MOUNTING STRUCTURE OF RESIN MEMBER

Abstract

In a mounting structure of a resin member, a collar has an outside diameter smaller than the diameter of a collar insertion hole of a resin-made fixation portion, and the collar defines a collar hole therein. A washer member defines a washer hole therein. The washer member has an outside diameter greater than the diameter of the collar insertion hole and an inside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the collar. A holding portion throughhole of a metal-made holding portion, the collar hole, and the washer hole form a bolt insertion hole through which a bolt shaft is inserted in a state in which the collar is inserted in the collar insertion hole, the metal-made holding portion is laid on or over one surface of the resin-made fixation portion, and the washer member is laid on or over the other surface of the resin-made fixation portion.

Claims

1. A mounting structure of a resin member in which a flat resin-made fixation portion of the resin member is laid on or over and fixed to a flat metal-made holding portion, the mounting structure comprising: a holding portion throughhole pierced through the metal-made holding portion; a circular collar insertion hole pierced through the resin-made fixation portion and having an inside diameter greater than a diameter of the holding portion throughhole; a collar having an outside diameter smaller than the diameter of the collar insertion hole and having a cylindrical or annular shape that defines a collar hole therein; an annular washer member defining a washer hole therein and having an outside diameter greater than the diameter of the collar insertion hole and an inside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the collar; and a bolt and a nut, wherein a length of the collar in a direction orthogonal to radial directions of the collar is greater than a thickness of the resin-made fixation portion, the holding portion throughhole, the collar hole, and the washer hole form a bolt insertion hole through which a bolt shaft of the bolt is inserted in a state in which the collar is inserted in the collar insertion hole, one surface of the resin-made fixation portion is laid on or over the metal-made holding portion, and the washer member is laid on or over another surface of the resin-made fixation portion, and the nut is screw-fitted on the bolt shaft inserted in the bolt insertion hole.

2. The mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the collar has an annular shape in which the length of the collar is smaller than the outside diameter of the collar.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a side view schematically illustrating a mounting structure of a noise cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting structure taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating part of the mounting structure of FIG. 2;

[0023] FIG. 4A is a front view illustrating a collar; and

[0024] FIG. 4B is a side view illustrating the collar.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following description, the “front-rear direction” is defined as the front-rear direction of a vehicle and the “right-left direction” is defined as the right-left direction of the vehicle when the vehicle faces frontward. Directions for each member in the following description are also defined with respect to the vehicle when the member is mounted on the vehicle.

[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 1, body frame 1 of a vehicle includes right and left side frames 2 (illustration of the right side frame is omitted) and multiple cross frames (not illustrated). Right and left side frames 2 extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle at both ends of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. The cross frames extend in the vehicle width direction and connect right and left side frames 2 to each other.

[0027] A sound source (not illustrated) that emits noises is disposed between right and left side frames 2. Examples of the sound source include an engine, a motor, a transmission, an exhaust pipe, and the sound source is held by supporting members (not illustrated) and thereby fixed to body frame 1.

[0028] Right and left resin-made noise covers (resin members) 3 are fixed respectively to right and left side frames 2 using metal-made brackets 4. Noise covers 3 at least cover outward-facing sides of the sound source in the vehicle width direction and thereby attenuate the noise emitted from the sound source. Each of right and left brackets 4 is a belt-like plate of which the length in the up-down direction is longer than the length in the front-rear direction. Brackets 4 are disposed on noise cover 3 at multiple positions spaced in the front-rear direction of the vehicle (two positions in the present embodiment). Note that noise covers 3 and brackets 4 are provided symmetrically on the right and left sides of the vehicle. Accordingly, the following description will focus on noise cover 3 and brackets 4 on the left side, and descriptions of those on the right side will be omitted.

[0029] Each bracket 4 includes upper portion 5 and lower portion 6. Upper portion 5 of bracket 4 is laid on, and fixed to, side frame 2 from the outside in the vehicle width direction. Lower portion 6 of bracket 4 extends downward from upper portion 5. Lower portion 6 of bracket 4 includes multiple bracket-side holding portions (metal-made holding portions) 7. Bracket-side holding portions 7 are shaped tabularly and located at multiple positions (two positions in the present embodiment) that are spaced in the up-down direction. Noise cover 3 includes multiple cover-side fixation portions (resin-made fixation portions) 8. Cover-side fixation portions 8 are shaped tabularly and located at multiple positions (the same number of positions as that of bracket-side holding portion 7). Cover-side fixation portions 8 are laid on, and fixed to, respective bracket-side holding portions 7.

[0030] As illustrated FIGS. 2 and 3, each cover-side fixation portion 8 is fixed to corresponding bracket-side holding portion 7 using a metallic collar 9, metallic washer member 10, bolt 11, and nut 12.

[0031] Bolt 11 includes bolt head 13 and bolt shaft (thread portion) 14 extending from bolt head 13. Bolt head 13 and bolt shaft 14 are formed integrally, and nut 12 is screwed on bolt shaft 14.

[0032] Circular bracket throughhole (holding portion throughhole) 15 is formed through bracket-side holding portion 7 in the vehicle width direction. The diameter of bracket throughhole 15 is slightly larger than the outside diameter of bolt shaft 14.

[0033] Circular cover throughhole (collar insertion hole) 16 is formed through cover-side fixation portion 8 in the vehicle width direction. Cover throughhole 16 has a diameter (inside diameter) larger than that of bracket throughhole 15.

