The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 24, 1996
Filed:
Nov. 13, 1995
Chi-Mou Ni, Troy, MI (US);
Charles J Bruggemann, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Tasnim Hassan, Flint, MI (US);
Wallace T Hall, Fenton, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A method for hydroforming a tubular structural member of generally polygonal, flat walled cross section in which the various walls in the final part do not have the same thickness. A cylindrical tubular blank is extruded in which the outer surface is round, but in which the inner surface is asymmetrical, providing several contiguous angular sectors or portions of varying width and thickness. Each individual angular portion is tailored as to thickness and width to correspond to a respective wall in the final part. The blank is oriented between in a die cavity so as to align each angular portion with a respective wall of the finished part, and hydroformed in conventional fashion.