Joining structure of vehicle parts

Abstract

To provide a vehicle component joint structure that is able to achieve both high sealability and excellent impact resistance required for a joint portion of the vehicle components.SOLUTION: A joint structure JC for vehicle components VP is for joining a first component VP1 and a second component VP2. A seal member SM in which a dilatant fluid DF is sealed is disposed between an outer peripheral wall CV1 of a projecting portion CV provided on the first component VP1 and an inner peripheral wall CN1 of a recessed portion CN provided in the second component VP2 and engaged with the projecting portion CV of the first component VP1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a joining structure of vehicle parts.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an invention related to a panel joining structure of a vehicle body in which end portions of first and second panels made of different metals are joined via an anti-corrosion sealing material is known (see Patent Document 1 below). Patent Document 1 discloses a joining structure of first and second panels that are made of different metals and constitute a vehicle body.

[0003] The panel joining structure of Patent Document 1 forms a standing surface by bending end portions of the first and second panels, further forms a joining surface by bending end portions of this standing surface, and overlaps and joins the joining surface of the second panel via an anti-corrosion sealing material above the joining surface of the first panel. In this conventional panel joining structure, an embossed portion recessed at the tip is formed on the joining surface of the first panel. Also, a portion where this embossed portion is not formed is set so that the extension length from the standing surface is longer than that of the embossed portion.

[0004] With such a configuration, the embossed portion formed at the tip of the joining surface of the first panel and the portion where no embossed portion is formed and the extension length from the standing surface is longer than that of the embossed portion can receive the anti-corrosion sealing material protruding between the first and second panels. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the sagging of the anti-corrosion sealing material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As part of the circular economy, there are plans to divide vehicle parts that were previously a single component into multiple parts, and then share some of these parts across multiple vehicle models. By sharing some parts across multiple vehicle models in this way, the number of parts that need to be newly manufactured can be reduced. In addition, the reuse of the shared parts becomes possible, which can improve the circular economy.

[0007] However, when a vehicle part that was previously a single component is divided into multiple components, new joints are created between the divided components. These new joints are required to have both sealing properties to prevent the ingress of water and other substances, and impact resistance to withstand impacts that may occur due to collisions, etc. This disclosure provides a vehicle component joining structure that can achieve both the sealing properties and impact resistance required for the joints of vehicle components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle component joining structure for joining a first component and a second component, characterized in that a sealing member containing a dilatant fluid is arranged between the outer peripheral wall of a protrusion provided on the first component and the inner peripheral wall of a recess provided on the second component that engages with the protrusion of the first component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle component joining structure that can achieve both the sealing performance and impact resistance required for the joints of vehicle components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A schematic side view of a vehicle part showing an embodiment of the joining structure of a vehicle part according to this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the joint structure between the first and second parts. [Figure 3] A perspective view showing the joining state of the first and second parts in the joint structure of Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle component joining structure according to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle component VP showing an embodiment of a vehicle component joining structure according to the present disclosure. The vehicle component VP includes, for example, a front bumper FB, a fender F, a body B, and a rear bumper RB. In this embodiment, the body B is divided into a plurality of parts, including, for example, an upper body UPB as a first component VP1 and an underbody UNB as a second component VP2.

[0013] By dividing the conventional single body B into multiple parts, including the upper body UPB and underbody UNB, the underbody UNB can be shared across multiple vehicle models. This makes it possible to replace only the upper body UPB across multiple vehicle models, reducing the number of parts that need to be newly manufactured. Furthermore, the shared underbody UNB can be reused, improving the circular economy.

[0014] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the joint structure JC between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the joint state of the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 in the joint structure JC of the vehicle part VP in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 1, the upper body UPB, which is the first part VP1, and the underbody UNB, which is the second part VP2, of the vehicle part VP have, for example, three joints JP on each side, for a total of six joints JP.

[0015] Each of the multiple joints JP between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 shown in Figure 1 is joined by, for example, the vehicle part VP joining structure JC shown in Figures 2 and 3. That is, the vehicle part VP joining structure JC in this embodiment is a structure that joins the first part VP1 and the second part VP2. Note that the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 are not limited to the upper body UPB and the underbody UNB, respectively, but may be other vehicle parts VP.

