Body upper structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle body upper structure that allows a roof panel to be grabbed with a nibbler and easily torn off from parts around the roof panel.SOLUTION: A vehicle body upper structure 100 includes: roof side rails 2 provided at end portions in a vehicle width direction of a vehicle body upper portion 1a; side outer panels 3 covering vehicle outer side surfaces of the roof side rails 2; and a roof panel 4 made of a material different from a martial of the roof side rails 2 and provided at a center portion in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body upper portion 1a. The paired left and right side outer panels 3 and the roof panel 4 are fixed to one another by braze joining, and an end portion of the roof panel 4 in a vehicle front-rear direction includes a first coupling portion 61 in which one of the roof side rails 2, the roof panel 4, and one of the side outer panels 3 are coupled to one another; a notch portion 4a that is provided on an inner side in the vehicle width direction of the first coupling portion 61; and a fragile portion 4b that extends from a tip end portion of the notch portion 4a toward a braze joining portion 7 of the side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an upper body structure of a motor vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development has been conducted into lightweighting, which contributes to energy efficiency, in order to ensure that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

[0003] BACKGROUND ART In order to reduce the weight of automobile bodies, automobiles use body members formed from aluminum or light alloys such as aluminum alloys (hereinafter referred to as "aluminum" where appropriate) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] The upper body structure described in Patent Document 1 mechanically connects joined steel plate side rail outers and rail inners with joined aluminum side rail outers and roof panels using non-penetrating rivets.

[0005] When an automobile with such an upper body structure is scrapped, it is dismantled and separated into iron, non-ferrous metals, non-metallic materials, etc., and is then recycled into new materials, such as recycled metals. For example, to extract high-purity aluminum from a scrapped automobile body, it is necessary to remove the aluminum before shredding it with a shredder. For this reason, with a multi-material body in which aluminum is used for the roof panel and outer panels, as described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to extract high-purity aluminum by removing the aluminum parts before shredding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-149828 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the automobile with the upper body structure described in Patent Document 1, the roof panel and its surrounding parts are mechanically fastened together using rivets or the like, making it difficult to remove just the roof panel, which uses aluminum.

[0008] In addition, ordinary automobiles do not have a gripping area for large heavy machinery such as a nibbler to grip the roof panel, etc. Therefore, when removing the roof panel of an ordinary automobile using heavy machinery such as a nibbler, even if the roof panel can be gripped by the nibbler, it is not possible to remove only the roof panel, and there is a possibility that parts around the roof panel may also come off.

[0009] Furthermore, when separating aluminum using a shredder, if the material is separated by specific gravity, small, light metal pieces such as copper and stainless steel are mixed in as impurities with the aluminum pieces, making it impossible to obtain high-purity aluminum scrap.

[0010] Furthermore, it is desirable to carefully separate aluminum into components such as 6000 series, 5000 series, die-cast, etc., but when using magnetic separation or separation by specific gravity, there is a problem that these multiple types of aluminum end up being mixed together.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention was invented to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an upper body structure in which the roof panel can be grasped with a nibbler and easily peeled off from the surrounding parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] As a means for solving the above problem, the vehicle body upper structure of the present invention comprises roof side rails provided at the vehicle widthwise ends of the upper part of the vehicle body, side outer panels that cover the exterior side surfaces of the roof side rails, and a roof panel formed of a material different from that of the roof side rails and provided in the vehicle widthwise center of the upper part of the vehicle body, wherein the pair of left and right side outer panels and the roof panel are fixed to each other by a braze joint, and the vehicle fore-and-aft end of the roof panel has a first joint that joins the roof side rails, the roof panel, and the side outer panel, a notch provided on the vehicle widthwise inner side of the first joint, and a weak part extending from the tip of the notch toward the braze joint between the side outer panel and the roof panel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an upper body structure in which a roof panel can be gripped with a nibbler and easily peeled off from surrounding components. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a main portion showing an example of a vehicle body upper structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a state in which the roof panel is being peeled off with a nibbler. [Figure 5] 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1 showing the state when the roof panel is peeled off. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a main portion showing a modified example of the vehicle body upper structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a main portion showing a second modified example of the upper body structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An example of a vehicle body upper structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted. In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, "front" refers to the forward movement side of the vehicle C, "rear" refers to the backward movement side of the vehicle C, "up" refers to the vertically upper side, and "down" refers to the vertically lower side.

