Benteler Corporation

Benteler Automotive Corporation

Benteler Industries, Inc.

Other

James R Dehlinger

Donald R Rigsby

Gunther H Palentyn

Gary L Wells

Robert A Shaffer

Wallace J Poole

Donald R VandePolder

Roger A Crawford

David A Passmore

Hydroforming double wall tubular stock into an air gap tubular element comprising providing a plural wall tubular workpiece having at least an inner wall liner and an outer wall jacket having adjacent open axial ends, causing at least one of the jacket ends to extend axially beyond the adjacent liner end and to be flared outwardly, placing the workpiece into a first mold cavity of a size and configuration to result in the desired size and configuration of the liner, sealing the open ends of said liner, injecting hydroforming fluid into said liner to fill it and applying pressure thereto to expand the liner and jacket in the first mold cavity, releasing the pressure, placing the workpiece in a second mold cavity of a size and configuration desired for the jacket on a resulting air gap tubular element, providing hydroforming end closures to seal off the jacket ends, at least one of the end closures having an annular shoulder aligned with the flared extended jacket end radially outwardly offset from the adjacent liner end, pressing the annular shoulder directly against the flared jacket end to seal the flared jacket end between the shoulder and an anvil surface, injecting fluid into the workpiece to fill it and applying pressure to expand only the jacket.

Extended jacket end, double expansion hydroforming

A method and apparatus capable of forming a dual tube conduit having a predetermined outer tube dimension, a predetermined inner tube dimension, and a predetermined gap between the tubes. A dual tube workpiece may be initially bent in one or more zones to a desired nonlinear configuration, the inner and outer tubes are hydroform expanded simultaneously to obtain the selected inner tube dimension, and the outer tube is then hydroform expanded to the desired outer tube dimension and to the desired gap therebetween, while the inner tube is held constant.

Multi-stage dual wall hydroforming

A method of forming a dual tube conduit having a predetermined outer tube dimension, a predetermined inner tube dimension, and a predetermined gap between the tubes. A dual tube workpiece may be initially bent in one or more zones to a desired nonlinear configuration, the inner and outer tubes are hydroform expanded simultaneously to obtain the selected inner tube dimension, and the outer tube is then hydroform expanded to the desired outer tube dimension and to the desired gap therebetween, while the inner tube is held constant.

The specification discloses extension nipple formation at acute angles on tubular engine exhaust manifold bodies for lap weld attachment of side runners. An articulated or single axis mandrel is inserted axially into the tubular body, each mandrel portion being in an angular body portion. Precut holes in the body are of oval shape. Laterally extensible forming dies are positioned in guide recesses in respective mandrel portions to be aligned with the precut holes and extensible at acute angles to the body and at an angle to each other. Drawing rods are extensible by transfer actuator cylinders into the dies where the rods are interlocked with the dies by rotary actuators. Power forming actuators then shift the rods and dies outwardly to form cylindrical nipples, the forming actuators temporarily overcoming the transfer actuators, and then returning the dies into the mandrel. The rods are then released from the dies and retracted, and the mandrel with dies withdrawn.

Nipple forming apparatus

A contour cut door beam for automobiles, and apparatus and method of forming same. A steel tube is contour cut with a laser beam from a source offset from an operative axis coincident with the tube axis, using simultaneous rotational and linear advancement between the tube and cutting beam to form an arcuate outer end terminus on the tube in a plane transverse to the axis, an arcuate inner terminus on the opposite side of the tube in a second plane transverse to the axis, and a pair of mirror image contoured edges joining said termini, with all portions being on radii relative to said axis.

Laser contour cut door beams

Successively laser cutting configurated openings in the walls of tubular manifold members with a plurality of robots and cooperative fixtures circumferentially around a cutting laser focus, the robots sequentially gripping the tubular members secured in exact orientation and position in the respective fixtures, by circumferentially expansible gripping jaws inside the tubular members, and advancing the members to and through a 360 degree pattern about the laser focus. The manifold laterals are subsequently welded to the member around the laser cut openings.

Growing community of inventors

Ada, MI, United States of America

James R Dehlinger