[0016] The first part VP1 and the second part VP2, which are the objects of the joining structure JC for the vehicle part VP in this embodiment, each have a convex portion CV and a concave portion CN. The convex portion CV of the first part VP1 is provided so as to protrude downward from the center of the bottom surface of the first part VP1. The convex portion CV of the first part VP1 also has a screw hole SH or a through hole TH that penetrates the convex portion CV in a direction intersecting the direction of protrusion. As shown in Figure 3, a bolt BL is screwed into the screw hole SH, and a bolt BL or a pin P is inserted through the through hole TH.

[0017] The recess CN of the second part VP2 receives the protrusion CV of the first part VP1 inside it. The recess CN of the second part VP2 has, for example, an inner circumferential wall CN1 and a bottom surface CN2, and is provided concavely on the upper end surface of the second part VP2. The recess CN also has, for example, an engagement hole CN3 provided concavely in the bottom surface CN2 to engage with the tip portion of the protrusion CV of the first part VP1.

[0018] The engagement hole CN3 of the second part VP2 has a shape and dimensions corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the protrusion CV of the first part VP1, and engages snugly with the tip portion of the protrusion CV of the first part VP1 with a predetermined dimensional tolerance. As shown in Figure 3, the tip portion of the protrusion CV of the first part VP1 is engaged with the engagement hole CN3 of the recess CN of the second part VP2, and the bottom surface of the first part VP1 is brought into contact with the top surface of the second part VP2.

[0019] In the state shown in this Figure 3, a space for accommodating the seal member SM is formed between the outer peripheral wall CV1 of the convex portion CV of the first component VP1 and the inner peripheral wall CN1 of the concave portion CN of the second component VP2. More specifically, a space for accommodating the seal member SM is formed by the bottom surface of the first component VP1 and the outer peripheral wall CV1 of the convex portion CV, and the inner peripheral wall CN1 and the bottom surface CN2 of the concave portion CN of the second component VP2.

[0020] Further, the concave portion CN of the second component VP2 has, for example, a through hole TH for inserting a bolt BL or a pin P, or a threaded hole SH for screwing a bolt BL, at a position corresponding to the threaded hole SH or the through hole TH of the first component VP1. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the bolt BL is screwed into the threaded hole SH of the first component VP1 and inserted into the through hole TH of the second component VP2, or inserted into the through hole TH of the first component VP1 and screwed into the threaded hole SH of the second component VP2, or the pin P is inserted into the through holes TH of both. Thereby, the first component VP1 can be fixed to the second component VP2. <000,0089> The seal member SM is disposed between the outer peripheral wall CV1 of the convex portion CV provided on the first component VP1 and the inner peripheral wall CN1 of the concave portion CN provided on the second component VP2 and engaging the convex portion CV of the first component VP1, and seals between the first component VP1 and the second component VP2. The seal member SM is, for example, an elastic hollow ring-shaped member such as a tire tube, and a dilatant fluid DF is enclosed therein.

[0022] The dilatant fluid DF is a mixture of a granular material having dilatancy or shear thickening property and a liquid, and is also called a dilatant fluid or a shear thickening fluid. Dilatancy or shear thickening property is a property that exhibits fluidity for slow deformation and behaves solidly for rapid deformation. For example, by adding water as a liquid to the granular material arrowroot powder, the dilatant fluid DF can be obtained.

[0023] When producing the dilatant fluid DF using arrowroot powder as the powder and water as the liquid, the mixing ratio obtained by dividing the weight of arrowroot powder by the weight of water can be adjusted to be between 1.45 and 1.6. The dilatant fluid DF obtained by mixing arrowroot powder and water within the above range was put into a bag, formed into a sheet shape, placed on a steel plate, and an impact was applied to the dilatant fluid DF using a DuPont impact tester to compare and verify the dent on the steel plate. As a result, the dent on the steel plate decreased as the above mixing ratio increased. Also, when the mixing ratio of arrowroot powder and water was 1.6, the dent on the steel plate with the dilatant fluid DF placed thereon was reduced by approximately 80% compared to the dent on the steel plate without the dilatant fluid DF placed thereon.

