Pullman Industries, Inc.

Arnold L Brown

Joseph J Jurica

Gregory B Taylor

A roll-formed one-piece vehicle bed member having plural downwardly-opening channel-like ribs extending longitudinally of the bed member and terminating at front and rear edges. The ribs adjacent one end are deformed to define rib portions which slope downwardly from the top of the ribs for merger with a flat transverse edge flange. The top wall of the sloped rib portion has a center wall portion which is offset downwardly relative to side edge portions which join the center wall portion to side walls of the rib.

Vehicle bed edge and manufacturing process

Ribbed vehicle bed member with shaped closed rib ends

A vehicle bed assembly, and process of manufacture, which involves formation of a one-piece floor pan by roll forming. The floor pan has a central pan portion and secondary portions positioned forwardly and rearwardly of wheelwell openings formed in the pan adjacent opposite side edges thereof. Strengthening ribs extend longitudinally throughout the entire length of the pan and terminate at the front and rear edges. The strengthening ribs also extend longitudinally of the secondary portions and terminate at front and rear edges of the wheelwell openings. The one-piece floor pan has the wheelwell openings formed therein, as by a controlled notching operation, after the pan has been roll formed from flat sheet material, and the notching operation provides a series of flanges around the periphery of the wheelwell opening, both along the longitudinal inner edge and on the front and rear edges. Some of the flanges are coplanar with top walls of the stiffening ribs, and others are coplanar with the base wall of the pan between the stiffening ribs. The roll-formed pan is subjected to a subsequent forming operation which causes the flanges to be wiped downwardly generally into a perpendicular relationship so that the flanges are positionable in overlapping relationship to the vehicle inner side wall or wheelwell housing for securement thereto, such as by welding.

Growing community of inventors

Macomb, MI, United States of America

Arnold L Brown