Commercial Vehicle Side Wall Panel Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of side walls and roofs for commercial vehicle box bodies is complicated and costly due to the difficulty in handling large, stiff fiber-reinforced plastic layers, which offsets the advantages of reduced weight and material costs.
Innovation Solution
The use of a multi-layered outer skin structure comprising a structural layer with at least one non-metallic layer and a cover layer with a metallic layer, where the cover layers extend further than the structural layers, allowing for easier connection and handling of panels via folded joints or adhesive connections, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If fiber-reinforced plastic layers are used for outer skins, then weight and material costs are reduced, but manufacturing complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outer skin is divided into multiple layers: a structural layer made of fiber-reinforced plastic and a separate cover layer made of metal sheet. This segmentation allows each layer to be manufactured and handled independently, with the cover layer being easier to handle during assembly while the structural layer provides the weight reduction benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer skin uses a composite structure combining fiber-reinforced plastic (structural layer) with metal sheet (cover layer). This composite approach allows the structural layer to provide strength and weight reduction while the metal cover layer provides ease of handling and connection during manufacturing.
2Loss of substance
If fiber-reinforced plastic layers are used for outer skins, then material costs are reduced, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The outer skin is divided into multiple layers: a structural layer made of fiber-reinforced plastic and a separate cover layer made of metal sheet. This segmentation allows each layer to be manufactured and handled independently, with the cover layer being easier to handle during assembly while the structural layer provides the weight reduction benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer skin uses a composite structure combining fiber-reinforced plastic (structural layer) with metal sheet (cover layer). This composite approach allows the structural layer to provide strength and weight reduction while the metal cover layer provides ease of handling and connection during manufacturing.
3Productivity
If panels are connected via folded joints, then manufacturing speed is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover layer is designed to extend beyond the structural layer at the panel edges, creating a local protrusion specifically at the connection zones. This local quality change allows folded joints to be formed only in the cover layer, simplifying the connection process while maintaining the overall structural integrity provided by the structural layer.
Data Source
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AI summary
A side wall (4) or roof (5) of a box body (1) of a commercial vehicle (N), in particular a truck, trailer or semi-trailer, is shown and described, comprising a core layer (7) and at least one outer skin (6), wherein the outer skin (6) is formed from several panels (20) connected to each other at adjacent sides. In order to enable cost-effective and simple production of a side wall or roof, it is provided that the panels (20) comprise a structural layer (9) with at least one non-metallic layer and a cover layer (10) with at least one metallic layer (18), and that the cover layers (10) of the panels (20) extend further towards the adjacent panels (20) at the connected sides than the structural layers (9) of the panels (20).