Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Saravanan Subramanian

Patrick James Blanchard

Roy E Bonnett

Raj Sohmshetty

Zhiyong Cedric Xia

Raja Shekar Sohmshetty

Theodore John Coon

Gregory T Bretz

Paul E Geck

Peter Stockmann

Lothar Patberg

Jim E DeVries

Greg Bretz

In one or more embodiments, a weldability of a stack-up for use in vehicle part production may be determined. The determination may include receiving general stack-up information, welding standards data for forming a stack-up, and one or more inputs defining one or more stack-up design variables. Additionally, standardized stack-up information may be generated based on the general stack-up information, the one or more design variables, and the welding standards data. Furthermore, historical welding data may be received for predicting a weldability of the stack-up. Predictive logic may be applied to the standardized stack-up information based on the historical welding data to obtain one or more weldability predictions for the stack-up. The one or more weldability predictions may be transmitted for use in vehicle part production.

Weldability prediction and recommendation systems and methods

A bodyside for an automotive vehicle includes a folded structure having a generally horizontal floor portion and a generally vertical side portion which is unitary with the floor portion. A wheelhouse structure, which is indexed with a wheelhouse cutout of an outer panel applied to the bodyside, is formed integrally with the floor portion and the side portion by a folding process. End portions of the wheelhouse structure are closed either by closure panels or storage compartments.

Bodyside with integral wheelhouse structure for automotive vehicle

A lightweight automotive vehicle door assembly incorporates a modular concept having an outer door panel, an inner door panel, a reinforcement beam, and a hardware mounting module. The outer panel is preferably formed from aluminum, polypropylene or steel, while the inner door panel is preferably cast from magnesium with the hardware mounting module formed of thermoplastic. The magnesium inner panel is mounted to the outer panel by a hemming process while hardware is mounted to the inner panel through the use of two-piece thermoplastic inserts creating a dielectric barrier between the fasteners and the magnesium inner panel. The reinforcement beam is formed of a composite material consisting of a glass and carbon fiber reinforced outer skin with an interior core of polyurethane.

Magnesium door assembly for automobiles

An anti-intrusion beam for incorporation into a vehicle door assembly is manufactured from an outer skin formed from laminated layers of composite materials having fiber reinforcement oriented in a directional pattern in each respective layer. The anisotropic beam includes body members having an interior core formed of high density foam plastic. The transversely corrugated beam includes attachment areas that have the same corrugated configuration which are fastened to mounting lugs of an inner door panel arranged in a corresponding corrugation. Variations in the thickness and formation of the layers of the outer skin can be used to control the failure of the beam during impact to provide a progressive predicable failure pattern for the beam. A frame catcher can be inserted into the body portions of the anti-intrusion beam to permit the transfer of impact forces to the frame of the vehicle.

Anti-intrusion beam for a vehicle door assembly

Growing community of inventors

Westland, MI, United States of America

Saravanan Subramanian