Cold connection

Details Cold connection Cold connection

2000-10-05

2002-01-01

Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Bodies

Structural detail

C296S187060, C296S203030, C296S203010, C403S174000, C403S217000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06334642

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a linear cold connection, in particular for road or rail bound vehicles, between a first and second structural component in which the first and second structural component abut along a pair of parallel first and second joint faces. The first and second structural components are fixed together via bolt-type connections which penetrate the joint faces and have bolt heads.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Vehicle superstructures of known type of construction normally contain a structural frame which lies flush with its outer contour, and onto which e.g. cladding elements, the glazing of the window regions and the like are attached. The frame normally contains a plurality of different sections that are joined to modules e.g. via warm or cold connections.
A structural frame normally contains, for example structural components running in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, in particular longitudinal sections such as floor or roof struts which are joined via linear type cold connections to other components, in particular longitudinal sections such as wall or roof connecting sections.
Longitudinal sections running in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle connect e.g. wall elements to floor or roof elements.
The relatively large production tolerances of the individual structural components represent a serious problem in the production of vehicle bodies. Also, the known linear type cold connections permit only small tolerances in the components. This means that the individual components of a structural frame have to be manufactured with the corresponding precision, or the components to be joined together have to be adapted to each other by expensive reworking.
Known, for example, is a linear type of cold connection in which a first and second longitudinal section, with parallel longitudinal section axes, lie against each other along joining faces and are joined to each other by bolted connections that penetrate the joining faces. This solution has the disadvantage that the parts cannot be adjusted to accommodate tolerances.
EP 0 755 847 describes a structural joint featuring at least two sections that are joined to each other along a common area of contact, i.e. interface, whereby the interface exhibits a curvature of constant radius. The joint is made via rivets which penetrate the interface. The joint can be adjusted by rotating a section. A disadvantage of the described solution, however, is that only after the sections have been adjusted can the holes be made for the subsequent riveting. For that reason the sections cannot be readily re-adjusted without the expense of replacing the sections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is a cost-favourable linear type of cold connection which permits large tolerances in the individual structural components without having to perform extensive reworking.
That objective is achieved by way of the invention in that the joint faces and a contact face that faces the heads of the bolts form an arc of a circular cylinder with common circular-cylinder axis. The joint faces and contact face are an integral part of the structural components, and both structural components can be shifted relative and transverse to the circular-cylinder axis, when the bolted connection is loose.
The first or second structural component with the appropriate joining and, if desired, contact face is manufactured in one piece i.e. without subsequently fitting individual parts to it.
The structural components are usefully longitudinal sections, advantageously single or multi-chamber hollow sections. They preferably exhibit parallel longitudinal axes. The joining faces with corresponding circular-cylinder axis preferably run parallel to the longitudinal axes of the sections.
The structural components may preferably be extruded sections. Components with the present type of advantageous cross-section can be realised in a simple and cost favourable manner in the form of extruded sections. Particularly suitable are extruded sections of aluminium and its alloys. The first or the second structural component or the first and the second structural component may be an extruded section.
The structural components may also be of a ferrous metal such as iron, tin plated or zinc coated iron, steel or alloys of steel, a non-ferrous metal such as e.g. brass or copper, or magnesium and its alloys as well as aluminium and its alloys. The structural components may also be of reinforced plastics, in particular fibre-reinforced plastics or in combination with the above mentioned metals e.g. a metal-plastic composite.
The first and second structural component are usefully joined to each other by means of one or more bolt-type connections passing through openings in the first and second joint faces.
The diameter of the openings transverse to the circular-cylinder axis of the first joint face and advantageously of the first and second joint faces are usefully larger than the diameter of the bolt at the lengths penetrating the openings.
Usefully there are one or more washer elements situated between the areas making contact and the heads of the bolts forming the bolt-type connection. The washer element on the side facing the contact face is circular-cylindrical in shape and made to match the contact surface exactly. The washer element features one or more holes to accommodate the bolts. The washer element may be a single part with one hole for a single bolt connection or a strip-shaped section running parallel to the circular-cylinder axis i.e. a washer section with a plurality of holes for a plurality of bolt-type connections. The washer section may be an extruded section of aluminium or its alloys featuring these through-holes.
The openings in the first joint face may e.g. be ducts, holes, longitudinal or slit-shaped openings, whereby the longitudinal or slit-shaped openings usefully run parallel to the circular-cylinder axis, in the longitudinal direction of the first joint face. The longitudinal or slit-shaped openings may extend over the whole length of the joint face or over parts thereof.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention one of the joint faces, usefully the second such face, features an opening in the form of a longitudinal groove-shaped opening. The longitudinal groove-shaped opening is usefully part of an undercut longitudinal groove situated behind the joint face and running parallel to the circular-cylinder axis. The undercut groove serves to accommodate inserts with internal threads such as turning or clamping plates, inserts or insert sections, whereby the insert section may be a strip-shaped section running parallel to the circular-cylinder axis, in particular an extruded section of aluminium or its alloys featuring a plurality of threaded holes into which bolts can be screwed. By displacing the first component with loose bolt connection along the opening in the longitudinal channel it is possible to accommodate tolerances in the axial direction.
The bolts of the bolt-type connection usefully penetrate the openings in the first joint face and the longitudinal groove-type opening in the second joint face, and are screwed into the internal threads in the insert or inserts.
The clamping plates are usefully parallelogram-shaped plate-type elements with an internal thread. On turning the bolt in the internal thread in the clamping plate, the clamping plates are turned such that their short parallel sides are anchored to the long sides of the undercut groove. The anchoring may be improved by making the side that is forced against the long side of the undercut groove concave in shape, thus providing a biting action.
The joint face lying opposite the longitudinal groove, i.e. the first joint face, usefully exhibits projections which are situated on both sides of the openings and the projections having each an outer projection basis projecting out away from the openings. The projections run parallel to the circular-cylinder axis and project into the longitudinal groov

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