FR3084871A1 - VEHICLE BODY PART, ASSEMBLY OF VEHICLE BODY PARTS, AND VEHICLE BODY STRUCTURE - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem to Solve] Provide a vehicle body part which is advantageous in terms of design and production costs while ensuring resistance to axial compressive load, an assembly of vehicle body parts and a vehicle body structure comprising vehicle body parts and which is also advantageous for ensuring resistance against the simultaneous application of the axial compression load and a bending load. [Solution] A vehicle body part (4) for a cross member comprises: an upper surface portion (40) extending in a direction of the longitudinal axis; a pair of side surface portions (41) extending downward continuously from both sides of the upper surface portion and extending in the axial direction; and a pair of flange portions (45) extending laterally continuously from lower ends of the pair of side surface portions and extending in the axial direction, in which a distance (4w) between the flange portions is constant along the axial direction, each of the lateral surface portions comprises a stepped portion (42) extending in the axial direction in an intermediate portion in a direction along the height, and comprises an upper lateral surface portion ( 44) and a lower side surface portion (43) separated by the shouldered portion, the shouldered portion (42) includes a narrowing segment having a width progressively narrowing towards an end side in the axial direction, and a width of the upper surface portion and a distance between the upper side surface portions The sides of the pair of side surface portions gradually increase in a segment corresponding to the segment narrowing in the axial direction.

Description

Description

Title of the invention: VEHICLE BODY PART, ASSEMBLY OF VEHICLE BODY PARTS, AND VEHICLE BODY STRUCTURE Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to vehicle body parts, vehicle body part assemblies , and vehicle body structures provided therewith.

PRIOR ART [0002] Document Patent 1 describes a vehicle body element for a motor vehicle in which stepped beads having the shape of steps are formed on the wall surfaces of the two vertical walls so as to extend over a length. whole longitudinal thereof forming a gradually changing portion which changes gradually and continuously in a direction of the longitudinal axis from a front end side of collision to a rear end side of collision in the direction of l longitudinal axis to make a cross section perpendicular to an axis on the rear collision end side wider than a cross section perpendicular to an axis on the front collision end side.

However, such a vehicle body element has the problem that a gradually changing shape affects the aesthetics of a mounting surface on one side of the vehicle body, which can lead to increased production costs. Furthermore, when a support or the like is attached to this element, the element can receive not only an axial compression load, but also a bending load on a portion on which the support is mounted. When such loads in two directions are exerted simultaneously, the collision front end side having a smaller cross section may be subject to rapid collapse of a cross section due to the bending load applied to it, and therefore, it is feared that an effect of the widened cross-section on the rear end end of the collision cannot be demonstrated.

Technical problem [0004] Given the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle body part which is advantageous in terms of design and production costs while guaranteeing resistance to the axial compression load. , an assembly of vehicle body parts and a vehicle body structure comprising the vehicle body part and which is also advantageous for ensuring resistance against the simultaneous application of the axial compressive load and the bending load.

Technical solution In order to solve the problem described above, the present invention provides a vehicle body part for a crossmember to be joined to a floor panel of a vehicle body, comprising:

a portion forming an upper surface extending in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the part;

a pair of side surface portions extending continuously from both sides of the top surface portion and extending in the axial direction; and a pair of flange portions extending laterally continuously from lower ends of the pair of side surface portions and extending in the axial direction, in which a distance between the flange portions is constant throughout the axial direction, each of the lateral surface portions comprises a stepped portion extending in the axial direction in an intermediate portion in a direction along the height, and comprises an upper lateral surface portion and a lower lateral surface portion separated by the shouldered portion, the shouldered portion includes a narrowing segment having a width narrowing progressively toward an end side in the axial direction, and a width of the upper surface portion and a distance between the upper side surface portions of the pair of port ions forming lateral surfaces gradually increases in a segment corresponding to the segment narrowing in the axial direction.

The present invention also provides an assembly of vehicle body parts comprising: a cross member including the vehicle body part; and a support joined adjacent to an end portion of the cross member, wherein the support comprises a tab portion extending upward from the upper surface portion of the cross member, and a mounting portion for mounting a separate piece placed on an upper end of the leg portion.

