JP2004168289A - Cross member and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cross member wherein a part to particularly require strength is constituted in high strength, and excellent recyclability is realized. <P>SOLUTION: This cross member 1 is arranged along a vehicle width direction of a vehicle body and has both ends fixed to a side skeleton structural body of the vehicle body. The member 1 is integrally constituted of a base frame 2 extending in the vehicle width direction and reinforcing frame parts 3 and 4 to cover an outer periphery of the base frame 2 in a partial range of the vehicle width direction of the base frame 2. All of the base frame 2 and the reinforcing frame parts 3 and 4 are formed by each of the same system resin materials. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

    The present invention relates to a cross member arranged as a frame structure in a vehicle width direction of a vehicle body, and a method of manufacturing the same.

  For example, the cross member arranged on the back side of the instrument panel of the vehicle body and in the vehicle width direction has its both ends fixed to the side frame structure of the vehicle, and functions as a frame structure in the vehicle width direction. It mainly serves as a support member for components such as the instrument panel, column shaft and airbag. Conventional cross members of this type include those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (for example, see Patent Document 1).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cross member 50 is integrally formed of a main frame 51 extending in the vehicle width direction and a bracket 52 fixed at an appropriate position such as both ends of the main frame 51. The main frame 51 is made of a fiber reinforced thermosetting resin material, and the bracket 52 is made of a fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin material. The main frame 51 includes a frame main body 51a having a hollow portion 53 therein, and an endothelial layer 51b and a skin layer 51c disposed on the inner surface and the outer surface, respectively. The inner layer 51b and the skin layer 51c are formed of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material, like the bracket 52. In other words, the cross member 50 is made of a resin material, and the hollow portion 53 of the main frame 51 is made of an air-conditioning duct. And so on.
JP-A-8-282333, page 1, FIG.

  However, the above-described conventional cross member 50 has a problem that a portion that requires particularly high strength cannot be configured with high strength as compared with other portions. For example, in the case of the cross member 50 disposed on the back side of the instrument panel of the vehicle body, the portion supporting the column shaft and the like need to be configured with particularly high strength.

  Further, since the main frame 51 and the bracket 52 are formed of different types of resin materials, there is a problem that recyclability is poor. Furthermore, since the main frame 51 itself is formed of two different types of resin materials, there is a problem in recyclability also in this regard.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cross member that can be configured with high strength in a portion particularly requiring strength, and that is excellent in recyclability and a method for manufacturing the same.

  A first feature of the present invention is a base member extending along the vehicle width direction in a cross member arranged along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body and having both ends fixed to a side frame structure of the vehicle body; A gist that a part of the width direction and a reinforcing frame portion that covers the outer periphery of the base frame are integrally formed, and the base frame and the reinforcing frame portion are respectively formed of the same resin material. I do.

  According to a second feature of the present invention, in a method for manufacturing a cross member arranged along a vehicle width direction of a vehicle body and having both ends fixed to a side frame structure of the vehicle body, a base frame extending in the vehicle width direction is formed by resin molding. The gist is that the reinforcing frame portion is integrally formed by molding and enclosing a part of the formed base frame in the vehicle width direction with the same system resin material as the base frame.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the portion covered with the reinforcing frame becomes a two-layer structure of the base frame and the reinforcing frame, higher strength can be obtained as compared with other portions. In the case of disassembly for recycling, since the base frame and the reinforcing frame portion are made of the same resin, they can be disassembled by a common recycling process or the like. As described above, a portion particularly requiring strength can be configured with high strength, and is excellent in recyclability.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the portion covered with the reinforcing frame becomes a two-layer structure of the base frame and the reinforcing frame, higher strength can be obtained as compared with other portions. In the case of disassembly for recycling, since the base frame and the reinforcing frame are made of the same resin, they can be disassembled by a common recycling process. For this reason, a portion particularly requiring strength can be configured with high strength, and is excellent in recyclability.

