Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Duncan Whipps

Darrin Neil Wagner

John Patrick Joyce

Christopher John May

Jack Lashbrook

Mohammad Omar Faruque

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Fubang Wu

Kevin Michael Pline

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Jonathan Szczupak

Bruno M Barthelemy

Tuan Quoc Nguyen

Gregory Patton

A vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a vehicle door changeable back and forth between a first configuration and a second configuration. In the first configuration, the vehicle door is provided by an inner module coupled to an outer module. In the second configuration, the vehicle door is provided by the inner module without the outer module. A door providing method includes providing a vehicle door in a first configuration using an inner module coupled to an outer module. The method further includes providing the vehicle door in a second configuration using the inner module without the outer module.

Vehicle door and door providing method

A header beam couples between A-pillars of a vehicle frame. The header beam is formed from a generally straight beam segment that is extruded to have a hollow body portion with supportive legs extending within the hollow interior along the length of the beam segment, defining uninterrupted forward and rearward box sections for supporting continuous load paths on the header beam. The end portions of the beam segment are clamped and the beam segment is stretch bent to form a curvature between the end portions that remain generally straight. A front flange extends forward along the body portion and is struck proximate the end portions to form an edge that is parallel to the curvature formed between the end portions. The end portions are attached to the A-pillars and the edge of the front flange is attached to a windshield.

Header beam of a vehicle frame and method of forming the same

An aluminum alloy vehicle structural component defining an out-of-plane aperture with its main portion. A recessed portion is inset from the main portion having a bed sub-portion out-of-plane with the main portion that defines the aperture. The recessed portion also provides a strain hardened sub-portion, or stiffened ring of material, around the aperture. When the main portion is subjected to in-plane tension due to bending, the strain primarily concentrates along the strain hardened sub-portion (the stiffened ring) and by-passes the aperture. As a result the perimeter of the aperture undergoes less straining than if the aperture was in-plane with the main portion. The out-of-plane aperture, the bed sub-portion surrounding the aperture, and the strain hardened sub-portion surrounding the bed sub-portion may improve the overall structural robustness of the aluminum alloy structural component when subjected to in-plane tension.

Aluminum alloy vehicle structural component defining an out-of-plane aperture

A hydro-formed body side rail is assembled by a bracket to a front header. The front header is an extruded cross-car structural support that is joined to the body side rail by a framed joint. A gap is defined between the body side outer panel and the hydro-formed side rail relative to a lateral end of a front header. Side impact test loads are applied initially to the body side rail and compress the bracket. Compression of the bracket closes the gap and the impact loads are applied to the cross-car structural support.

Gap joint for closed section load transfer

A roof support for a vehicle is provided containing a first side roof rail; a transverse roof bow fixed to and extending from the first side roof rail; and a first brace fixed to the first side roof rail at a forward point on the first side roof rail, wherein the first brace extends to the transverse roof bow and is fixed to a first aft point on the transverse roof bow, thereby advantageously defining a first angle between the first side roof rail and the first brace. The roof support may further include a second side roof rail opposite the first side roof rail such that the roof bow laterally extends from the first side roof rail to the second side roof rail, wherein a second brace is connected in like manner.

Vehicle roof brace

A node is configured for connecting body portions of a vehicle. The node includes a first portion configured for attachment to a first vehicle body portion, and a second portion configured for attachment to a second vehicle body portion.

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Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, United States of America

Duncan Whipps