JP6070583B2 - Method of filling foam material into closed cross-section structural member - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a foam filling method for a closed cross-section structural member.

  Closed-section structures are used in various fields. For example, in vehicles represented by automobiles, closed-section structures are adopted in many parts such as side sills and pillars by outer members and inner members. In addition, reinforcement (strength) is improved by disposing a reinforcement in a closed section (main closed section) constituted by the outer member and the inner member. In order to further improve the strength of the closed cross-sectional structure, pipe materials are also arranged in the closed cross-section together with the reinforcement.

  In the above-described closed cross-sectional structure, in order to prevent vibration transmission, a foam material (unfoamed foam material) is previously disposed in the closed cross-section, and the foam material is applied by heating from the outside in, for example, a coating drying process. Foaming and filling the inside of a closed cross section with a foamed foam material is also performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, in the front pillar of a vehicle, the inside of the front pillar is filled with a foamed foam material in order to prevent or suppress vibration transmission from the engine side to the vehicle interior.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-232664

  By the way, when disposing a foamed material (in an unfoamed state) in the closed cross section, in order to prevent sagging when foamed, the plate member is fixedly arranged so as to cross the closed cross section, A foam material is held on the plate member.

  On the other hand, in the case where the reinforcement and the pipe material are arranged in the closed section, the inside of the closed section (main closed section) is further divided into two small closed sections by the reinforcement. Due to the presence of the pipe material, a state occurs in which one of the two small closed cross-sections must be large and the other small. In this case, the plate member that holds the foam material is small because it may be required to have a certain gap with respect to the outer member and the inner member that constitute the main closed section because of the assembly. There is a case where it is difficult to dispose the plate member in the small closed section. Further, if the plate members are arranged in two small closed sections, the number of plate members increases, which is not preferable in terms of reducing the number of parts.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to ensure that the closed cross section can be filled with foamed foam material while keeping the number of plate members to a minimum. An object of the present invention is to provide a foam filling method for a closed cross-section structural member.

In order to achieve the above object, the following solution is adopted in the present invention. That is, as described in claim 1,
In the outer member and the inner member constituting the main closed cross section, a reinforcement that defines the main closed cross section into two small closed cross sections, the inner side and the outer side, and a pipe material are arranged, Moreover, a foam filling method for a closed cross-section structure member in which one of the two small closed cross sections is formed larger than the other small closed cross section,
In the reinforcement, a communication part for communicating the two small closed cross sections is formed in advance.
In the one small closed cross section, the plate member holding the foam material is fixed,
The other end portion is fixed in a state in which the elongated plate-like foam material whose one end portion is fixed to the plate member is extended to the other small closed cross section through the communication portion,
The pipe material is disposed in the other small closed section;
The reinforcement has a bulging portion that bulges toward the one small closed cross section so as to bypass the pipe material,
Of the one small closed cross section, the plate member is disposed in a large area portion with the bulging portion as a boundary,
The communication part is formed on the side of the small closed section of the one small closed section that becomes a small area portion with the bulging part as a boundary,
The elongated plate-like foam material is disposed so as to surround the pipe material in the other small closed cross section from the small area portion through the communication portion, and reaches the vicinity of the plate member. And
By heating from the outside, the foam material held on the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material are foamed, and the inside of each small closed section is filled with the foamed foam material,
It is like that.

According to the above solution, each of the two small closed cross-sections is reliably filled with the foamed foam material by foaming the foam material held on the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material. become. Further, since the plate member is disposed in one small closed cross section which is the larger one, the plate member can be easily assembled. Further, since the both ends of the elongated plate-like foam material are fixed, the position of foaming by the elongated plate-like foam material is surely set to a desired position without causing a positional shift due to pressure during foaming. be able to. In addition to the above, by forming the bulging portion in the reinforcement, it is preferable in terms of disposing the plate member, the communication portion, and the elongated plate-like foam material while installing the pipe material at a desired position in the main closed section. It can be a structure.

A preferred mode based on the above solution is as described in claim 2 and the following claims. That is,
The other end portions of the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material are fixed to the reinforcement, respectively (corresponding to claim 2). In this case, it is possible to fix the other end of the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material by effectively using a reinforcement that does not require appearance.

A first locking hole and a second locking hole are formed in the reinforcement at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the outer member and the inner member,
The plate member is fixed to the reinforcement using the first locking hole,
The other end of the elongated plate-like foam material is fixed to the reinforcement using the second locking hole,
(Corresponding to claim 3). In this case, the plate member and the other end of the elongated plate-like foam material can be reliably fixed by a simple method of forming two locking holes in the reinforcement.