[0016] Vehicles First, before describing the vehicle body upper structure 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle C in which the vehicle body upper structure 100 according to the present invention is employed will be described. The vehicle C is an automobile having roof side rails 2 provided at the ends of the upper body 1a in the vehicle width direction, side outer panels 3 covering the outer surfaces of the roof side rails 2 on the vehicle exterior, and a roof panel 4 provided in the center of the upper body 1a in the vehicle width direction. The type and shape of the vehicle C are not particularly limited. The vehicle C may be a passenger car, bus, truck, work vehicle, or the like, as long as it is provided with the side outer panels 3 and the roof panel 4 on the body 1. The following description will be given taking a passenger car as an example of the vehicle C.

[0017] <<Upper body structure>> As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle body upper structure 100 is configured so that the roof panel 4 can be grasped and peeled off from the vehicle body 1 by a nibbler 81 provided on the heavy equipment 8. The vehicle body upper structure 100 is configured to include a roof side rail 2, a side outer panel 3, and the roof panel 4.

[0018] <Body> As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle body 1 is a framework member for forming the entire vehicle C. The vehicle body 1 is configured to include, for example, various metal vehicle body frames such as roof side rails 2 described below, and metal vehicle body panels such as a roof panel 4.

[0019] The upper part 1a of the vehicle body is provided with a roof panel 4 that forms the roof board portion, a roof arch 5 that is installed below the roof panel 4 and forms the framework of the roof portion, and side outer panels 3 that are installed at both ends of the roof arch 5 in the vehicle width direction.

[0020] A front door opening 1c and a rear door opening 1d are formed in both vehicle body side portions 1b of the vehicle body 1. A front pillar 11 is provided in front of the front door opening 1c. A center pillar 12 is provided between the front door opening 1c and the rear door opening 1d. A rear pillar 13 is provided behind the rear door opening 1d. Since the vehicle body 1 is formed substantially symmetrically, either the passenger seat side (left side) or the driver seat side (right side) will be mainly described, and the description of the other side will be omitted as appropriate.

[0021] <Roof panel> The roof panel 4 shown in Fig. 1 is made of a light metal plate such as aluminum formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. As shown in Fig. 2, the roof panel 4 has cutouts 4a, fragile portions 4b, wide portions 4c, and gripping portions 4e at its ends in the vehicle's front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 3, the roof panel 4 has bent portions 4g (blaze joints 7) at its left and right ends.

[0022] <Notch> As shown in FIG. 2, the notch 4a is formed so that when the roof panel 4 is pulled by the nibbler 81 (see FIG. 4) gripping the gripping margin 4e, the notch 4a is formed to stably tear from the end of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the notch 4a is a cut that serves as a trigger for tearing when the roof panel 4 is gripped and pulled by the nibbler 81 (see FIG. 4). The notch 4a is, for example, a triangular notch formed between the gripping margin 4e formed at the end of the roof panel 4 in the front-rear direction and the first joint portion 61. The notch 4a is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the joint portion 6 (first joint portion 61) that joins the roof side rail 2, the roof panel 4, and the side outer panel 3.

