A pillar structure of a land vehicle

摘要

The present invention comprises a land vehicle, and a method of manufacturing such a vehicle, comprising a pillar 16 which is a structural component of the vehicle and which is secured in position by setting the root portion of the pillar in resinous material 20 provided in a cavity defined in a pillar support structure 14. The pillar may be an 'A' pillar of the vehicle and the cavity may be formed in part of the vehicles aluminium chassis (see figure 1). The resinous material may be epoxy or polyurethane resin in which may be located hollow glass micro-spheres 21. The pillar may comprise a core of foamed material around which carbon fibres are wound in a resin matrix. The pillar may also comprise a deformable cardboard or aluminium tube for absorbing the impact energy of an occupants head striking the pillar in the event of a collision (see figure 5).