GB2153751A

GB2153751A - Motor vehicle body

Info

Publication number: GB2153751A
Application number: GB08403535A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sabino Leonardovich Damyano; Arkady Vladimirovich Nosov; Georgy Viktorovich Mikhailow
Original assignee: AVTOMOBILNY Z IM LENINSKOGO KO; Avtomobilny Zavod Imeni Leninskogo Komsomola
Current assignee: AVTOMOBILNY Z IM LENINSKOGO KO; Avtomobilny Zavod Imeni Leninskogo Komsomola
Priority date: 1984-02-10
Filing date: 1984-02-10
Publication date: 1985-08-29
Also published as: FR2559730A1; DE3404801A1; GB8403535D0; FR2559730B1; GB2153751B

Abstract

A vehicle body front part includes a front frame (2) and underframe (1) which includes longitudinal girders (3), a floor panel (16) with side carrying elements and wheel arches, the front frame (2) being confined by a cross-piece and a front wall, and provided with a partition (27). The front frame (2) also has side vertical wall structures (30) each of which is adapted to interconnect the partition (27), front wall and middle portion of the wheel arch, each middle portion of the wheel arch being confined by side portions of the partition (27) and connected to the front wall by a flange crimped at an angle and extending toward the lower end of the middle portion of the wheel arch to be connected throughout its length to a flange of the front portion of the floor panel also crimped at an angle and resting in one plane with the upper surface of the girders (3) to form a substantially flat base surface for connecting the front frame (2) to the underframe (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Motor vehicle body This invention relates to motor vehicle engineering, and more particularly to automobile bodyconstructions.

The invention can find applications predominantly in engineering and fabricating automobile bodies, especially where it is necessary to automate and robotize welding processes accompanying the body assembly.

Modern automobile bodies are mostly of an all-metal, integral construction composed, as a rule, of a great number of stamped or punched parts having complex geometry in the form of curvilinear surfaces. Such parts are normally joined together by spot welding techniques requiring a snug contact between mating surfaces to be joined which, due to the complex shape of such parts, is difficult to attain, and it is therefore difficult to provide high accuracy of assembly.

There are known motor vehicle body constructions in which a front body part comprises a front wall, a partition, box girders defining with a floor panel a body underframe and wheel arches; the upper points of attachment of the front suspension shock absorber struts being accommodated in the wheel arches, the lower points belonging to the girders (cf., e.g., U.S. Patents No. 3,753,573, Cl.

280-106.5 and No.3,940,176, Cl. 296-28; and British Patents Nos. 970,809 and 1,003,137, Cl. B7B).

The aforedescribed motor vehicle bodies are assembled by jointing separate parts and components by a resistance spot welding process during which the underframe of the body is connected to the parts and preassembled minor units of the front part thereof.

Inherent in the above body constructions and the methods of assembling associated therewith is a disadvantage residing in high labour consumption and low accuracy of assembly, which is especially pronounced when making use of in the front wheel suspension of telescopic guide struts, since the body elements determining the location where such struts are mounted include various minor subassemblies.

There is also known a motor vehicle body structure bearing the closest resemblance to the one to be described in the present specification. It comprises a front part defined by elements of a front frame and those of an underframe. The front part of the body includes girders interconnected by a cross-beam and comprised of three sections, particularly front, middle one inclined to the horizontal, and rear section joined to a floor panel. The floor panel is connected to side carrying elements of the underframe and has a front portion crimped upwards to form a rear section of a wheel arch, a front portion of each such wheel arch being connected to said midsection of the girders. The front frame is confined by a transverse member and a front wall, and has a partition (cf. British Patent No 1,003,137, Cl,B7B).The abovedescribed body is assembled by jointing separate parts and units thereof by resistance spot welding techniques during which the underframe is connected to the components constituting the front part of the body.

However, because of the complex shape of the parts being joined together and due to a great amount of small-size components overcomplicating their mutual orientation during connection, the aforedescribed body construction is rather labourconsuming and fails to provide sufficient accuracy for mounting front telescopic wheel suspensions.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such a construction of a motor vehicle body as to enable to apply during assembly enlarged unitization techniques.

Another object is to make the techniques employed for assembling a body of a motor vehicle more amenable to welding automation and robotization.

One more object is to simplify assembly operations and make them more accurate.

