Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Darek G Villeneuve

Terry A Swartzell

Bhushan W Dandekar

Marcel R Cannon

Travis W Walker

Krishnarao V Yalamanchili

Young Doe

Daniel C Dokter

Rajan V Vyas

An attachment for connecting a chassis structure to a hollow beam of a body structure includes a tube nut, a bulkhead, and a bolt. The bulkhead has a cavity surface configured to conform to a cylindrical outer surface of the tube nut. The bulkhead is disposed within the hollow beam and is attached to at least two walls of the hollow beam and to the tube nut. A first portion of the cylindrical outer surface of the tube nut is disposed in close proximity to the cavity surface of the bulkhead. A bottom surface of the tube nut contacts an inner surface of a bottom wall of the hollow beam. The bolt extends from the chassis structure, through a hole formed in the bottom wall of the hollow beam, and into the tube nut to connect the chassis structure to the body structure. The attachment may include a second bulkhead.

Attachment bulkhead for body structures

A body structure of a vehicle includes a bulkhead, and a frame rail extending forward from the bulkhead along a longitudinal centerline. A powertrain system is disposed laterally inboard of the frame rail relative to the longitudinal centerline. The frame rail includes a flared section, a splayed section, and a reinforcing member. The flared section curves laterally outboard, away from the longitudinal centerline. The splayed section includes a variable cross sectional area that increases with an increase in distance from the bulkhead. The reinforcing member is operable to increase lateral stiffness in the frame rail, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal centerline. The frame rail is operable to deform into contact with the powertrain system in response to a load applied to a forward end of the body structure and laterally offset from the longitudinal centerline, to generate a lateral force in the body structure.

Automotive frame rail design to manage an offset, frontal applied load

Growing community of inventors

Clarkston, MI, United States of America

Darek G Villeneuve