Rocker panel (automotive)
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The sill is an area of the self-supporting body of an automobile . It is located lengthways below the door entry, on both sides of the vehicle between the front and rear wheel arches .
function
The sill is an important element of a self-supporting body . It is of great importance when absorbing forces (especially the high ones in a head-on collision). In the event of a side impact, it is important not to have too high a rigidity in order to reduce the impact energy in a targeted manner and to reduce the penetration speed.
The sill is not a separate component. It is usually composed of the side wall (side part), a reinforcement part, a reinforcement web plate and an inner sill part which closes the hollow cross-section. The floor panel is attached to this inner part.
Due to its low position on the vehicle, the sill area is generally at risk of corrosion (splash water). Galvanized sheet metal, clever nesting of the individual components and cavity sealing have significantly reduced the danger of rusting, which was previously often feared, in today's vehicles from most manufacturers. Since the sill forms a load-bearing part of the body structure, rusted through sill areas are assessed as significant defects during the general inspection , whereupon a badge is often refused.
Non-load-bearing plastic parts to improve the flow around and the appearance, for example of sports cars or tuned road vehicles, are called side skirts .
literature
- Hans-Hermann Braess, Ulrich Seiffert: Vieweg manual automotive technology. 2nd edition, Friedrich Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig / Wiesbaden 2001, ISBN 3-528-13114-4 .