Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.

Yamashita Rubber Kabushiki Kaisha

F-tech Inc.

Saga Tekkohsho Co., Ltd.

Tetsuya Miyahara

Shosuke Ohhama

Mitsuru Sayama

Tsutomu Kobayashi

Masataka Hirano

Eiji Tanaka

Daisuke Fukunaga

Naoki Nishi

Fumiaki Fukuchi

Hiroyuki Yoshida

Masahide Kobayashi

Ken Yasui

Eisei Higuchi

Nobuo Kubo

Tsutomu Ogawa

Tsunehisa Hata

Tomoyuki Imanishi

Yuichi Nakamaru

Keisuke Tsuta

Katsuhisa Yano

Shungo Fueki

Keisuke Kawabe

Gen Yoshida

Go Fujikawa

Masahiro Terada

Hiroyuki Matsufuji

Katsumi Komori

Kazuhiro Sekine

Naoki Osada

Yuji Muto

Tatsuhide Sakai

Masafumi Kyuse

Mutsuru Ozaki

Shuji Otake

A different materials joint structure includes: a thinned-plate shaped iron member and a thinned-plate shaped aluminum member integrally joined together. The iron member comprises two or more steel thinned plates stacked on each other and an electrodeposition coating is applied to the thinned plates so as to form electrodeposition coating films on surfaces of the thinned plates. The iron member and the aluminum member are then stacked on each other with stacked surfaces, and are joined together by friction stir welding tool inserted from an aluminum member side toward an iron member side in a direction perpendicular to the stacked surfaces.

Different materials joint structure

A joining method for forming a joint structure of different materials includes steps of: providing a steel member and a light metal member stacked on each other and to be joined together by friction stir welding in a non-melted state; applying a coating to the steel member; and joining the steel member and the light metal member together by rotatingly pushing a rotation tool into a joint portion of the light metal member with the steel member, generating friction heat and having the joint portion of the light metal member softened and plastically flow under the friction heat.

Joining method for forming a joint structure of different materials using a peripheral groove

A subframe structure for a front of the vehicle includes a front subframe made of steel and a rear subframe made of a light metal. The front subframe comprises left and right side members extending in approximately parallel with each other and including flange sections, the rear subframe comprises left and right rear side sections including flange sections, and a rear cross section connecting the left and right rear side sections. The left and right rear side sections are stacked on the left and right side members, and the flange section are joined together so as to define left and right closed sections, therebetween, and the left and right side members are further fastened to the left and right rear side sections by bolts extending through the left and right closed sections.

Subframe structure

A sub-frame structure includes right and left side members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a rear cross member extending in a vehicle width direction. The sub-frame structure is configured to support a vehicle power plant such as an engine through antivibration devices, and to be supported by a vehicle body frame. The right and left side members are rigidly fixed to a vehicle body frame through bolts. A first antivibration device is mounted on a front cross beam. First bushes and second bushes are provided in order to support the front cross beam in a floating manner relative to the right and left side members.

Sub-frame structure

A different materials joint structure includes: an iron member; an aluminum member disposed on the iron member and integrally joined with the iron member; and a sealant disposed between the iron member and the aluminum member. The aluminum member includes a lateral edge section projecting outwardly from the iron member and extending downwardly, the lateral edge section and a surface of a lateral end of the iron member define a concave section therebetween, and the sealant protruding outwardly from a position between lateral sections of the iron member and the aluminum member is held in the concave section.

A vehicular subframe structure comprises a light alloy member including a left side section and a right side section each extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a cross section extending in a width direction of the vehicle, and a steel plate member including a left thinned plate section and a right thinned plate section each extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. When the light alloy member is stacked on the steel plate member they are joined together by friction stir welding from a side of the light alloy member, thereby forming a closed section.

A subframe structure includes an attachment bracket that is disposed between the second vibration-isolation device and rear cross member and that attach the second vibration-isolation device to the rear cross member, and four elastic bushings that floatably support the attachment bracket as to the rear cross member at four support points. A load input point where a load is input from an engine to the second vibration-isolation device is positioned within a region surrounded by the four support points in planar view.

