VEHICLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME

Abstract

A vehicle support structure formed by casting, the vehicle support structure includes a main body part attached to a vehicle side, a plurality of support portions extending from the main body part to support vehicle components, and a plurality of rib portions configured to connect the support portions and the main body part, respectively. A lightening portion is formed by casting at least in one of the rib portions. An external component mounting portion is formed in the lightening portion.

Claims

1. A vehicle support structure formed by casting, the vehicle support structure comprising: a main body part attached to a vehicle side; a plurality of support portions extending from the main body part to support vehicle components, and a plurality of rib portions configured to connect the support portions and the main body part, respectively, wherein a lightening portion is formed by casting at least in one of the rib portions, and wherein an external component mounting portion is formed in the lightening portion.

2. The vehicle support structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle support structure is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

3. The vehicle support structure according to claim 1, wherein the one rib portion in which the lightening portion is formed connects the largest one of the support portions and the main body part.

4. The vehicle support structure according to claim 2, wherein the one rib portion in which the lightening portion is formed connects the largest one of the support portions and the main body part.

5. A method of manufacturing a vehicle support structure, the vehicle support structure comprising a main body part attached to a vehicle side; a plurality of support portions extending from the main body part to support vehicle components, and a plurality of rib portions configured to connect the support portions and the main body part, respectively, and the vehicle support structure being formed by gravity casting using a mold with a sprue and a strain relief above the sprue, the method comprising forming a lightening portion by casting on the side of the strain relief at least in one of the rib portions remote from the sprue.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising forming an external component mounting portion in the lightening portion by machining.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a vehicle support structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of FIG. 1; and

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a state in which an external component is disposed in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a vehicle support structure 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of FIG. 1. Meanwhile, for convenience of explanation, in each figure, a front and rear direction and an upper and lower direction of the vehicle support structure 1 and a main body part 2 are indicated by arrows. Further, in all the drawings for explaining the embodiment, members having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof may be omitted.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle support structure 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a steering knuckle. The vehicle support structure 1 includes the main body part 2 attached to a vehicle side, a plurality of support portions 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d for supporting vehicle components on a side surface portion 2c extending from the main body part 2, and a plurality of rib portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d for connecting the support portions and the main body part 2, respectively. The vehicle support structure 1 is formed by casing aluminum or aluminum alloy.

[0027] As an example, the support portion 3d having a structure in which an upper arm is inserted and fastened with fastening parts such as bolts is provided on an upper portion of the main body part 2. As an example, the support portion 3a and the support portion 3b are caliper mounting portions, and the support portion 3c is a lateral link mounting portion on the rear side.

[0028] In the present embodiment, a lightening portion 5 is formed in a portion surrounded by a broken line in the rib portion 4d connecting the support portion 3d and the main body part 2. The lightening portion 5 is formed by casting and has a casted surface 5a. An external component mounting portion 6 is formed in the lightening portion 5 by machining.

[0029] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the width of the support portion 3d is set to be large among the support portions. Further, the rib portion 4d has a structure connected to the main body part 2 at the time of casting, so that the rib portion 4d is unnecessarily thick. By forming the lightening portion 5 in the rib portion 4d, unnecessary portions can be easily removed.

[0030] Subsequently, the method of manufacturing the vehicle support structure 1 according to the present embodiment will be described below.

[0031] As an example, a mold is configured such that a sprue 2a is provided on the side surface portion 2c and a strain relief 2b is provided on the upper side of the main body part 2. Molten metal is poured into the mold from the sprue 2a and the strain relief 2b is caused to face upward, so that the vehicle support structure is formed by gravity casting. Further, the lightening portion 5 is formed by casting on the side of the strain relief 2b in the rib portion 4d. In this way, the vehicle support structure has a relief shape that does not require undercut processing, and can be easily cast. Further, the unnecessary portions of the rib portion 4d remote from the sprue 2a on the side of the strain relief 2b are reduced by the lightening portion 5 while ensuring the required rigidity, and casting speed can be increased. As a result, blowholes can be prevented, thereby improving casting quality.

[0032] After casting, an external component mounting portion 6 is formed in the lightening portion 5 by machining such as cutting or grinding. In this way, the machining allowance at the time of machining the external component mounting portion 6 can be reduced to the minimum required. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a state in which a brake hose bracket is disposed as an external component 7.

[0033] The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.