Connection member for vehicle structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179845-B2
Application number	US-202117911716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2021
Priority date	Mar 18, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an innovative and highly practical connection member for a vehicle structure. The present invention is a connection member for a vehicle structure equipped with at least two connection sections ( 2 ) that are used in the vehicle structure and that connect appropriate sites within the vehicle structure, the connection member for a vehicle structure being characterized in having a layered structure section ( 1 ) configured by impregnating a layered body ( 4 ) in which a plurality of fiber bodies ( 3 ) have been layered with a matrix resin and curing the impregnated layered body, and employing, as the fiber bodies ( 3 ), bodies in which bundles of unidirectionally aligned carbon fibers ( 5 ) have been interwoven with thermally fusible fibers ( 6 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A connection member for a vehicle structure equipped with at least two connection sections that connect appropriate sites within the vehicle structure, the connection member being characterized by having a columnar layered structure section configured by impregnating a layered body in which a plurality of fiber bodies have been winded with a matrix resin and curing the impregnated layered body, and employing, as the fiber bodies, bodies in which bundles of unidirectionally aligned carbon fibers have been interwoven with thermally fusible fibers,
wherein end sections of the layered structure are provided with the connection sections, and the connection sections comprise cross-shaped slits,
wherein the end sections of the layered structure are divided and comprise first parts and second parts with an axis of symmetry between the first parts and the second parts,
wherein the cross-shaped slits are formed in each layer of the layered structure such that first angles of first cross-shaped slits of the first parts symmetrically correspond to second angles of second cross-shaped slits of the second parts based on the axis of symmetry, and
wherein at least one of the first cross-shaped slits is formed at 45° relative to a 0° longitudinal direction of the layered structure section, and at least one of the first-cross-shaped slits is formed at −45° relative to the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section.

2. The connection member according to claim 1 , characterized in that as the fiber bodies there are used: first fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to 0°, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section; second fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to +45°, intersecting the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section; third fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to −45°, intersecting the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section; and
fourth fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to 90°, intersecting the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section.

3. The connection member according to claim 2 , characterized in that the layered body is attached by threads passing through in the layering direction of the fiber bodies.

4. The connection member according to claim 2 , characterized in that the layered body has a rod-form shape and includes: a first layer section provided by winding the first fiber bodies; a second layer section, provided by winding the second fiber bodies and the third fiber bodies in an overlaid state about the first layer section; a third layer section, provided by winding the fourth fiber bodies about the second layer section; a fourth layer section, provided by winding the second fiber bodies and the third fiber bodies in an overlaid state about the third layer section; and a fifth layer section, provided by winding the first fiber bodies about the fourth layer section.

5. The connection member according to claim 4 , characterized in that: the first fiber bodies constituting the first layer section, and the overlaid second and third fiber bodies constituting the second layer section, are set so as to be wound in opposite directions; the overlaid second and third fiber bodies constituting the second layer section, and the fourth fiber bodies constituting the third layer section, are set so as to be wound in opposite directions; the fourth fiber bodies constituting the third layer section, and the overlaid second and third fiber bodies constituting the fourth layer section, are set so as to be wound in opposite directions; and the overlaid second and third fiber bodies constituting the fourth layer section, and the first fiber bodies constituting the fifth layer section, are set so as to be wound in opposite directions.

6. The connection member according to claim 1 , characterized in that the layered body is attached by threads passing through in the layering direction of the fiber bodies.

7. The connection member according to claim 1 , characterized by being a link rod, a tower bar, or an under cover.

8. A connection member for a vehicle structure equipped with at least two connection sections that connect appropriate sites within the vehicle structure, the connection member being characterized by having a columnar layered structure section configured by impregnating a layered body in which a plurality of fiber bodies have been winded with a matrix resin and curing the impregnated layered body, and employing, as the fiber bodies, bodies in which bundles of unidirectionally aligned carbon fibers have been interwoven with thermally fusible fibers, and the connection sections being configured from metal bodies affixed to the layered structure section,
wherein end section of the layered structure are provided with the connection sections, and the connection sections comprise cross-shaped slits,
wherein the end sections of the layered structure are divided and comprise first parts and second parts with an axis of symmetry between the first parts and the second parts,
wherein the cross-shaped slits are formed in each layer of the layered structure such that first angles of first cross-shaped slits of the first parts symmetrically correspond to second angles of second cross-shaped slits of the second parts based on the axis of symmetry,
wherein at least one of the first cross-shaped slits is formed at 45° relative to a 0° longitudinal direction of the layered structure section, and at least one of the first-cross-shaped slits is formed at −45° relative to the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section,
wherein the metal bodies are provided with a flange-form section on a circumferential surface of a main body serving as the axis of symmetry, and
wherein a number of layers of the first parts on an upward side of the flange-form section is equal to a number of layers of the second parts on a downward side of the flange-form section.

9. The connection member for a vehicle structure according to claim 8 , characterized by the metal bodies being provided with a flange-form section on the circumferential surface of a main body, the metal bodies passing through the layered structure section via the cross-shaped slits, and the fiber bodies being overlaid onto the surface of the flange-form section and the circumferential surface of the main body of each of the metal bodies.

10. The connection member according to claim 9 , characterized in that as the fiber bodies there are used: first fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to 0°, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section; second fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to +45°, intersecting the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section; third fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to −45°, intersecting the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section; and fourth fiber bodies, in which the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles is set to 90°, intersecting the longitudinal direction of the layered structure section.

11. The connection member according to claim 10 , characterized in that the layered body is attached by threads passing through in the layering direction of the fiber bodies.

12. The connection member according to claim 10 , characterized in that the layered body has a rod-form shape and includes: a first layer section provided by w

Assignees

• Arisawa Seisakusho Kk
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tanaka Hiroshi
• Kobayashi Tetsuya
• Yamamoto Takashi
• Suzuki Hiroko

Classifications

• F16C7/026

  made of fibre reinforced resin · CPC title

• B62D25/20

  Floors or bottom sub-units {(sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11; drip trays F16N31/006)} · CPC title

• B32B2605/00

  Vehicles · CPC title

• B32B2305/076

  Prepregs · CPC title

• B32B2260/023

  Two or more layers · CPC title