Roll-Formed Automotive Body Components With Adjustable Slip-Plane Brackets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive body components, such as pillars and rails, lack the ability to provide precise positioning and enhanced strength while maintaining cost-effectiveness, especially when dealing with three-dimensional curves in orthogonal planes.
Innovation Solution
The use of roll-formed automotive body components with adjustable slip-plane brackets allows for precise positioning and enhanced strength by enabling the mounting plane to be adjustably positioned with respect to the roll-formed components, utilizing high-strength materials and reducing mass and vehicle height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional hydroformed components with welding are used, then structural strength is achieved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by transitioning from hydroforming to roll-forming processes, and from welding to mechanical attachment methods. This parameter change enables the use of high-strength materials while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost, as roll-formed components can be directly attached to brackets without requiring welding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining roll-formed high-strength material components with separately manufactured brackets. This composite approach allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while reducing overall manufacturing cost and complexity compared to traditional monolithic hydroformed structures.
2Manufacturing precision
If fixed-position brackets are used, then assembly is simplified, but positioning precision of body panels deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the bracket positioning adjustable rather than fixed. The bracket can be positioned at multiple locations along the roll-formed component and secured at the optimal position, enabling precise positioning of body panels while accommodating variations in component dimensions and maintaining assembly simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the bracket assembly into movable and fixed portions. The bracket includes a section that can slide or adjust along the roll-formed component to achieve precise positioning, then is secured at the desired location. This segmentation allows the bracket to function both as a positioning device and as a simple attachment mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If roll-formed components are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but achieving three-dimensional curves with precision becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifically addresses curve precision by employing roll-forming processes capable of creating accurate three-dimensional curves with sweeps in multiple planes. The roll-formed high-strength material components are designed with precise curved geometries that match the required body panel positioning, demonstrating that cost-effective roll-forming can achieve the necessary manufacturing precision for complex three-dimensional shapes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The specification discloses automotive body components including roll-formed components and slip-plane brackets. The roll-formed components may be used in place of components manufactured using other techniques, such as hydroforming. The slip-plane brackets may be adjustably positioned on the roll-formed components. More specifically, the slip-plane brackets are adjustable in two or more dimensions (e.g. laterally and longitudinally) before attachment, so that the brackets may compensate for tolerances in the roll-formed components. Attachment techniques may include welding and/or adhering.