OCCUPANT PROTECTIVE STRUCTURE OF CAR BODY UPPER PART OF AUTOMOBILE

PURPOSE:To provide an occupant protective structure of a car body upper part of an automobile by which a stroke quantity to absorb energy and a peak load can be reduced. CONSTITUTION:A structure protects an occupant by a car body upper part of an automobile having a roof side rail 20. The roof side rail 20 has an outer panel 30, an inner panel 34 arranged at an interval 32 inside from the outer panel 30 and an energy absorbing panel 38 which has a plate thickness (t3) smaller than a plate thickness (t1) of the outer panel 30 and a plate thickness (t2) of the inner panel 34 and is arranged at an interval 36 inside of the inner panel 34. The roof side rail 20 is formed so that a cross section cut by a vertical virtual surface presents a closed structure by joining respective flanges of the outer panel 30, the inner panel 34 and the energy absorbing panel 38 together in a superposed condition.