The aim of the invention is attained by that in a body of a motorvehicle comprising a front part defined by elements of a front frame and those of an underframe which includes longitudinal girders interconnected by a cross-member, each of the girders having a front portion, a middle portion inclined to the horizontal, and a rear portion connected to a floor panel joined to side carrying elements of the underframe, and wheel arches with a front portion of each of the arches connected to said middle portion of each longitudinal girder and a rear portion thereof defined by a front portion of the floor panel crimped upwards, the front frame being confined by a crosspiece and front wall and having a partition, according to the invention, the front frame is provided with side vertical wall structures adapted each to interconnect the partition, front wall and midportion of the wheel arch, each midportion of the wheel arch being confined by side portions of the partition and is connected to the front wall buy a lower flange crimped at an angle and extending toward the lower end of the midportion of the wheel arch to be joined throughout its length with a flange of the floor panel also crimped at an angle and resting in one inclined plane with the upper surface of said girders to form a substantially flat base surface for connecting the front frame to the underframe.

Preferably, the side vertical wall structures are connected to the partition by means of cup-shaped elements made up of two portions, the lower portion of these cup-shaped elements being accommodated in the underframe, the upper portion of the cupshaped elements being disposed in the frontframe.

A substantial advantage of such a vehicle body construction resides in that the front portions of the wheel arches are included in the underframe unit by preconnecting them to the girders prior to connecting the girders to the floor panel, whereas parts and components of the front part of the body forming the front frame are joined together separately into a major unit, subsequent to which the two major units, particularly the underframe and front frame, are connected along a substantially flat or planar base surface.

This enables in the course of putting these units together to make use of certain displacement fully compensating for possible lack of precision in the fabrication of some parts and component, while preserving invariable the major dimensions of the front part of the vehicle body, specifically the geometrical locations of attachment of the telescopic struts of the front suspension. Moreover, this operation has been greatly simplifed by the fact that the cup-shaped elements are made up of the upper and lower parts disposed in the front frame and underframe, respectively, to mate along planar surfaces.

The provision of the flat base surfaces for connecting the front frame to the underframe makes it possible to use less complicated equipment for fixing the body parts and units in jigs, as well as render welding operations more amenable to automation and robotization.

In addition, the motor vehicle body of the proposed construction enables to considerably reduce noise and vibration levels emitted by power plants and other equipment disposable in the front part of the body to thereby assure a more comfortable ride of the assembled automobile.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to various preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a general axonometricview of the front part of an assembled motorvehicle body according to the invention:: Figure 2 is a left-side view of the vehicle body shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an underframe of the front part of the vehicle body according to the invention; Figure 4 is a section taken along the line IV-IV in Figure 3; Figure 5 illustrates a front frame of the vehicle body according to the invention; Figure 6 is a section taken along the line VI-VI in Figure 1; Figure 7is a section taken along the line VII-VII in Figure 3; Figure 8 is a section taken along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 2; Figure 9 is a section taken along the line IX-IX in Figure 2; Figure 10 is a section taken along the line X-X in Figure 1; Figure 11 is a view of the front frame according to Figure 5 with a side vertical wall structure removed; Figure 12 is a section taken along the line XII-XII in Figure 2;; Figure 13 is a section taken along the line XIII-XIII in Figure 11; Figure 14 is a section taken along the line XIV-XIV in Figure 2; and Figure 15 is a section taken along the line XV-XV in Figure 1.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the front part of the body of a motor vehicle according to the invention is comprised of two major assemblies of units particularly an underframe 1 and a front frame 2.

The underframe 1 (Figure 3) comprises box girders 3, each having a front portion 4 (Figure 2), a middle portion 5 inclined to the horizontal, and a rear portion 6. By its front portion 4 the box girders 3 are connected to an inner cross-member 7 (Figure 3).

The front part of a wheel arch, which is made up of two elements - an outer element 8 and an inner element 9 - is connected to the middle inclined portion 5 of the girder 3.

Secured at the top of the front part of the wheel arch is a lower portion 10 of a cup-shaped element for fixing the upper end of a telescopic shock absorber strut of the front suspension (not shown). A bracket 11 arranged in the lower section of the middle portion 5 of the girder 3 is provided for the attachment of the lower end of the front suspension telescopic shock absorber strut. Therefore, the underframe assembly 1 includes upper and low geometrical points, indicated respectively by A and B, for attaching the front suspension telescopic struts to provide for the required accuracy of their positioning.