  Hereinafter, a cross member and a method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of the cross member 1, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base frame 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3, 4, illustrating a manufacturing process of the cross member 1. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cross member 1 includes a base frame 2 disposed on a back side of an instrument panel (not shown) of a vehicle body and in a vehicle width direction, and a vehicle of the base frame 2. A first reinforcing frame portion 3 arranged in the range of the driver's seat in the width direction and covering the outer periphery of the base frame 2, and only one end portion on the opposite side to the first reinforcing frame portion 3, and It is constituted integrally with the second reinforcing frame part 4 arranged so as to cover the outer periphery.

  The base frame 2 has a cylindrical shape having a hollow portion 2a inside, and openings 2b communicating with the hollow portion 2a are provided on the side peripheral surfaces at both ends. A hollow pipe 2a is used as a part of an air conditioning duct by connecting a duct pipe (not shown) to each of the openings 2b. A duct bracket and a component mounting bracket (not shown) for fixing an air conditioning duct (not shown) are provided at a substantially central portion of the base frame 2 in the vehicle width direction.

  The first reinforcing frame portion 3 is integrally provided with a side bracket portion 5, a column shaft bracket portion 6, a vehicle body fastening bracket portion 7, a support bracket portion 8, and the like. The side bracket part 5 is provided at one end of the first reinforcing frame part 3 and is fixed to one side skeleton structure (not shown) of the vehicle body. A column shaft 11 is fixed to the column shaft bracket 6 via a mating bracket 10. A vehicle body frame (not shown) and the like are fixed to the vehicle body fastening bracket 7. The support bracket 8 is provided on the other end of the first reinforcement frame 3, and the upper end of the instrument stay 12 as a support member is fixed. The lower end of the instrument stay 12 is fixed to the structure of the vehicle body, and the first reinforcing frame 3 is fixed to the vehicle body at both ends.

  The second reinforcing frame portion 4 is provided with only a side bracket portion 9 at one end thereof, and is fixed to the other side frame structure (not shown) of the vehicle body with the side bracket portion 9.

  With the configuration described above, both ends of the cross member 1 are fixed to the side frame structure (not shown) of the vehicle body, and are fixed to the vehicle body via the instrument stay 12 at the center portion.

  Next, materials of the base frame 2 and the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 will be described. The base frame 2 and the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are formed of an engineering plastic (hereinafter, referred to as engineering plastic) material that is a resin material of the same system. Specifically, the base frame 2 is formed of an engineering plastic material containing 15 to 50% of a glass fiber having a flexural modulus of 10 GPa or more when absolutely dried and a flexural modulus of 5 GPa or more when absorbing water. This engineering plastic material includes polypropylene (PP), nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 12, or aromatic nylon, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene oxide (modified PPO), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), liquid crystalline polyester (LCP), polyimide ( PI), SMC, polyester, etc., or a mixture thereof is used. As the reinforcing material (filler), besides glass fiber, talc, carbon fiber, Kevlar fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber (stainless steel, etc.), natural fiber (rice hull, coconut shell, kenaf) or a mixture thereof is used. May be used.

  The first and second reinforcing frame portions 3, 4 are formed of an engineering plastic material containing 30% or more of a carbon fiber having a flexural modulus of 25 GPa or more when absolutely dried and a flexural modulus of 10 GPa or more when absorbing water, The base frame 2 is made of a material having higher rigidity. As described above, the engineering plastic materials include polypropylene (PP), nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 12, or aromatic nylon, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene oxide (modified PPO), and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). ), Liquid crystalline polyester (LCP), polyimide (PI), SMC, polyester, etc., or a mixture thereof. As the reinforcing material (filler), besides glass fiber, talc, carbon fiber, Kevlar fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber (stainless steel, etc.), natural fiber (rice hull, coconut shell, kenaf) or a mixture thereof is used. May be used.

  Further, as a material for the base frame 2 and the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4, the same type of base polymer may be used from the viewpoint of adhesion between the two and recyclability.

