Vehicle frame with side/cross member joint
AssigneeThe Budd Company
InventorsJames P. O'Connor, Richard Marlin, Bruce D. Kocer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle frame having a side/cross member joint, including a pair of side members each having at least one opening therethrough, the openings having a plurality of generally straight edge portions. A cross member is connected to the side members, wherein the one cross member is disposed in the openings in the side members. The cross member is deformed radially outwardly such that an outer surface of the cross member is formed with a pair of grooves having radially extending walls on opposite sides of each of the openings in the side member. A plurality of flat and semi-circular portions are formed in the cross member corresponding with the straight edge portions and the semi-circular edge portions of the openings.
Claims8
A method of making a side/cross member joint for a frame, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least one hollow side member having two opposed side walls each having at least one opening therethrough;
- inserting a generally cylindrical cross member in each opening in said opposed side walls of said at least one hollow side member;
- inserting an expanding mechanism in an end of said cross member, said expanding mechanism including a plurality of radially movable fingers each having a pair of recessed groove portions corresponding with each said opening in said opposed side walls of said at least one hollow side member such that said pair of recessed groove portions are aligned with a respective opening in said opposed side walls of said at least one hollow side member;
- and
- activating said expanding mechanism by moving said radially movable fingers in a radially outward direction while said expanding mechanism is inserted in said end of said cross member, wherein said cross member is deformed radially outwardly such that an outer surface of said cross member is formed with a pair of grooves having radially extending walls on opposite sides of said openings in said side walls of said side member.
A method of making a side/cross member joint for a vehicle frame, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least one hollow side member having two opposed side walls each having at least one opening therethrough, a periphery of said openings including a plurality of semi-circular segments connected to a plurality of generally straight segments;
- inserting a generally cylindrical cross member in each opening in said opposed side walls of said at least one hollow side member;
- inserting an expanding mechanism in an end of said cross member, said expanding mechanism including a plurality of radially movable fingers each having a pair of recessed groove portions corresponding with each said opening in said opposed side walls of said at least one hollow side member such that said pair of recessed groove portions are aligned with a respective opening in said opposed side walls of said at least one hollow side member, wherein a plurality of said radially movable fingers have a generally flat radially outermost surface, corresponding with said generally straight segments of said openings, and a plurality of said radially movable fingers have a generally cylindrical radially outermost surface corresponding with said semi-circular segments of said openings;
- and
- activating said expanding mechanism by moving said radially movable fingers in a radially outward direction while said expanding mechanism is inserted in said end of said cross member, wherein said cross member is deformed radially outwardly such that an outer surface of said cross member is formed with a pair of grooves having radially extending walls on opposite sides of said openings in said side walls of said side member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.