Underbody structure for vehicle

An underbody structure for a vehicle having a trunk formed at the front of the vehicle body and passenger compartment disposed immediately behind the trunk, comprising a dash panel separating the passenger compartment from the trunk and having a concave portion projecting rearwardly into the passenger compartment from a lower portion of the dash panel and substantially at the center thereof, said concave portion having a upper face, two side faces, a front end and a lower end, said front and lower ends having openings, the front opening having a width which is shorter than the overall width of the vehicle body;

• a fuel tank partly in the concave portion and partly in the trunk;
• a floor panel, forming the floor of said passenger compartment, connected to the lower portion of the dash panel,
• a lower reinforcement member at the lower surface of the front edge portion of the floor panel and surrounding at least the rear portion of the fuel tank and being disposed along the edge of the lower opening of the concave portion, and the ends of which extend in the transverse direction of the vehicle body to form a closed section structure,
• a support member, for supporting the fuel tank, secured at one end thereof to the lower reinforcement member and to a rigid portion of the vehicle body at the other end;
• a cross member in front of the fuel tank and extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle body,
• and wherein said support member comprises a tank band, for supporting the fuel tank, mounted on the lower reinforcement member and the cross member to extend therebetween.

An underbody structure for a vehicle having a trunk formed at the front of the vehicle body and passenger compartment disposed immediately behind the trunk, comprising a dash panel separating the passenger compartment from the trunk and having a concave portion projecting rearwardly into the passenger compartment from a lower portion of the dash panel and substantially at the center thereof, said concave portion having an upper face, two side faces, a front end and a lower end, said front and lower ends having openings, the front opening having a width which is shorter than the overall width of the vehicle body;

• a fuel tank partly in the concave portion and partly in the trunk;
• a floor panel, forming the floor of said passenger compartment, connected to the lower portion of the dash panel,
• a lower reinforcement member at the lower surface of the front edge portion of the floor panel and surrounding at least the rear portion of the fuel tank and being disposed along the edge of the lower opening of the concave portion, and the ends of which extend in the transverse direction of the vehicle body to form a closed section structure,
• a support member, for supporting the fuel tank, secured at one end thereof to the lower reinforcement member and to a rigid portion of the vehicle body at the other end;
• an upper reinforcement member fixed to the front surface of the dash panel to extend in the transverse direction of the vehicle body along the upper edge of the concave portion,
• and wherein said support member comprises a fuel tank supporting band fixed to the lower reinforcement member at a rear end thereof and extending forward from the lower reinforcement member along the lower surface of the fuel tank, and fixed to the upper reinforcement member.

An underbody structure for a vehicle having a trunk formed at the front of the vehicle body and passenger compartment disposed immediately behind the trunk, comprising a dash panel separating the passenger compartment from the trunk and having a concave portion projecting rearwardly into the passenger compartment from a lower portion of the dash panel and substantially at the center thereof, said concave portion having an upper face, two side faces, a front end and a lower end, said front and lower ends having openings, the front opening having a width which is shorter than the overall width of the vehicle body;

• a fuel tank partly in the concave portion and partly in the trunk;
• a floor panel, forming the floor of said passenger compartment, connected to the lower portion of the dash panel,
• a lower reinforcement member at the lower surface of the front edge portion of the floor panel and surrounding at least the rear portion of the fuel tank and being disposed along the edge of the lower opening of the concave portion, and the ends of which extend in the transverse direction of the vehicle body to form a closed section structure,
• a support member, for supporting the fuel tank, secured at one end thereof to the lower reinforcement member and to a rigid portion of the vehicle body at the other end;
• a cross member fixed to the front surface of the dash panel to extend in the transverse direction of the vehicle body along the upper edge of the concave portion,
• and wherein said support member comprises a lower fuel tank supporting band fixed to the lower reinforcement member at the rear end and extending forward along the lower surface of the fuel tank, an upper tank supporting band hinged to said cross member mounted on the front face of the dash panel and extending forward from the cross member along the upper surface of the fuel tank and downward along the front surface of the same, and a fastener connecting the upper and lower tank supporting bands at the intersection of the front surface and the lower surface of the fuel tank.