Body structure, in particular floor structure, for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9056633-B2
Application number	US-201113697492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2011
Priority date	May 10, 2010
Publication date	Jun 16, 2015
Grant date	Jun 16, 2015

Abstract

The invention relates to a car body structure, especially a substructure, for a motor vehicle, with beam components that create defined load paths in collision situations. According to the invention, the beam components situated in the area of at least one defined load path—especially a head-on collision load path and/or a side collision load path and/or a rear-end collision load path—at least partially comprise high-strength beam components, preferably completely through-hardened or at least partially through-hardened high-strength beam components, made out of a hot-worked or press-hardened steel sheet, said beam components being joined to each other directly or indirectly, preferably directly, especially being joined to each other positively or non-positively and/or by bonding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A body structure for a vehicle comprising:
vehicle components configured to create a defined load path in head-on collision situations, said vehicle components comprising:
at least one longitudinal chassis beam assembly situated on each of two opposing sides of the vehicle, the at least one longitudinal chassis beam assembly comprising a longitudinal chassis beam extension made of a high-strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material adjoining a first front longitudinal chassis beam made of a low-strength material relative to the high-strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material;
wherein the longitudinal chassis beam extension is connected to one or more of an A-pillar component, skirt component, or foot well cross beam, each of said A-pillar component, skirt component and foot well cross beam being made of a high-strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material.

2. The body structure according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle further comprises vehicle components not configured to create the defined head-on collision load path, wherein said vehicle components not configured to create the defined head-on collision load path are made of a low-strength material relative to the high-strength hot formed or press-hardened material.

3. The body structure according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle components further comprise a transmission tunnel component running in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the transmission tunnel component being made of a high-strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material.

4. The body structure according to claim 3 , wherein the skirt component is joined, directly or indirectly, to the A-pillar component or to the foot well cross beam.

5. The body structure according to claim 3 , wherein the transmission tunnel component is joined, directly or indirectly, to the foot well cross beam.

6. The body structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the longitudinal chassis beam extension is joined to a lower section of the at least one A-pillar component extending above a height of a door of the vehicle in a vertical axis direction of the vehicle, and
wherein the vehicle components further comprises a at least one second front longitudinal chassis beam, situated on each of two opposing sides of the vehicle, joined to an upper section of the A-pillar component, wherein said second front longitudinal chassis beam is situated above the first front longitudinal chassis beam in the vertical axis direction of the vehicle or is situated further towards an outside of the vehicle in a crosswise direction of the vehicle than the associated first front longitudinal chassis beam.

7. The body structure according to claim 6 , further comprising a front wall joined to the foot well cross beam running in an area between two opposing A-pillar components, or to a cross beam near a windshield, wherein said front wall is made of a low-strength material relative to the high strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material and is joined, directly or indirectly, to the A-pillar component, to the longitudinal chassis beam extension, to the second front longitudinal chassis beam, or to the foot well cross beam.

8. The body structure according to claim 6 , further comprising a wheel well component arranged in an area between the first and second front longitudinal chassis beams, or in an area between the front longitudinal chassis beams and the longitudinal chassis beam extensions, said wheel well component being made of a low-strength material relative to the high strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material.

9. The body structure according to claim 3 ,
wherein said at least one longitudinal chassis beam assembly further comprises a longitudinal chassis beam section,
wherein, in a mounted state, said longitudinal chassis beam section extends into a passenger compartment area and adjoins the longitudinal chassis beam extension,
whereby
said longitudinal chassis beam section runs parallel to the transmission tunnel component or to the skirt component, and it is made of a low-strength material relative to the high strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material, or
said longitudinal chassis beam section extends to a rear heel plate, to a rear cross beam component of the passenger compartment, or passes through or engages underneath the foot well cross beam and supports the foot well cross beam.

10. The body structure according to claim 1 , wherein the foot well cross beam is made in two pieces comprising at least two cross beam components extending between opposing sides of the vehicle or at least two one-piece cross beam components joined to each other.

11. The body structure according to claim 1 , wherein the foot well cross beam is made in one piece.

12. The body structure according to claim 6 , further comprising a front strut tower component arranged in an area between the first and second front longitudinal chassis beams, or in an area between the front longitudinal chassis beams and the longitudinal chassis beam extensions, said front strut tower component being made of a low-strength material relative to the high strength hot formed and/or press-hardened material.

Assignees

• Krauth Werner
• Bösche Thorben
• Schifferli Gwendolin
• Steinrücken Martin
• Thiele Stefan
• Hillmann Jürgen
• Lohmann Maria Rita
• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Lohmann Bernard
• Krauth Werner
• Bösche Thorben
• Schifferli Gwendolin
• Steinrücken Martin
• Thiele Stefan
• Hillmann Jürgen

Classifications

• B62D29/007

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

• B62D25/025 Primary

  Side sills thereof · CPC title

• B62D21/15 Primary

  having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body (bumpers B60R19/02; shock absorbers in general F16F) · CPC title

• B62D25/2027 Primary

  the subunits being rear structures · CPC title

• B62D25/20

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