  According to the present embodiment, the portions of the reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 can be configured with very high strength. For this reason, by forming the reinforcing frame 3 on the driver's seat side where the column shaft needs to be fixed, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the steering support side member even though the cross member 1 is formed of resin. In addition, the side bracket can be manufactured with high strength. Further, since both ends of the reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 can be fixed to the skeletal structure of the vehicle body, the strength of the cross member 1 itself is improved, and in particular, the fixing force of the reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 to the vehicle body is increased, and the reinforcement is performed. In-vehicle components supported via the frame portions 3 and 4 can be firmly attached.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the cross member 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the base frame 2 is manufactured by split injection molding and fixing by welding, for example, by vibration welding or ultrasonic welding. Next, the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are formed by injection molding using the base frame 2 as an insert product. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the cross member 1 is manufactured by additionally molding the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 by injection molding.

  As described above, the cross member 1 manufactured by the above manufacturing method has a two-layer structure of the base frame 2 and the first and second reinforcing frames 3, 4 covered by the first and second reinforcing frames 3, 4. Therefore, a higher strength can be obtained as compared with other portions. In particular, the driver's seat side of the cross member 1 has a two-layer structure with the first reinforcing frame 3, and the first reinforcing frame 3 is provided with the column shaft bracket 6, so that it is firmly supported by the column shaft 11 and the like. Have been. Further, when disassembling the cross member 1 for recycling, since the base frame 2 and the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are made of the same resin, they can be disassembled by a common recycling process or the like. is there. As described above, a portion particularly requiring strength can be configured with high strength, and is excellent in recyclability.

  In the above embodiment, since the hollow portion 2a of the base frame 2 is used as an air conditioning duct, the number of components of the air conditioning duct is reduced and the number of assembly steps is reduced. Further, the hollow portion 2a of the base frame 2 may be used as a wiring harness wiring space.

  In the above-described embodiment, since the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are formed of a material having higher rigidity than the base frame 2, the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are located at different positions. Can be configured with very high strength. Therefore, the column shaft 11 and the like can be reliably supported.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the base frame 2 and the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are both formed of an engineering plastic material. Of course, it may be formed of a material.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are provided on both end sides of the base frame 2, respectively, and the reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 are attached to the side frame structure of the vehicle body (see FIG. (Not shown), the side brackets 5 and 9 are provided, so that the side brackets 5 and 9 can be manufactured with high strength, and can be firmly fixed to the side frame structure (not shown) of the vehicle body. .

  In the above-described embodiment, since the support bracket 8 for fixing the instrument stay 12 is provided at the other end of the first reinforcing frame 3, both ends of the first reinforcing frame 3 are connected to each other. Since the cross member 1 itself can be fixed to the skeletal structure (not shown) of the vehicle body, the strength of the cross member 1 itself increases, and in particular, the fixing force of the first reinforcing frame portion 3 to the vehicle body increases, and the first reinforcing frame portion The in-vehicle parts (for example, the column shaft 11) supported via the support 3 can be firmly attached.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the base frame 2 is manufactured by split injection molding, so that the base frame 2 having a complicated shape can be easily manufactured. The base frame 2 may be manufactured by a molding method other than the split injection molding, for example, extrusion molding, blow molding, lost core, or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first and second reinforcing frame portions 3 and 4 generally insert a part of the base frame 2 and press-inject a fluid material into a closed mold. Although the example of manufacturing by injection molding was shown, for example, by a type of injection molding, injection compression molding to apply compression after injecting the material into a slightly open mold, molding by injection press molding, etc. The first and second reinforcing frame portions 3, 4 can be injection-cast without applying a large injection pressure to the base frame 2.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the cross member 1 is arranged on the back side of the instrument panel (not shown) of the vehicle body and in the vehicle width direction. The present invention is applicable as long as it is installed at a location and it is desired to configure a partial range with high strength.

  In particular, in the above-described embodiment, a base frame having a complicated shape can be easily manufactured. In addition, the reinforcing frame portion can be injection-molded without applying a large injection pressure to the base frame to be inserted, and the portion of the reinforcing frame portion can be configured with extremely high strength.

  Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes accompanying the gist of the configuration are possible.

