Stiffeners for automotive sheet body structure
AssigneeCarlos M. Ochoa
InventorCarlos M. Ochoa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reinforcing support structure for an automotive vehicle body having a sheet structure (10) including a pair of side sheet structures (11, 12). Upper stiffener (17) and lower stiffener (18) are secured to the interior of side sheet structures (11,12). Stiffeners 17 and 18 may have a cross-sectional shape as illustrated by stiffener (39) in FIG. 6. Stiffener (39) includes a mounting flange (41) and an opposed flange (42) which have free edge portions. Beads or curls (44,46) are formed on the free edge portions for reinforcement.
Claims40
An automotive sheet body structure comprising:
- a side sheet member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- an elongate stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member, said stiffener defining in cross-section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener, the tubular bead being inturned and of an elliptical cross-section wherein the minor axis is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
An automotive sheet body structure comprising:
- a side sheet member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- an upper stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member;
- a lower stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member;
- each stiffener defining in cross-section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener;
- and
- each of said tubular beads being inturned and of an elliptical cross-section.
An automotive sheet body structure comprising:
- a front side sheet member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- an upper front end stiffener secured to said inner surface of said front side sheet member;
- a lower front end stiffener secured to said inner surface of said front side sheet member and aligned vertically with said upper front end stiffener;
- each stiffener defining in cross-section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener, the tubular beads being inturned and of an elliptical cross-section wherein the minor axis is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
An automotive sheet body structure comprising:
- a side sheet member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- an elongate stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member, said stiffener defining in cross-section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of each flange for reinforcing said stiffener;
- and
- one of said flanges extending from said web to define a mounting flange, and the other of said flanges is a bowed flange.
An automotive sheet body structure, comprising:
- a side sheet member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- an upper stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member;
- a lower stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member;
- a door opening between said upper and lower stiffeners;
- each stiffener defining in cross-section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of said flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of at least one said flange for reinforcing each said stiffener, said tubular bead being inturned and of an elliptical cross-section.
An automotive sheet body structure comprising:
- a side sheet member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
- an elongate stiffener secured to said inner surface of said side sheet member;
- said stiffener defining in cross-section a web and a flange extending outwardly from each end of said web, each of the flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead extending along the free edge of at least one of said flanges for reinforcing said stiffener, said tubular bead being inturned and of an elliptical cross-section wherein the minor axis is at least about 40 percent of the major axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.