[0023] <Weakened parts> The fragile portion 4b is a portion that is made to tear easily when the roof panel 4 is pulled by gripping the gripping portion 4e with a nibbler 81 (see FIG. 4). The fragile portion 4b is, for example, a V-groove-shaped or wavy-line cutout formed on the back surface of the roof panel 4. The fragile portion 4b extends from the tip of the cutout 4a toward the front end of the braze joint 7 between the side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4. For this reason, the fragile portion 4b can be made to tear from the cutout 4a toward the braze joint 7 via the fragile portion 4b from the cutout 4a toward the braze joint 7 when the gripping portion 4e of the roof panel 4 is pulled with the nibbler 81 (see FIG. 4).

[0024] The weakened portion 4b may be formed by partially reducing the thickness of the roof panel 4 so that the strength of the roof panel 4 is weakened compared to other portions.

[0025] <Wide section> The wide portion 4c is a region whose width in the front-to-rear direction is wider toward the outside of the vehicle in accordance with the shape of the roof panel 4. The wide portion 4c is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than the cutout 4a. The wide portion 4c is formed between the cutout 4a and a second joint portion 62 that joins the roof panel 4 to the roof arch 5 that is provided on the underside of the roof panel 4 and extends in the vehicle width direction.

[0026] More specifically, a roof arch 5 is disposed below the roof panel 4, extending in the vehicle width direction along the front edge of the roof panel 4. A first joint 61 and a second joint 62, which will be described later, are provided at the front edge of the roof panel 4. The front edge of the roof panel 4 also has a wide portion 4c that increases in width in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction from the second joint 62 toward the first joint 61. The cutout 4a is provided on this wide portion 4c, between the second joint 62 and the first joint 61.

[0027] <Grip allowance> The gripping margin 4e is a portion formed in a shape that allows it to be gripped by a nibbler 81 when removing the roof panel 4 from the vehicle body 1. When gripping the roof panel 4 with the nibbler 81 to peel it off from the vehicle body 1, the roof panel 4 is peeled off from the vehicle body 1 by gripping and pulling this gripping margin 4e. The gripping margin 4e protrudes from a position near the wide portion 4c of the roof panel 4 and the inner side of the second joint portion 62 in the vehicle width direction. A through hole 4f is formed in the gripping margin 4e to make it easier for the nibbler 81 to grip and pull the gripping margin 4e when gripping and pulling the roof panel 4 with the nibbler 81. The through hole 4f is, for example, an elongated hole that is long in the vehicle width direction. The gripping margin 4e protrudes forward beyond the front end edge of the roof arch 5, which will be described later. The gripping margin 4e and the through hole 4f may also be used to position the windshield.

[0028] <Bending part> The bent portion 4g is a portion for forming the braze joint 7 that is brazed and fixed to the upper end of the side outer panel 3 with a brazing material 70. The bent portion 4g is formed by bending the vehicle width direction end of the roof panel 4 vertically downward. The outer end of the bent portion 4g in the vehicle width direction is brazed in abutment with the side outer upper flap portion 3a. The lower end of the bent portion 4g is positioned away from the upper surface of the rail outer upper flap portion 22a of the rail outer 22.

[0029] <Brazing joint> As shown in FIG. 3, the braze joint 7 is a portion joined by brazing (also called "brazing welding"). The braze joint 7 is made up of a first braze joint 71 and a second braze joint 72. The brazing filler metal 70 used in the braze joint 7 is an aluminum alloy.

[0030] The first blaze joint 71 joins the folded portion 4g of the roof panel 4 and the side outer upper flap portion 3a of the side outer panel 3. The first blaze joint 71 is provided from the front end to the rear end of the outer end of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle width direction.

[0031] The second blaze joint 72 joins the rail outer lower flap portion 22b of the roof side rail 2 and the side outer lower flap portion 3b of the side outer panel 3. The second blaze joint 72 is provided from the front end to the rear end of the outer lower end of the side outer panel 3 in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] ≪Joining part≫ 2, the above-mentioned joint portion 6 is a portion where the roof panel 4 is joined to the vehicle body 1. The joint portion 6 mainly comprises a first joint portion 61 and a second joint portion 62. The first joint portions 61 are joint points where the roof side rail 2, the roof panel 4, and the side outer panel 3 are joined together by laser welding, spot welding, etc. The first joint portions 61 are provided at two locations on the roof panel 4 at the front end on the outer sides in the vehicle width direction.

