A vehicle body structure satisfies at least one of the following (A), (B), and (C): (A) an adhesive amount per unit area of a first adhesive in a second adjacent part is smaller than an adhesive amount per unit area of the first adhesive in a first adjacent part; (B) an adhesive amount per unit area of a panel adhesive in a second panel adjacent part is smaller than an adhesive amount per unit area of the panel adhesive in a first panel adjacent part; and (C) an adhesive amount per unit area of a second adhesive in a stacking adjacent part is smaller than an adhesive amount per unit area of the second adhesive in a non-stacking adjacent part.

A glued arrangement, preferably for a motor vehicle, is disclosed. The glued arrangement includes a first component, a second component, and at least one adhesive layer for connecting the two components. The adhesive layer includes a central zone and an edge zone that surrounds the central zone where, in the hardened state, the adhesive in the edge zone has a higher elasticity than the adhesive in the central zone.

A vehicular panel structure includes a panel, a reinforcement disposed inward of the panel in a vehicle, and mastic that bonds the panel and the reinforcement to each other. The reinforcement is provided with a body portion constituting a middle portion in a longitudinal direction and having a linear expansion coefficient smaller than the linear expansion coefficient of the panel, a connection portion constituting an end portion in the longitudinal direction, and a joining portion allowing the body portion and the connection portion to be joined to each other by a thermosetting adhesive and a fastener. A long hole portion is disposed in the reinforcement and is formed in either the connection portion or the body portion. The fastener is inserted into the long hole portion.

A method of joining first and second vehicle components to make an assembly includes applying structural adhesive and mastic to the first component. The first and second component may be made of different metals, and are brought together and joined at an interface using a linkage. Thereafter, the structural adhesive and mastic are cured. The mastic seals an interior edge of the interface, which is located at an interior of the assembly. A dust sealer is applied and cured to seal the exterior edge of the interface, which is located at an exterior of the assembly. The method results in sealing of all the edges around the entire perimeter of the interface, thus inhibiting water intrusion into the interface and possible corrosion resulting therefrom.

An automotive body adhesive bonding position optimization analysis method of obtaining an optimum position at which a parts set is adhesive-bonded with a structural adhesive in combination with welding, the method including: disposing an adhesive element as the structural adhesive at a position on a body structure model as a candidate at which adhesive bonding is performed with the structural adhesive; setting an optimization analysis condition including a loading condition applied to the body structure model in optimization analysis, to the body structure model on which the adhesive element is disposed; and performing optimization analysis on the adhesive element as an optimization analysis object in the body structure model to which the optimization analysis condition is set so as to obtain a position of the adhesive element satisfying the optimization analysis condition as the position at which adhesive bonding is performed with the structural adhesive.

A vehicle body includes a structural member having an inner surface defining an elongated cavity. The structural member includes an outer panel member joined to an inner panel member. A reinforcement member is positioned in the cavity wherein a gap is provided between the reinforcement member and the inner surface of the structural member. The reinforcement member includes an outer section, an inner section and a tension web interposed between and contacting the outer section and inner section. The outer section faces the outer panel member and the inner section faces the inner panel member. The tension web is secured to the outer panel member and inner panel member. An adhesive secured to the reinforcement member is activatable to expand toward the inner surface of the structural member to define a joint between the reinforcement member and the structural member and to at least partially fill the gap.

A vehicle body-variant adaptable shock tower system for a vehicle body structure having an axis, a vehicle frame rail arranged along the axis, a bulkhead arranged orthogonally relative to the frame rail. The system includes a shock tower spaced apart from the bulkhead and fixed to the frame rail. The system also includes a shock tower cap defining a plurality of receivers and a plurality of braces, wherein the number of braces corresponds to the body-variant. Each brace extends from the shock tower through a respective one of the receivers to the bulkhead, and is fixed to the shock tower and the bulkhead. The system additionally includes an adhesive applied between the shock tower cap, the plurality of braces, and the shock tower to thereby bond the shock tower cap, the braces, and the shock tower to each other and reinforce the vehicle body structure.

A bulkhead for a vehicle body structure includes a panel. The panel has a contour defined by a contour length and characterized by an open section having three surfaces in a cross-sectional view. The bulkhead also includes a support member embedded in the panel. The support member includes an external form configured to interface with and match at least two of the three surfaces of the contour. The support member also includes a support member length configured to fit within the contour length and a boxed cross-section having a substantially uniform shape along the support member length. The bulkhead additionally includes an adhesive applied between the external form of the support member and the interfacing surfaces of the contour to thereby bond the support member to the panel and reinforce the bulkhead. A vehicle having a structure with such a bulkhead is also considered.

A vehicle structure is provided that includes at least a die cast aluminum first vehicle component adhesively bonded to a second vehicle component made of a material other than die cast aluminum, in which the adhesive bond line between the bonding surface areas of the vehicle components is made uniform in thickness by the provision of aluminum protrusions of identical height to one another integrally die cast with and extending from the bonding surface area of the first vehicle component to contact the second vehicle component. Optionally, the adhesive bond is reinforced with one or more mechanical fasteners. Also provided is a method of making the vehicle structure.

A motor vehicle body encompasses a surface-coated bodyshell having an underbody carrying portion and a underbody that is embodied separately from the bodyshell and is fixedly joined to the underbody carrying portion, the underbody having a planar, multiply curved underbody structure component encompassing fiber-reinforced plastic, as well as at least one underbody member, joined to the underbody structure component, having a member material different from the structural material of the underbody structure component; a support projection, on which the underbody member is braced and to which the underbody member is fixedly joined by adhesive bonding, protruding toward the vehicle interior from the underbody carrying portion; the vehicle body encompasses at least one securing structure component that is embodied separately both from the bodyshell and from the underbody and encompasses at least two limbs arranged at an angle to one another, which component is joined to the bodyshell and/or to the underbody member to secure the underbody on the bodyshell.