A friction stir welding member is formed by welding a second member to a first member in such a manner that a second member is stacked on a first member, a material property of the second member being different from a material property of the first member, a pin of a welding tool using a Friction Stir Welding technique is inserted into the second member, welding is started at one end of the second member, and the pin is pulled out at a welding terminal portion before the pin reaches the other end of the second member. A projection projecting toward the welding tool is provided integrally with the second member, the projection is formed so as to have a height that is higher than a length of the pin, and the projection is provided with the welding terminal portion.

Friction stir welding member

A subframe structure being supported by a vehicle-body frame and supporting a vehicular power plant through a damping device. The subframe structure includes: a longitudinal member which extends in a front-rear direction of a vehicle and is rigidly fixed to the vehicle-body frame; a lateral member which extends in a vehicle width direction and on which at least one of the damping devices is mounted; a floating mechanism which floatingly supports the lateral member on the longitudinal member through an elastic mechanism; and a suspension arm connected to the longitudinal member.

Friction stir welding is performed in the following manner. In the state in which a probe is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction, the probe is inserted into a flange of a rear sub frame, thereby starting friction stir welding to weld the flange of the rear sub frame and a flange of a front sub frame positioned on the inner side of the rear side of a vehicle. The probe is sequentially moved along the direction of arrow R1&#x2192;arrow R2 (predetermined direction). When the probe reaches the end point of the direction indicated by arrow R2, the probe is inserted into the flange on the outer side across a protruding portion disposed between the flanges. Then, the probe is sequentially moved in the direction of arrow R4&#x2192;arrow R5&#x2192;arrow R6, which is opposite to the direction of arrow R1&#x2192;arrow R2.

Dissimilar-material welded structure and welding method therefor

Disclosed is a subframe for a vehicle that allows a molten metal to be smoothly guided in order to maintain a good flow. This subframe for a vehicle is equipped with a rear subframe. For the rear subframe, a rear cross member, a rear section of a left side member, and a rear upper section of a right side member are constructed with an aluminum alloy and formed into one piece that has a substantially U-shape in a plan view. The rear cross member has a radial rib group that extends radially and a parallel rib group that intersects with the radial rib group. The radial rib group is configured such that radial ribs positioned further outside in the vehicle width direction form larger tilt angles.

Subframe for vehicle

A front-end structure for a vehicle is provided with: front side frames, a subframe extending across a vehicle body floor front portion to support a suspension component and an electric power steering device, the subframe being supported at least at the front end portion and at the rear end portion and being formed in a subframe main body from a light alloy casting, and a pair of left and right extension arms that are fixed to the subframe main body and extend forward of the subframe main body, and that are formed from a light alloy or steel by press-molding. In the rear portion of the extension arms in the vicinity the subframe main body, provided is a recessed portion that serves as a point at which downward bending starts midway along the lengthwise direction of the subframe with an input load in the event of a vehicle frontal collision.

Front-end structure for vehicle

Extending portions of a front sub-frame are each formed by stacking two thin plates made of steel, and flange portions of the front sub-frame and flange portions of a rear sub-frame made of aluminum are superimposed on each other, and are friction stir welded, with a seal material applied to the superimposed surfaces. Of the two thin plates, the thin plate joined to the rear sub-frame made of aluminum has, at each end thereof, a bent portion and an extending part. The bent portion is formed by bending. The end of the extending part extends outward farther than the rear sub-frame. The extending part is covered by the seal material. The bent portion is disposed at a farther end of the extending part.

Different material welded structure

The present invention comprises: a front subframe consisting of steel and divided in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; and a rear subframe consisting of light metal such as an aluminum alloy. The front subframe comprises a press-formed body formed by pressing. The rear subframe comprises a die-cast body formed by die-casting. The front subframe and the rear subframe are joined together by friction stir welding while the left and right rear side sections of the rear subframe are superposed on the upper surfaces of the thin plate sections of the front subframe.

A flange of a left rear side portion (aluminum member) includes a plane section extending toward a vertical wall of a left side member (steel plate-like member). The left side member includes a bent portion formed as a result of being bent between a flange and the vertical wall of the left side member, and a base section, which serves as a start point at which the bent section starts to be bent from the flange of the left side member. The plane section of the left rear side portion is provided such that it covers an area substantially up to the base section of the left side member.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Tetsuya Miyahara