[0024] Hereinafter, the operation of the joining structure JC of the vehicle part VP of the present embodiment will be described.

[0025] As part of the circular economy, for example, vehicle parts VP such as the body B are divided into a plurality of parts including an upper body UPB and an underbody UNB, and it has been considered to make the underbody UNB, which is a part of the plurality of parts, common among a plurality of vehicle models. By making the underbody UNB common among a plurality of vehicle models in this way, the number of parts that need to be newly manufactured can be reduced. Also, the underbody UNB that is shared can be reused, and the circular economy can be improved.

[0026] However, when dividing vehicle parts VP such as the body B into a plurality of parts including a first part VP1 such as an upper body UPB and a second part VP2 such as an underbody UNB, a new joint JP occurs between the divided first part VP1 and second part VP2. This new joint JP requires both a sealing property to prevent intrusion of water and the like and an impact resistance that can withstand impacts that may occur due to collisions and the like.

[0027] In contrast, the joining structure JC of the vehicle part VP of this embodiment, which joins the first part VP1 and the second part VP2, is characterized by the following configuration. In the joining structure JC of the vehicle part VP, a sealing member SM containing a dilatant fluid DF is placed between the outer peripheral wall CV1 of the convex portion CV provided on the first part VP1 and the inner peripheral wall CN1 of the recess CN provided on the second part VP2 that engages with the convex portion CV of the first part VP1.

[0028] Thus, according to the joining structure JC of the vehicle part VP of this embodiment, by sandwiching a sealing member SM between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2, high sealing performance that prevents the intrusion of water and other substances can be achieved. Furthermore, by sealing a dilatant fluid DF in the sealing member SM placed between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2, the impact applied to the joint JP between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 can be mitigated by the dilatant fluid DF. Therefore, the impact resistance of the joining structure JC of the vehicle part VP that joins the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 can be improved.

[0029] Furthermore, because sealing performance is ensured by the sealing member SM, there is no need to apply sealant to the joint JP between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2. This not only simplifies the vehicle manufacturing process and improves productivity, but also eliminates the need to remove the sealant when reusing the second part VP2. In addition, since no step is formed at the joint JP between the first part VP1 and the second part VP2 due to the application of sealant, the aesthetic appearance of the joint JP is improved.

[0030] Furthermore, since the dilatant fluid DF sealed in the sealing member SM ensures the impact resistance of the joint structure JC of the vehicle part VP, it becomes unnecessary to attach steel plate reinforcement to areas with low strength, such as the inside of the recess CN of the second part VP2, thereby improving productivity. As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a joint structure JC of a vehicle part VP that can achieve both the high sealing performance and excellent impact resistance required for the joint JP of the vehicle part VP.

[0031] While embodiments of the vehicle component joining structure according to this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and any design changes, etc., that do not depart from the gist of this disclosure are included in this disclosure. For example, a recess CN may be provided in the upper body UPB, and a protrusion CV may be provided in the underbody UNB. In this case, the underbody UNB becomes the first component VP1, and the upper body UPB becomes the second component VP2. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] CN recess CN1 Inner peripheral wall CV convex CV1 outer wall DF Dilatant Fluid JC joint structure SM sealing material VP Vehicle Parts VP1 Part 1 VP2 Part 2

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle component joining structure that joins a first component and a second component, The first component is provided with a protrusion, The second part is provided with a recess having an engagement hole for engaging the tip portion of the protrusion, With the tip portion of the protrusion engaged with the engagement hole, the first part is fixed to the second part by a bolt inserted from a direction intersecting the protruding direction of the protrusion through a through hole formed in the recess and screwed into a threaded hole formed in the tip portion of the protrusion. With the tip portion of the protrusion engaged with the engagement hole, a ring-shaped space is formed between the outer circumferential wall of the base portion of the protrusion and the inner circumferential wall of the recess due to the stepped shape formed along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential wall of the recess. A vehicle component joining structure characterized in that a ring-shaped sealing member containing a dilatant fluid is arranged in the aforementioned space.

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