Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Patent
1993-05-11
1994-09-13
Pape, Joseph D.
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
296194, 296 29, 296189, B62D 2520
Patent
active
053462769
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD
The present invention concerns improvements relating to a front-end bearing structure for the bodywork of a motor vehicle and more particularly, but not exclusively passenger vehicles.
BACKGROUND
The familiar front-end bearing structure for a passenger car bodywork typically comprises a pair of generally horizontal bottom front longitudinal bearers disposed spaced apart along opposite sides of the vehicle body. Each front longitudinal bearer has an upright bearer mounted along an upper surface thereof for supporting a suspension strut mount at a spaced distance above its respective front longitudinal bearer.
The individual bearer members of the front-end bearing structure of the type described above are typically fabricated from sheet metal parts. The hollow-section bearers, for example, are made from at least two deep-drawn metal sheets which are welded together. The suspension strut mounts, also made from sheet metal parts, are embedded in the bell structure of deep-drawn wheel housings in accordance with the conventional practice. The wheel housings consist of open sheet metal shells which are connected to the underside of the longitudinal bearers. Applied force is guided across the sheet metal elements as thrust walls.
In addition, in the known designs, an auxiliary frame is fastened to the bottom front longitudinal bearers forwardly of the suspension strut mounts to form a compound bearer having front screw fastening points for securing an additional assembly thereto, such as, for example, a front bumper assembly. The result is that the suspension strut mount is a heavily loaded and heavily stressed part of the body structure.
In the conventional sheet metal front end bearing structural designs of the prior art, costly reinforcement measures are needed to achieve the requisite rigidity and stiffness for the bearing structure in this region. Also, the desired bearing structure must ensure a stable support for mounting an auxiliary frame on the bottom longitudinal bearers at the front screw fastening points of the auxiliary frame. This is especially important in order to pass the required crash tests.
The steel sheets used to construct such self-supporting vehicle bodyworks are typically shaped in a deep drawing process. While the dies used for shaping the steel sheets are relatively expensive, they do provide a cost-favorable solution for mass production since they permit large production runs. However, in view of the high investment costs for all the required dies, the aforesaid process is very cost-intensive for smaller production runs.
A more cost-favorable solution for small production runs is known, for example, from European Patent document EP 0 146 716 wherein it is disclosed a vehicle body for a passenger car having a bearing structure comprising of hollow section frame members which are joined together by node connector elements. The hollow section frame members are formed as extruded aluminum sections and the node connector elements are formed as light metal cast pieces. In addition to being a more cost-favorable solution for small production runs, the aluminum bodywork disclosed in EP 0 146 716 is lighter in weight and is more resistant to corrosion than a sheet metal bodywork.
However, the suspension strut mount as well as its support on its respective longitudinal bearer for this design are also fabricated from sheet metal parts in a manner similar to the conventional all sheet metal self-supporting bodywork as described above. Accordingly, similar costly reinforcement measures must also be taken to ensure adequate rigidity and stiffness of the bearing structure in this case.
From Japanese patent document JP-A-2246 877 there is disclosed a reinforced front wheel apron and suspension strut mount arrangement designed as a self-supporting sheet metal structure for improving the rigidity in a front engine compartment in a vehicle bodywork. The reinforced front wheel apron comprises two portions including a first inward portion having a U-shaped cross section and a flat plate-like out
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Enning Norbert
Kreis Gundolf
Reiter Karl
Timm Heinrich
Audi AG
Dulin Jacques M.
Pape Joseph D.
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