Internally reinforced hydroformed assembly and method of making same
a technology internal reinforcements, which is applied in the direction of superstructure connections, transportation and packaging, building components, etc., can solve the problems of increasing the cost of increasing the cost of mass and increasing welding, and increasing the cost of internal reinforcements of hydroformed tubular parts after hydroformed tubular members have been formed, so as to reduce manufacturing costs, improve the structural performance and part quality, and add design flexibility
Inactive Publication Date: 2005-12-22
GM GLOBAL TECH OPERATIONS LLC
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Benefits of technology
The present invention provides a new method and assembly for making a hydroformed tubular member with an internal reinforcement. The reinforcement is secured to the interior surface of the tubular member using a weld, and the assembly and method improve the structural performance and part quality of the tubular member while reducing manufacturing costs. The assembly and method also add design flexibility for crashworthiness, strength, and stiffness improvements.
Problems solved by technology
However, vehicle strength, stiffness, and / or impactworthiness often necessitate the need for local areas of structural reinforcement to meet their design goals.
A hydroformed beam only requires one weld along the length of the beam to close the section compared with stamped boxed beams that require two welds, which adds cost, mass, and increased welding.
However, exterior reinforcements on hydroformed beams can create packaging problems and costly design tear-ups.
However, adding internal reinforcements to hydroformed tubular members after the hydroformed tubular member has been formed is cost prohibitive compared to stamped box constructions.
Method used
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[0028] Referring to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1, one embodiment of an internally reinforced hydroformed assembly 10, according to the present invention, is shown for assembly in automotive structures (not shown) of a vehicle (not shown). The internally reinforced hydroformed assembly 10 includes at least one tubular component or member 12 and a reinforcement 14 disposed within the tubular member 12. The tubular member 12 and reinforcement 14 are made of a metal material. In one embodiment, the tubular member 12 has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape and extends axially and the reinforcement 14 has a generally “L” cross-sectional shape and extends axially. The reinforcement 14 is disposed within the tubular member 12 and is joined to an interior side of the tubular member 12 to overlap a portion of the tubular member 12 by a suitable fastening mechanism such as welds 16. In the embodiment illustrated, the reinforcement 14 overlaps a corner of the tubular member 1...
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An internally reinforced hydroformed assembly and method of making same includes a hydroformed tubular member and a reinforcement disposed within the hydroformed tubular member prior to hydroforming. The internally reinforced hydroformed assembly and method of making same also includes at least one weld to secure the reinforcement to an interior surface of the hydroformed tubular member.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates generally to hydroformed assemblies and, more particularly, to an internally reinforced hydroformed assembly and method of making same for automotive structures. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] It is known to hydroform tubular components or members. Hydroformed tubular members are becoming increasingly popular in automotive body structural applications. During vehicle body manufacturing, many of the hydroformed tubular members are used in vehicle body and chassis applications. However, vehicle strength, stiffness, and / or impactworthiness often necessitate the need for local areas of structural reinforcement to meet their design goals. [0003] Vehicle structure often requires boxed tubular members such as beams for strength, stiffness, and impactworthiness. Generally, there are two types of boxed beams, either stamped or hydroformed. Hydroforming is a cost effective process to produce a boxed beam and offers an advantage over sta...
Claims
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IPC IPC(8): B62D21/02B62D21/09B62D27/02E04C3/00E04C3/30
CPCB62D21/02B62D27/023B62D21/09
Inventor MACKENZIE, STEVEN K.NI, CHI-MOU
Owner GM GLOBAL TECH OPERATIONS LLC