Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Vari-form, Inc.

Daniel Szalay

Xiaoming Chen

Mohammad Omar Faruque

David Anthony Wagner

Thierry Guimberteau

Dean A Gericke

Lou Ratsos

Everett Kuo

Raj Mehta

Parameswararao Pothuraju

Louis Ratsos

David Wagner

Omar Faruque

Dean Gericke

A pillar to rocker joint assembly comprising a tubular pillar having a pinched flange near a lower end of the pillar is joined to a rocker assembly including a side sill and rocker reinforcement. A method of making a pillar to rocker joint assembly that comprises a vehicle structural support is formed by welding a structural support pillar to an outer body panel through an access opening in the pillar and welding a rocker reinforcement to a side sill. The rocker reinforcement is welded to the pillar through an access opening in the side sill, an access hole in the body outer panel, and an access opening in the pillar that is vertically spaced relative to the first access opening. A bottom flange of the B-pillar is welded to a lower edge flange of the rocker reinforcement and a lower edge flange of the side sill.

Tubular B-pillar to stamped rocker joint and method of assembling the same

A striker reinforcement plate is configured for installation into the interior of a closed section, hydroformed tubular automotive frame member. The striker reinforcement plate is formed with an enlarged mounting tab at one end and a weld tab at the opposing end. The striker reinforcement plate is inserted through a slot formed into the wall of the tubular frame member, against which the enlarged mounting tab prevents the striker reinforcement plate from falling through the slot, and the weld tab is inserted through a special formed opening to receive the weld tab. The weld tab can then be welded to the exterior surface of the tubular frame member, which combined with the enlarged mounting tab secured against the slot holds the striker reinforcement plate in place for final assembly of the striker. The striker can then be bolted to the reinforcement plate and be positionally adjusted in a conventional manner.

Striker reinforcement for hydroformed automotive door frame

A dual function mounting bracket is affixed to a hydroformed roof side rail to allow the connecting brackets to be located at the same position as previously known despite the use of a hydroformed roof side rail frame member that has a substantially different shape and configuration. The dual function mounting bracket has a first mounting surface projecting upwardly from a second mounting surface to provide support for a grab handle connecting bracket. The second mounting surface provides support for the connecting bracket of a side curtain air bag. The second mounting surface is also configured with a pair of side tabs and a front tab for welding the mounting bracket to a hydroformed roof side rail. The grab handle spans between the mounting bracket and a spaced apart sole function mounting bracket. A bead between the first and second mounting surfaces on the dual function mounting bracket provides stiffness.

Combination grab handle and airbag bracket

A support rail for a vehicle has an A-pillar portion and a roof rail portion. The roof rail and A-pillar are formed with a tubular body portion and longitudinally extending support flanges. The support flanges are formed by pinching the blank during the hydroforming process to provide a double thickness flange. A windshield support flange, roof support flange and door opening flange are formed to extend outwardly from the tubular body portion. Front and rear tube connectors include blind openings or notches to facilitate welding.

Roof rail with integrally formed pinched flanges

A one-piece B-pillar having a front flange and a rear flange formed on an upper portion of the B-pillar. The front and rear flanges extend forwardly and rearwardly from a trapezoidal section of the B-pillar. An inner concave portion is provided in a lower portion of the B-pillar. The one-piece B-pillar is secured to the outer and upper surfaces of a roof rail and to the outer surface of a rocker to provide side impact strength. The B-pillar is hydroformed in one-piece to provide superior strength for roof crush performance. The tubular portion of the B-pillar is partially collapsed to form a trapezoidal section in the upper portion of the B-pillar.

Unitary hydroformed roof support pillar

Growing community of inventors

Belleville, MI, United States of America

Daniel Szalay