JP6404166B2 - Automobile roof structure - Google Patents

Description

  Even if the present invention is exposed to a high temperature condition such as a baking coating process, the roof panel is subjected to residual deformation (see below for details of the definition of “residual deformation”) by the cured thermosetting adhesive resin. The present invention relates to an automobile roof structure that does not occur.

  In order to reduce the weight of automobiles, aluminum roof panels have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, steel is used for the main parts of automobile body structures (especially roof side rails).

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, when the roof panel is aluminized, not only the dissimilar material joining is required when joining the roof panel to the roof side rail, but also the steel material and the aluminum material (here, the aluminum material). The term “material” is a generic term including a pure aluminum material and an aluminum alloy material), and thermal deformation occurs at the joint location and in the vicinity thereof due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient. This thermal deformation remains after the baking coating process, which may adversely affect the shape accuracy of the roof panel. That is, a residual deformation (a portion surrounded by a broken line shown in FIG. 10) is applied to the adhered roof panel by a mastic adhesive resin (hereinafter also simply referred to as “mastic resin”) as a cured thermosetting adhesive resin. And may adversely affect the shape accuracy of the roof panel. Further, when the roof reinforcement is aluminized, the above-mentioned problem is somewhat improved, but unfortunately there is still a possibility that the above-described residual deformation occurs in the roof panel.

  Therefore, as a solution for suppressing the above-described problem of the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 as much as possible, after the roof reinforcement is also made aluminum, the roof reinforcement is further described above in the vehicle body width direction (longitudinal direction). A technique that employs a structure provided with a bent portion that absorbs the thermal expansion difference is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  As another solution, a technique is also known that employs a structure in which an opening is provided in the roof reinforcement after the roof reinforcement is aluminized (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2005-219599 A Japanese Patent No. 5094623 JP 2009-143407 A

  When the techniques as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are employed, the effect of improving the residual deformation of the roof panel by the mastic resin interposed between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement is exhibited to some extent. However, since the roof reinforcement as a whole is weakened, there is a problem that the rigidity and strength required for the essential roof reinforcement cannot be secured.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile roof structure that does not cause thermal deformation or residual deformation in a roof panel in a baking coating process without reducing rigidity and strength required for roof reinforcement.

In order to achieve this object, the roof structure of an automobile according to the first invention is
A roof panel made of either aluminum or steel;
Aluminum roof reinforcement joined to this roof panel with thermosetting adhesive resin,
An automotive roof structure having an elastic support member disposed between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement,
The roof reinforcement is curved to be convex toward the roof panel side,
The elastic support member is curved so as to be convex toward the roof panel side, and is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement directly or via an intermediate member, and a distance between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement is set. An automotive roof structure characterized by being configured to thermally expand and contract to a predetermined size.

Moreover, the roof structure of the automobile according to the second invention is the roof structure of the automobile according to the first invention.
The roof reinforcement is curved with a first radius of curvature, and the elastic support member is curved with a second radius of curvature smaller than the first radius of curvature.

The automobile roof structure according to the third invention is the automobile roof structure according to the first invention or the second invention.
When the elastic support member is directly joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement,
The elastic support member is made of zinc or a heat resistant resin.

Further, the automobile roof structure according to the fourth invention is the automobile roof structure according to the first invention or the second invention.
When the elastic support member is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement via an intermediate member,
The coefficient of linear expansion of the elastic support member is greater than the coefficient of linear expansion of the intermediate member, the elastic support member is joined to the intermediate member, and the intermediate member is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement. It is characterized by that.

In addition, the automobile roof structure according to the fifth aspect of the invention is the automobile roof structure according to the fourth aspect of the invention,
The elastic support member is made of an aluminum alloy, and the intermediate member is made of steel.

As described above, according to the present invention, an elastic support member is disposed between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement so as to be convex toward the roof panel, and the roof panel and the roof reinforcement are disposed. The elastic support member is configured to thermally expand and contract so that the distance between them becomes a predetermined dimension.
As a result, even when the gap between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement is narrower during the thermal expansion of the heating process (for example, during baking painting), the elastic support member thermally expands and the roof panel is expanded. The gap between the roof reinforcement and the roof reinforcement is kept at a predetermined size, and the occurrence of thermal deformation due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient is suppressed.
Further, for example, after completion of the subsequent baking coating, the roof panel and the roof reinforcement are thermally contracted after being cooled to room temperature, and the roof panel and the roof reinforcement are simultaneously contracted even if the elastic support member is thermally contracted to the state before heating. The gap of the predetermined dimension is maintained.
Thereby, the residual deformation | transformation of the roof panel by the hardened mastic resin can be suppressed after a baking coating process.

  Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of thermal deformation and residual deformation of the roof panel in the baking coating process without particularly reducing the rigidity and strength required for roof reinforcement.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to adopt a conventional ordinary aluminum roof reinforcement without forming the roof reinforcement itself with a special material or a special structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic cross section before baking coating of the roof structure of the motor vehicle based on embodiment of this invention, (a) is whole sectional drawing, (b) is an expanded sectional explanatory drawing explaining the initial shape of an elastic support member. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a state where a roof panel is removed in the roof structure of the automobile shown in FIG. 1. It is a schematic cross section at the time of baking coating of the roof structure of the automobile according to the embodiment, (a) is an overall cross section, and (b) is an enlarged cross section explanatory view for explaining the shape change of the elastic support member. It is a schematic cross section after the baking finish of the roof structure of the automobile according to the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the relationship between "the planar view length L" and the "projection height (DELTA) H at the time of baking coating" of the elastic support member which concerns on the embodiment. It is a model perspective view for demonstrating the modification 1 of the roof structure of the motor vehicle shown in FIG. It is a schematic cross section before baking coating of the conventional automobile roof structure. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a state in which the roof panel is removed in the roof structure of the automobile shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a shape change of the roof structure of the automobile shown in FIG. 7 before baking coating (broken line) and during baking coating (solid line). FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view after completion of baking coating of the automobile roof structure shown in FIG. 7.

  The present inventor has conducted earnest research on how to suppress the occurrence of thermal deformation and residual deformation of the roof panel in the baking coating process without reducing the rigidity and strength required for roof reinforcement. went. As a result, it has been found that the object can be achieved only by adopting the configuration described below. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail while illustrating embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a roof structure of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention before baking coating, (a) is an overall cross-sectional view, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional explanatory view for explaining an initial shape of an elastic support member. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a state in which the roof panel is removed in the roof structure of the automobile shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the roof structure of the automobile according to the first embodiment at the time of baking coating. FIG. 4A is an overall cross-sectional view, FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional explanatory view for explaining the shape change of the elastic support member, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-section after completion of baking coating of the automobile roof structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. In FIGS. 1 to 4, the left and right roof side rails, which are part of the steel body surrounding the vehicle interior, are omitted.

  1-4, 1 is an aluminum roof panel, 2 is an aluminum roof reinforcement extending in the vehicle body width direction, 3 is a mastic resin as a thermosetting adhesive resin, and 4 is a linear expansion coefficient from the roof reinforcement 2. It is a large elastic support member made of zinc. In addition, the roof reinforcement 2 is comprised from the aluminum extrusion material, the aluminum plate material, etc. Moreover, although a mastic resin will be described as an example of the thermosetting adhesive resin, it is not necessarily limited to this. However, the mastic resin is particularly preferable as the “thermosetting adhesive resin” referred to in the present invention because it has sponge-like softness.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the roof reinforcement 2 is curved so as to be convex toward the roof panel 1 side.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the vehicle body width direction of the roof reinforcement 2 forms a simple U-shaped cross section with both flanges 2c. The U-shaped cross section includes a bottom 2a and walls 2b extending upward from both ends of the bottom 2a. Flange 2d for joining to the left and right roof side rails (not shown) in the vehicle body width direction is provided at both ends of both flanges 2c in the vehicle body width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, mastic resin 3 for joining to the roof panel 1 is placed at a total of five locations on both flanges 2 c.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an elastic support member 4 is disposed between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2. More specifically, the elastic support member 4 includes a curved portion 4a and an elastic support member that are curved so as to protrude toward the roof panel 1 with a second radius of curvature smaller than that of the roof reinforcement 2 curved with the first radius of curvature. 4 is comprised from the edge part 4b for joining the roof reinforcement 2 directly.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the elastic support member 4 is placed so that the longitudinal direction thereof faces the vehicle body width direction of the bottom 2 a of the roof reinforcement 2, and is directly joined to the roof reinforcement 2. In addition, the planar view length of the part where both ends 4b of the elastic support member 4 are directly joined to the roof reinforcement 2 is L [mm], and after joining to the roof reinforcement 2, joining the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 The height of the curved portion 4a of the front roof reinforcement 2 is H ₀ [mm]. H ₀ is designed to be within the height of the wall 2 b of the roof reinforcement 2.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows a state when the roof structure of the automobile shown in FIG. 1 is charged into a baking painting furnace and heated to 170 to 200 ° C. 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views of the roof structure of the automobile according to the present embodiment at the time of baking coating, where FIG. 3A is an overall cross-sectional view, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional explanatory view for explaining the shape change of the elastic support member. . FIG. 3B shows changes in the shape of the roof structure of an automobile before baking coating (broken line) and during baking coating (solid line), which will be described below in comparison with the deformation mode of the conventional example. In addition, although it is heating temperature, it is not limited to the range of 170-200 degreeC, For example, the range of 150-200 degreeC may be sufficient.