Advantages provided [0007] According to the vehicle body part of the present invention with the configuration described above, while the resistance against the axial compression force is maintained by an increase in effective width relative to the axial compression load produced by the provision of the shouldered portion and by an enlargement of the cross section achieved by the provision of the narrowing segment in the shouldered portion, the cross-sectional shape of a part comprising the portion forming the lower lateral surface and the lower portion of that and the distance between flange portions which serve as junction portions with respect to the floor panel of the vehicle body are constant in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the versatility of the vehicle body part is maintained and a design change on the side of the vehicle body and an increase in production costs associated therewith can be avoided.

In addition, in the body parts of the vehicle according to the assembly of the present invention, the support joined adjacent to said end portion of the cross member is included. Therefore, when an axial compression load is applied, a force component is applied as a downwardly directed bending load via the support. However, at the portion on which the bending load is applied, a force component of the axial compression load acting in the direction of the widening of the portions forming the lateral surfaces of the cross member and a force component of the load bending acting so as to compress the portions forming side surfaces inwards are canceled. Consequently, an effect of suppressing the deformation of the floor cross member is anticipated, which is also advantageous for ensuring resistance against the simultaneous entry of the axial compression load and the bending load.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other characteristics, details and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description below, and on analysis of the appended drawings, in which: Fig.l [0010] [ Fig.l] is a perspective view showing a vehicle body structure equipped with a vehicle body part according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. [Fig-2] is a perspective view of a main portion showing a portion on which the vehicle body part according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed;

Fig. 3 [Fig.3] is a side view of a main portion showing a vehicle body part according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 [fig.4] (a) is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 3, (b) is a cross-sectional view along line BB, (c) is a cross-sectional view along line CC, and (d) is a cross-sectional view along line DD;

Fig. [Fig. 5] (a) is a side view of a main portion showing an inlet of an axial load on the body part of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a cross-sectional view along line DD of (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view along line BB of (a).

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a vehicle body structure implementing the vehicle body part according to the present invention as a floor cross member 4. In the drawing, floor panels 10 which define a passenger compartment floor surface are arranged between lateral thresholds 1 extending along the two lateral portions of a vehicle body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle Av and a floor tunnel 2 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle Av in a center in a vehicle width direction L.

The floor sleepers 4, whose direction of the longitudinal axis is a direction of the width of the vehicle L, are joined to an upper surface of the floor panel 10, and extend between the lateral thresholds 1 and the floor tunnel 2. The floor crosspieces 4 are provided laterally symmetrically on the two sides of the floor tunnel 2. However, in FIG. 1, only the floor crosspiece 4 on the right side is shown, and the floor crosspiece on the left side is hidden behind a side portion of the bodywork on the right side.

Figure 2 shows a part in which the floor cross member 4 is installed. On the lateral thresholds 1, only a lateral threshold interior 11 is shown in the drawing. On a lower surface of the floor panel 10, a lateral floor element 3 extends substantially in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle Av so as to cross an extension portion of the floor cross member 4, and a closed cross section is formed between the side floor element 3 and the floor panel 10.

The floor tunnel 2 includes inclined side surfaces 26 on both sides of a planar upper surface 21 and edge portions 12 of the floor panels 10 are superimposed on and joined to flanges 22 extending towards the outside from lower ends thereof in the width direction of the vehicle L to form a closed cross section 20 between the flanges 22 and the edge portions 12.

(Floor cross member as part of the vehicle body) [0021] The floor cross member 4 is a vehicle body structural element having a channel shape produced by press forming a metal plate, such as a steel plate, and in principle, has a uniform hat-shaped cross section in the direction of the longitudinal axis (the direction of the width of the vehicle L in FIG. 2).

In other words, the floor cross member 4 comprises, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, a portion forming an upper surface 40 extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis, a pair of portions forming lateral surfaces 41 extending down continuously from both sides of the upper surface portion 40 and extending in the axial direction, and a pair of flange portions 45 extending laterally continuously from the lower ends of the portions forming lateral surface 41 and extending in the axial direction. The distance between the flange portions 45 is constant (4w) all along the axial direction.

