Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Vari-form, Inc.

Everett Kuo

Mohammad Omar Faruque

Xiaoming Chen

Thierry Guimberteau

Raj Mehta

Dean A Gericke

Daniel Szalay

James Zimmerman

David Anthony Wagner

Parameswararao Pothuraju

Louis Ratsos

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 joint assembly for joining a tubular B-pillar to a tubular roof rail. The joint assembly includes an inner bracket plate and an outer bracket plate that are welded to each other around the roof rail and B-pillar. The outer bracket plate extends across the B-pillar, over the roof rail, and laterally inwardly from the roof rail to provide an attachment surface for a roof support bow.

Interlocked pillar and roof rail joint

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

A joint assembly for joining a tubular B-pillar to a tubular roof rail. The joint assembly includes an inner bracket plate and an outer bracket plate that are welded to each other around the roof rail and B-pillar. A flange of the roof rail is received in a slot formed in an upper end of the B-pillar.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Everett Kuo