Automotive body panel damping system
AssigneeL&L Products, Inc.
InventorDean Jeffrey Schneider
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automotive vehicle vibration reduction and damping system for use in an automotive body panel assembly having an inner body panel and an outer body panel. An expandable material, such as a polymer-based foamable material, is disposed on at least one edge of a damping member mounted to at least a portion of the body panel assembly. The system is activated as the vehicle undergoes the final vehicle assembly process and paint operation which activates and transforms the expandable material to expand, bond and structurally adhere the damping member with the body panel assembly for vibrational damping and noise reduction.
Claims35
An assembly for damping vibration of an automotive vehicle body panel, comprising:
- (a) an automotive vehicle body panel;
- (b) a damping member having edges;
- and
- (c) an expandable material between said body panel and said damping member for joining said damping member to said body panel along said edges.
An assembly for damping vibration of an automotive vehicle body panel, comprising:
- (a) an automotive vehicle body panel;
- (b) a damping member having at least two spaced walls joined together by at least one cross wall;
- and
- (c) an expandable foam between said body panel and said damping member for joining said damping member to said body panel.
The assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein said damping member is fixedly attached to said intrusion beam.
A vibration damping system for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
- (a) a body panel assembly for placement within an automotive vehicle having an inner body panel and an outer body panel, said outer body panel having an interior portion and an exterior portion;
- and
- (b) at least one damping member having at least one exterior edge, an expandable material disposed along at least a portion of said edge of said damping member, said expandable material in sealing contact with said damping member, said damping member fixedly attached to at least one portion of said inner body panel or said interior portion of said outer body panel, said expandable material suitable for expansion upon exposure to heat thereby bonding said damping member to at least one of said inner body panel and said outer body panel for vibrational damping.
A system for the absorption of vibration in an automotive panel assembly, comprising:
- (a) an intrusion beam associated with an automotive panel assembly;
- (b) at least one damping member fixedly attached to said intrusion beam;
- and
- (b) an expandable material for absorbing vibration disposed over at least a portion of said damping member.
A vibrational reduction device for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
- (a) a intrusion beam suitable for placement within an automotive body panel assembly having an inner body panel and an outer body panel, said intrusion beam fixedly bridging the inner body panel defining a cavity therein;
- and
- (b) at least one damping member fixedly attached to said intrusion beam and disposed within said cavity, having an expandable material in sealing contact with said damping member, said expandable material suitable for expansion upon exposure to heat thereby bonding said damping member fixedly attached to said intrusion beam to said outer body panel of said automotive body panel assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.