JPH0415580Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to side sills provided on both sides of an automobile body, and particularly relates to side sills for automobiles made of extrusion moldable materials such as aluminum or synthetic resin. This is related to the side sill of.

(Prior Art) Various forces are applied to the body of an automobile, such as vertical bending and torsion around a longitudinal axis. Therefore, side sills extending in the longitudinal direction are provided on both sides of the lower part of the vehicle body. Since the side sill constitutes a vehicle body strength member for ensuring rigidity at the door opening, it is usually formed in a hollow closed cross section, that is, a box-shaped cross section having upper and lower walls and both side walls.

Conventionally, such side sills have a sill outer panel 21 and a sill inner panel 22 made of steel plates of a constant thickness, as shown in FIG.
Each flange part 21a, 21b, 22 at the upper and lower ends
A and 22b were overlapped and spot welded. and,
The side edges of the floor panel 23 were directly welded and supported on the outer surface of the sill inner panel 22 (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 164871/1983).

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in such a side sill, the upper joint flanges 21a and 22a protrude toward the door opening, so the area of the door opening becomes smaller by the amount of the protrusion. I get used to it. In addition, when the floor panel 23 is joined to the outer surface of the side sill with a hollow closed cross section, it is difficult to spot weld the entire length, so there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain sufficient support strength for the floor panel 23. be.

For this reason, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-91421, a side sill with a hollow closed cross section is formed by sloping the end of the floor panel downward and attaching a sill outer panel to it. It is considered to do. One end of the sill outer panel is welded to the flat surface of the floor panel, and the other end is welded to the lower edge of the floor panel.

With this configuration, the upper surface of the side sill can be made flat, so that a sufficient area for the door opening can be ensured.

However, since the upper surface of the side sill is flat, the bending rigidity of the upper wall is reduced. Therefore, in order to ensure the strength against the bending moment of the side sill,
It is necessary to increase the thickness of the upper wall, but since the sill outer panel is formed from a steel plate of a constant thickness, this requires the entire wall to be thicker, which increases the weight. Resulting in.

Furthermore, in either case, since the side sill is formed by spot welding the panels, water or the like may infiltrate into the interior through the joints. For this purpose, we seal the joints,
It is necessary to treat the inside to prevent rust.

The present invention was developed in view of these problems, and its purpose is to ensure sufficient strength against bending moment even if the upper surface is flat, to be lightweight, and to prevent water from entering inside. The object of the present invention is to obtain a side sill with a box-shaped cross section that prevents the penetration of water.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain a side sill that can easily and reliably support a floor panel.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve this object, in the present invention, the side sills are formed from a hollow extruded material. The upper and lower walls of the side sill are thicker than both side walls. Also, near the bottom wall,
A joining flange for joining the floor panels is integrally formed.

(Function) As described above, by making the upper and lower walls of the side sill thicker, the moment of inertia of the area becomes larger. Therefore, the side sill has sufficient bending rigidity even if the upper surface is flat.

Since the side sill is made of hollow extruded material, the wall thickness in its cross section can be varied in this way. And since the side sill has a nearly constant cross section over its entire length,
Such extrusions can be used.

Further, since the side sill is integrally formed with a box-shaped cross section by extrusion molding, the side sill has a completely sealed periphery. Therefore, there is no fear that water or the like will infiltrate inside. Moreover, a flange for joining the floor panel can be integrally formed on the side sill. and,
By providing the joining flange near the thick side sill lower wall, the supporting strength of the floor panel can be sufficiently increased, and the joining work can be facilitated.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described using the drawings.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the body structure of an automobile equipped with a side sill according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the side sill.

As is clear from FIG. 1, the side body forming the side surface of the vehicle body 1 includes a front pillar 2, a center pillar 3, a rear pillar 4 in the vertical direction, a roof side rail 5 extending in the front-rear direction at the upper part thereof, and a front-rear pillar at the lower part. A door opening 7, 7 is defined by and surrounded by side sills 6 extending in the direction. A floor panel 8 is provided between the left and right side sills 6, 6. That is, the side sills 6 extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 1 on both sides of the floor panel 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side sill 6 includes an upper wall 6a, a lower wall 6b, left and right side walls 6c,
It has a box-shaped cross section consisting of 6d,
It has a constant cross-sectional shape over its entire length and extends almost linearly. This side sill 6 is formed as a hollow extruded material of aluminum or synthetic resin, and has upper and lower walls 6a, 6b.
are thicker than both side walls 6c and 6d.
And, at the lower end thereof, extending from the lower wall 6b,
A joining flange 6e projecting inward from the inner side wall 6c is integrally formed. floor panel 8
is connected at its side edge to the joining flange 6e by welding or bolts and nuts, and is supported by the side sill 6.

