An insulating element for insulating a structural element in a vehicle includes a carrier which has a first wall and a second wall. A first rib and a second rib are arranged between the walls. The insulating element also includes an expandable material which is arranged between the walls and on both sides of each rib. The insulating element also includes a fastening element for fastening the insulating element in the structural element.

A panel joint structure suppresses stress concentration on a flange corner section-side end-portion of an adhesive during application of a peeling load. A first panel member includes a panel body section, a corner section, and a first flange section. A second panel member is arranged to oppose the first flange section. A joint section joins the first flange section and the second panel member in a contact state thereof, and an adhesive continuously provided in a longitudinal direction of the corner section adheres the first flange section to the second panel member. The first panel member includes a load transmission section near a joint section, and the load transmission section is provided between the panel body section and the first flange section, and an angle θ2 thereof that is defined with the panel body section is larger than an angle θ1 defined by the panel body section and a portion in a short direction of the first flange section. A flange distal end-side end-portion of the load transmission section in the short direction of the flange section is disposed in a region between a corner section-side end-portion and a distal end-side end-portion of the joint section in the short direction of the first flange section.

A vehicle body joint structure includes: a frame member made of a metal pipe, extending from a side of a vehicle body to be inclined vertically, and configured to form a front pillar; and a body member made of a plastic composite material, including a dash connection part and a cowl connection part, joined to the frame member, and configured to cover the frame member.

The frame member has a flat sheet portion with a recessed portion having a pair of wall portions and a bottom portion extending between tip portions in an extending direction of the pair of wall portions, in which a Vickers hardness of a region of the flat sheet portion excluding the recessed portion is 330 Hv or more, a depth of the recessed portion is 5 mm or more, when a width of the recessed portion is L.sub.0 and a cross-sectional length of an inner peripheral wall of the recessed portion consisting of the pair of wall portions and the bottom portion is L.sub.1, a value of (L.sub.1−L.sub.0)/L.sub.0 is 0.18 or more and 2.8 or less, and a Vickers hardness of a ridgeline portion extending between the flat sheet portion and the recessed portion is 1.06 times or more and 1.20 times or less the Vickers hardness of the region of the flat sheet portion excluding the recessed portion.

A device for reinforcing a structural element in a motor vehicle including a reinforcing element, which has a longitudinal axis and which can be arranged in a cavity of the structural element. The reinforcing element includes walls which extend substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis. The reinforcing element additionally includes at least one open side, which likewise extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis. The walls directly adjoining the open side are designed in a convergent manner in that extensions of said adjoining walls running in the direction of the open side and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis intersect.

The invention relates to a load-bearing structure for automobiles and the like, including a chassis (2), a shell (3), a floorpan or other components, at least a part of which (13, 15, 16) is made by using composite honeycomb panels (20).

According to the invention, such panels (20) are provided with an external reinforcing layer (25, 26) made of a high-strength polymeric material such as carbon fiber, aramid fiber, fiberglass or the like.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle body part of a motor vehicle having at least one frame component and at least one trim part which is arranged thereon, wherein the trim part has at least one cutout which is closed off in an essentially airtight and watertight fashion and has at least one solar cell which is arranged therein and has the purpose of generating electrical energy, and wherein the outer side of the trim part has, at least in a region adjacent to the at least one solar cell, an outer shape which is curved three-dimensionally and which is provided for forming a part of the external contour of the motor vehicle in the installed position on said motor vehicle. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing a vehicle body part.

An embodiment plastic composite material panel includes an outer plate portion bent in a predetermined shape and configured to be bonded to a vehicle body frame through an adhesive, and a material filling portion integrally formed with the outer plate portion, the material filling portion being thicker than the outer plate portion.

An embodiment plastic composite material panel includes an outer plate portion bent in a predetermined shape and configured to be bonded to a vehicle body frame through an adhesive, and a material filling portion integrally formed with the outer plate portion, the material filling portion being thicker than the outer plate portion.