Front vehicle-body structure of vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10232887-B2
Application number	US-201715586672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2017
Priority date	Jul 27, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprises a front frame, an apron reinforcement, and a suspension housing, wherein the front frame includes a frame outer and a frame inner, the frame outer and the frame inner having respective upward projection portions which are joined together to form a flange portion of the front frame, the suspension housing includes an outward-side joint portion which is joined to an outer face of the front frame and an inward-side joint portion which is joined to an outward side face, in the vehicle width direction, of the flange portion, the outward-side joint portion and the inward-side joint portion being aligned in the longitudinal direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising:
a front frame extending in a longitudinal direction;
an apron reinforcement positioned above and on an outward side, in a vehicle width direction, of the front frame and extending in the longitudinal direction;
a suspension housing provided to be laid between the front frame and the apron reinforcement and accommodating a suspension therein; and
a front suspension cross member attached to a lower face of the front frame,
wherein said front frame includes a frame outer which is positioned on the outward side in the vehicle width direction and a frame inner which is positioned on an inward side in the vehicle width direction, the frame outer and the frame inner having respective upward projection portions which are joined together to form a flange portion of the front frame, the flange portion of the front frame being positioned on the inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of an attached position of said front suspension cross member to said front frame, and
said suspension housing includes an outward-side joint portion which is joined to an outward side face, in the vehicle width direction, of said frame outer of the front frame and an inward-side joint portion which is joined to an outward side face, in the vehicle width direction, of said flange portion of the front frame.

2. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said flange portion is positioned on the inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of a central portion of said front frame.

3. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2 , wherein said suspension housing includes a suspension tower portion which accommodates a damper member of the suspension, said suspension tower portion includes a tower upper wall portion where the damper member is attached and a tower outer-peripheral wall portion which extends substantially downward, in a vertical direction, from an outer peripheral portion of said tower upper wall portion, and said inward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said tower outer-peripheral wall portion.

4. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open to an inner-face side of said suspension housing, and said outward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

5. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open to an inner-face side of said suspension housing, and said outward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

6. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 3 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open to an inner-face side of said suspension housing, and said outward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

7. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said suspension housing includes a suspension tower portion which accommodates a damper member of the suspension, said suspension tower portion includes a tower upper wall portion where the damper member is attached and a tower outer-peripheral wall portion which extends downward from an outer peripheral portion of said tower upper wall portion, and said outward-side joint portion is formed at said tower outer-peripheral wall portion.

8. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2 , wherein said suspension housing includes a suspension tower portion which accommodates a damper member of the suspension, said suspension tower portion includes a tower upper wall portion where the damper member is attached and a tower outer-peripheral wall portion which extends downward from an outer peripheral portion of said tower upper wall portion, and said outward-side joint portion is formed at said tower outer-peripheral wall portion.

9. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open to an inner-face side of said suspension housing, and said inward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

10. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open to an inner-face side of said suspension housing, and said inward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

11. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 7 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open inward, and said inward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

12. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 8 , wherein said suspension housing further includes a U-shaped sectional portion which is configured to extend in the vehicle width direction between said apron reinforcement and said front frame and open inward, and said inward-side joint portion is formed at a lower end portion of said U-shaped sectional portion.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Maruyama Kenji

Classifications

• 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

• B62D29/007

  predominantly of special steel or specially treated steel, e.g. stainless steel or locally surface hardened steel · CPC title

• B62D27/02

  rigid · CPC title

• B62D21/02

  comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members · CPC title