When the elastic support member 4 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is not installed, the roof panel 1 is in balance with the thermal expansion in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction as in the conventional example (see FIG. 9). The roof reinforcement 2 extending in the vehicle body width direction is in a deformation mode in which the entire center portion in the vehicle body width direction is raised. Therefore, the gap between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 in the central portion in the vehicle body width direction during baking coating (during thermal expansion) is before baking coating, that is, before the heating process (before thermal expansion occurs). It is much narrower than that, and in the worst case, there is a possibility of contact. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the height of the curved portion 4 a is H ₁ [mm] between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 only during baking painting (heating). Since the elastic support member 4 that is greatly expanded and keeps the gap between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 at a predetermined size is installed, the heat caused by the difference in linear expansion coefficient as in the conventional example (see FIG. 10). There is no deformation.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows the state of the roof structure of the automobile after completion of the baking coating shown in FIG. 3, that is, after cooling to room temperature. When cooled to room temperature, the roof panel 1, the roof reinforcement 2 and the roof side rail are thermally contracted, and the curved portion 4 a of the elastic support member 4 is also thermally contracted to a state before heating, and the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 are The gap between them returns to the original shape shown in FIG. Therefore, in the conventional example (see FIG. 10), after the baking coating process, residual deformation of the roof panel 10 due to the hardened mastic resin 30 (a portion surrounded by a broken line shown in FIG. 10) occurs. The case does not occur (see FIG. 4).

In order to verify the effect of the present invention when the configuration of the first embodiment described above is adopted, elastic support is performed using the height H ₀ (6 levels) of the curved portion 4a of the elastic support member 4 before baking coating as a parameter. It examined the height H ₁ of the curved portion 4a in plan view a length L and at baked member 4 (during heating). As a result, the relationship between the “planar length L of the elastic support member 4” and the “projection height ΔH = H ₁ −H _{0 of the} elastic support member 4” as shown in FIG. 5 was recognized.

From the result shown in FIG. 5, for example, when it is desired to keep the protrusion height ΔH, which is a predetermined gap between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2, at 2.5 mm, the “plan view length of the elastic support member 4 before baking” is shown. It can be seen that the “length L” and the “height H ₀ of the curved portion 4a of the elastic support member 4” may be designed as shown in Table 1 below. That is, if the height H ₀ of the curved portion 4a of the elastic support member 4 is ₀ , 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 mm, the length L in plan view of the elastic support member 4 is 115.5, 155.0, If only 213.0, 258.5, 346.0, and 415.0 mm are set, the elastic support member 4 is thermally expanded so that the distance between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 becomes a predetermined dimension.

In the present embodiment, the case where the protrusion height ΔH is 2.5 mm has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. etc. to select a plan view length L "and the combination of" the height H ₀ of the curved portion 4a of the elastic support member 4 'from Fig. 5, it may be appropriately set.

  Also in this embodiment, the elastic support member 4 does not necessarily have the second curvature radius smaller than the roof reinforcement 2 curved with the first curvature radius, and may have the same curvature as the roof reinforcement 2. .

  That is, in the present invention, the elastic support member 4 is disposed between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2, the roof reinforcement 2 is curved so as to be convex toward the roof panel 1, and the elastic support member 4 is , Curved so as to be convex toward the roof panel 1, directly joined to the roof reinforcement 2, and thermally expanded so that the distance between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 has a predetermined dimension. It only has to be done.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where it was made from zinc as the elastic support member 4, it is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to use a heat resistant resin having a linear expansion coefficient larger than that of the roof reinforcement 2 and capable of withstanding a high temperature state such as a baking coating process.