[0033] The second joint portion 62 is a joint point formed by laser welding or the like between the roof arch 5 and the roof panel 4 when the two panels are arranged in a stacked configuration. The second joint portion 62 is located on the base end side (rear side) of the gripping margin 4e on the roof panel 4, and is located further inward in the vehicle width direction than the first joint portion 61 and the fragile portion 4b. The second joint portion 62 in this embodiment has a lower joint strength than the first joint portion 61, which is joined at two points. Therefore, when the roof panel 4 is peeled off, the second joint portion 62 is more likely to peel off than the first joint portion 61.

[0034] <Roof Arch> As shown in Figure 1, the roof arch 5 is a member that supports the roof panel 4 (see Figure 2) from below. The roof arch 5 is made up of multiple members that are installed between the left and right roof side rails 2. The roof arches 5 are arranged at appropriate intervals from the front end to the rear end of the upper part 1a of the vehicle body.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5 or Figure 2, the roof arch 5 located at the front end of the vehicle has an arch wide portion 5a formed at a position overlapping the wide portion 4c of the roof panel 4, and a cutout groove 5b formed at a position overlapping the gripping area 4e and the through hole 4f.

[0036] The arch wide portion 5a is provided with the first connecting portion 61 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and the second connecting portion 62 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the arch wide portion 5a can be firmly joined to the roof panel 4 and the side outer panel 3 by the first connecting portion 61. In addition, the arch wide portion 5a can be firmly joined to the roof panel 4 by the second connecting portion 62.

[0037] The cutout groove 5b is positioned so as to overlap the gripping margin 4e and the through hole 4f, making it easier to grip only the gripping margin 4e when using the nibbler 81 (see Figure 4) to grip the gripping margin 4e and peel off the roof panel 4.

[0038] <Roof side rails> As shown in FIG. 1, the roof side rails 2 are a pair of left and right tubular frame members arranged above the vehicle body sides 1b and extending in the front-to-rear direction. The roof side rails 2 are installed from the front end to the rear end of the left and right sides of the vehicle body upper part 1a, forming the upper edges of the door openings 1c and 1d. A front pillar 11 is joined to the front end of the roof side rails 2. A center pillar 12 is joined to the center of the roof side rails 2. A rear pillar 13 is joined to the rear end of the roof side rails 2.

[0039] 3, the roof side rail 2 forms a closed cross section 2a in a vertical cross section by joining joints 23, 24 between an inner rail 21 arranged on the inside of the vehicle and an outer rail 22 arranged on the outside of the inner rail 21. Unlike the roof panel 4 and outer side panel 3, which are made of aluminum, the inner rail 21 and the outer rail 22 are made of steel (for example, high-tensile steel plate).

[0040] <Rail Inner> As shown in Fig. 3, the rail inner 21 is a member that holds the roof panel 4 and the roof arch 5 (see Fig. 4). The rail inner 21 is a half that forms the interior portion of the roof side rail 2, which is formed into a cylindrical shape together with the rail outer 22. The rail inner 21 has an inner upper flap portion 21a whose upper edge is bent substantially horizontally toward the inside of the car body, and a rail inner lower flap portion 21b whose lower end is bent diagonally downward toward the inside of the car body.

[0041] <Rail outer> The rail outer member 22 is a half member that forms the vehicle exterior portion of the roof side rail 2. The rail outer member 22 is disposed opposite the rail inner member 21 with a closed cross section 2a interposed therebetween, and extends in the front-rear direction. The rail outer member 22 has a rail outer upper flap portion 22a that extends in the front-rear direction from its upper edge, and a rail outer lower flap portion 22b that extends in the front-rear direction from its lower edge.