  The elongated plate-like foam material has a plurality of notches spaced at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and can be bent at each of the notches (corresponding to claim 4). In this case, the elongated plate-like foam material can be easily deformed into a desired shape and disposed by utilizing the bending at the notch.

  A connection body of the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material is arranged so as to surround substantially the entire periphery of the pipe material (corresponding to claim 5). In this case, the foam material held on the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material are present almost entirely around the pipe material, that is, almost entirely within the main closed section. Thus, it is preferable to sufficiently and surely fill the inside of the main closed section with the foamed foam material.

The outer member and the inner member are for vehicle pillars (corresponding to claim 6 ). In this case, it is preferable to prevent or suppress vibration transmission to the vehicle compartment side through the pillar.

The pillars of the vehicle are a hinge pillar and a front pillar that extend continuously from each other in an open car (corresponding to claim 7 ). In this case, the open car does not have a roof header as a strength member unlike a vehicle having a fixed roof, and therefore, the strength of the hinge pillar and the front pillar is required, and moreover, via the pillar portion. Thus, the vibration is easily transmitted to the passenger compartment side, but both the problems of strength and vibration transmission can be solved or suppressed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably fill the closed cross section with the foamed foam material while keeping the number of plate members to the minimum necessary.

The simplified side view which shows centering on the pillar part of the right side of the open car to which this invention was applied. The simplified side view which shows the state which removed the hinge pillar inner and the front pillar inner from the state of FIG. The principal part perspective view which shows the attachment state of the foam material with respect to the upper end part of a pipe material The principal part perspective view which shows the state which removed the foam material from the state of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows a cross section and shows a pillar member in the position just above the arrangement | positioning position of a foam material. The perspective view corresponding to the arrangement | positioning state of FIG. 5 which shows a plate member and an elongate plate-shaped foam material. The principal part perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning state with respect to the pipe material of an elongate plate-shaped foam material.

  1 and 2 show a front portion of a vehicle V that is an open car, where 1 is a side sill, 2 is a hinge pillar, 3 is a front pillar, 4 is a dash panel, and 5 is a front wheel. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the hinge pillar 2 and the front pillar 3 are obtained by viewing the right pillar portion from the vehicle interior side.

  The hinge pillar 2 extends upward from the front end portion of the side sill 1, and is configured as a closed cross section by a hinge pillar outer 2A and a hinge pillar inner 2B. A front pillar 3 extends upward and rearward from the upper end portion of the hinge pillar 2, and the front pillar 3 is configured as a closed cross section by a front pillar outer 3A and a front pillar inner 3B.

  A pillar rain 6 is disposed in the hinge pillar 2 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The pillar rain 6 exists over almost the entire length of the hinge pillar 2 and also over the lower part of the front pillar 3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, at least the lower end portion of the front pillar 3 is defined by a first small closed section 11 located outside and a second small closed section 12 located inside. Of course, the two small closed cross sections 11 and 12 are obtained by dividing one main closed cross section formed by the front pillar outer 3A and the front pillar inner 3B into two.

  Inside the pillar rain 6, a pipe member 20 is fixed along the front pillar 3 by, for example, welding. The pipe member 20 is made of, for example, an iron-based metal, and exists over the entire length of the front pillar 3 and also exists over the hinge pillar 2. Due to the arrangement of the pipe material 20, the pillar rain 6 has its front portion bulged toward the first small closed section 11, and this bulged portion is denoted by reference numeral 6 a (see FIG. 5).

  In FIG. 5, the first small closed section 11 has a relatively large area compared to the second small closed section 12. In the first small closed section 11, the rear of the bulging portion 6a is a large area portion 11a (the distance between the front pillar outer 3A and the pillar rain 6 is large), but from the bulging portion 6a to the front thereof. The area is a small area portion 11b (the interval between the front pillar outer 3A and the pillar rain 6 is small).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first foam material (unfoamed foam material) 31 is disposed at the upper end portion of the pipe material 20. The first foam material 31 is fixed to at least the pipe material 20 via the holding cylinder member 32 and the fixing member 33.

  The holding cylinder member 32 includes a cylindrical portion 32a around which the sheet-like first foam material 31 is wound, a rectangular locking portion 32b integral with the cylindrical portion 32a, and an operation projection portion 32c extending from the locking portion 32b. Have. By fitting the cylindrical portion 32 a into the pipe material 20, the first foam material 31 is disposed in the pipe material 20.