Portions forming lateral surface 41 on both sides of the floor crossmember 4 are provided with shouldered portions 42 extending in the axial direction at the level of intermediate portions in the direction of the height, and are each divided into a upper side surface portion 44 and a lower side surface portion 43 by each of the shoulder portions 42. The upper side surface portions 44 are retracted towards a central side with respect to the lower side surface portions 43 by a value corresponding to the shouldered portion 42, and the distance between the portions forming upper lateral surfaces 44 is less than the distances between the portions forming lower lateral surfaces 43 and between the portions forming flanges 45 consequently.

However, the width of the shouldered portions 42 is not constant over the entire length, and in the example illustrated, each of the shouldered portions 42 has a narrowing segment 42a on one end side in the axial direction, said end side is a junction side to the lateral threshold 1 (11), the narrowing segment 42a gradually narrowing towards the same said end side. As shown in Figure 4 (d), the distance between the upper side surface portions 44 (and the width of the upper surface portion 40) gradually increases in this segment. It will be noted that the width of the shouldered portions 42 is constant in a segment other than the narrowing segment 42a, and that the cross-sectional shape of the floor crosspiece 4 of this segment has a shape shown in FIG. 4 (a).

Note that the shoulder portions 42 between the portions forming upper side surfaces 44 and the portions forming lower side surfaces 43 disappear in an end portion 47 of the floor cross member 4, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 (c ), and the flange portions 45 extending laterally from the lower ends of the portions forming the lower side surfaces 43 continue up to the end portion 47 and form a junction surface with respect to the interior of the lateral threshold 11.

In addition, as shown in Figure 2, at the other end portion 46 of the floor cross member 4, the flange portions 45 continue at the other end portion 46 and form a surface of junction with respect to the lateral surface 26 of the floor tunnel 2. The floor cross member 4 is provided with weight reduction holes 48 in the portions forming lower side surfaces 43 at a substantially intermediate portion in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

(Assembly of Vehicle Body Parts, Support included) The floor cross member 4 having the configuration described above joins the front seat supports 5, 6 produced by press forming a metal plate such as a front steel sheet, and is attached to the vehicle body as a floor cross member assembly. A structure and junction of each of the seat supports 5, 6 will be described below.

First of all, the seat support 5 joined in a position adjacent to said end portion 47 of the floor cross member 4 joined to the lateral threshold 1 (11) comprises leg portions comprising a pair of inclined surfaces 51, 52 extending upward from the upper surface portion 40 of the floor crossmember 4, and a planar mounting portion 50 extending between upper ends of the leg portions. The pair of inclined surfaces 51, 52 has an inclination such that a distance between the lower end portions joined to the upper surface portion 40 of the floor cross member 4 is greater than a distance between the end portions which continue up to the mounting portion 50. Consequently, the seat support 5 has in principle a trapezoidal shape or an inverted V shape as a whole.

The first inclined surface 51 of the seat support 5 located on the side of said end portion 47 of the floor cross member 4 relative to the mounting portion 50, comprises a portion forming a low surface 53 extending so continues from the lower end thereof towards the side of said end portion 47 and side surface portions 55 extending downward continuously from both sides of the bottom surface portion 53 and joined to the portions forming upper lateral surfaces 44 of the floor crossmember 4. The portion forming the bottom surface 53 comprises an extension portion 58 extending beyond said end portion 47 of the floor crossmember 4 and joined to a upper portion of the interior side sill 11.

The second inclined surface 52, located on the opposite side of said end portion 47 relative to the mounting portion 50, comprises a portion forming a bottom surface 54 extending continuously from the lower end of it toward the side of the other end portion 46 and portions forming lateral surfaces 56 extending downward continuously from both sides of the portion forming low surface 54 and joined to the portions forming upper lateral surfaces 44 of the floor cross 4.

Flange portions of lateral surfaces 57 continuous from the portions forming lateral surfaces 55 and portions forming lateral surfaces 56 are formed on the lateral surfaces of the seat support 5, and the flange portions of lateral surfaces 57 guarantee the flexural rigidity of the leg portions (the inclined surfaces 51, 52) and of the mounting portion 50 relative to the bottom surface portions 53, 54, so that the rigidity of the entire seat support 5 is improved.

