Doubled Joining Flange Structure for Stronger Vehicle Body Welds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body component connections, particularly at joining flanges, face challenges in transferring high forces under load without being cost-intensive or excessively heavy, especially in crash scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A connection arrangement featuring a sheet metal component with a turned-over rim creating a doubled sheet metal thickness at the joining flange, allowing for spot-welded connections that penetrate through both layers, providing enhanced loadability and integrally bonding the layers, while enabling the use of thinner, less expensive materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thick floor panels and high-strength floor panel materials are used to transfer high forces via welded connection, then the loadability and strength of the connection is improved, but the weight and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating a doubled sheet metal thickness specifically at the joining flange region through a turned-over rim, while the rest of the vehicle body component can use thinner, lighter material. This localized reinforcement provides the necessary strength for force transfer at the connection point without increasing the weight of the entire component.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses another dimension by folding the sheet metal rim over to create a doubled thickness in the thickness dimension (z-direction) at the joining flange. This dimensional transformation allows the connection to handle high forces as if using thick material, while the overall component remains thin and lightweight.
2Reliability
If suitable laser seam tracking is used to achieve high force transfer, then the precision and reliability of welded connection is improved, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The doubled thickness at the joining flange creates a localized reinforcement zone that naturally improves welding reliability by providing more material for the weld to penetrate and bond to, reducing the risk of weld failure without requiring complex laser seam tracking systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The turned-over rim is formed during the stamping process before welding takes place, preliminarily preparing the joining flange with doubled thickness. This preliminary action ensures reliable force transfer capability is built into the structure before the welding operation, simplifying the welding process requirements.
3Weight of moving object
If thin sheet metal material is used to reduce weight, then the weight and production cost are reduced, but the loadability of the welded connection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention resolves this contradiction by applying local quality - using thin material for the main body to reduce weight, while creating a localized doubled-thickness region at the joining flange through the turned-over rim to maintain high loadability where it is most needed for force transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses dimensional transformation by folding the thin sheet metal rim over to create doubled thickness in the z-direction at the joining flange. This allows the component to use thin material overall for weight reduction, while achieving the necessary strength for load transfer through the folded dimension at the connection point.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures high loadability and cost-effectiveness by allowing the use of thinner, less expensive sheet metal materials, reducing weight and production costs, and improving heat dissipation during welding, while preventing welding point 'popping' and edge corrosion.
Implementation Method 1
The welded connection preferably penetrates through the two sheet metal layers of the joining flange which lie on one another
Implementation Method 2
advantages are obtained during the production of the welded connection, for example through an improved heat dissipation
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement for connecting different parts includes two vehicle components. The vehicle body components include a first vehicle body component taking the form of a sheet metal component with a joining flange and being connected at this joining flange to the second vehicle body component via a welded connection. The joining flange on the first vehicle body component has a turned-over rim and is thereby formed with a doubled sheet metal thickness.