Vehicle structural member and method for producing same
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
InventorsToru HASHIMURA, Taiki YAMAKAWA, Yasuhiro MAEDA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle structural member includes an elongate hollow member having an integrated structure, and supporting members joined to the elongate hollow member. The elongate hollow member includes: a first portion that includes a first pipe, a second pipe disposed outside the first pipe and extending along the first pipe, and a connection portion extending along the first pipe and the second pipe, formed integrally with the first pipe and the second pipe, and connecting the first pipe and the second pipe; and a second portion that includes the first pipe continuing from the first portion, and does not include the second pipe.
Claims14
A vehicle structural member comprising:
- an elongate hollow member having an integrated structure;
- and
- a supporting member joined to the elongate hollow member,
- wherein the elongate hollow member includes:
- a first portion that includes a first pipe, a second pipe disposed outside the first pipe and extending along the first pipe, and a connection portion extending along the first pipe and the second pipe, formed integrally with the first pipe and the second pipe, and connecting the first pipe and the second pipe;
- and
- a second portion that includes the first pipe continuing from the first portion, and does not include the second pipe.
A method for producing a vehicle structural member, the method comprising:
- molding an element pipe including two pipes connected by a connection portion and disposed in parallel to each other;
- cutting the element pipe to separate the element pipe into two elongate hollow members each of which includes the two pipes having different lengths;
- and
- disposing a supporting member for each of the elongate hollow members in such a position as to surround a part of the corresponding elongate hollow member, followed by expanding the part of the corresponding elongate hollow member to swage and join the corresponding elongate hollow member to the supporting member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.