Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Global Tech.inc

Ching-Hung Chuang

Mohammad Omar Faruque

Dean M Jaradi

S M Iskander Farooq

Siddharthan Selvasekar

Ellen Lee

Hongyi Xu

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Nirmal Muralidharan

Ronald Machin

Xiao Wu

Ninad Trifale

Amar Ourchane

Scott Crane

Mohamed Ridha Baccouche

James Chih Cheng

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Rahul Arora

Tau Tyan

Yu-Kan Hu

John Jeffrey Pfeiffer

David Douglas Friske

Yali Li

Raj Jayachandran

Ren-Jye Yang

Yiping Xie

Yuan Wang

A part formed by an additive manufacturing process consist of regions of voids, regions of solid material, and regions of non-uniform lattice cells, where each lattice cell includes bars. The regions are spatially distributed throughout the part as a function of load conditions such that the solid material is distributed in regions of first load paths and the non-uniform lattice cells are distributed in regions of second load paths lower in magnitude than the first load paths. Diameters of each bar of a non-uniform lattice cell are sized as a function of at least one of a resolution unit of the additive manufacturing process and part performance requirements. The diameters of the bars of the non-uniform lattice cells are classified into clusters with an average diameter size being assigned to all non-uniform lattice cells in the same cluster.

Integrated digital thread for additive manufacturing design optimization of lightweight structures

A part formed by an additive manufacturing process is provided, which consists of three (3) regions: regions of voids with no material; regions of solid material; and regions of non-uniform lattice cells. The regions are spatially distributed throughout the part as a function of load conditions such that the solid material is distributed in regions of first load paths and the lattice cells are distributed in regions of second load paths lower in magnitude than the first load paths. The lattice cells are tailored to the additive manufacturing process constraints and machine resolution.

An article includes a body that has a solid shell that encloses an interior region. The interior region has a solid sub-region, a lattice sub-region, and a hollow sub-region that are exclusive of each other and distributed based on load path. In an example, the article is a spoiler cap, such as for the spoiler on a vehicle.

Article with solid, lattice, and hollow sub-regions

A bumper assembly includes a bumper beam and a fin supported by the bumper beam. The fin extends along an axis from a proximate end proximate to the bumper beam to a distal end distal to the bumper beam. The fin has a sinuous cross section and a thickness each normal to the axis. The thickness at the distal end is less than the thickness at the proximate end.

Vehicle energy absorber

A bumper assembly includes a bumper beam and a fin supported by the bumper beam. The fin has a proximate end proximate to the bumper beam and a distal end distal to the bumper beam and an axis extending from the proximate end to the distal end. The fin has a sinuous shape in a cross section normal to the axis.

A seatbelt anchor includes an attachment portion. The seatbelt anchor includes a seatbelt support portion spaced from the attachment portion to define a slot therebetween. The seatbelt anchor includes a pair of connecting portions spaced from each other with the slot disposed therebetween and connecting the attachment portion to the seatbelt support portion and including a lattice structure that is plastically deformable relative to the attachment portion and the seatbelt support portion.

Seatbelt anchor

A seatbelt tongue includes a webbing-receiving portion, a tongue portion, and a connecting portion connecting the webbing-receiving portion and the tongue portion. The connecting portion includes a lattice structure plastically deformable relative to the webbing-receiving portion and the tongue portion.

Seatbelt tongue

A vehicle an underbody structure includes a bumper, a subframe, and a frame. The frame interconnects the bumper and the subframe. The frame includes first and second symmetrical halves spaced at a distance. The frame is attached to the bumper at front segments of each of the halves, and to the subframe at rear segments of each of the halves. The halves are defined by a plurality of legs formed with the front and rear segments such that the first and second halves define load paths configured to transfer energy throughout the frame.

Vehicle underbody structure for multiple load paths

A method for optimizing a twelve-cornered strengthening member comprises: modeling a vehicle assembly including a strengthening member having a twelve-cornered cross section; parameterizing a geometry of the strengthening member with a plurality of control parameters; defining a design of experiment using the plurality of control parameters; modeling a vehicle using the vehicle assembly; simulating a frontal impact event with the vehicle; generating a response surface based on the frontal impact event; and determining a set of optimized control parameters for the strengthening member based on the response surface.

Twelve-cornered strengthening member

A three-piece tailor welded blank vehicle door structure includes a periphery defined by a bottom portion, a pair of opposing side portions, a top portion, and an inclined portion. A first thickness gage sheet material portion is disposed generally along the door hinge side of the door structure. A second thicker gage sheet material portion is disposed generally along the door latch side of the door structure. A thinner gage sheet material portion is disposed between the first and second thickness gage sheet material portions, whereby the overall weight of the vehicle door is reduced.

Method and apparatus for forming a three piece tailor welded door blank

A mounting structure having improved stiffness characteristics. The mounting structure includes a pillar which forms a portion of a vehicle body and which operatively supports a vehicle door which is selectively attached to the pillar by hinges The structure includes a pair of &ldquo;closed-loop&rdquo; beads which are formed around hinges and which increase the stiffness characteristics of the pillar and of the vehicle door.

Growing community of inventors

Northville, MI, United States of America

Ching-Hung Chuang