  In the present embodiment, a case has been described in which one elastic support member 4 is placed so that the longitudinal direction thereof faces the vehicle body width direction of the bottom 2a of the roof reinforcement 2, and is directly joined to the roof reinforcement 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality (for example, three) of the elastic support members 4 can be mounted such that the longitudinal direction thereof is in the vehicle body width direction of the bottom portion 2 a of the roof reinforcement 2. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to more stably prevent the gap between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 from being narrowed when exposed to a high temperature state such as a baking coating process. .

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the case made from aluminum was demonstrated as the roof panel 1, it is not limited to this. For example, steel can be used. Even in such a configuration, it is possible to stably prevent a gap between the roof panel 1 and the roof reinforcement 2 from being narrowed when exposed to a high temperature state such as a baking coating process.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic support member 4 is placed so that the longitudinal direction thereof faces the vehicle body width direction of the bottom portion 2a of the roof reinforcement 2 and is directly joined to the roof reinforcement 2. It is not limited to. For example, a configuration in which the elastic support member 4 is rotated by 90 ° in plan view and directly joined to both flanges 2c of the roof reinforcement 2 is also conceivable. Further, a configuration in which the elastic support member 4 is rotated by 90 ° in a plan view and placed between the both walls 2b of the roof reinforcement 2 and directly constrained is also conceivable. When such a configuration is employed, the step of joining the elastic support member 4 to the roof reinforcement 2 can be omitted, so that an inexpensive automobile roof structure can be provided.

  As described above, the elastic support member 4 is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement 2 via an intermediate member (not shown) in addition to being directly joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement 2. Is also possible. In this case, the linear expansion coefficient of the elastic support member 4 is larger than the linear expansion coefficient of the intermediate member, the elastic support member 4 is bonded to the intermediate member, and the intermediate member is bonded to the roof reinforcement 4. Alternatively, it may be restrained. In addition, the structure which joins or restrains the elastic support member 4 joined to the said intermediate member to the roof reinforcement 2 can apply the same method as the case where the intermediate member mentioned above is not interposed. When such an intermediate member is interposed, for example, the elastic support member may be made of an aluminum alloy, and the intermediate member may be made of steel. When such a configuration is adopted, the material for maintaining the distance between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement at a predetermined dimension can be configured with an extremely inexpensive material. Further, in addition to joining or restraining the elastic support member 4 joined to the intermediate member to the roof reinforcement 2, a configuration in which the elastic support member 4 joined to the intermediate member is simply placed on the roof reinforcement 2 is also conceivable. . In the case of such a configuration, an inexpensive automobile roof structure can be provided.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, as a method of joining the elastic support member 4 to the roof reinforcement 2, mechanical joining such as rivets or welding joining such as spot welding is appropriately selected and used in combination, or mechanical joining using bolts. Various methods are possible, such as a method to do.

  The term “made of aluminum” in the present invention is a general term including aluminum alloy and pure aluminum. In the present invention, aluminum alloy tempered materials (heat treatment materials) of AA to JIS 3000 series, 5000 series, 6000 series, 7000 series, etc. that are easy to manufacture, easy to mold, and excellent in strength are used as the aluminum alloy. It can be selected as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Roof panel 2 Roof reinforcement 2a Bottom part 2b Wall 2c, 2d Flange 3 Mastic resin 4 Elastic support member 4a Curved part 4b Both ends

Claims (5)

A roof panel made of either aluminum or steel;
Aluminum roof reinforcement joined to this roof panel with thermosetting adhesive resin,
An automotive roof structure having an elastic support member disposed between the roof panel and the roof reinforcement,
The roof reinforcement is curved to be convex toward the roof panel side,
The elastic support member is curved so as to protrude toward the roof panel side, and is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement directly or via an intermediate member at both ends of the elastic support member , and the roof panel A roof structure of an automobile, wherein the roof is configured to thermally expand and contract so that a distance between the roof reinforcement and the roof reinforcement is a predetermined size. The roof reinforcement is curved with a first radius of curvature;
2. The roof structure of an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the elastic support member is curved with a second radius of curvature smaller than the first radius of curvature. When the elastic support member is directly joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement,
The roof structure of an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic support member is made of zinc or a heat resistant resin. When the elastic support member is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement via an intermediate member,
The coefficient of linear expansion of the elastic support member is greater than the coefficient of linear expansion of the intermediate member, the elastic support member is joined to the intermediate member, and the intermediate member is joined or restrained to the roof reinforcement. The roof structure of an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that   The automobile roof structure according to claim 4, wherein the elastic support member is made of an aluminum alloy, and the intermediate member is made of steel.

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