  The fixing member 33 made of a plate material is fixed to the pipe material 20 and the surrounding front pillar outer 3A by welding or the like (the pipe material 20 is also fixed to the front pillar outer 3A). A square locking hole 33 a is formed in the fixing member 33. Then, the first foamed material 31 is fixed in a state of being disposed in the upper end portion of the pipe material 20 by fitting and locking the locking portion 33b of the holding cylinder member 32 in the locking hole 33a. In this state, the first foam material 31 is foamed by receiving heat in the paint drying process later, and the foam material is filled in the pipe material 20 to be closed. By closing the upper end of the pipe member 20, a situation in which vibration from an engine (not shown) disposed in the front is transmitted to the vehicle compartment via the pipe member 20 is prevented or suppressed. The situation where water intrudes into 20 is prevented.

  Next, an example of the arrangement of the foam material in the two small closed sections 11 and 12 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the plate member 40 is arrange | positioned so that this may be crossed in the large area part 11a which exists in the back among the 1st small closed cross sections 11 of an outer side. On the plate member 40, the second foam material 42 is fixed and held. An auxiliary foam material 50 extending downward along the pillar rain 6 is fixed to the plate member 40, and a locking protrusion 41 protruding toward the pillar rain 6 side is fixed to the auxiliary foam material 50. . The pillar rain 6 is formed with a first locking hole 6b, and the locking protrusion 41 is fitted and locked to the first locking hole 6b, so that the plate member 40 is attached to the pillar rain 6. Fixed and held. In this fixed and held state, the plate member 40 has a predetermined gap with respect to the front pillar outer 3A, and the assembly work of the plate member 40 can be easily performed by the presence of this gap. The auxiliary foam material 50 is for supplementing the foaming of the first foam material 41 and is not necessarily required. Further, the locking projection 41 may be provided directly on the plate member 40.

  One end of a third foam material 43 having an elongated plate shape is fixed to the plate member 40. The third foam material 43 has a plurality of notches 43a at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof, and can be bent at the notches 43a. A locking projection member 44 is fixed to the other end of the third foam material 43, that is, the end opposite to the plate member 40.

  The pillar rain 6 is formed with a communicating portion 6d made of, for example, a notch at a position in front of the bulging portion 6a. The communication portion 6d has a size that allows the third foam material 43 to be inserted therethrough. Further, the pillar rain 6 is formed with a second locking hole 6c with a small space in the vertical direction from the first locking hole 6b (in the embodiment, below the first locking hole 6b). . The locking projection member 44 fixed to the other end portion of the third foam material 43 can be fitted and locked into the second locking hole 6c.

  The third foam material 43 extending from the plate member 40 extends to the small area portion 11a side, is guided to the second small closed section 12 side through the communication portion 6d formed in the pillar rain 6, and is connected to the pipe material 20. The locking projection member 44 is finally fitted and locked in the second locking hole 6c.

  The arrangement (fixation to the pillar rain 6) of the second foam material 42, the third foam material 43 and the auxiliary foam material 50 as shown in FIG. 5 is performed in advance with the hinge pillar 6 opened to the outside (for example, 2A, 3A to be the outer member and 2B to 3B to be the inner member, and before assembly). In this case, after the foam materials 42, 43, 50 are disposed in advance on the hinge pillar 6, the pipe material 20 may be fixed to the pillar rain 6. Conversely, the pipe material 20 is attached to the hinge pillar 6 in advance. After fixing, the foam materials 42, 43, 50 may be disposed on the pillar rain 6.

  After the foam materials 31, 42, 43, and 50 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 are disposed, the foam materials 31, 42, 43, and 50 are foamed by being heated during the paint drying process. The pipe material 20 is filled with the foamed first foam material 31. The first small closed section 11 is filled with the foamed second foam material 42, the auxiliary foam material 50, and the third foam material 43 present in the small area portion 11b. The second small closed section 12 is filled by the foamed third foam material 43 located in the second small closed section 12. The filling of the foamed foam material prevents or suppresses vibrations from the engine from being transmitted to the passenger compartment.

  Of the first small closed section 11 having a relatively large area, the plate member 40 exists so as to cross the large area portion 11a where the interval between the pillar rain 6 and the front pillar outer 3A is particularly large. Thus, the second foam material 42 that has been foamed is prevented from drooping, and the first small closed section 11 (particularly the large area portion 11a) can be reliably filled (closed) with the foamed foam material. In addition, the third foam material 43 in the shape of an elongated plate only needs to fill a relatively small gap, so that even if the plate member 40 is not present, it does not sag during foaming. Portions (small area portion 11b and second small closed section 12) are foamed and can be reliably filled (closed) with the foam material.

