Pillar structure for automobile

Abstract

A pillar structure that reduces bending deformation of the pillar toward the vehicle interior, during a vehicle side collision, by suppressing cross-sectional collapse of the pillar. In a pillar which is erected on a side face of a body of an automobile and in which an outer panel and an inner panel form a closed cross-section, at sites where a collision load is likely to act strongly and locally during a side collision such as a site opposing an end of an impact beam that is provided inside a front door and that extends in the front-rear direction, and a site where a hinge joint is formed, grooves having a substantially square C-shaped cross section are formed in a front face portion, of an outer panel having a hat-shaped cross section, that faces toward the front of the vehicle, and/or a rear face portion thereof that faces toward the rear of the vehicle. The grooves are formed over the entire width in the vehicle width direction of the front face portion and rear face portion in a substantially horizontal direction. According to this configuration, during a side collision, the collision load is received by ridge portions of the grooves, whereby collapse deformation of the pillar is reduced.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.