Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Robert Schwalm

Deepak Patel

Djamal Eddine Midoun

Greg B Zinn

Stephen W Siu

Sushil Shastry

Matthew Brian Makowski

Ted Victor Kolar

John Joseph Nizienski

A vehicle body structure includes a floor panel, a door frame, a cross-member, and a load transmittal bracket. The door frame and the cross-member are fixed relative to the floor panel. The door frame defines a door opening. The load transmittal bracket is disposed between the door opening and the cross-member. The load transmittal bracket includes a second segment welded to a first segment and to the floor panel. During a side impact of the vehicle, the load transmittal bracket transfers impact force from the door frame to the cross-member to dissipate the impact force and reduce deformation of the floor.

Energy absorbing load transmittal bracket with weld accessibility

A side sill assembly for a vehicle includes an inner shell connected to an outer shell and a reinforcement assembly. The reinforcement assembly includes a longitudinally extending tube and a plurality of reinforcement brackets provided at longitudinally spaced locations along the length of the tube. The reinforcement brackets each include a front wall and a back wall connected by an outer side wall. The reinforcement brackets define recesses for receiving the tube that is welded to the front walls and the back walls where the tube contacts an edge of the recesses. The reinforcement brackets may include a top flange on a top edge and a base flange on a bottom edge of each of the front walls and back walls. An inner flange is provided on an inner edge of each of the front walls and back walls that is welded to the inner shell.

Side sill assembly reinforced with a tube and box-shaped brackets

An apparatus, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a hood inner panel having a rear edge and a front edge, a latch mounted to the hood inner panel at an offset location that is spaced from the front edge, and at least one bump stop mounted to the hood inner panel between the offset location and the front edge. The bump stop includes a lock feature to prevent removal of the bump stop from the hood inner panel. A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, mounting at least one resilient bump stop to the hood inner panel between the offset location and the front edge to absorb impact energy and to provide a seal force to stabilize the latch during closure.

Bump stop for vehicle hood

A support assembly includes a bump stop having a shaft. The support assembly includes an insert having a guide ring disposed around the shaft, a bump stop support supporting the bump stop, and a column connecting the guide ring to the bump stop support. The column is breakable relative to the guide ring and the bump stop support.

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Windsor, CA, United States of America

Robert Schwalm