Connected to the midportion of the wheel arch is a longitudinal side member 12. The rear portion 6 (Figure 2) of the girder 3 having a box-like crosssection opening upwards and defined by the girder 3 per se, side elements 13 and 14 of the bracket 11 (Figure 3), and a longitudinal side member 15 (Figures 2 and 4) is joined to the front portion of a sheet-steel floor panel 16 (Figure 3) provided with a transverse reinforcement member 17 and side carrying elements 18 of boxed cross-section partially enclosed by reinforcement structures 19.

The girder 3 is connected to the side carrying element 18 through a substantially box-like stamped piece 20 joined together with the side element 18 by means of a sheet-steel closure 21 and by its upper flange to the sheet-steel floor panel 16.

The front portions of the floor panel 16 are crimped upwards to form on the two outer sides of the girders 3 substantially spherical sections 22 of the wheel arches. The flange of the front part of the floor panel 17 is crimped at an angle to be in one inclined plane with the upper surface of the middle portions 5 (Figure 2) of the girders 3 and define a substantially flat base guide surface indicated by C and serving for connecting the underframe 1 to (Figure 3) the front frame 2 (Figures 1,2 and 5).

Sheet-metal gusset plates 23 (Figure 3) are mounted at the junction between the upper surface of the middle portions 5 of the girders 3 and the crimpedat-an-angle flange of the front part of the floor panel 16 enclosed between the girders 3, these gusset plates 23 being intended to connect with the inner and outer side elements 13 and 14 of the bracket 11, as well as with a rear flange of the front portion of the wheel arch (Figures 3, 6 and 7).

With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 5, another major unit the front frame 2 comprises a front wall defined by elements 24, 25 and reinforced by a sheet stamped cross-beam 26, and a partition 27 connected to the front wall by a lower flange crimped at an angle. On both sides of the partition 27 are midportions of the wheel arches in the form of side spherical sections 28 and 29. In view of the foregoing, the wheel arches are defined by the front portion comprised of the elements 8 and 9 (Figure 3), the middle portion in the form of side spherical sections 28 (or 29) making up the partition 27, and the rear section belonging to the floor panel 16.

The crimped at an angle lower flange for connecting the partition 27 to the front wall extends along the lower end of the side spherical sections 28 and 29 to be in one inclined plane therewith and form a substantially flat surface conforming with the base guide surface C of the underframe 1 (Figures 1,2 and 3).

The function of a binding element enabling to impart rigidity to such major assembly as the front frame 2 (Figures 1, 2 and 5) is performed by side vertical wall structures 30 (Figures 1,2 and 5) to which there are connected by their crimped flanges the side spherical sections 28 and 29 of the partition 27, the front wall, the crossbeam 26, and vertical reinforcement panels 31 and 32. By their front ends the side vertical wall structures 30 are joined to a transverse sheet-steel board 33 and front side pillars 34. Connected to the front vertical reinforcement panels 31 are upper portions 35 of the cup-shaped elements for attachment of the front suspension telescopic shock absorber struts, these cup-shaped elements being bonded by their upper and side flanges to the vertical wall structures 30.

It is worth noting that in prior art constructions parts similar to the abovementioned vertical wall structures 30 generally belong to body valances rather than to its front part, whereas the cup-shaped elements for attaching the front suspension shock absorber struts are normally one-piece punched elements usually belonging to the wheel arch.

Again referrring to Figures 1, 2 and 5, the front frame assembly 2 further comprises sheet-steel parts 36, front vertical pillars 37, and an outer cross-piece 38 to connect the front vertical pillars 37 and side pillars 34therebetween.

The structural arrangement of the front frame assembly 2 is dictated by the need to accommodate in a space indicated at 39 a power plant, in a space indicated at 40 a heating and ventilation device, and head lamps in a space indicated at 41.

Also, the parts and components of the front frame assembly serve to accommodate such minor auxiliaries as brackets 42 of hood (not shown) hinges, and brackets 43 and 44 of a windscreen wiper motor.

Upper gusset plates 45 (Figure 1) connect the upper and lower portions 10 and 35 of the cup-shaped elements to the partition 27 (Figures 1,2,5, and 6).

Assembly of the heretofore described motor vehicle body construction is carried out in the following sequence.

