Norsk Hydro, A.s.

Edvin L Clausen

Peter Gundlach

Julian Happian-Smith

A structural assembly at a front or rear of a vehicle frame includes a longitudinal member extending in a longitudinal direction of the frame. The longitudinal member has a part that extends at an angle to such longitudinal direction. A transverse member extends transversely of the longitudinally direction and includes a straight central part and an end part extending at an angle to the straight central part and at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the frame that is substantially equal to the angle of the part of the longitudinal member. The part of the longitudinal member and the end part of the transverse member are aligned and joined to form a nested joint that extends at the angle to the longitudinal direction of the frame. A side member extends in the longitudinal direction of the frame, and the nested joint is joined to the side member, thus forming a triple joint connection between the longitudinal, transverse and side members.

Structual sub-assembly

Vehicle seat locking system

A structural beam, particularly for use as a door pillar or a bumper of a motor vehicle, includes a one-piece elongated extruded member formed of a light metal. The member has therethrough an elongated, laterally enclosed cavity defined by elongated side walls including at least two generally parallel side walls. A deformation pressure is applied to walls extending generally transverse to the two side walls, with the result that there occurs controlled folding of the two side walls with the formation therein of folds that extend parallel to the direction of elongation of the member. Thus, the cross-sectional area of the cavity through the member is reduced.

Structural beam and method of manufacture thereof

Structural beam

Energy absorbing structures and method of providing such structures

Intrusion beam for reinforcing body panels of a vehicle and a vehicle

Method of joining structural members, profile member and structural unit

Vehicle space frame and a method for manufacturing of vehicle space

An integral manifold for a heat exchanger is formed from a hollow shape having a plurality of individual risers, initially having substantially solid cross-sections and subsequently reshaped by means of a reverse impact extrusion process into hollow risers. The walls of the hollow shape under the hollow risers are perforated, thus forming apertures constituting inlets connecting the cavity of the hollow shape with the individual hollow risers.

Method of manufacture of manifolds and manifold provided by such method

An assembly for a motor vehicle heat exchanger includes a tubular member defined by a wall having inner and outer surfaces, an internal passage defined by the inner surfaces and an open end. An integral one-piece baffle is positioned within the internal passage at a selected position spaced from the open end. The baffle has an outer cross-sectional shape complementary to the internal cross-sectional shape of the tubular member. The baffle includes a bottom forming a closed first end closing the internal passage of the tubular member and a flange integral with the bottom and extending axially therefrom toward the open end of the tubular member, the flange forming a wall of the baffle. The baffle wall is expanded outwardly to result in permanent plastic outward deformation of the wall of the tubular member and thereby deform therein a circumferential indentation. The inner and outer surfaces of the wall of the tubular member are outwardly deformed permanently at the indentation. The expanded baffle wall is firmly and permanently engaged in the indentation and thereby forms a leak-proof closure to block medium within the internal passage from reaching the open end of the tubular member.

Assembly of a closing baffle inside a tubular member

A manifold, especially a supply or receiving tank in a heat exchanger, is provided as an extruded/drawn tube with an outwardly and longitudinally extending protrusion part. Fastening flanges with a size larger than the width of the protrusion part are an integral portion of the protrusion part. The shaped tube with protrusion part is extruded or drawn, and then the protrusion part is perforated to form a plurality of apertures which are transformed in one or more steps by cold deformation into the fastening flanges of desired diameter, shape and length.

Manifold and method of manufacturing the same

A heat exchanger element includes a single and integrally extruded member having at least two hollow tubes having parallel longitudinal axes, each two adjacent hollow tubes being connected by at least two webs which extend parallel to the longitudinal axes and which are formed integrally with each of the two adjacent hollow tubes. The webs have therethrough plural perforations, and the material of each web between adjacent perforations therein is deflected to form a rib extending at an angle to the web. At least one tube has formed integrally therewith a projecting track which extends parallel to the longitudinal axes. Plural heat exchanger elements are connected at the respective tracks thereof to form a tube bundle.

Heat exchanger element comprising a single and integrally extruded

A method of manufacturing integrated manifolds for heat exchangers include providing hollow shape with a plurality of individual risers each having a substantially solid cross-section. Subsequently, the risers are reshaped by means of a reverse impact extrusion process into hollow risers. Finally, by perforating the wall of the hollow shape under the hollow risers, apertures are provided constituting inlets connecting the cavity of the hollow shape with the individual hollow risers.

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Tonder, Denmark

Edvin L Clausen