The seat support 5 configured as described above is spot welded to the portions forming upper side surfaces 44 of the floor cross member 4 at two points 55a, 56b each on the portions forming side surfaces 55, 56, and is spot welded to the upper surface portion 40 of the floor cross member 4 on the portions forming low surfaces 53, 54. A spot welding (resistance welding) is assumed in the example illustrated. However, a junction with other methods such as laser welding can also be implemented.

Then, the seat support 6 joined to the other end portion 46 of the floor cross member 4 has a box shape formed by an inclined surface 61 extending obliquely upward to form the portion forming an upper surface 40 of the floor crossmember 4, a flat mounting portion 60 continues at the upper end of the inclined surface 61, and a pair of continuous side surface forming portions 62 on both sides of the flat mounting portion 60 and at the inclined surface 61.

The seat support 6 further comprises a portion forming a low surface 63 continues at a lower end of the inclined surface 61 and joined to the portion forming the upper surface 40 of the floor cross member 4, lower portions 64 of the portions forming side surfaces 62 continuous at both sides of the bottom surface portion 63 and joined to the top side surface portions 44 of the floor crossmember 4, and a flange portion 65 extending from the edge portions of the mounting portion 60 and portions forming lateral surface 62 and joined to the lateral surface 26 of the floor tunnel 2.

Hereinafter, actions based on the embodiment described will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

As shown in Ligure 5, when an impact load is applied from the side of the vehicle body by the lateral collision or the like, an axial load E is applied from said end portion 47 of the cross member. floor 4 via the side threshold 1.

In this case, as shown in Figure 5 (b), a cross section of the floor cross member 4 is enlarged on the side of said end portion 47 and, in addition, the shouldered portions 42 extending in the axial direction are formed on the the lateral surface portions 41 of the floor cross member 4. Consequently, an effective width (the effective width of Karman) increases, and thus, the resistance against the axial compression load F of the cross member floor 4 is improved, so that a deformation suppression effect can be anticipated.

In contrast, a force component of the axial load F applied from the side of the vehicle body is transmitted via the portion forming the bottom surface 53, the first inclined surface 51, the mounting portion 50, the second inclined surface 52 , and the bottom surface portion 54 of the seat support 5 and, thus, is also applied as a bending load Fd directed downward from the vicinity of the bottom surface portion 54. In addition, in this case, a load applied from the seat mounted on the seat support 5 or the like via the mounting portion 50 and the second inclined surface 52 also acts as the bending load Fd.

The fact that the cross section of the floor cross member 4 is enlarged on the side of said end portion 47 means, in other words, that the cross section is reduced by moving away from the side of said portion d end 47. Consequently, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a force component Fx in a direction widening the portions forming lateral surfaces 41 of the floor cross member 4 is generated in the vicinity of the portion forming bottom surface 54.

However, when the bending load Fd directed downwards from the vicinity of the portion forming the bottom surface 54, as described above is applied, a force component Fc which compresses the portions forming the lateral surfaces 41 of the cross member floor 4 is generated inwardly as indicated by the reference 41 'in Figure 5 (c), and thus, the force component Fx in the direction of widening of the portions forming the lateral surface 41 described above is canceled. With these actions, an effect of suppressing the deformation of the floor crossmember 4 can be anticipated.

In this way, while the effect of improving the resistance to the axial compression load F is achieved thanks to the widening of the cross section on the side of said end portion 47 and an increase in the effective width by the presence of the shoulder portions 42, the distance between the flange portions 45, which correspond to the junction portions with respect to the floor panel 10, is constant over the entire length of the floor cross member 4, and consequently, no change in shape of said end portion 47 is necessary. Therefore, the need for a change in design of the junction portions on the side of the vehicle body such as the floor panel 10 or the side sill 1, as well as an increase in production costs associated therewith may also be avoided.

For example, the floor panel 10 is provided with a projecting portion, beads or the like in an area around the portions forming junctions of the floor cross member 4 in order to improve the surface stiffness. However, since the junction portions (flange portions 45) of the floor cross member 4 are parallel to the width direction of the vehicle L and have a constant width, the complexity of a conformation on the floor panel 10 is avoided and the versatility as a vehicle body part is not impaired.