[0042] The rail outer upper flap portion 22a is joined by overlapping it onto the inner upper flap portion 21a and spot welding a joint portion 23. The rail outer lower flap portion 22b is joined by overlapping it onto the rail inner lower flap portion 21b and spot welding a joint portion 24. Furthermore, the rail outer lower flap portion 22b is joined to the side outer panel 3 by overlapping it with the side outer lower flap portion 3b and brazing a second braze joint portion 72 with a brazing material 70.

[0043] <Side outer panel> As shown in Figure 3, the side outer panel 3 is a panel member arranged to cover the roof side rail 2 from the exterior side of the vehicle. The side outer panel 3 consists of a pair of left and right members extending in the front-to-rear direction. The side outer panel 3 has a side outer upper flap portion 3a formed at its upper edge and extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a side outer lower flap portion 3b formed at its lower edge and extending in the front-to-rear direction. The side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4 are fixed to each other by brazing the side outer upper flap portion 3a and the folded portion 4g.

[0044] The side outer upper flap portion 3a is formed by bending vertically downward from the upper end of the side outer panel 3. The lower end of the side outer upper flap portion 3a is disposed away from the upper portion of the rail outer 22. The side outer lower flap portion 3b is formed by bending the lower end portion of the side outer panel 3 obliquely downward along the rail outer lower flap portion 22b toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0045] Nibbler As shown in Fig. 4, the nibbler 81 is a device for gripping metal sheets and cutting them by punching. The nibbler 81 is provided on a heavy machine 8 that is used when dismantling a vehicle C, etc.

[0046] <Function of the upper body structure> Next, the operation of the vehicle body upper structure 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 1, the roof panel 4 is made of a substantially rectangular aluminum plate. As shown in Fig. 2, the roof panel 4 has the aforementioned cutout 4a, weak portion 4b, wide portion 4c, gripping portion 4e, and through-hole 4f formed at the outer edge in the vehicle width direction of the front end of the vehicle. The outer edge in the vehicle width direction of the front end of the roof panel 4 is joined to the roof arch 5, roof side rail 2, and side outer panel 3 by first joining portions 61 using laser welding or the like. Furthermore, the outer edge in the vehicle width direction of the front end of the roof panel 4 is joined to the roof arch 5 by second joining portions 62 using laser welding or the like.

[0048] 3, a bent portion 4g is formed at the outer end portion in the vehicle width direction of the roof panel 4. A first braze joint portion 71 at the outer end portion in the vehicle width direction of the aluminum roof panel 4 is joined by brazing with an aluminum brazing material 70, with the bent portion 4g abutting against the side outer upper flap portion 3a of the aluminum side outer panel 3.

[0049] In this way, the aluminum roof panel 4 is joined to the aluminum side outer panel 3 with aluminum brazing filler metal 70, and is not joined to the steel roof side rail 2. Therefore, the roof panel 4 has fewer joining points to the roof side rail 2, which reduces the number of work steps required for installation, and also makes it possible to separate the roof side rail 2 and other parts from each other so that iron content is not included when the panel is reprocessed.

[0050] The second braze joint 72 of the side outer panel 3 is braze-joined with an aluminum brazing material 70 by overlapping the side outer lower flap portion 3b on the joint 24 between the rail inner lower flap portion 21b and the rail outer lower flap portion 22b.

[0051] In this way, the side outer panel 3 is joined to the roof side rail 2 at only one location, the side outer lower flap portion 3b, at the joint 24 between the rail inner lower flap portion 21b and the rail outer lower flap portion 22b. Therefore, the side outer panel 3 has fewer joint locations to the roof side rail 2, which reduces the number of labor steps required for installation and minimizes the number of labor steps required for separation when reprocessing.