[0034] Collar 9 is shaped cylindrically or annularly and defines collar hole 17 therein. In the present embodiment, collar 9 is shaped like an annular disk (thin annular plate) of which thickness D1 of collar 9 (the length of collar 9 in the direction orthogonal to the radial directions thereof) is smaller than outside diameter L1 of collar 9 (see FIG. 4). Thickness D1 of collar 9 is slightly greater than thickness D2 of cover-side fixation portion 8 (for example, by 0.1 mm to about several tenths of millimeter).

[0035] Outside diameter L1 of collar 9 is slightly smaller than the diameter of cover throughhole 16, and the inside diameter L2 of collar 9 (i.e., the diameter of collar hole 17) is slightly greater than the outside diameter of bolt shaft 14. Collar 9 is inserted in cover throughhole 16 in such a manner that the central axis of collar 9 is substantially aligned with the central axis of cover throughhole 16.

[0036] Washer member 10 is shaped like an annular disk (thin annular plate) of which the thickness (the length of washer member 10 in the direction orthogonal to the radial directions thereof) is smaller than the outside diameter of washer member 10. The washer member defines washer hole 18 therein. The outside diameter of washer member 10 is greater than the diameter of cover throughhole 16, and the inside diameter of washer member 10 (i.e., the diameter of washer hole 18) is smaller than the outside diameter of collar 9.

[0037] Bracket throughhole 15, collar hole 17, and washer hole 18 form bolt insertion hole into which bolt shaft 14 is inserted in the state in which collar 9 is inserted in cover throughhole 16, the outer surface (one surface) of cover-side fixation portion 8 facing outward in the vehicle width direction is laid on the inner surface of bracket-side holding portion 7 facing inward in the vehicle width direction, and the outer surface of washer member 10 facing outward in the vehicle width direction is laid on or over the inner surface (the other surface) of cover-side fixation portion 8 facing inward in the vehicle width direction. Nut 12 is screwed on bolt shaft 14 inserted in bolt insertion hole 20.

[0038] When noise cover 3 is mounted on bracket 4, collar 9 is first inserted in cover throughhole 16 of cover-side fixation portion 8. Next, bracket-side holding portion 7 is laid on the surface of cover-side fixation portion 8 facing outward in the vehicle width direction and washer member 10 is laid on the surface of cover-side fixation portion 8 facing inward in the vehicle width direction in such a manner that bracket throughhole 15, collar hole 17, and washer hole 18 form bolt insertion hole 20. Bolt shaft 14 is subsequently inserted into bolt insertion hole 20, and nut 12 is screwed tightly on bolt shaft 14. Note that another washer may be present between bolt head 13 and bracket-side holding portion 7. In the illustrated example, bolt 11 is inserted from the outside in the vehicle width direction (from outside of bracket 4), and nut 12 comes into contact with washer member 10. The bolt 11, however, may be inserted from the inside in the vehicle width direction (from inside of noise cover 3), and bolt head 13 may come into contact with washer member 10.

[0039] According to the present embodiment, thickness D1 of collar 9 is greater than thickness D2 of cover-side fixation portion 8. As a result, bolt 11 and nut 12 do not directly fasten cover-side fixation portion 8 to bracket-side holding portion 7. Instead, the fastening force by bolt 11 and nut 12 is applied to bracket-side holding portion 7, washer member 10, and collar 9. Accordingly, the fastening force is transmitted only minimally to cover-side fixation portion 8, which can reduce deformation or crack generation of cover-side fixation portion 8.

[0040] The outside diameter of washer member 10 is greater than the diameter of cover throughhole 16. Accordingly, even in the case of nut 12 not having a sufficiently large diameter relative to cover throughhole 16, washer member 10 reliably prevents cover-side fixation portion 8 from coming off bracket-side holding portion 7.

[0041] A general purpose bolt can be used as bolt 11, which suppresses an increase in the cost of component and also suppresses an increase in the number of the types of bolt 11, leading to easy component management. Even if bolt 11 breaks when in use, a user can obtain bolt 11 easily and replace it with a new one. Bolt 11 can be inserted from the side of cover-side fixation portion 8 or from the side of bracket-side holding portion 7. Accordingly, the insertion of the bolt is less affected by the surrounding conditions.

[0042] Both cover-side fixation portion 8 and bolt shaft 14 can rotate relative to collar 9, which can reduce the likelihood of noise cover 3 and bolt 11 turning together when bolt 11 is tightened, which can improve workability in tightening the bolt. Washer member 10 is shaped like the annular disk (thin annular plate). Accordingly, a general purpose flat washer can be used as washer member 10. Collar 9 is shaped like the annular disk (thin annular plate). Accordingly, a general purpose flat washer (a flat washer having an outside diameter smaller than that of washer member 10) can be used as collar 9.

[0043] The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment. The present invention, however, is not limited to the description of the above embodiment but can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. In other words, other embodiments, examples, applications, and the like done by those skilled in the art on the basis of the above embodiment are to be included in the present invention.

[0044] For example, the structure of mounting resin-made noise cover 3 onto the metal-made bracket 4 is described in the present embodiment, but the combination of the metal-made member and the resin-made member is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to combinations of various other members.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0045] The present invention can be widely applied to mounting structures of a resin member in which a flat resin-made fixation portion of the resin member is laid on and fixed to a flat metal-made holding portion.