Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-05
2002-11-12
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S199000, C296S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478367
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle body reinforcement structure desirable for improving the rigidity at a connecting portion between closed section structures without welded joints.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since a connecting portion on a vehicle body such as a connecting portion between a roof side portion and a center pillar largely contributes to improving the vehicle body rigidity, the rigidity at the connecting portion is improved by reinforcing the connecting portion.
An example of the reinforcement of a connecting portion on the vehicle body as described above will be explained with reference to
FIGS. 11A and 11B
.
FIGS. 11A and 11B
are perspective views showing how a conventional reinforcement of a connecting portion on the vehicle body is carried out.
FIG. 11A
shows a state in which a pillar side reinforcement plate
104
is placed on a roof side reinforcement plate
103
in such a manner as to form a T-shape and is welded thereon for fixation in the interior of a connecting portion
102
between a roof side portion
100
, which is a closed section structure, and a center pillar
101
, which is also a closed section structure.
FIG. 11B
is a sectional view taken along the line XI—XI in
FIG. 11A
, in which reference numeral
105
denotes an outer panel;
106
: an inner panel;
107
: a roof side rail; and
108
: a roof panel.
In the related art described above, the rigidity at the connecting portion
102
between the roof side portion
100
and the center pillar
101
is improved by assembling and welding the roof side reinforcement plate
103
and the pillar side reinforcement plate
104
together in a T-shaped fashion. In this case, three members such as the inner panel
106
, the roof side reinforcement panel
103
and the roof side rail
107
have to be assembled and welded together, and four members such as the roof side rail
107
, the roof side reinforcement plate
103
, the outer panel
105
and the roof panel
108
have to be assembled and welded together. This makes welding difficult, and reduces the working efficiency and deteriorates the productivity.
In addition, for example, in the event that an external force F is applied to the center pillar
101
from the side, a torsion moment M designated by an arrow acts on the roof side portion
100
with the center pillar
101
acting as an arm.
Although the twisting of the roof side portion
100
is reduced by causing the roof side portion
100
itself and the roof side reinforcement plate
103
to bear the torsion moment M, in order to further improve the vehicle crash safety, steering stability and quietness, it is desired that the torsional rigidity at the roof side portion
100
which constitutes the connecting portion
102
be improved further so as to improve in turn the body rigidity as high as possible.
Additionally, for example, the description in JP-A-1053156 entitled “Interruption, Reinforcement Structure of Hollow Structures, and Interruption, Reinforcement Method” is known as the reinforcement structure for closed section structures as shown in
FIGS. 12A and 12B
.
In
FIGS. 12A and 12B
, a pillar
201
is described in which a synthetic resin reinforcement member
210
including a plurality of reinforcement plates
211
which are connected to each other by connecting pieces
212
,
213
is inserted in a hollow chamber
206
formed between an inner panel
202
and an outer panel
204
, and a foamable base material
221
is inserted between the reinforcement plates
211
,
211
.
In a case where the technique described in this publication is applied to a connecting portion between closed section structures, or, in a case where the technique is used to connect the reinforcement members
210
, since the reinforcement member
210
itself is constituted by the plurality of reinforcement plates
211
and the connecting pieces
212
,
213
, the configuration thereof is very complicated, and therefore it is difficult to form a connecting portion on this reinforcement member
210
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To cope with this, an object of the invention is to provide a vehicle body reinforcement structure which can improve the working efficiency by eliminating welded portions, facilitate the formation of a joint portion and improve the rigidity at a connecting portion where closed section, structures are connected to each other.
With a view to attaining the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle body reinforcement structure for reinforcing a connecting portion where closed section structures such aspillars, roof side portions or the like are connected to each other, the reinforcement structure comprising a first reinforcement material of hard resin disposed in one of the closed section structures, a second reinforcement material of hard resin disposed in the other closed section structure, and a joint portion formed on the first and second reinforcement materials for direct jointing the first and second reinforcement materials.
Welded portions used where reinforcement is effected using sheet steel are eliminated by jointing the first hard resin reinforcement material and the second hard resin reinforcement material which is the same as the first one together at the joint portions. This can improve the working efficiency in reinforcing the connecting portion where the closed section structures are connected together.
In addition, since the first reinforcement material of hard resin is disposed in one of the closed section structures, the second reinforcement material of hard resin is disposed in the other closed section structure, and the joint portion is formed on the first and second reinforcement materials for direct jointing the first and second reinforcement materials, the connecting portion of the closed section structures and the closed section structures themselves become solid, thus increasing the torsional rigidity.
Consequently, the vehicle body rigidity can effectively be improved by improving the rigidity of the connecting portion of the closed section structures which best contributes to the improvement of the vehicle body rigidity.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the joint portion comprises a raised portion formed on the first reinforcement material and a recessed portion formed in the second reinforcement material.
The construction of the joint portion is made simple by constituting the joint portion by the raised portion on the first reinforcement material and the recessed portion in the second reinforcement material. This facilitates the production of the first and second reinforcement materials and hence reduces the production cost thereof.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the joint portion each comprises a plurality of ribs with a foamable resin inserted between the ribs which are adjacent to each other.
The resin inserted in the joint portions expands to fill the space within the connecting portion of the closed section structures. This allows the first and second reinforcement materials to be jointed together strongly to thereby improve the rigidity thereat, the rigidity of the vehicle body being thus improved.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1602913 (1926-10-01), Leipert
patent: 4938525 (1990-07-01), Yamauchi
patent: 6073992 (2000-06-01), Yamauchi et al.
patent: 6322135 (2001-11-01), Okana et al.
patent: 6328376 (2001-12-01), Son
patent: 58-185376 (1983-10-01), None
patent: 3-32990 (1991-02-01), None
patent: 6-107238 (1994-04-01), None
patent: 10-53156 (1998-02-01), None
Gutman Hilary
Pape Joseph D.
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