Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Vari-form, Inc.

James Wayne Lowe

Dragan B Stojkovic

Lawrence Anderson Queener

Larry J Dupuis

John T Reed

Jason Scott Balzer

Hikmat F Mahmood

Dean A Gericke

Ramakrishna P Koganti

Madhu R Deme

Michael Musa Azzouz

Raj Sohmshetty

Henry W Hausler

Stephen Lewis Bruford

Lawrence J Dupuis

Musa Azzouz

James Antime Marleau

John E Robertson

Lou Ratsos

Bruce Colby Anderson

Abid Ghuman

Frank J Day

Sergio Angotti

Marsha J Rosso

Michael W Pitt

Brad Huff

Joseph L La Pres

Bryan Mikula

Joe Weishaar

Dean Gericke

A method is provided for assembling a vehicle frame from hydro-formed tubular metal components. Each hydro-formed component has a surface feature that is complementary to a surface feature on an adjacent component. The complementary surface features allow the hydro-formed components to be interlocked together. The components are permanently joined by a plurality of welds. A front hoop, a rear hoop and right and left side hoops may be assembled and joined together to form the passenger compartment portion of the vehicle frame.

Vehicle framing method and frame

A body side construction for an automotive vehicle is formed from multiple tubular members arranged to maximize the strength of the body side members while minimizing the amount of material utilized in the manufacture of the body side members and, thus reducing the cost of manufacture of the automobile. The body side members are formed from tubular members preferably manufactured through a hydroforming process. The tubular members extend from the front pillar to the rear pillar and can vary in number and in size as appropriate for the load being carried by the body side members. The tubular members can also be used to transition from the body side portion of the automobile to the roof structure to provide an integrated frame assembly. The formation of the body side members from multiple tubular members also creates an internal reinforcement web to further enhance the strength of the section.

Multiple tube body side construction for automobiles

A hydroforming process forms a hydroformed automotive component as a multiple cell member having an integral internal rib separating the cells and reinforcing the hydroformed component to increase the strength of a hydroformed component with a given size and shape. The tubular blank can be manufactured through a roll-forming process or by welding two structural tubular members, to form a tubular blank that has multiple cells with an internal rib separating the cells. The hydroforming process injects fluid under pressure into each of the cells to expand the tubular blank into the shape defined by the die holding the blank. The internal web separating the cells of the blank becomes an integral internal reinforcement spanning the component to enhance the strength, rigidity and stiffness of the component. Providing differential pressure on the multiple cells can stretch and twist the internal rib for positioning internally as desired.

Double hydroformed tube with integral reinforcement

A roll-forming process for the manufacture of a structural member can be used in the manufacture of an automotive vehicle. The roll-forming process creates a component that has multiple cells with an integral internal web separating the cells, enhancing the strength, rigidity and stiffness of the component for any given size and shape. The roll-forming process starts with a piece of sheet metal and rolls the sheet metal into a desired shape and then rolls the tube back over on itself to create a second cell with the internal reinforcing web positioned between two structural cells of the beam. The rolled form is then welded into the formed shape to create the structural beam. The two cells of the beam can be the same general size or be formed as completely disparate sizes, depending on the design requirements of the structural member.

Method of roll-forming an automotive support member

A moon roof frame module is sized to span between the laterally spaced roof side rails of an automotive roof frame structure and is welded to the opposing roof side rails to be integrated into the roof frame structure. As a result, the moon roof assembly serves as a load path member to reinforce the automotive roof structure. The integrated moon roof frame module will receive roll over forces and increase the strength of the roof structure of an automotive vehicle. The moon roof frame module includes a U-shaped roof panel that is welded to the opposing roof side rails and provides a reinforcing cross member located forwardly of the moon roof opening. A second cross member positioned rearwardly of the moon roof opening increases rigidity of the reinforcing moon roof frame module.

Moon roof frame module for reinforcement of automotive roof

An automotive body structure includes a tubular load bearing structure and a hardware mount having a base plate with an annular axially extending spin welding initiator. The hardware mount is spin welded to the load bearing structure to provide a reinforced location for the mounting of automotive hardware, such as door hinges, with threaded fasteners.

Automotive body structure with spin welded hardware mounts

An improved method of manufacturing an assembly comprising at least two components. Assembly components are attached together to form a combined assembly. The combined assembly is engaged by a single framing fixture that establishes the spatial relationships between each of the assembly components. After the spatial relationships are final, the assembly is fixed having securing points that are accessible when engaged by the single framing fixture. The method significantly reduces the load-weld-load sequences used in conventional body-in-white framing processes for motor vehicles.

