Back to results
US 10,137,942 B2Granted
Sheet metal workpiece
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsRonald Sanders, Wolfgang Eberlein, Maurice Dietz, Hartmut Baumgart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A workpiece includes a plurality of knots and webs, which are formed in one piece, of a sheet metal, in particular a steel plate. Each web extends between two openings from one knot to another knot, and at least three webs meet at each knot. A plurality of the webs has a cross section, which includes at least one hardened and one unhardened area.
Claims20
A workpiece comprising:
- a metal sheet having a plurality of knots and a plurality of webs formed therein;
- wherein each web extends between two openings from a first knot to a second knot and at least three webs meet at each knot;
- and
- wherein at least one of the plurality of the webs has a cross section with a hardened area forming an outer layer of the cross section, the hardened area layered on an underlying portion of the cross section, the hardened area having a hardness that is greater than the underlying portion.
1 more element
A vehicle body component that defines a recess for a spare wheel comprising:
- a metal sheet that includes a central area, a ring-shaped side wall area that extends around the central area, and an outer area that surrounds the ring-shaped side wall area, the central area forming a bottom of a spare wheel well, the side wall area forming side walls of the spare wheel well, the central area and the side wall area having a plurality of openings, a plurality of knots, and a plurality of webs formed therein;
- a plurality of strips that are layered on the central area and the side wall area of the metal sheet, the plurality of strips having a hardness that is greater than that of the metal sheet;
- and
- a plastic skin that is layered on the metal sheet and that extends over the plurality of openings;
- individual ones of the plurality of webs extending between two of the plurality of openings and spanning between neighboring pairs of the plurality of knots;
- at least three of the plurality of webs meeting at a respective one of the plurality of knots;
- the openings in the central area being circular and arranged in offset rows;
- the strips in the central area forming a honeycomb structure;
- the openings in the side wall area being rhombic;
- the strips in the side wall area extending along ones of the plurality of knots and the plurality of webs;
- and
- an edge portion of the outer area being free of the plurality of openings.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.