Motor vehicle body with multi-shelled wheelhouse

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10023240-B2
Application number	US-201615204396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2016
Priority date	Jul 7, 2015
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A motor vehicle body includes a side member and with an at least two-shell wheelhouse supported against the latter. An upper wheelhouse shell and a lower wheelhouse shell at least regionally overlap each other and are joined together. Each wheelhouse shell exhibits a passage opening for arranging a strut mount toward the top in the vehicle vertical direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle body comprising:
a side member; and
a wheelhouse member supported against the side member, the wheelhouse member including
an upper wheelhouse shell including a first upwardly protruding continuous flange that forms an opening edge of a first passage opening extending through the upper wheelhouse shell, the upper wheelhouse shell having an upper surface and a lower surface, and
a lower wheelhouse shell including a second upwardly protruding continuous flange that forms an opening edge of a second passage opening extending through the lower wheelhouse shell,
wherein the first and second passage openings are arranged coincident to one another to receive a strut mount such that the strut mount extends through the first and second passage openings, beyond the upper surface of the upper wheelhouse shell toward the top in the vehicle vertical direction, and
wherein at least portions of the upper wheelhouse shell are joined to the lower wheelhouse shell at connecting points.

2. The motor vehicle body according to claim 1 , further comprising the strut mount, wherein the strut mount includes a pot section projecting upwardly in the vehicle vertical direction and a flange surrounding the pot section, wherein the pot section intersects the first and second passage openings from the lower and upper wheelhouse shell from below.

3. The motor vehicle body according to claim 2 , wherein the opening edges of the upper and lower wheelhouse shells are joined together with the strut mount.

4. The motor vehicle body according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the flange or the pot section of the strut mount abuts against a lower side of the wheelhouse member and is structurally joined therewith.

5. The motor vehicle body according to claim 1 , wherein each of the upper and lower wheelhouse shells exhibit a curvature corresponding to a wheel well contour, and wherein the curvatures of the upper and lower wheelhouse shells form at least one hollow space bordered by the curvatures.

6. The motor vehicle body according to claim 5 , wherein the upper wheelhouse shell exhibits a depression in an area of its curvature that extends in the direction toward the lower wheelhouse shell, wherein the depression is joined with the lower wheelhouse shell.

7. The motor vehicle body according to claim 6 , wherein the lower wheelhouse shell exhibits a projection in the area of its curvature that extends in the direction toward the upper wheelhouse shell, wherein the projection is joined with the upper wheelhouse shell.

8. The motor vehicle body according to claim 5 , wherein the lower wheelhouse shell exhibits a projection in the area of its curvature that extends in the direction toward the upper wheelhouse shell, wherein the projection is joined with the upper wheelhouse shell.

9. The motor vehicle body according to claim 1 , further comprising a wheelhouse brace, wherein the upper and lower wheelhouse shells extend upwardly in the vehicle vertical direction from the side member and outwardly in the vehicle transverse direction until bordering the wheelhouse brace.

10. The motor vehicle body according to claim 9 , wherein the lower wheelhouse shell is joined with a lateral side of the side member in the vehicle transverse direction.

11. The motor vehicle body according to claim 10 , wherein the upper wheelhouse shell is joined with an upper side of the side member in the vehicle vertical direction.

12. The motor vehicle body according to claim 9 , wherein the upper wheelhouse shell is joined with an upper side of the side member in the vehicle vertical direction.

13. The motor vehicle body according to claim 1 , wherein each of the upper and lower wheelhouse shells have end sections at least partially abutting against each other and structurally joined together.

14. The motor vehicle body according to claim 1 , further comprising a rear wheelhouse shell extending from a back portion of the lower wheelhouse shell in relation to the traveling direction of the motor vehicle.

15. The motor vehicle body according to claim 14 , wherein the rear wheelhouse shell is configured as a single piece with the lower wheelhouse shell.

16. The motor vehicle body according to claim 14 , wherein the rear wheelhouse shell is structurally joined with a terminal section of the lower wheelhouse shell.

17. The motor vehicle body according to claim 14 , further comprising a front wall extending in the vehicle transverse direction and in the vehicle vertical direction, wherein the rear wheelhouse shell and upper wheelhouse shell are supported against the front wall in the vehicle longitudinal direction with a flange lying toward the rear in the traveling direction.

18. A motor vehicle with a motor vehicle body according to claim 1 .

19. The motor vehicle body according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second upwardly protruding continuous flanges abut one another.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Mildner Udo
• Dias Jose Sousa
• Teske Lothar

Classifications

• B62D25/16 Primary

  Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels (equipped with means for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter B60S) · CPC title

• B62D25/088 Primary

  Details of structures as upper supports for springs or dampers · CPC title

• B62D25/08 Primary

  Front or rear portions {(sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11)} · CPC title