Single set geometry method for assembly of a vehicle

A dual cell rear corner pillar for the operator's compartment of a pick-up truck is formed with longitudinally oriented front and rear tubular members. The dual cell tubular construction increases section strength for the rear corner pillar while maintaining packaging constraints for the rear pillar design. The front tubular member is nested against the rear tubular member to provide support therefor longitudinally and vertically. The forward tubular member is welded to the door opening panel seal flange, while the rearward tubular member is welded to the window flange and the back panel flange. The forward and rearward tubular members are also welded to one another to form a strong pillar structure. The dual cell configuration resists buckling and shares loading. The rear tubular member wraps around the front tubular member and transitions into the roof rail area, shortening the unsupported moment arm of the rear tubular member.

Dual cell rear corner pillar for automobiles

A process for forming a hydroformed automotive component with an integrally formed attachment bracket or weld flange begins with a tubular blank manufactured through a roll-forming process to convert sheet metal into a tubular body portion having excess parent sheet metal material extending past the tube weld joint to define an integrated flange. This integrated flange tubular blank is then placed into a forming die and subjected to a conventional hydroforming manufacturing process to form the automotive component into the desired shape and configuration. One side of the forming die is formed with a slot defining a gap in which the integrated flange material is received to create the weld flange or attachment bracket when the die is closed against the integrated flange material while the hydroforming process is undertaken. Alternatively, the integrated flange material could be welded onto the tubular blank during the formation of the tubular blank.

Process for forming a hydroformed automotive component with integrated weld flange

An automotive vehicle body includes a generally tubular, hydroformed cowl with integral mounting flanges which are welded to an engine compartment structural member and a cowlside member. The cowl may be hydroformed from several different preforms having both symmetrical and asymmetrical geometric characteristics.

Automotive vehicle body with hydroformed cowl

One embodiment of the present invention is a seal apparatus () for an improved front-end to body-side joint () of a vehicle. The seal apparatus () includes a ring portion (), a gate portion (), and an intermediate portion () extending between the ring portion () and the gate portion (). The ring portion () is utilized for receiving an open-ended tubular front-end structure () of the improved front-end to body-side joint (). Additionally, the ring portion () is utilized for sealing an interface between the front-end structure () and a body-side structure (). Further, the gate portion () is sized for insertion into an interior cavity () of the front-end structure () and for blocking communication through the interior. Also, the ring portion () and/or the intermediate portion () have a self-locating construction for positioning the seal apparatus () in a predetermined location () on the front-end structure ().

Seal apparatus for an improved front-end to body-side joint of a vehicle

A front end assembly for a vehicle includes a U-shaped tubular structure, a body portion having a pair of laterally-spaced, longitudinally extending cowl sides, and, a pair of laterally-spaced A-pillar structures. The U-shaped tubular structure is secured to each A-pillar and each cowl side at longitudinally-spaced apart locations. The laterally-spaced connection points provide improved rigidity and reduce distortion.

Tubular front end structure for automobiles and method for making the same

One embodiment of the present invention is an improved front-end to body-side joint () for an automotive vehicle. This joint () includes an integral front end structure () having a fender attachment portion () and one or more hinge-reinforcement portions (). The fender attachment portion () is coupled to a fender (). Moreover, the hinge-reinforcement portions () are attached to a pillar member () of a vehicle body () for supporting a door (). The integral front end structure () is a master-locating component for positioning the fender () and the door () in a predetermined configuration within the joint ().

Front-end to body-side joint for an automotive vehicle

An automotive vehicle is provided having a body being assembled by a joining process line from a plurality of workpieces joined into a plurality of subassemblies according to the steps of providing templates arranged in a predetermined alignment to form a process line, with each template being generated from a defined set of standardized task stations which are operative to perform a joining process on a workpiece of the subassemblies, fixturing workpieces in a workpiece presenter provided in the task stations, at least one workpiece presenter including a tooling plate removably connected and precision located on a platform of a workpiece presenter, and sequentially joining the workpieces together to form the body.

Vehicle body

A pallet system for use in a manufacturing process. The pallet system includes several pallets which are adapted to receive and support a portion of a product, such as a vehicle underbody The system uses simplified pallets having externally actuated clamping assemblies and A docking station receives the pallets and includes a pair of robots which detect the proper positioning of the underbody upon the pallet and externally activate the clamping assemblies and thereby securing the underbody to the pallet A controller is communicatively connected to the robots and activates a conveyor assembly which transports the pallet to manufacturing stations once the underbody is properly secured to the pallet

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Temperance, MI, United States of America

James Wayne Lowe