The present invention relates to an improvement in a die cast sub-frame for a vehicle.
Vehicular sub-frames are well known in the art. An example of such sub-frames is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 4-232183 entitled “SUSPENSION CROSS MEMBER FOR VEHICLE”. The disclosed suspension cross member is used to mount a generally A-shaped suspension arm to a front frame of a vehicle body therethrough. The cross member has an arm securing portion extending therefrom. The arm securing portion has a reinforcing member provided thereon. The suspension arm is supported by the reinforcing member.
The suspension arm is made from light metals such as aluminum alloy for reduction in weight. Since the arm securing portion itself provides insufficient strength, the reinforcing member serves to reinforce the arm securing portion of the cross member.
These types of vehicular sub-frames should provide strengths sufficient to mount such vehicle components as suspensions to vehicle bodies. It is preferred for these sub-frames to be partly increased in strength because they are undesirably increased in weight if strengthened throughout.
For the cross member as disclosed in the aforementioned publication, the separate reinforcing member of steel is provided to achieve the increased strength of the arm securing portion of the cross member. This increases the number of parts of the cross member. The cross member having such an additional reinforcing member is manufactured at a higher cost.
Moreover, a joining process such as welding or casting would be necessarily performed if the reinforcing member needs to be firmly joined to the A-shaped suspension arm. Such a joining process is, however, undesirably costly to perform.
With respect to
Referring to
It is desirable to use die casting rather than the above-mentioned casting so as to ensure that the sub-frame provides increased strength. Die casting machines are designed such that molten metal is forced into cavities formed in the die casting machines at a high pressure and speed to thereby provide a die casting of dense cast structure. Use of the die casting is advantageous because the resultant die cast sub-frames are lightweight and thin.
In producing the #-shaped sub-frame using a die casting machine having formed therein the cavity 113 as shown in
An object of the present invention is to provide a partly strengthened sub-frame which can be produced without requiring any additional part.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sub-frame produced by a die casting machine having formed therein a cavity free from the recessed portions.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a die cast sub-frame for use in mounting a vehicle component to a vehicle body, the sub-frame being produced by a die casting machine having formed therein a gate, runners communicating with the gate, and a cavity communicating with a communication portion of the runner, the sub-frame comprising: a body portion; and mounting portions to be attached to the vehicle component, the mounting portions being provided on the body portion; the mounting portions each being positioned in correspondence to the communication portion.
Molten metal is forced into a cavity of the die casting machine under a high pressure. Upon flowing into the cavity, the molten metal starts to solidify. With the cavity filled with the molten metal, molten metal within the runners are under a high pressure, whereby the closest part of the molten metal to the communication portion is intensively pressured. This means that the molten metal positioned proximate the communication portion solidifies into the mounting portion having dense cast structure. This allows the mounting portion to have increased strength. The vehicle component is mounted to the mounting portion of increased strength.
Accordingly, it becomes possible to strengthen any desired or selected portion of the sub-frame without requiring separate members. Because there is no need for these separate members, the sub-frame can be manufactured at a low cost.
In a preferred form of the present invention, the vehicle component is the suspension.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a die cast sub-frame for use in mounting a vehicle component to a vehicle body, comprising: first and second horizontal members extending laterally of the vehicle body in substantially parallel to each other; first and second vertical members extending longitudinally of the vehicle body in substantially parallel to each other, the first and second vertical members being disposed between and joined to the first and second horizontal members; and bulged portions positioned at junction portions where the first and second vertical members are joined to the first and second horizontal members, the bulged portions lying in a plane defined by the first and second horizontal members and the first and second vertical members.
The junction portions where the horizontal members meet the vertical members are positioned in correspondence to a portion of increased width of a cavity of a die casting machine. The portion of increased width has its enlarged sectional area. Therefore, molten metal to be die cast can flow through such a portion with improved fluidity. Additionally, the die cast sub-frame has no projecting portions as shown in
The die casting provides improved productivity of the sub-frame. The sub-frame produced by die casting molten light metals provides reduced weight and increased strength.