Assembled at first is the body underframe and thereafter (or simultaneously) the front frame, after which these two major units are interconnected.

Assembly of the underframe 1 (Figure 3) is initiated by joining the girders 3. Upper sections 46 of the girders 3 are connected to the inner element 9 of the front section of the wheel arch, this inner element 9 being previously attached to the outer element 8 of the wheel arch with the longitudinal side member 12 and lower portion 10 of the cup-shaped element.

Lower sections 47 of the girders 3 are connected to the side elements 13 and 14 of the bracket 11, box-like stamped pieces 20 already provided with the sheet enclosures 21, and the rear longitudinal side member 15 (Figures 2 and 4). Thereafter, the upper and lower sections 46 and 47, respectively, are joined together on each of the girders 3, and then the inner cross-member 7 is connected. Major orientation points during the assembly are the points A and B as seen best in Figure 3.

Assembled simultaneously is the sheet-steel floor panel 16 with the transverse reinforcement member 17, side carrying elements 18, reinforcement structures 19 and sheet-steel gusset plates 23, as well as elements of the rear portion of the floor panel (not shown).

Then the floor panel 16 is connected to the girders 3 preassembled into a unit.

The rear longitudinal members 15, side elements 13 and 14 of the brackets 11, and the box-like stamped piece 20 are connected by their upper flanges to the floor panel 16 (Figures 3,4,6 and 9).

The upper front flanges of the elements 13 and 14 of the brackets 11 (Figure 3) are joined to the steelsheet gusset plates 23, whereas the sheet-steel enclosures 21 are connected to the side carrying elements 18 (Figures 3,7 and 9). It is important that the preassembly of the girders 3, floor panel 16, and front portions of the wheel arches is carried out at separate assembley stations (in parallel), whereas the girders 3 are connected to the inner crossmember 7 and floor panel 16 at one assembly position (Figure 3).

The front frame 2 (Figure 5) is put together from preassembled components, that is subassemblies that include the partition, front wall, side and vertical walls, board with the outer cross-beam, and front and rear vertical reinforcement structures.

The partition 27 is preassembled with the side spherical sections 28 and 29.

The front wall 34 is preassembled with its left element 25 (Figures 4 and 5), sheet-steel punched cross-beam 26 with brackets 43, and the bracket 44 (Figures 5,6 and 10). The side wall structures 30 are preassembled with the upper portions 35 of the cup-shaped elements and sheet-steel parts 36 (Figures 5, 11, 12 and 13). The transverse sheet-steel board 33 is preassembled with the front vertical pillars 37, and front side pillars 34 having the outer cross-piece 38 (Figs 2 and 5) connected thereto.

Bonded to the front vertical reinforcement panels 31 are stamped grooves 48, similar grooves 49 (Figures 11 and 12) and the brackets 42 of the hood hinges being connected to the rear vertical reinforcement panels 32. The grooves 49 may be subsequently used for fast installation of cables and wires of the vehicle. The aforedescribed operations are to be followed by the assembly of the front frame 2 (Figure 5).

The partition 27 is joined with the front wall 24 and its left-side element 25 (Figures 5,6 and 10), while the front and rear reinforcement panels 31 and 32 are connected to the side sections 29 and 28 of the partition 27 and to the front wall (Figures 5,13 and 14).

The final operation for assembling the front frame 2 includes installation of the side vertical wall structures 30 to which the crimped flanges of the front wall and the front and rear vertical reinforcement panels 31 and 32 are jointed such as by using resistance spot welding, and the side spherical sections 28 and 29 of the partition 27 are bonded by electric arc welding through special openings in the side vertical wall structures (Figures 5, 11, 13 and 14); the front ends of the side vertical wall structures 30 being connected to the transverse steel-sheet board 33 and front side pillars 34 (Figure 5).

Once the underframe 1 and front frame 2 are each assembled by using resistance spot welding, the final assembly operation, particularly joining together of these two major units, may be initiated.

Forthis purpose, the frontframe 2 is brought closer to the underframe 1 from above one the side of sheet-steel floor panel 16 until the rear ends of the inner elements 9 of the wheel arches are in alignmenu with the crimped vertical flanges of the partition 27, and until the upper and lower flanges of the outer and inner cross-members 38 and 7, was well as the upper and lower portions 35 and 10 of the cup-shaped elements for receiving the telescopic shock absorber struts, of the front suspension (Figures 1, 12 and 15), are in registration.

