Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Edgar Edward Donabedian

Darrin Neil Wagner

Bruno M Barthelemy

Mark Keller

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Marwan Ahmad Elbkaily

Yu-Kan Hu

Muhsin M Hamdoon

Fungtai Charles Ko

Mohammad Omar Faruque

S M Iskander Farooq

Dragan B Stojkovic

Michael Musa Azzouz

John Patrick Joyce

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Robert Reiners

David Anthony Wagner

Ari Garo Caliskan

Matthew Brian Makowski

Colleen Hoffman

Michael James Freeman

Thomas Norton

Michael Joseph Lee

Yalla Mussa Abushawashi

Brandon Dobbins

Thierry Guimberteau

David Douglas Friske

Charles Ko

Kevin A Gustafson

Nicholas Dornik

Scott Christopher Sterbenz

Viktor Kostrominov

Mikhail Minevich

Greg B Zinn

Yi Qu

Michael Joseph Niksa

Kenneth R Schmidt

Anne Flamard

Susan Walowich

Mickey Jones

Arthur C Haman

Nordine Fellague

Shiv Grover

Forrest W Eddings

Azaz Khatri

Ali Jammoul

A tow hook includes a monolithic additively manufactured side wall defining a vehicle attachment member, a hollow main body extending from the vehicle attachment member, and a hollow towing member extending from the hollow main body. The vehicle attachment member is configured to rigidly attached to a vehicle and the hollow towing member is configured to securely attach to a towing machine such that the vehicle is towable via the tow hook. The vehicle attachment member can be a threaded shaft with a bore extending along a length of the threaded shaft. The side includes a chamfered plurality of apertures extending from an inner surface of the side wall to an outer surface of the side wall, and having with an inner dimension along a length direction of the hollow main body greater than an inner dimension along a circumferential direction of the hollow main body.

Additively manufactured tow hook

The present disclosure is directed toward a method that includes simulating, by an adhesive analytic model, transformation of at least one vehicular joint joined by a selected adhesive based on one or more system variables, and outputting, by the adhesive analytic model, an adhesive analysis identifying deformation for the selected adhesive along the at least one vehicular joint based on the simulated transformation and a deformation rating scale.

Method for evaluating an adhesive for a vehicular joint

A body structure reinforcement includes a reinforcement body and a connecting flange integral with the reinforcement body. Body structures incorporating one or more shell structures and the body structure reinforcement are disclosed along with methods for making the body structure reinforcement and the body structures.

Body structure reinforcement, body structure and related method

An anti-flutter structure, or reinforcement panel, for a roof panel supported on transversely extending roof bows. The reinforcement panel is attached to at least one of the roof bows with the flanges being disposed above the roof bow. The flanges extend longitudinally, and are resiliently compressed by the roof panel. The reinforcement panel has a body and flanges laterally flanking the body. The body is attached to one of the roof bows with the flanges being disposed above the roof bow. The anti-flutter material is disposed between the flanges and the roof panel.

Roof panel anti-flutter reinforcement

A vehicle roof structure assembly includes a mounting bracket having a first aperture disposed therethrough. The vehicle roof structure assembly further includes a roof bow having a longitudinal body portion defining an inner channel. The longitudinal body portion includes a bottom wall having a second aperture axially aligned with the first aperture. The vehicle roof structure assembly further includes an insert block disposed within the inner channel of the roof bow. The insert block defines a third aperture disposed through a thickness of the insert block. The third aperture is axially aligned with the first aperture and the second aperture. The vehicle roof structure assembly further includes a fastener disposed through the first aperture, the second aperture, and the third aperture to rigidly secure the roof bow to the mounting bracket, and to rigidly secure the insert block to the roof bow.

Vehicle roof support assembly

A vehicle canopy includes a vehicle body defining a roof opening. A roof is connected to the vehicle body across the roof opening. A headliner is supported by at least one of the vehicle body and the roof. A frame is supported by the vehicle body. A fabric partition is engaged with the frame and extends across the roof opening between the headliner and the roof. The fabric partition may assist in preventing occupant test dummies and/or other objects from moving through the roof opening.

Vehicle canopy

A vehicle rocker assembly is provided. The vehicle rocker assembly may include an outer panel, a side sill, and an insert. The side sill may define at least two cavities with the outer panel. The insert may be disposed in the cavities. The insert may include a longitudinally extending U-shaped carrier and a plurality of reinforcement members attached to the U-shape carrier. The plurality of reinforcement members may be spaced apart from a bottom of the U-shaped carrier by a predetermined distance.

Localized rocker reinforcement insert

A vehicle roof support structure including a pair of reinforcing truss members. The roof support structure includes a header, a roof bow, right and left roof rails, and a center roof support. The trusses form triangular reinforcing structures on the driver-side and passenger-side.

Vehicle roof with truss structure

A vehicle assembly is provided. The vehicle assembly includes a roof panel, a bodyside panel and a bolt. The roof panel and bodyside panel collectively form a roof ditch. The bolt includes a stud that has first and second distal portions. The first and second distal portions include first and second threaded portions, respectively. The first distal portion extends outwardly from one of the roof and bodyside panels and the second distal portion extending outwardly from the other of the roof and bodyside panels and into the roof ditch.

Vehicle body assembly and method of joining vehicle body components

A vehicle body assembly including a frame with an outrigger secured to the frame below a passenger compartment. The passenger compartment includes a plurality of pillars supporting a roof, a first rocker assembly and a second rocker assembly disposed on opposite sides of the passenger compartment. The outrigger is secured to the frame below the passenger compartment, inboard of the rocker assembly and outboard of the roof to protect the roof in side impact collisions. The outriggers transfer the side impact loads to the frame rails that are disposed inboard of the roof rails.

Underbody structure for absorbing energy to improve roof structure integrity during side impact

A vehicle roof frame includes an adhering structure having an adhesive carrier and an expanding structural adhesive coupled to at least a portion of an outer surface of the adhesive carrier. The expanding structural adhesive includes an installation state and a structural state, and the structural state has a larger volume than the installation state. The vehicle roof frame also includes a plurality of vehicle frame members that cooperate to form a frame joint and a joint cavity defined within the frame joint. The adhering structure is disposed within the joint cavity and the adhesive carrier and the expanding structural adhesive in the structural state substantially occupies the joint cavity and fixably couples the plurality of framing members such that the frame joint is free of supplemental mechanical connections proximate the joint cavity.

Expandable roof panel perimeter reinforcement

A method of assembling a vehicle includes providing a body panel, a roof panel, and a clip. The clip has a central portion extending from a first end to a second end. The central portion has a first surface and a second surface. The clip additionally has a roof-side flange extending from the first surface at the first end and a body-side flange extending from the second surface at the second end. The body-side flange and second surface define a first channel therebetween. The method also includes assembling the clip to the body panel by retaining a portion of the body panel in the first channel. The method additionally includes positioning a portion of the roof panel proximate the first surface. The method further includes forming the roof-side flange toward the first surface to define a second channel with the portion of the roof panel retained in the second channel.

Roof panel joining mechanism

A bracket for protecting a flange of a body of a vehicle includes a first portion, a second portion, and a channel defined between the first and second portions. The channel receives the flange. The bracket includes a back side and adhesive disposed on the back side. A front side of the bracket is disposed opposite the back side. A transition surface on the front side slopes inwardly from the first portion to the second portion for deflecting a wheel away from the flange during an offset impact.

Load management device

Growing community of inventors

Livonia, MI, United States of America

Edgar Edward Donabedian