In a preferred form of the present invention, the bulged portion is mounted to a small vehicle component.
In a further preferred form of the present invention, the small vehicle component is an exhaust pipe.
In a still further preferred form of the present invention, the vehicle component is a suspension.
Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The body portion 25 includes first and second vertical members 23a, 23b (only one shown) extending longitudinally or in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle body, and first and second horizontal members 24a, 24b extending laterally or transversely of the vehicle body. The first and second vertical members 23a, 23b are disposed in substantially parallel to each other (see
In addition to the generally #-shaped configuration, the sub-frame 20 may be of H-shaped, I-shaped or other various configurations to serve as a crossmember disposed transversely of the vehicle body.
As shown in
The sleeve 39 has a gate 45 provided at an end thereof. When clamped against each other under a sufficient force, the moving die 36 and the stationary die 32 jointly define plural runners 46, 46 and a cavity 47. The runner 46 has a communication portion 51 communicating with the cavity 47.
Reference is made to
When the plunger 42 is advanced at a high speed within the sleeve 39, as shown in
By the time the plunger 42 moves to the most advanced position, most of the molten aluminum alloy within the cavity 47 solidifies. Conversely, the nearest part of the aluminum alloy to the communication portion 51 within the cavity 47 does not yet solidify. At this time, the plunger 42 applies a pressure intensively to the nearest part of the aluminum alloy to the communication portion 51. Such a part is thus brought to the most compressed state. The thus most compressed part of the aluminum alloy eventually solidifies into a die cast part of dense cast structure. Such a die cast part has an increased strength. It is to be understood that the die casting has a larger strength than castings produced using sand molds or metal molds.
Turning to
The die casting has the first and second horizontal members 24a, 24b and the first and second vertical members 23a, 23b. The die casting further includes a first die cast part 45a and four second die cast parts 46a. Each second die cast part 46a extends from the first die cast part 45a to the arm mounting portion 21. The first die cast part 45a is positioned in correspondence to the gate 45, i.e., the former is obtained within the gate 45 while the second die cast part 46a is positioned in correspondence to the runner 46, i.e., the former is obtained within the runner 46. Each arm mounting portion 21 is positioned in correspondence to a die cast part 51a of the second die cast part 46a. The die cast part 51a is obtained at the communication portion 51. It will be appreciated that any die cast part obtained near the communication portion 51 has dense cast structure and hence provides the most increased strength. It therefore becomes possible to increase the strength of the arm mounting portion 21.
The first die cast part 45a and the second die cast parts 46a are cut off thereafter.
The die casting having the die cast parts 45a, 46a thus removed is machined into the desired sub-frame 20 as shown in
Shown in
The die casting as shown in
The term “vehicle component” as used herein is intended to include not only the suspension and the differential but also an engine mounting and a wide variety of suspension-related components such as a spring.
The molten metal to be die cast may be magnesium alloy, Cu—Al alloys, steel, or other material suitable for the die casting. The aluminum alloy or magnesium alloy is preferably used for reducing the weight of the resultant sub-frame.
As shown in
Referring to
It is noted that molten metal flows much faster in the die casting than in the casting. Since the junction portions have the width W2 larger than the width W1, the molten metal to be die cast flows smoothly within the portion of the cavity corresponding to the junction portion. The flow of the molten metal is shown by arrows of
By thus providing the increased width of the junction portion of the sub-frame, it becomes possible to prevent the misrun which would be otherwise produced in the die casting. Further, since there can be formed the bulges portions 61a, 61b, there is no need for particular projecting portions as shown in
The term “small vehicle component” as used herein is intended to include not only the exhaust pipe but also a wide variety of components suitable for attachment to the rear sub-frame.
Although the present invention has been described as being applied to the rear sub-frame, it is applicable to a front sub-frame.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter of Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 2000-334625 and 2000-334633, filed on Nov. 1, 2000, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2000-334625 | Nov 2000 | JP | national |
2000-334633 | Nov 2000 | JP | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20020050706 A1 | May 2002 | US |