Front vehicle-body structure of vehicle

• US 10,336,376 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Maruyama, Kenji, Matsuoka, Hidenori, Watanabe, Shigeaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutman, Hilary L
• Application Number:
  US15/345,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20170174264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/09 Reducing noise
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/11 with resilient means for suspension , e.g. of wheels or engine; sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/088 Details of structures as upper supports for springs or dampers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/16 Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels equipped with means for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter B60S

Abstract

A front vehicle body comprises a front frame having a closed cross-section, an apron reinforcement, a suspension housing, and first and second bulkheads arranged in the closed cross-section of the front frame. The suspension housing comprises first and second open cross-sections extending in a vehicle width direction and interconnecting the front frame and the apron reinforcement. The first and second open cross-sections include front ridgeline portions which are a high-rigidity portion extending in the vehicle width direction. The first and second bulkheads are arranged in the closed cross-section and located at or near positions which are continuous to lower ends of the front ridgeline portions.

Claims

1. A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising:

a front frame extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and having a rectangular closed cross-section, the front frame comprising a first plate and a second plate which are spaced apart, in a vehicle width direction, from each other and respectively extend in a vertical direction;

an apron reinforcement extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and arranged above and on an outward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the front frame;

a suspension housing connecting the front frame and the apron reinforcement, to which a suspension component is attached; and

a reinforcing member arranged in the rectangular closed cross-section of the front frame and joined to the front frame,

wherein said suspension housing comprises an open cross-section extending in the vehicle width direction and interconnecting said front frame and said apron reinforcement,

said open cross-section of the suspension housing includes a high-rigidity portion extending in the vehicle width direction,

a lower end portion of said high-rigidity portion is directly connected to one of said first and second plates of the front frame on an outside of the rectangular closed cross-section of the front frame,

said suspension housing further comprises a lower-end connection portion which is directly connected to the other of said first and second plates of the front frame on the outside of the rectangular closed cross-section of the front frame, the lower-end connection portion being provided to be spaced apart, in the vehicle width direction, from said lower end portion of the high-rigidity portion,

an end portion, on the side of said front frame, of said open cross-section faces an upper face of said front frame having a gap, and

said reinforcing member is joined to each inner face of said rectangular closed cross-section of the front frame at or near a position which is continuous to an end portion, on the side of said front frame, of said high-rigidity portion.

2. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said high-rigidity portion is a ridge-line portion where two faces of said open cross-section cross each other.

3. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said front frame is composed of a pair of right-and-left front frames, a suspension cross member is provided between said pair of right-and-left front frames, and each of the pair of right-and-left front frames includes an attachment portion for fixing said suspension cross member near an arrangement position of said reinforcing member.

4. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein said front frame is composed of a pair of right-and-left front frames, a suspension cross member is provided between said pair of right-and-left front frames, and each of the pair of right-and-left front frames includes an attachment portion for fixing said suspension cross member near an arrangement position of said reinforcing member.

5. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a rigidity-reinforcement portion extending in a direction of an extension line of the end portion of said high-rigidity portion.

6. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a rigidity-reinforcement portion extending in a direction of an extension line of the end portion of said high-rigidity portion.

7. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 3, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a rigidity-reinforcement portion extending in a direction of an extension line of the end portion of said high-rigidity portion.

8. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 4, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a rigidity-reinforcement portion extending in a direction of an extension line of the end portion of said high-rigidity portion.

9. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a penetration hole which is provided with a flange portion at an edge portion thereof.

10. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a penetration hole which is provided with a flange portion at an edge portion thereof.

11. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 3, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a penetration hole which is provided with a flange portion at an edge portion thereof.

12. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 4, wherein said reinforcing member is a bulkhead including a partition-face portion which partitions said rectangular closed cross-section, and said partition-face portion includes a penetration hole which is provided with a flange portion at an edge portion thereof.