Method of making non-planar article from roll bonded metal sheets
AssigneeAlcan International Limited
InventorsAnthony J. Cesaroni, Clarence W. Fulton
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Abstract
A method of forming a non-planar article such as an automotive heat shield from a preform comprising planar sheets superposed upon one another and bonded to one another at selected locations using a roll bond process. The preform is positioned between a male tool and a female tool, the male tool having a protuberant portion and the female tool defining a cavity adapted to accomodate the protuberant portion of the male tool. The preform is then deformed by pushing the protuberant portion against the preform and pressurized fluid is thereafter introduced between the sheets to space them from one another on the unbonded portions.
Claims13
A method of forming a concave heat shield comprising the steps of:
- superimposing at least two planar metal sheets upon one another and bonding said sheets to one another at selected locations to define a preform;
- providing a male tool having a protuberant portion and a female tool defining a recess, said protuberant portion being adapted to align with said recess so as to be accommodated therein and define a concave cavity conforming to the concavity of said heat shield,
- crack-inflating said preform by introducing pressurized fluid between the sheets of the preform so as to space them from one another a distance less than that of a finished heat shield;
- positioning the crack-inflated preform between the male tool and the the female tool;
- deforming the crack-inflated preform by pushing the protuberant portion against a first of said sheets positioned opposite to the male tool to conform said preform to the concavity of said cavity;
- and
- introducing pressurized fluid between the sheets to space said sheets further from one another on unbound portions thereof outside said selected locations.
A method of forming a heat shield comprising the steps of juxtaposing a pair of planar aluminum blanks, roll bonding said blanks to bond selected areas to define a bonded peripheral margin and a plurality of spaced parallel strips to define a preform, folding said preform about a pair of spaced parallel fold lines extending normal to said strips so that a strip extends across each of said fold lines, folding a portion of said peripheral margin to define an outwardly projecting flange and introducing pressurized fluid between the blanks to space the blanks from one another at unbonded portions thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.