially V-shaped cutout, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and other shapes are also acceptable as long as the structure is weak.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of ribs 46 are provided in the rear region of the suspension tower section 16.

[0038] (action) Next, the operation of the vehicle frame structure according to this embodiment will be explained.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, the front frame body 10 according to this embodiment is integrally formed by casting, including a dash portion 12 and a front and rear extension portion 14 extending from the dash portion 12 toward the front of the vehicle. The front and rear extension portion 14 has an opening on one side in the vehicle width direction, and at least a part of this opening is covered from the vehicle width direction by a cover member 20. This prevents the opening of the front and rear extension portion 14 from opening, even when the front frame body 10 is formed by casting. In other words, in a structure in which the frame of the front of the vehicle is formed by casting, cross-sectional collapse can be suppressed when a collision load is applied.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, the front and rear extending portion 14 is composed of an upper plate portion 30, a lower plate portion 32, and a middle plate portion 34, and the cover member 20 covers from the upper plate portion 30 to the lower plate portion 32. As a result, the entire opening is covered when viewed from the front and rear direction of the vehicle, and a closed cross-sectional structure can be obtained.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the opening of the front and rear extending portion 14 is divided front and rear by the vertical rib 38. In addition, the cover member 20 is mechanically fastened at at least two locations: the connection portion between the vertical rib 38 and the upper plate portion 30, and the connection portion between the vertical rib 38 and the lower plate portion 32. Therefore, it can be fastened more securely compared to a structure in which it is fastened in a position without the vertical rib 38.

[0042] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, a weak point 20A is provided in the cover member 20 at a position between adjacent longitudinal ribs 38. Therefore, when the front and rear extended portion 14 breaks due to a vehicle collision, the cover member 20 does not hinder the breaking of the front and rear extended portion 14, and the collision energy can be effectively absorbed.

[0043] In this embodiment, the cover member 20 is formed in a flat plate shape, but this is not the only option. For example, the modified structure shown in Figure 5 may be adopted.

[0044] (modified version) Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 3, showing the main parts of the modified vehicle frame structure. As shown in Figure 5, this modified version has the same configuration as the embodiment except for the cover member 50.

[0045] The cover member 50 is composed of a main body portion 50A, an upper flange portion 50B, and a lower flange portion 50C. The main body portion 50A extends in the vehicle's vertical direction and the vehicle's longitudinal direction, with the vehicle width direction as the plate thickness direction, and covers the opening of the longitudinal extension portion 14 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0046] The upper flange portion 50B extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the main body portion 50A and is mechanically fastened from the vehicle side by bolts 40 while overlapping the upper surface of the upper plate portion 30.

[0047] The lower flange portion 50C extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the main body portion 50A and is mechanically fastened from the vehicle upper side by bolts 40 while overlapping with the lower surface of the lower plate portion 32. Therefore, in the embodiment, the front and rear extending portion 14 and the cover member 20 are fastened in the vehicle width direction by bolts 40, whereas in this modified example, the front and rear extending portion 14 and the cover member 50 are fastened in the vehicle vertical direction by bolts 40.

[0048] In this modified example, bolts may be provided to fasten the front and rear extension portion 14 and the cover member 50 in the vehicle width direction, similar to the embodiment. In this case, the front and rear extension portion 14 and the cover member 50 are fastened together in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle vertical direction.

[0049] The vehicle frame structure according to the present invention has been described above, but it goes without saying that it can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the cover member 20 is attached only to the front part 14A of the front side member of the front and rear extending portion 14, but it is not limited to this, and the cover member may be attached to other locations. For example, the cover member may be attached to both the front part 14A and the rear part 14B of the front side member. Alternatively, the cover member may be attached to the area where the rear rib 46 of the suspension tower portion 16 is provided.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a substantially rectangular cylindrical connecting portion 18 is provided at the front end of the front and rear extending portion 14, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the area up to the connecting portion 18 may be integrally formed by casting. In this case, the portion corresponding to the connecting portion will have an open cross-sectional shape, similar to the front and rear extending portion 14. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 10 Anterior skeletal body 12 Dash section 14 Front-rear extension part 20 Cover component 20A Weak part 30 Upper plate section 32 Lower plate part 34 Middle plate section 38 Vertical Ribs 50 Cover component 50A Main Unit 50B Upper flange section 50C Lower flange section

Claims

1. A front frame body integrally formed by casting, including a dash portion located at the front of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a front and rear extending portion extending from the dash portion toward the front of the vehicle and having an opening on one side in the vehicle width direction, A cover member attached to the front and rear extending portion and covering at least a part of the opening from the vehicle width direction, A vehicle frame structure having the following characteristics.

2. The aforementioned front and rear extending portion includes an upper plate portion located on the upper side of the vehicle, a lower plate portion located on the lower side of the vehicle, and a middle plate portion located between the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion. The vehicle frame structure according to claim 1, wherein the cover member covers from the upper plate portion to the lower plate portion.

3. The aforementioned front and rear extending portion is provided with vertical ribs that divide the opening into front and rear sections. The vehicle frame structure according to claim 2, wherein the cover member is mechanically fastened at at least two locations: the connection portion between the vertical rib and the upper plate portion, and the connection portion between the vertical rib and the lower plate portion.

4. Multiple longitudinal ribs are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The vehicle frame structure according to claim 3, wherein the cover member has a weak portion provided between adjacent longitudinal ribs.

5. The cover member comprises a main body portion that covers the opening, An upper flange portion extends from the upper end of the main body portion in the vehicle width direction and is fastened to the upper plate portion in an overlapping state, The vehicle frame structure according to claim 2, further comprising a lower flange portion that extends in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the main body portion and is fastened to the lower plate portion in an overlapping state.

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