Frame crossbeam assembly for all-wheel drive vehicle

In combination with a four wheel drive vehicle having a front transaxle driving front wheels and a rear axle driving rear wheels, said vehicle having a chassis of the type having a frame including first and second spaced apart longitudinally extending side members, a power train including a longitudinally extending drive shaft assembly drivingly interconnecting said front tranaxle and said rear axle for driving said rear axle wheels, a steering assembly for said front wheels, at least one transversely extending crossbeam assembly rigidly affixed at its opposite ends to an associated one of said frame side members, the improvement wherein said crossbeam assembly comprising:

• a lower crossmember formed by sheet stamping and supported between said frame side members formed with an upwardly concave arcuate shaped depression including a thinned valley portion substantially aligned on the longitudinal centerline of said chassis frame;
• a transversely positioned upper bridge member formed with a bifurcated portion intermediate its co-planer outwardly directed end extensions with each said end extension affixed to an associated underlying end portion of said lower crossmember, said bifurcated portion in the form of fore and aft longitudinally spaced upwardly arched branch sections, whereby said bifurcated portion overlies said lower crossmember thinned valley section defining a passage therebetween receiving therethrough a longitudinal portion of said drive shaft assembly;
• a transverse tube portion of said vehicle steering assembly received in an open channel defined between said upper bridge member fore and aft branch sections with each end of said tube portion attached by bolting to an associated underlying bridge member end extrusion, whereby said steering assembly transverse tube portion is arranged in an orthogonal overlying manner with a portion of said subjacent longitudinal drive shaft;
• said upper bridge member formed by sheet stamping into upper and lower half-shells affixed together along associated peripheral flanges establishing a medial seam line which circumscribes said half-shells defining a closed hollow-section structural member;
• said upper and lower half-shells forming said upper bridge member fore and aft branch sections structured with each section having associated medial seam portions defining identical substantially sinusoidal shapes in transverse section;
• and
• wherein said lower crossmember thinned valley portion being formed with a cross-sectional vertical dimension about one-half the cross-sectional vertical dimension of its adjacent outboard portions.