U-Shaped Vehicle Structural Member With Continuous Patch Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patch welding technologies, such as spot welding and laser stitching, face limitations in efficiently reinforcing structural members for vehicle frameworks, particularly in supporting bending loads, due to restrictions on weld placement, size, and durability under crash conditions.
Innovation Solution
Continuous laser welding is employed to attach patches to structural members with a U-shaped cross-section along multiple edges, enabling seamless integration and enhanced reinforcement, reducing weight, and improving deformation behavior by allowing the patch and main piece to act as a single entity under bending loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If spot welding is used to attach patches to structural members, then the welding process is well-known and broadly used, but the minimum distance between spot welds and minimum overlap region requirements limit the reinforcement effectiveness and increase the weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical spot welding system with a friction stir welding system. This substitution eliminates the need for minimum distance between welds and minimum overlap regions, allowing patches to be attached with minimal material addition while achieving superior reinforcement effectiveness through continuous weld seams rather than discrete spot welds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the welding parameters from spot welding (discrete, localized) to friction stir welding (continuous, linear). This parameter change allows the weld seam to follow the contour of the patch edges precisely, eliminating the need for conservative distance and overlap specifications, thereby reducing patch size and overall structural weight.
2Ease of manufacture
If spot welding is used to attach patches, then the process is established, but the welding gun cannot easily access the region where the patch has been positioned, making patches very difficult to weld
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the spot welding gun system with a friction stir welding tool that operates differently. Instead of requiring access from both sides of the joint, the friction stir welding tool can access the patch region from one side, rotating and moving linearly to create continuous weld seams that are as reliable or more reliable than spot welding.
3Productivity
If spot welding is used to join patch and main piece, then the assembly can be created, but post-processing steps such as hot forming may distort the patchwork blank and cause spot welds to loosen or break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the patch attachment by friction stir welding before the hot forming post-processing step. This preliminary action creates welds that are more resistant to the subsequent thermal and mechanical stresses of hot forming, preventing weld loosening or breaking that would occur with spot welding followed by hot forming.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces spot welding with friction stir welding, which creates a metallurgically bonded continuous seam that is inherently more resistant to the thermal and mechanical stresses of hot forming. The continuous weld seam distributes stresses more evenly compared to discrete spot welds, preventing localized failure during post-processing.
4Strength
If continuous laser welding is used to attach patches along multiple edges, then seamless integration and enhanced reinforcement are achieved, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex continuous laser welding with friction stir welding. While friction stir welding requires precise control of rotation speed and linear feed rate, it eliminates the need for complex laser positioning systems and multiple welding guns. The mechanical friction stir process naturally creates continuous weld seams along patch edges with simpler equipment architecture.
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 approach enhances the structural member's strength and energy absorption capabilities, reduces weight, and prevents separation during crashes, offering improved performance and reduced risk of rupture compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
The first patch is attached to the main piece by continuous laser welding substantially along the first patch edge and along the second patch edge at least in the region configured for supporting bending loads
Data Source
AI summary
Structural members for a vehicle at least partially configured for supporting bending loads and methods for manufacturing such structural members are provided. A structural member includes a main piece with a substantially U-shaped cross-section comprising a bottom, a first side wall and a second side wall, wherein the main piece comprises a region configured for supporting bending loads. The structural member includes a first patch having a first patch edge and an opposite second patch edge, wherein the first patch is attached to the main piece by continuous laser welding inside the first patch substantially along the first patch edge and along the second patch edge at least in the region configured for supporting bending loads.