Note that the floor cross 4 of the embodiment described above has been described for a case in which the narrowing segment 42a of the shoulder portions 42 is provided in the area in which the seat support 5 is installed. However, the narrowing segment 42a can reach the side of the other end portion 46 beyond the area in which the seat support 5 is installed.

In addition, a starting point of the narrowing segment 42a can be said end portion 47 of the floor cross member 4, and can be an intermediate point between the portions forming lateral surfaces 55, 56 of the seat support 5. In addition, a narrowing segment in which the width of the shoulder portions 42 is reduced towards the side of the other end portion 46 can be provided.

In the embodiment described above, the case in which the seat support 5 is formed in trapezoidal or inverted V shape comprising the pair of inclined surfaces 51, 52 has been described. However, the seat support 5 can be configured as a box-like support in the same way as the seat support 6 on the side of the other end portion 46. In addition, the seat support 6 can be configured as support having a trapezoidal shape or an inverted V shape in the same way as the seat support 5.

In addition, a configuration in which the seat support 6 is supplied separately from the floor cross member 4 can also be implemented, and the floor cross member assembly consists only of the floor cross member 4 and the seat support 5.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described thus far, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes may be made based on the ideas techniques of the present invention.

List of reference signs 1 lateral threshold floor tunnel side element of floor floor cross member (cross member)

5, 6 seat support (support) floor panel portion forming upper surface portion forming lateral surface shoulder portion

42a shrinking segment lower side surface portion upper side surface portion flange portion mounting portion first inclined surface (leg portion) second inclined surface (leg portion)

53, 54 portion forming low surface

55, 56 portion forming lateral surface

List of documents cited Patent documents For any useful purpose, the following patent document is cited:

- [Patent Document 1] JP 5534966 B2.

Claims (1)

[Claim 1] [Claim 2] [Claim 3] claims A vehicle body portion for a cross member to be joined to a floor panel of a vehicle body, comprising: an upper surface portion extending in a direction of longitudinal axis; a pair of side surface portions extending continuously from both sides of the top surface portion and extending in the axial direction; and a pair of flange portions extending laterally continuously from lower ends of the pair of side surface portions and extending in the axial direction, in which a distance between the flange portions is constant throughout the axial direction; and in which each of the lateral surface portions comprises a shoulder portion extending in the axial direction in an intermediate portion in a direction along the height, and comprises an upper lateral surface portion and a lower lateral surface portion separated by the portion stepped, the stepped portion includes a narrowing segment having a width narrowing progressively towards one side of an end portion in the axial direction, and a width of the upper surface portion and a distance between the surface portions upper side of the pair of side surface portions gradually increases in a segment corresponding to the segment narrowing in the axial direction. A vehicle body part assembly comprising: a cross member comprising the vehicle body part according to claim 1; and a support joined adjacent to said end portion of the cross member, wherein the support comprises a leg portion extending upward from the upper surface portion of the cross member, and a mounting portion for mounting a separate part placed on an upper end of the leg portion. The assembly of vehicle body parts according to claim 2, wherein the leg portion of the support comprises a first inclined surface located on the side of said end portion of the cross member relative to the mounting portion and a second surface [Claim 4] [Claim 5] [Claim 6] inclined located on a side opposite to said end portion, and the first and second inclined surfaces have an inclination such that a distance between joined portions of lower ends the upper surface portion of the cross member is greater than a distance between the upper end portions continuous with the mounting portion. The assembly of vehicle body parts according to claim 3, wherein each of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the support comprises a bottom surface portion joined to the top surface portion of the cross member and surface portions lateral joined to the upper surface portions of the crosspiece continuously from both sides of the lower surface portion. The vehicle body assembly according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the narrowing segment of the shouldered portion of the cross member extends from said end portion in the axial direction or near the end portion on a segment comprising the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the support in the axial direction. A vehicle body structure, wherein the assembly of vehicle body parts as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 is joined to a floor panel at the pair of flange portions such that a direction of the longitudinal axis of the cross member is oriented in a direction of the width of the vehicle, joined to a vehicle body chassis extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle at a said end portion of the cross member in the axial direction, and joined to a side surface of a floor tunnel at the other end portion in the axial direction.