It is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a cross member concerning the present invention. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1 and (b) is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a base frame for explaining a manufacturing process of the cross member according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows the embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view of the first and second reinforcing frame portions, for explaining a manufacturing process of the cross member. It is a perspective view of a cross member showing a conventional example. It is an enlarged view of the C section of FIG.

Explanation of reference numerals

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cross member 2 base frame 2a hollow portion 2b opening 3 first reinforcing frame portion 4 second reinforcing frame portion 5, 9 side bracket portion 6 column shaft bracket portion 7 vehicle body fastening bracket portion 8 support bracket portion 11 Column shaft 12 Instrument stay (support member)

Claims (24)

In a cross member (1) arranged along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body and having both ends fixed to the side frame structure of the vehicle body,
A base frame (2) extending in the vehicle width direction, and reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) covering a part of the base frame (2) in the vehicle width direction and covering the outer periphery of the base frame (2). A cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) and the reinforcing frame portions (3), (4) are each formed of the same resin material. The cross member (1) according to claim 1, wherein
The cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are formed of a material having higher rigidity than the base frame (2). The cross member (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) and the reinforcing frame portions (3), (4) are both formed of an engineering plastic material. The cross member (1) according to claim 1, wherein
The cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) is formed of a resin material containing a reinforcing material. The cross member (1) according to claim 1, wherein
The cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are formed of a resin material containing a reinforcing material. A cross member (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein
The reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are provided on both end sides of the base frame (2), respectively, and the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are fixed to a side frame structure of a vehicle body. A cross member (1) characterized in that side members (5) and (9) are provided. Cross member (1) according to claim 6, wherein:
A cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame (3) is provided with brackets (6), (7) and (8). The cross member (1) according to claim 1, wherein
The cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) has a hollow portion therein and functions as a part of an air conditioning duct. The cross member (1) according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein
The cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing material contains at least one of glass fiber, talc, carbon fiber, Kevlar fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber, and natural fiber. The cross member (1) according to claim 4, wherein
A cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing material contains 15 to 50% of a glass fiber having a flexural modulus of 10 GPa or more when absolutely dried and a flexural modulus of 5 GPa or more when absorbing water. The cross member (1) according to claim 5, wherein
A cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing material contains 30% or more of a carbon fiber having a flexural modulus of 25 GPa or more when absolutely dried and a flexural modulus of 10 GPa or more when absorbing water. The cross member (1) according to claim 7, wherein:
The cross member (1), wherein the bracket part includes a support bracket part (8) for fixing a support member (12). In a method for manufacturing a cross member (1) arranged along the vehicle width direction of a vehicle body and having both ends fixed to a side frame structure of the vehicle body,
A base frame (2) extending in the vehicle width direction is formed by resin molding, and a part of the formed base frame (2) in the vehicle width direction is cast-in with a resin material of the same system as the base frame (2). A method of manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are integrally formed. The method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to claim 13,
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) is manufactured by injection molding. A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are manufactured by insert molding a part of the base frame (2). A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein:
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are formed of a material having higher rigidity than the base frame (2). A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein:
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) and the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are both formed of an engineering plastic material. A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein:
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) is formed of a resin material containing a reinforcing material. A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein:
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portions (3) and (4) are formed of a resin material containing a reinforcing material. A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein:
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the base frame (2) has a hollow portion therein and functions as a part of an air conditioning duct. A method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to claim 18 or claim 19,
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing material contains at least one of glass fiber, talc, carbon fiber, Kevlar fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber, and natural fiber. The method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to claim 18, wherein
The method for producing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing material contains 15 to 50% of a glass fiber having a flexural modulus of 10 GPa or more when absolutely dried and a flexural modulus of 5 GPa or more when absorbing water. 20. The method for manufacturing a cross member (1) according to claim 19,
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing material contains 30% or more of a carbon fiber having a flexural modulus of 25 GPa or more when absolutely dried and a flexural modulus of 10 GPa or more when absorbing water. A method of manufacturing a cross member (1) according to claim 14,
The method for manufacturing a cross member (1), wherein the reinforcing frame portion is manufactured by injection molding by inserting a part of the base frame.

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