Since the side sill 6 configured in this manner has thick upper and lower walls 6a and 6b, its vertical bending rigidity is increased. In other words, bending stiffness is expressed by the second moment of area, which is obtained by integrating the square of the distance from the neutral axis of a cross section over the area of that part. By making the upper and lower walls 6a, 6b thicker, that is, by increasing the cross-sectional area of those portions, the moment of inertia of the area can be effectively increased. Therefore, even if the upper surface of the side sill 6 is flat, sufficient bending rigidity can be ensured. Moreover, even if the thickness of the upper and lower walls 6a, 6b is increased, the thickness of the side walls 6c, 6d can be decreased, so that the overall weight does not increase.

By making the side sill 6 a hollow extruded material, the side sill 6 has a seamless box-shaped cross section. In other words, it is possible to eliminate the joint portion protruding from the top surface as in conventional side sills, and it is possible to form the top surface into a flat shape. Therefore, the door opening 7 can be widened to the maximum extent, and the ease of getting on and off the vehicle is improved. Furthermore, since the side sill 6 is sealed with no joints around it, water and the like will not infiltrate inside. Moreover, since the side sill 6 is formed of extrusion moldable aluminum or synthetic resin, no rust-proofing treatment is required for the interior.

Furthermore, near the thick and rigid lower wall 6b,
Floor panel joining flange 6e protruding inward
Since the floor panel 8 is provided with a sufficient support strength for the floor panel 8, it is possible to easily join the floor panel 8. In particular, in the case of the side sill 6 made of aluminum or synthetic resin, it is difficult to ensure the joint strength of the floor panel 8.
This is an extremely useful advantage in practice. Such a joining flange 6e can be easily integrally molded by extrusion molding of the side sill 6.

In the above embodiment, only the upper wall 6a and the lower wall 6b of the side sill 6 are made thick, but if there are other parts that particularly contribute to improving the rigidity of the vehicle body, they may be partially thickened. It can also be made thicker. Moreover, the wall thickness can also be made to change gradually.

Further, in the above embodiment, the floor panel joining flange 6e is provided in a portion adjacent to the lower wall 6b of the side sill 6, but the flange 6e only needs to be provided near the lower wall 6b, Depending on the height position of the panel 8, etc., it may be provided slightly above the lower wall 6b of the side sill 6.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, since the side sill is formed of a hollow extruded material, its wall thickness can be made partially different. In addition, since the upper and lower walls of the side sill, which are subject to large stress especially when a bending moment is applied to the vehicle body, are made thick, the rigidity can be effectively improved without increasing the weight.

In addition, by forming the side sill as a hollow extruded material, the box-shaped cross section can be integrally formed, so that a joint protruding from the upper surface of the side sill can be eliminated. Therefore, the upper surface of the side sill can be formed into a planar shape, the door opening can be widened to the maximum, and the ease of getting on and off the vehicle can be improved. Furthermore, since water and the like will not enter the interior, rust prevention treatment and the like on the interior can be simplified.

Further, a joining flange for joining the floor panel can also be integrally formed on the side sill. By providing such a joining flange, the floor panels can be easily joined and the joining strength can be increased even though the side sills are made of aluminum or synthetic resin. Moreover, since the joining flange is provided near the thick bottom wall with high rigidity, the rigidity of the joining flange, that is, the floor panel joining portion is also high. Therefore, sufficient support strength of the floor panel can be ensured.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the body structure of an automobile equipped with a side sill according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the side sill taken along the line - in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the side sill; 1...Vehicle body, 6...Side sill, 6a...Upper wall, 6b...Lower wall, 6c, 6d...Side wall, 6e...
...Joining flange, 7...Door opening, 8...Floor panel.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] Formed in a box-shaped cross section that is substantially constant over the entire length by the upper wall, lower wall, and both side walls, and provided on both sides of the floor panel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, A side sill for an automobile that supports an edge, and is made of a hollow extruded material, and the upper wall and the lower wall are thicker than both side walls, and the floor panel is provided near the lower wall. An automobile side sill characterized by an integrally molded joining flange for joining side edges.