US 2009/0243270 A1Published application

Vehicle frame with stress relief feature

AssigneeNova Bus, Division de Groupe Volvo Canada Inc.

InventorsFrederic Defoy, Stephane Gagnon

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Abstract

A vehicle frame includes a plurality of hollow tubular members welded together. An opening in a side wall of the frame which receives a door or window of the vehicle is bordered by at least two hollow tubular members which are interconnected by a non-tubular, reinforcing corner member. The reinforcing corner member includes a pair of solid parallel plates spaced apart by a perpendicular cross-member. Each plate of the reinforcing corner member has integral first and second elongated portions extending on either side of a continuous curve therebetween which has a substantially constant radius of curvature such as to define a smooth transition between the integral first and second elongated portions of the plate. The reinforcing corner member distributes stress away from the curved corner and to the tubular members, thereby preventing stress concentration at a joint between the two tubular members surrounding the opening in the frame.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A frame for a vehicle comprising a plurality of hollow tubular members welded together and defining at least substantially vertical sides walls of the frame;

an opening defined in at least one of the side walls of the frame for receiving at least one of a door and a window of the vehicle therein, the opening being bordered by at least two of said hollow tubular members;
a non-tubular reinforcing corner member disposed between said at least two of said hollow tubular members, said reinforcing corner member including a pair of solid plates disposed parallel to each other and being spaced apart by at least one cross-member disposed between said plates and oriented perpendicularly thereto, each plate of the reinforcing corner member having integral first and second elongated portions thereof disposed on either side of a continuous curve therebetween, the curve in said plate having a substantially constant radius of curvature such as to define a smooth transition between the integral first and second elongated portions of the plate;
wherein the reinforcing corner member distributes stress away from the curved corner and to the tubular members, such as to prevent stress concentration at a joint between the at least two tubular members surrounding said opening in the frame.

A bus comprising a chassis with a structurally load bearing frame, the frame having a plurality of hollow tubular members welded together and defining at least substantially vertical sides walls of the frame;

an opening defined in at least one of the side walls of the frame for receiving at least one of a door and a window of the vehicle therein, the opening being bordered by at least two of said hollow tubular members;
a non-tubular reinforcing corner member disposed between said at least two of said hollow tubular members, said reinforcing corner member including a pair of solid plates disposed parallel to each other and being spaced apart by at least one cross-member disposed between said plates and oriented perpendicularly thereto, each plate of the reinforcing corner member having integral first and second elongated portions thereof disposed on either side of a continuous curve therebetween, the curve in said plate having a substantially constant radius of curvature such as to define a smooth transition between the integral first and second elongated portions of the plate;
wherein the reinforcing corner member distributes stress away from the curved corner and to the tubular members, such as to prevent stress concentration at a joint between the at least two tubular members surrounding said opening in the frame.

A method of reinforcing a tubular frame for a vehicle, the tubular frame including a plurality of enclosed tubes fastened together to form said tubular frame, the method comprising:

identifying a joint at a corner defined between at least two of said tubes, said joint having an expected stress level during operation of the vehicle that is greater than a predetermined maximum desirable level;
ensuring that a gap exists between said at least two of said tubes at said corner therebetween;
and
fastening a non-tubular reinforcing corner member in place between said at least two of said tubes, said reinforcing corner member including a pair of parallel and spaced apart plates joined by at least one cross-member disposed between said plates and oriented perpendicularly thereto, each plate of the reinforcing corner member having integral first and second elongated portions thereof extending on either side of a curved inner corner therebetween, the curved inner corner being substantially continuous and having a substantially constant radius of curvature, such as to define a smooth transition between the integral first and second elongated portions of the plate, the reinforcing corner member ensuring that stress generated therein during operation of the vehicle is distributed therethrough and transmitted to said at least two of said tubes of the tubular frame without causing a stress concentration at the corner between said at least two of said tubes, such as to maintain said expected stress level at said corner below said predetermined maximum desirable level.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.