  Since the both ends of the elongated plate-like third foam material 43 are fixed to the pillar rain 6, a situation in which the position is inadvertently changed due to pressure at the time of foaming or the like is prevented (the first position at the desired position). 3) The foaming material 43 can be surely foamed). Since only one plate member 40 is used to fill each small closed section 11 and 12 with foamed foam, it is preferable in terms of facilitating the assembly work and reducing the number of parts. It becomes.

  Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, it can be applied to a vehicle other than an open car, and includes an outer member and an inner member such as a pillar other than the front pillar (for example, a center pillar and a rear pillar) and a laterally extending portion (for example, the side sill 1). The present invention can be applied to an appropriate closed cross-section structural member in which a reinforcement is provided and a pipe material is provided in the main closed cross-section. The other end of the plate member 40 and the third foam material 43 can be fixed by an appropriate method such as using an adhesive, and other members (for example, the front pillar outer) other than the pillar rain 6 can be used. 3A or the front pillar inner 3B) may be fixed. Further, the plate member 40 and the other end portion of the third foam material 43 can be fixed at the same position (for example, the other end portion of the third foam material 43 has a locking projection 41 on the plate member 40 side). Among them, an engagement hole to be fitted and locked to a portion protruding to the small closed cross section 12 side is formed). Of course, the object of the present invention is not limited to what is explicitly stated, but also implicitly includes providing what is substantially preferred or expressed as an advantage.

  The present invention is preferable for improving the sound insulation of the vehicle.

V: Vehicle 2: Hinge Pillar 2A: Hinge Pillar Outer 2B: Hinge Pillar Inner 3: Front Pillar 3A: Front Pillar Outer 3B: Front Pillar Inner 6: Pillar Rain (Rainforcement)
6a: bulging portion 6b: first locking hole 6c: second locking hole 6d: communication portion 11: first small closed section 12: second small closed section 31: first foam material (for pipe material)
40: Plate member 41: Locking protrusion 42: Second foam material (plate member holding)
43: Third foam material (elongated plate-like foam material)
44: Locking protrusion

Claims (7)

In the outer member and the inner member constituting the main closed cross section, a reinforcement that defines the main closed cross section into two small closed cross sections, the inner side and the outer side, and a pipe material are arranged, Moreover, a foam filling method for a closed cross-section structure member in which one of the two small closed cross sections is formed larger than the other small closed cross section,
In the reinforcement, a communication part for communicating the two small closed cross sections is formed in advance.
In the one small closed cross section, the plate member holding the foam material is fixed,
The other end portion is fixed in a state in which the elongated plate-like foam material whose one end portion is fixed to the plate member is extended to the other small closed cross section through the communication portion,
The pipe material is disposed in the other small closed section;
The reinforcement has a bulging portion that bulges toward the one small closed cross section so as to bypass the pipe material,
Of the one small closed cross section, the plate member is disposed in a large area portion with the bulging portion as a boundary,
The communication part is formed on the side of the small closed section of the one small closed section that becomes a small area portion with the bulging part as a boundary,
The elongated plate-like foam material is disposed so as to surround the pipe material in the other small closed cross section from the small area portion through the communication portion, and reaches the vicinity of the plate member. And
By heating from the outside, the foam material held on the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material are foamed, and the inside of each small closed section is filled with the foamed foam material,
A foaming material filling method for a closed cross-section structural member. In claim 1,
The foam member filling method for a closed cross-section structure member, wherein the other end portions of the plate member and the elongated plate-like foam material are respectively fixed to the reinforcement. In claim 2,
A first locking hole and a second locking hole are formed in the reinforcement at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the outer member and the inner member,
The plate member is fixed to the reinforcement using the first locking hole,
The other end of the elongated plate-like foam material is fixed to the reinforcement using the second locking hole,
A foaming material filling method for a closed cross-section structural member. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The elongated plate-like foam material has a plurality of notches spaced at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof, and can be bent at each notch. Foam filling method. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
A method of filling a foamed material into a closed cross-section structure member, wherein a connection body of the plate member and the elongated plate-like foamed material is disposed so as to surround substantially the entire periphery of the pipe material. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5 ,
The outer member and the inner member are used for a pillar of a vehicle. In claim 6,
A method of filling a foamed material into a closed cross-section structural member, wherein the pillars of the vehicle are a hinge pillar and a front pillar extending continuously from each other in an open car.

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