PILLAR STRUCTURE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pillar structure capable of maintaining sufficient buckling strength against a load caused by a side impact of a vehicle. SOLUTION: An opening-suppressing member 8 is not only connected to side walls 6b, 6c of a pillar outer reinforcement 6 by the welding in inner welding margins 8b, 8c only at the inner position of the vehicle width direction from a body 8a of the opening suppressing member 8, but also connected thereto by welding at outer welding margins 8d, 8e at the outer position in the vehicle width direction from the body 8a. Thus, even if the load caused by a side impact of a vehicle is large, the outer welding margins 8d, 8e and the side walls 6b, 6c of the pillar outer reinforcement 6 are connected to each other via a hinge reinforcement 7, suppressing an increase in a space between an area in a vicinity of a bent part between the welding margins and the body 8a, and side wall reinforcing parts 7b, 7c of the hinge reinforcement 7. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT