Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Chienhom Lee

Christopher John May

Steven Frank

GaRam Jun

Maciej Bednarek

Ken Garbinski

Aakash Patel

Tyler Muckenhirn

Jesús Alfredo Mendoza González

Bret Kirchner

The present disclosure describes a vehicle including an inner wheelbase panel, a first panel, a second panel and a pillar that is coupled to the wheelbase panel. The pillar includes a wall, a first flange, a second flange, and a tunnel. The wall defines an inner cavity and an outer cavity. The first flange extends outwardly from the wall and the second flange extends inwardly from the wall. The vehicle includes baffle which extends through the tunnel and is sized and shaped to seal both the inner cavity and the outer cavity.

Vehicle pillar pass through for sealing baffle

A vehicle body includes a rocker panel elongated along an axis. The vehicle body includes a pillar fixed to the rocker panel and elongated in a direction transverse to the axis. The rocker panel includes a first flange and a second flange. The first flange and the second flange are on opposite sides of the pillar and spaced from each other in a direction parallel to the axis. The vehicle body includes a reinforcement fixed to the first and second flanges.

Vehicle body including reinforcement on rocker panel

A vehicle C-pillar assembly including a C-pillar, a rear quarter extension, and a rocker panel is provided. The rear quarter extension mounts to the C-pillar and includes an arc portion. The rocker panel mounts to the rear quarter extension to define a horizontal joint therebetween and includes a notch providing space for the arc portion to extend upward along the C-pillar. The rocker panel may include an end and the rocker panel may be secured to the C-pillar so that the end extends rearward of the C-pillar to contact and reduce rotation of a tire mounted adjacent to the C-pillar when a force directs the tire forward. A profile of the rocker panel may be a C shape. The rocker panel may extend from a vehicle A-pillar rearwardly past the C-pillar. The rocker panel may be roll-formed and of an ultra-high strength steel.

C-pillar assembly for vehicle body

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Chienhom Lee