[0052] 4, the roof panel 4 of a vehicle C to be scrapped is peeled off from the vehicle body 1 by gripping with a nibbler 81 a position on the front end of the roof panel 4 that is closer to the outside in the vehicle width direction. The roof panel 4 has a protruding gripping portion 4e formed at a position on the front end of the vehicle that is closer to the outside in the vehicle width direction, so that the gripping portion 4e can be easily gripped with the nibbler 81, making it easier to perform the vehicle body separation work using the nibbler 81.

[0053] When the nibbler 81 grips and pulls the gripping portion 4e, the roof panel 4 has a notch 4a formed at the base of the gripping portion 4e and a fragile portion 4b formed continuous with the notch 4a, so that the notch 4a and the fragile portion 4b can be torn off, as shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, on the extension of the rear side of the fragile portion 4b, a braze joint 7 joined with an aluminum brazing material 70 is provided, extending toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0054] Therefore, by gripping and pulling the gripping portion 4e with the nibbler 81, only the aluminum roof panel 4 can be peeled off from the vehicle body 1. The peeled roof panel 4 is free of the steel members such as the roof arch 5, rail outer 22, and rail inner 21 that were joined to it, and can therefore be peeled off from the vehicle body 1 in a state where only the high-purity aluminum member remains. Therefore, the roof panel 4 peeled off from the vehicle body 1 can be made into high-purity aluminum scrap that is free from impurities other than aluminum, such as iron, making it easy to recycle.

[0055] As described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle body upper structure 100 according to the present invention comprises roof side rails 2 provided at the vehicle widthwise ends of the vehicle body upper 1a, side outer panels 3 covering the exterior side surfaces of the roof side rails 2, and a roof panel 4 formed of a material different from that of the roof side rails 2 and provided in the vehicle widthwise center of the vehicle body upper 1a, and the pair of left and right side outer panels 3 and roof panel 4 are fixed to each other by a braze joint, and the vehicle fore-and-aft end of the roof panel 4 has a first joint 61 joining the roof side rails 2, the roof panel 4 and the side outer panel 3, a cutout 4a provided on the vehicle widthwise inner side of the first joint 61, and a weak portion 4b extending from the tip of the cutout 4a toward the braze joint 7 (first braze joint 71) between the side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4.

[0056] According to this configuration, the vehicle body upper structure 100 has a first joint 61 and a cutout 4a formed on the vehicle widthwise inner side of the first joint 61 at the end of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction. Because the first joint 61 of the roof panel 4 is firmly fixed to the vehicle body 1, the roof panel 4 can be torn from the cutout 4a, which is located on the vehicle widthwise inner side of the first joint 61, by grabbing and pulling with the nibbler 81, and the roof panel 4 can be easily peeled off from the surrounding parts. Additionally, the roof panel 4 forms a weakened portion 4b that extends from the tip of the notch 4a toward the braze joint 7 (first braze joint 71) between the side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4. Therefore, by grabbing and pulling the roof panel 4 with a nibbler 81, the roof panel 4 tears continuously from the notch 4a to the weakened portion 4b and the braze joint 7, and can be easily peeled off from the vehicle body 1. The peeled roof panel 4 does not contain impurities other than aluminum, such as iron, so it is possible to obtain high-purity aluminum scrap.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle body upper structure 100 of the present invention further includes a roof arch 5 extending in the vehicle width direction along the front edge of the roof panel 4 below the roof panel 4, and the roof panel 4 has a second joint 62 that joins the roof panel 4 and the roof arch 5 on the inner side of the vehicle width direction than the first joint 61, and a wide portion 4c at the front edge of the roof panel 4 that becomes wider in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle as it moves from the second joint 62 toward the first joint 61, and the cutout portion 4a is provided on the wide portion 4c between the second joint 62 and the first joint 61.

