Hybrid bumper assembly for a vehicle
AssigneeShape Corp.
InventorJoseph R. Matecki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid bumper assembly for a vehicle includes a steel reinforcement beam and aluminum crush cans attached to end portions of the steel reinforcement beam. The reinforcement beam has a multi-tubular shape that is formed by a high-strength steel sheet that is roll formed to provide at least two tubular portions. A crush can has an interfacing portion that is coupled to an end portion of the reinforcement beam. The end portions of the reinforcement beam and the interfacing portion of the crush cans may be configured to attach together using a select joining technology in a manner that minimizes or eliminates bimetallic or galvanic corrosion between the reinforcement beam and the crush cans.
Claims20
A hybrid bumper assembly for a vehicle, the hybrid bumper assembly comprising:
- a multi-tubular reinforcement beam comprising a high-strength steel sheet material;
- a crush can comprising an aluminum alloy and having a tubular body and a flange protruding at a front end of the tubular body;
- and
- a dual-material coupling feature fixedly attaching the flange of the crush can with a wall of the multi-tubular reinforcement beam.
A hybrid bumper assembly for a vehicle, the hybrid bumper assembly comprising:
- a reinforcement beam having at least one tubular shape that comprises a high-strength steel sheet and that extends along a length of the reinforcement beam;
- a crush can having a tubular body that comprises an aluminum alloy, the crush can further comprising a pair of flanges extending from a front section the tubular body of the crush can;
- and
- a dual-material coupling feature disposed at each of the pair of flanges and extending between the crush can and the reinforcement beam to form a fixed connection, the dual-material coupling feature configured to prevent galvanic corrosion between the aluminum alloy of the crush can and the high-strength steel sheet of the reinforcement beam.
A hybrid bumper assembly for a vehicle, the hybrid bumper assembly comprising:
- a bumper reinforcement beam having a top wall and a bottom wall extending along the length of the beam, the top and bottom walls comprising a high-strength steel sheet;
- a crush can having a tubular portion with four integrally connected walls to provide a generally hollow rectangular cross-sectional shape, the crush can comprising an aluminum alloy;
- wherein the crush can further comprises a pair of front flanges that integrally extend from an upper wall and a lower wall of the tubular portion to define a channel between the pair of front flanges, the bumper reinforcement beam disposed in the channel;
- and
- a dual-material coupling feature extending between at each of the pair of front flanges and the respective top wall and bottom wall of the reinforcement beam to form a fixed connection, the dual-material coupling feature configured to prevent galvanic corrosion between the aluminum alloy of the crush can and the high-strength steel sheet of the reinforcement beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.