Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ronald A Carpenter

Roy E Bonnett

Stephen William Gallagher

Jau-Ching L Leu

A vehicle body has multiple panels adhesively bonded in spaced relationship without direct contact therebetween, the vehicle body constructed by presenting discrete body panels into an assembled position with respect to a single base for application of an adhesive thereon to secure the body panels together. The body panels, which include a pair of body side panels, a roof outer panel, a roof inner panel, and an underbody, have mating flanges along the peripheries thereof angled at between approximately 5.degree. and 15.degree. from a line perpendicular to a surface from which the flanges extend so as to reduce adhesive wipe-off between mating surfaces.

Automotive multi-panel compartment and method for making same

A cross member bumper beam and method of making it are disclosed. The cross member bumper beam is attached to the frame rails of a vehicle. The beam is made of first and second materials that are bonded together with an adhesive. The first step of the method is to form a cross member from the first material. The cross member has a channel shape, with at least one bent return first edge portion. The bent return first edge portion includes a latch portion. The second step of the method is to attach the cross member to the frame rails of the vehicle. The channel shape of the cross member is oriented generally away from the frame rails and exposes the bent first edge portion. The third step of the method is to form a bumper facebar from the second material. The bumper facebar also has a channel shape with at least one bent return second edge portion. The bent return second edge portion includes an attachment portion. The fourth step of the methods is to position the bumper facebar so that the channel shape of the bumper facebar opens in a direction generally opposite to the channel shape of the cross member. The fifth step of the method is to apply the adhesive to at least one of the first and second edge portions. The sixth step of the method is to affix the first and second edge portions for bonding with the adhesive by engaging the attachment portion of the bumper facebar with the latch portion of the cross member.

Method for making a bonded vehicular cross member bumper beam from two

A bumper structure, for use with an internal frame structure of a vehicle which has a pair of longitudinally extending generally parallel rail members and a cross-beam member attached to and extending transversely of the rail members, including a face bar member which slidingly receives the cross-beam member and provides a cavity between the two members. Energy absorbing material resides within the cavity. Should the frontal portion of the face bar receive an impact load above a predetermined magnitude, the face bar will slide rearward toward the cross-bar member thereby compressing the energy absorbing material and absorbing the impact. Various alternative constructions are included which additionally preclude relative lateral movement of the bumper structure during compression of the bumper beam relative to the frame member, including providing the face bar member with a back-up plate rearward of the cross-beam member and which straddles the respective axially extending rail members.

Internal stroking bumper beam

A vehicle bumper system for a vehicle, having a vehicle body and a pair of longitudinally extending load bearing members, includes a bumper member extending between the pair of longitudinally extending load bearing members. A tension means extends between the pair of longitudinally extending load bearing members for preventing the application of outwardly directed lateral forces to the load bearing members. The curved bumper member and the tension means are directly, pivotally connected to the pair of longitudinally extending load bearing members at the same locations on the load bearing members, such that an impact force applied to the bumper member does not result in outwardly directed lateral forces being applied to the load bearing members, or such lateral forces are minimized. The curved bumper member and the tension means may be formed as a single unit or, alternatively, may be separate elements. The bumper member and the tension means may be made of metal or of a structural composite material.

Vehicle bumper system

A truck cab (32) is disclosed as having a lower cab component (38) including a unitary, lower member (46) with a rear wall (48), a floor (50), and a toe panel (52), and as also having an upper cab component (40) including a unitary, upper member (66) having a roof (68), a pair of windshield pillars (70), and a cowl (72). An upper connection (42) connects an upper end (54) of the rear wall (48) of the lower cab component to the rear end (74) of the roof (68) of the upper component, and a lower connection (44) connects an upper end (64) of the toe panel (52) to the cowl (72) of the upper cab component. The unitary, lower and upper members (44,66) are disclosed as being made by resin transfer molding, compression molding, or sheet metal forming. With a resin transfer molded lower and upper members, an outer roof panel (104) is also utilized to cover the roof (68) of the upper member (66). The compression molded embodiment also has an outer roof panel (110) covering ribs (108) of roof (68) and having windshield pillar portions (114) connected to a cowl portion (115) to cooperate with the compression molded upper member (66) to provide the requisite strength.

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Ronald A Carpenter