This is greatly facilitated by that the alignment of the front wall and side spherical sections 28 and 29 with the floor panel (i.e., alignment of the front frame 2 with the underframe 1) occurs along the substantially flat base surface C, because the lower line of the front wall is a geometrical continuation of the upper line of the middle portion 5 of the girders 3 to be therefore a line belonging to the plane C. Of great importance is also the fact that the matiny surfaces of the upper and lower portions 35 and 10 of the cup-shaped elements are substantially planar.

Such a structural arrangement allows to make use of minor displacements often necessary to compensate for some inaccuracies in the vehicle body subassemblies without affecting the position of the points A and B.

The upper crimped flange of the front portion of the sheet-steel floor panel 16 is connected to the lower flange of the front wall between the girders 3 and at the side portions 22 to the side spherical sections 28 and 29 of the partition 27 (Figures 1,6, 10 and 14).

The vertical side wall structures 30 are connected to the side portion 22 of the sheet-steel floor panel 16, side elements 18, sheet-steel closure 21 and reinforcement structures 19 (Figures 1,2, 8 and 9).

The upper and lower portions 35 and 10 of the cup-shaped elements are interconnected (Figures 1 and 12), whereas the inclined section of the upper portion 35 is connected to the front part of the wheel arch (Figure 1), whereupon the rear upwardly crimped flanges of the upper portions 35 of the cup-shaped elements are connected to the planar portions of the side spherical sections 28 and 29 of the partition 27 (Figure 1). The crimped substantially vertical flanges of the partition 27 are joined with the rear ends of the inner elements 9 of the front portions of the wheel arches; the sheet-steel parts 36 being connected to the outer elements of wheel arches.

The outer cross-piece 38 is connected to the inner cross-member7 (Figures 1 and 15), and the longitudinal side member 12 along surfaces providing for accurate orientation in the vertical plane (Figures 1,2 and 15).

The last operation for assembling the vehicle body structure according to the invention involves mounting of the upper gusset plates 45 connecting the cup-shaped elements to the partition 27 (Figure 1).

The aforedescribed assembly procedure provides for maintaining invariable dimensions ensuring the accuracy of installation of the telescopic shock absorber struts of the front suspension. Subsequent to the assembly locating holes D (Figure 1) are drilled by using a specially designed device, this system of holes D assuring accurate installation of the telescopic shock-absorber struts of the front suspension thanks to which they assume the only possible position specified by the design. Therewith, the dimension E as seen in Figure 1 and the position of the points A and B remain invariable throughout the assembly procedure.

In view of the foregoing, the proposed construction of a motor vehicle body enables to speed up the assembly procedures using resistance spot welding techniques easily amenable to automation. The accuracy of assembly is substantially improved and the use of electric arc welding is minimized. The body is assembled, as distinct from the prior art body constructions, from two major preassembled structures, particularly from an underframe and a front frame.

Claims

1. A body of a motor vehicle comprising a front part defined by elements of a front frame and those of an underframe; the underframe includes longitudinal girders interconnected by a cross-member, each of the girders having a front portion, a middle portion inclined to the horizontal, and a rear portion connected to a floor panel; side carrying elements of the underframe connected to the floor panel; a front portion of a wheel arch being connected to the middle portion of each of the girders, a rear portion of the wheel girder being defined by a front portion of the floor panel which is crimped upwards, the front frame being confined by a cross-piece and a front wall and is provided with a partition, the front frame being further provided with side vertical wall structures, each of these side vertical wall structures connecting the partition, front wall and middle part of the wheel arch; each middle portion of the wheel arch being confined by side portions of the partition and connected to the front wall by a lower flange crimped at an angle and extending toward a lower end of the middle portion of the wheel arch to be connected throughout its length to a flange of the front portion of the floor panel which is crimped at an angle and rests in one inclined plane with upper surface of the middle portions of the girders to form a base surface for connecting the front frame to the underframe.

2. A body of a motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the side vertical wall structures are additionally connected to the partition by means of cup-shaped elements each comprised of two portions, the lower portion of the cup-shaped elements being accommodated in the underframe assembly in the front section of the wheel arch, whereas the upper portion of these cup-shaped elements is disposed in the front frame.

3. A body of a motor vehicle substantially as described in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings.