JP2009067328A - Automobile body structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automobile body structure capable of reducing bending inputs (bending moments) acting on roof reinforcements upon side collision without increasing manufacturing cost or vehicle body weight. <P>SOLUTION: A gusset mounting surface on a roof side rail 30 is formed as a slant surface slanting downward toward the outside of a vehicle, a gusset mounting surface at an end portion of a roof center reinforcement 22 is formed as a horizontal surface, and a gusset 50 has a slant portion 51 fixed to the slant surface and a horizontal portion 52 disposed laterally inward the slant portion 51 and fixed to the horizontal surface, where the slant portion 51 and the horizontal portion 52 are coupled together via a stepped portion 53 disposed at a position lower than the horizontal portion 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile body structure, and more particularly to a gusset structure for reinforcing a roof center reinforcement.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a roof 100 of a conventional vehicle. A roof reinforcement 110 for reinforcing the roof 100 is disposed below the roof panel 101 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion of the roof 100 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Specifically, the roof reinforcement 110 is an elongated plate-like member, and extends horizontally along the vehicle width direction across the upper ends of the center pillars 120 on the left and right side walls. In the figure, symbol Fr indicates the front of the vehicle, Up indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and LH indicates the left side in the vehicle width direction.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. A gusset 130 is coupled to the end 111 of the roof reinforcement 110. The gusset 130 is also coupled to a roof side rail 140 disposed on the vehicle width outside of the roof reinforcement 110.
The roof side rails 140 are fixed to the left and right edge portions 101A of the roof panel 101, and extend in the vehicle front-rear direction along the edge portions 101A. In the figure, 151 is a side member outer panel constituting the outer panel of the body, and 152 is a center pillar reinforcement. The roof side rail 140 includes a roof side rail outer panel 141 and a roof side rail inner panel 142, and a flange S of each panel is joined to form a closed section S.

  The gusset 130 is fixed to the inclined portion 131 fixed to the inclined surface 142A of the roof side rail 140, and extends horizontally from the upper end of the inclined portion 131 in the vehicle width direction to the end portion 111 of the roof reinforcement 110. And a horizontal portion 132. Bolt insertion holes 131A and 132A are formed in the inclined part 131 and the horizontal part 132, and holes 142B and 111A corresponding to these holes 131A and 132A are formed on the roof side rail inner panel 142 and the roof reinforcement 110, respectively. An end 111 is also formed. The gusset 130 is fixed to the roof side rail 140 and the roof reinforcement 110 by screwing the nut 152 into the bolt 151 passed through the hole.

  Such a gusset 130 not only reinforces the roof reinforcement 110 but also plays a role of transmitting the impact from the center pillar 120 and the roof side rail 140 to the roof reinforcement 110 when another vehicle collides with the side.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle body structure of an automobile in which a gusset is provided so as to connect the roof side rail and the roof reinforcement.
JP 2005-59649 A

  By the way, in the structure shown in FIG. 7, since both ends of the gusset 130 are coupled to the roof side rail 140 and the roof reinforcement 110 by bolt fastening, the roof reinforcement is applied by the force transmitted from the center pillar 120 side at the time of a side collision. In addition to the compression input F1 in the vehicle width direction acting on 110, a bending input F2 for bending the roof reinforcement, that is, a bending moment acts. In particular, in order to reduce deformation due to the bending input F2 of the roof reinforcement 110, it is conceivable to increase the yield strength such as increasing the thickness of the roof reinforcement 110, but there is a problem that the manufacturing cost and the weight of the vehicle body increase.

  The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and provides a vehicle body structure for an automobile that can reduce the bending input that acts on the roof reinforcement at the time of a side collision without increasing the manufacturing cost and the vehicle body weight. It is an object.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a roof center reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the roof panel, and fixed to the left and right edge portions of the roof panel. An automobile comprising: a roof side rail extending in the front-rear direction; and a gusset provided on the lower side of the edge, with one end fixed to the roof side rail and the other end fixed to the end of the roof center reinforcement. The gusset mounting surface on the roof side rail forms an inclined surface that is lowered toward the outside of the vehicle, the gusset mounting surface at the end of the roof center reinforcement forms a horizontal plane, and the gusset is on the inclined surface. An inclined portion that is fixed, and a horizontal portion that is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the inclined portion and is fixed to a horizontal plane. But it is characterized by being formed continuously through a stepped portion provided at a position lower than the horizontal portion.
In the vehicle body structure of the present invention, preferably, a bead having a concave cross section is formed in a streak shape along the vehicle width direction in the horizontal portion.

According to the present invention, when another vehicle has a side collision, when the impact is transmitted from the center pillar and the roof side rail to the gusset, the impact concentrates on the stepped portion. As a result, the gusset bends downward on the inclined portion side with the corner portion as a boundary.
Thus, since the gusset is bent by the impact at the time of a side collision, the impact transmitted to the roof center reinforcement can be reduced. Thereby, it can prevent reliably that a roof center reinforcement bends by the impact at the time of a side collision. Thereby, the occupant's living space can be secured.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figure, Up represents the vehicle upper side, and LH represents the left side in the vehicle width direction.
The vehicle body structure 1 of the present embodiment relates to a structure around a portion where a center pillar and a roof side rail are joined. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a vehicle body structure 1. Taking the vehicle body shown in FIG. The vertical cross section along the vehicle width direction around the region α is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body structure 1 is fixed to a roof center reinforcement 20 extending in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the roof panel 10, and left and right edges 11 of the roof panel 10. A roof side rail 30 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a center pillar 40 having an upper end connected to the roof side rail 30, and an edge portion where the end of the roof center reinforcement 20 is close to the roof side rail 30. 11, and a gusset 50 having one end fixed to the roof side rail 30 and the other end fixed to the end of the roof center reinforcement 20.

The roof panel 10 is a panel member that forms the outer wall of the upper surface of the vehicle body. The left and right edge portions 11 of the roof panel 10 are formed with a wall portion 11A hanging downward and a flange 11B protruding horizontally from the lower end of the wall portion 11A outward in the vehicle width direction.
In the present embodiment, two roof center reinforcements 20 that reinforce the roof panel 10 are provided at intervals in the vertical direction, and the upper roof center reinforcement 21 is more in the vehicle width direction than the lower roof center reinforcement 22. It is formed short.

  The roof side rail 30 includes a roof side rail outer panel 31 and a roof side rail inner panel 32, and the flanges 31 </ b> A, 31 </ b> B, 32 </ b> A, 32 </ b> B of the panels 31, 32 are joined to form a closed section S. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the roof side rail outer panel 31 has a hat-shaped vertical cross-sectional shape, and is disposed on the vehicle body so as to protrude slightly upward in the vehicle width direction. ing. Further, the roof side rail inner panel 32 is stretched over the flanges 31A and 31B and joined to the roof side rail outer panel so as to close an opening between the two flanges 31A and 31B in the roof side rail outer panel 31. The roof side rail inner panel 32 is a flat panel member, and is inclined so as to descend toward the outside of the vehicle.

  The center pillar 40 includes a side member outer panel 41, a center pillar inner panel 42, and a center pillar outer reinforcement 43 that constitute the outer surface of the vehicle body.

A flange 41 </ b> A is formed at the upper end portion of the side member outer panel 41. The flange 41 </ b> A is applied to the lower surface of the end portion 21 </ b> A of the upper roof center reinforcement 21 that is in close contact with the lower surface of the flange 11 </ b> B of the roof panel 10. Further, the flanges 31A and 32A of the roof side rail 30 are applied to the lower surface of the flange 41A. These flanges 11B, 21A, 31A, 32A and 41A are joined by spot welding.
A flange 42A at the upper end of the center pillar inner panel 42 is sandwiched between two flanges 31B and 32B on the lower side of the roof side rail 30. These flanges 31B, 32B, and 42A are joined by spot welding.
The upper end portion 43A of the center pillar outer reinforcement 43 is joined to the outer inclined portion 31C forming the top of the hat-shaped cross section of the roof side rail outer panel 31 by spot welding.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gusset 50 is provided on an inclined portion 51 fixed to the inclined surface of the roof side rail inner panel 32, and on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the inclined portion 51, and the horizontal shape of the roof center reinforcement 22 is provided. And a horizontal portion 52 fixed to the surface.
Further, the present embodiment is characterized in that the inclined portion 51 and the horizontal portion 52 are coupled via a step portion 53 provided at a position lower than the horizontal portion 52. That is, a stepped portion 53 is provided outside the horizontal portion 52 in the vehicle width direction, and an inclined portion 51 is provided outside the stepped portion 53 in the vehicle width direction.
The step portion 53 is a shelf portion 53A that extends horizontally from the upper end of the inclined portion 51 toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a vehicle inner edge of the shelf portion 53A, that is, a position that is higher than the shelf portion 53A from a corner portion 53C described later. And a connecting portion 53B for connecting up to the outer edge of the horizontal portion 52 in the vehicle width direction.
As described above, the gusset 50 is formed from a single panel material by pressing or the like, and the inclined portion 51, the horizontal portion 52, and the step portion 53 are integrally formed.

Bolt insertion holes 51 </ b> A and 52 </ b> A are formed in the inclined portion 51 and the horizontal portion 52 of the gusset 50. Corresponding to these holes 51A and 52A, holes 32C and 22A are also formed in the lower roof center reinforcement 22 and the roof side rail outer panel 31. A nut 92 is screwed into a bolt 91 passed through these holes 32C and 22A, and the gusset 50 is attached to the vehicle body.
In a state where the gusset 50 is attached to the vehicle body, a step portion 53 of the gusset 50, specifically, a shelf portion 53A and a connection portion 53B constituting the step portion 53 are formed in a region below the flange 11B of the roof panel 10. A corner portion 53C is provided.
Further, the gusset 50 has a horizontal portion 52 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with a gap D inwardly in the vehicle width direction from the position of the edge 11 of the roof panel 10 to which the roof side rail 30 and the side member outer panel 41 are coupled. At a distant position, it is connected to the end of the lower roof center reinforcement 22 and is disposed on the vehicle body.

  The vehicle body structure 1 is configured as described above, and when another vehicle has a side collision, when the impact is transmitted from the center pillar 40 and the roof side rail 30 to the gusset 50, stress is concentrated on the stepped portion 53 due to the impact. . As a result, the gusset 50 is bent downward on the inclined portion 51 side at the corner portion 53C.

  Thus, since the gusset 50 is bent by the impact at the time of a side collision, the impact transmitted to the roof center reinforcement 22 can be reduced. Thereby, it can prevent reliably that the roof center reinforcement 22 bends by the impact at the time of a side collision. Therefore, the occupant's living space can be secured.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a gusset 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The gusset 60 projects a base portion 61 formed by bending one panel-like member into a substantially L shape, and a vehicle longitudinal direction intermediate region A1 of the vertical wall portion 61A of the base portion 61 outward in the vehicle width direction. An inclined portion 61B, a step portion 61C formed at the upper end of the inclined portion 61B, and a bead portion 61D formed in a streak shape along the vehicle width direction inside the step portion 61C in the vehicle width direction. ing.
The width W1 of the bead part 61D is set to be narrower than the width W2 of the inclined part and the step part, and horizontal parts 61E are formed at both ends of the bead part 61D. The horizontal portion 61E has a hole 61F through which a bolt is inserted. Bolt insertion holes 61G are also formed in the inclined portion 61B. Therefore, the bolts 91 are passed through the holes 61F and 61G and the holes 32C and 22A provided in the roof center reinforcement 22 and the roof side rail inner panel 32, the nut 92 is screwed, and the gusset 60 is attached to the vehicle body. It is done. The bottom portion 61H of the bead portion 61D is formed at a position higher than the step portion 61C.

When the vehicle having the gusset 60 configured as described above has a side collision, as shown in FIG. 3, the gusset 60 before the collision indicated by the two-dot chain line is indicated by the solid line due to the impact. Then, it bends downward around the corner 61J on the far side of the step 61C. In addition, in FIG. 3, the gusset 60 and the roof side rail inner panel 32 are displayed, and the display of another structural member is abbreviate | omitted.
According to such a gusset 60, the bending input acting on the roof center reinforcement 22, that is, the bending moment, can be reduced by about 48%, as shown in FIG. The gusset 60 compresses the roof center reinforcement 22 in the vehicle width direction, that is, the load along the vehicle width direction acting on the roof center reinforcement 22 is the same as that of the conventional gusset as shown in FIG. Thus, the deformation amount of the roof center reinforcement 22 by the compression input can be made equal to the deformation amount secured by the gusset of the prior art.

  Thus, according to the vehicle body structure provided with the gusset 60 according to the embodiment, while maintaining the same effect on the compression input as the vehicle body structure provided with the conventional gusset without increasing the yield strength of the roof center reinforcement 22, The bending input acting on the roof center reinforcement 22 can be reduced.

In the embodiment, since the bead portion 61D is provided on the back side of the stepped portion 61C and the back side region of the gusset 60 is formed with high rigidity, the gusset 60 is moved to the back side of the stepped portion 61C by an impact at the time of a side collision. It is easy to bend around the corner portion 61J.
As described above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing which shows the vehicle body structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the gusset which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape before and behind the collision of the gusset of FIG. It is a graph which shows the time change of the bending input which acts on a roof center reinforcement in the vehicle body structure provided with the gusset of FIG. It is a graph which shows the time change of the compression input which acts on a roof center reinforcement in the vehicle body structure provided with the gusset of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the roof of the conventional vehicle. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle body structure A1 Vehicle front-back direction intermediate area W1 Width W2 Width 10 Roof panel 11 Edge 11A Wall 11B Flange 20 Roof center reinforcement 21 Roof center reinforcement 21A End 22 Roof center reinforcement 30 Roof side rail 31 Roof side rail outer panel 31 Panel 31A flange 31B flange 31C outer inclined portion 32 roof side rail inner panel 32C hole 40 center pillar 41 side member outer panel 41A flange 42 center pillar inner panel 42A flange 43 center pillar outer reinforcement 43A upper end portion 50 gusset 51 inclined portion 51A hole 52 horizontal portion 53 steps 53A shelf 53B connection 53C corner 60 gusset 61 base 1A Vertical wall portion 61B Inclined portion 61C Stepped portion 61D Bead portion 61E Horizontal portion 61F Hole 61G Hole 61H Bottom portion 61J Corner portion 91 Bolt 92 Nut 100 Roof 101 Roof panel 101A Edge portion 110 Roof reinforcement 111 End portion 120 Center pillar 131 Inclined portion 130 Gusset 130 Part 131A Hole 132 Horizontal part 140 Roof side rail 141 Roof side rail outer panel 142 Roof side rail inner panel 142A Surface 142B Hole 151 Bolt 152 Nut D Gap S Closed section

Claims (2)

A roof center reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the roof panel;
Roof side rails fixed to the left and right edges of the roof panel and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the edges,
A vehicle body structure comprising: a gusset provided on a lower side of the edge, having one end fixed to the roof side rail and the other end fixed to an end of the roof center reinforcement,
The gusset mounting surface of the roof side rail forms an inclined surface that decreases as it goes to the outside of the vehicle.
The gusset mounting surface at the end of the roof center reinforcement has a horizontal plane,
The gusset includes an inclined portion fixed to the inclined surface, and a horizontal portion provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the inclined portion and fixed to the horizontal plane,
The vehicle body structure of an automobile, wherein the inclined portion and the horizontal portion are coupled via a step portion provided at a position lower than the horizontal portion.   The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein a bead having a concave cross section is formed in the horizontal portion along a vehicle width direction.

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