[0058] According to this configuration, the roof panel 4 has, at its front edge, a wide portion 4c that becomes wider in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from the second joint 62 toward the first joint 61, and a cutout 4a provided on the wide portion 4c between the second joint 62 and the first joint 61. Because the roof panel 4 is reinforced by the wide portion 4c on the inner and outer sides of the cutout 4a in the vehicle width direction, by gripping and pulling with the nibbler 81, it can be peeled off from the second joint 62 with the roof arch 5 and reliably torn from the cutout 4a.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3, the side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4 are made of aluminum, the roof side rail 2 is made of steel, and the brazing material 70 for the brazing joint is made of an aluminum alloy.

[0060] According to this configuration, the side outer panel 3 and roof panel 4 are joined to the roof side rail 2 by brazing using an aluminum alloy brazing filler metal 70. Therefore, the aluminum side outer panel 3 and roof panel 4 can be firmly joined to the steel roof side rail 2 by the aluminum alloy brazing filler metal 70, even though they are different materials. Furthermore, when the aluminum side outer panel 3 and roof panel 4 are peeled off from the steel roof side rail 2 using a nibbler 81 or the like, no steel material is mixed in because the side outer panel 3 and roof panel 4 are joined with the aluminum brazing filler metal 70. Therefore, by removing only the aluminum parts before cutting the side outer panel 3 and roof panel 4, it is possible to extract high-purity aluminum that is not mixed with iron or other components. Furthermore, since the side outer panel 3 and the roof panel 4 are joined with an aluminum brazing filler metal 70, the joining strength is weaker than at the point where steel components are welded, and therefore the panel can be easily separated from the point where it is joined with the aluminum brazing filler metal 70.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 2, the roof panel 4 has a gripping portion 4e formed at its end in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0062] According to this configuration, the roof panel 4 is formed with a gripping portion 4e, so that when the vehicle C is dismantled, the gripping portion 4e can be easily grasped and peeled off with a nibbler 81 (see FIG. 4).

[0063] [First Modification] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the technical concept thereof. It goes without saying that the present invention also covers such modified and changed inventions.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing a first modified example of the vehicle body upper structure 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 6, a protruding piece 4d may be formed at the end of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction to make it easier to grab and pull the roof panel 4 with a nibbler 81 (see Figure 4) when the roof panel 4 is grabbed with the nibbler 81 (see Figure 4) and peeled off from the vehicle body 1.

[0065] The protruding piece 4d may have any shape as long as it can be gripped by the nibbler 81, and may be, for example, a trapezoidal protruding piece in a plan view. The protruding piece 4d is formed between the notch 4a and the gripping margin 4e. The protruding piece 4d is formed on the front side of the second connecting portion 62.

[0066] According to this configuration, the roof panel 4 has protruding pieces 4d formed at the ends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, which makes it easier to grasp the roof panel 4 with the nibbler 81 (see Figure 4) when grasping the roof panel 4 with the nibbler 81 and peeling it off from the vehicle body 1. Furthermore, by forming the protruding piece 4d at a position adjacent to the cutout 4a, the width of the roof panel 4 in the front-to-rear direction on the vehicle width direction side of the cutout 4a can be further increased, thereby improving strength. Therefore, by forming the protruding piece 4d, the roof panel 4 can be reliably torn from the cutout 4a when gripped and pulled with a nibbler 81 (see FIG. 4).

[0067] [Second Modification] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing a second modified example of the vehicle body upper structure 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, the side outer panel 3 (see Figure 3) described in the above embodiment may have a mounting portion 3Ac formed on the tip side of the side outer upper flap portion 3Aa that is joined to the roof panel 4, as in the side outer panel 3A shown in Figure 7, which is adhered onto the rail outer upper flap portion 22a of the rail outer 22.

[0068] In this case, the side outer upper flap portion 3Aa is formed obliquely downward and inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end of the side outer panel 3A toward above the rail outer upper flap portion 22a. The upper end of the side outer upper flap portion 3Aa does not contact the roof panel 4. A braze joint portion 7 that is braze-joined to the roof panel 4 is provided in the middle of the side outer upper flap portion 3Aa. A placing portion 3Ac is formed continuously with the lower end of the side outer upper flap portion 3Aa.

