Spray cast mixed-material vehicle closure panels
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsSuresh Sundarraj, Arun M. Kumar, Anil K. Sachdev
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Unitary closure panels for automotive vehicles may be formed to have regions of different materials by a spray casting process. Separate sprays of different materials, for example two different metal alloys, are applied to touching regions of a spray application surface. The separate sprays may be applied sequentially or simultaneously to the forming surface to coat the respective regions so that the regions are contiguous or overlapping and a unitary body is formed. The spray formed body may be compressed and trimmed between facing surfaces to form a vehicle closure panel of specified outline, curvature, thickness, and porosity.
Claims20
A method of making a vehicle closure panel having joined first and second regions formed of a first material and a second material, where each of the first and second materials may be a metal, metal alloy, or a polymeric composition, the method comprising:
- spraying atomized droplets of the first material on a spray receiving surface, the spray of the first material being directed to form a sprayed deposit of a first predetermined thickness that is a precursor of the first region of the vehicle closure panel;
- spraying atomized droplets of the second material on the spray receiving surface, the spray of the second material being directed to form a sprayed deposit of a second predetermined thickness that is a precursor of the second region of the vehicle closure panel, the sprayed first and second materials contacting each other;
- and
- subjecting the first and second regions to thermal processing or thermomechanical processing to form the spray deposited precursors of the first and second regions of the vehicle closure panel into the joined first and second regions of the vehicle closure panel.
A method of making a vehicle closure panel comprising:
- spraying atomized droplets of a first material on a spray receiving surface to form a first region of the vehicle closure panel;
- spraying atomized droplets of a second material on the spray receiving surface to form a second region of the vehicle closure panel having an edge touching the first region of the vehicle closure panel;
- subjecting the first and second regions to thermal processing or thermomechanical processing;
- wherein the first and second materials are selected such that the second region is stronger than the first region;
- and
- wherein the surface area of the first region is larger than the area of the second region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.