[0069] The placing portion 3Ac is formed by bending the tip of the rail outer upper flap portion 22a substantially horizontally toward the inside in the vehicle width direction so that it can be placed stably on the rail outer upper flap portion 22a. The placing portion 3Ac is adhered to the rail outer upper flap portion 22a with adhesive g.

[0070] The adhesive g is made of a thermosetting resin, etc. Therefore, the mounting portion 3Ac of the side outer panel 3A and the rail outer upper flap portion 22a of the rail outer 22 are not joined together by a direct joining method such as spot welding or a mechanical joining method such as rivets or bolts.

[0071] According to this configuration, in the second modified example of the vehicle body upper structure 100 of the present invention, by forming the placing portion 3Ac on the side outer panel 3A, when the side outer panel 3A joined to the roof panel 4 is joined to the rail outer 22 with adhesive g, the placing portion 3Ac can be stably placed on the rail outer upper flap portion 22a and joined. Therefore, the placing portion 3Ac can be accurately adhered to a predetermined position on the rail outer upper flap portion 22a of the rail outer 22.

[0072] [Other variations] As an example of the present invention, in the above embodiment, the gripping margin 4e is formed in one location at the left end of the front end of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. The gripping margin 4e may be formed, for example, at the right end of the front end of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle direction, or at the left end or right end of the rear end in the vehicle direction. Furthermore, the gripping margin 4e may be formed in multiple locations on the left and right ends of the front and rear ends of the roof panel 4 in the vehicle direction.

[0073] In the above embodiment, an example of the cutout 4a has been described in which a triangular cutout is formed on the vehicle widthwise outer side of the gripping margin 4e formed on the front-rear end of the roof panel 4. The cutout 4a only needs to be easily torn when the roof panel 4 is gripped and pulled with a nibbler 81 or the like, and the shape of the cutout 4a may be changed as appropriate. The cutout 4a may be a groove-shaped (slit-shaped) notch or a linear cut formed simply to be torn. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Body 1a Upper body 2 Roof side rails 3,3A Side outer panel 4 roof panels 4a Notch 4b Weak area 4c wide part 4d protruding piece 4e Gripping space 5 Roof Arch 6 Joint part 7 Brazed joint 61 1st joint part (joint part) 62 Second joint part (joint part) 70 Brazing filler metal 100 Superstructure C vehicle

Claims

1. a roof side rail provided at an end portion of an upper portion of the vehicle body in a vehicle width direction; a side outer panel covering the exterior side of the roof side rail; a roof panel formed of a material different from that of the roof side rails and provided at a center portion in the vehicle width direction of an upper portion of the vehicle body, The pair of left and right side outer panels and the roof panel are fixed to each other by brazing, At the end of the roof panel in the vehicle front-rear direction, a first connecting portion that connects the roof side rail, the roof panel, and the side outer panel; a notch provided on an inner side of the first joint portion in the vehicle width direction; a weak portion extending from a tip end of the notch toward a blaze joint portion between the side outer panel and the roof panel; have Body superstructure.

2. A roof arch is further provided below the roof panel and extending in the vehicle width direction along the front edge of the roof panel, The roof panel is a second joint portion that joins the roof panel and the roof arch on a vehicle width direction inner side of the first joint portion; a wide portion at a front edge of the roof panel, the wide portion increasing in width in the vehicle front-rear direction from the second joint portion toward the first joint portion, The notch is provided on the wide portion between the second connecting portion and the first connecting portion. The vehicle body upper structure according to claim 1.

3. the side outer panel and the roof panel are made of aluminum, The roof side rail is made of steel, The brazing material for the brazing joint is made of an aluminum alloy. The vehicle body upper structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A gripping area is formed at the end of the roof panel in the vehicle front-rear direction. The vehicle body upper structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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