Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type – Composite bumper
Patent
1992-02-07
1993-06-01
Stormer, Russell D.
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
Composite bumper
293115, 293144, 293146, B60R 1902
Patent
active
052153436
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to so-called nudge bars for protecting the fronts of vehicles, more particularly cross-country vehicles such as "Land Rovers" and "Range Rovers".
Such nudge bars have been know for many years (e.g. from UK Patent Specification No. 1569052) and comprise a pair of spaced vertical bars whose front surfaces provide the most forward parts of the nudge bar, one on either side of the vehicle radiator and usually a horizontally extending elongate loop which connects with the two vertical bars. The loop usually wraps around from the front to the sides of the vehicle at its ends. As discussed in said UK Patent Specification vehicles at that date were commonly provided with bumper bars but these were not sufficient in many instances to provide the required degree of protection.
Furthermore, since nudge bars known at that date were principally made of metal, for example, sheet metal pressings and extrusions, they were excessively heavy and caused a number of problems.
The object of the present invention is a relatively lightweight and resilient nudge bar which nevertheless functions effectively.
According to the invention, in such a nudge bar, at least the front part of each vertical bar is formed as a moulding of resilient plastics, each moulding is of a semi-rigid, self skinning, foamed polyurethane, and a metal insert in the form of a strip extends through each moulding to strengthen it and to facilitate fixing for example by being tapped to receive fixing bolts or screws.
The use of resilient plastics in a nudge bar in addition to improving the performance of the nudge bar also enables safer and more interesting shapes of nudge bar to be made. For example the front surfaces of the vertical bars can be curved in cross-section to eliminate sharp edges.
Furthermore, the use of foamed polyurethane material provides the strength and resilience needed for absorbing significant impacts, whilst the self-skinning nature of the material provides a durable surface finish resistant to tearing.
As an alternative to making just the front portion of each vertical bar as a moulding of semi-rigid, selfskinning, foamed polyurethane, the whole of each vertical bar may be so formed, the strength of which is determined by the metal insert strip.
Examples of nudge bar in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first construction of nudge bar,
FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of one arrangement of a vertical bar of the first construction,
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 2A--2A,
FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the assembled front and rear parts,
FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of another arrangement of a vertical bar of the first construction.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a second construction of nudge bar,
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 4A--4A,
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 4B--4B,
FIG. 5 shows a third construction of nudge bar.
FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 5A--5A, and
FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 5B--5B.
Referring to FIG. 1, the nudge bar comprises two vertical elongate bars 1 and a horizontally extending elongate loop 2. The loop 2 is formed from two outer tubular sections 3 and 4 which are welded to respective ones of the bar 1 and a central section 5 having an upper tubular bar 6 welded at its ends to the bars 1 and a lower pressed metal member 7 which is shaped to fit over the vehicle bumper and is welded at its ends to the bars 1. A strengthening member 8 of tubular form interconnects the two end sections 3 and 4.
Referring to FIG. 2, in one arrangement, the vertical bars 1 are each formed in two parts, a rear part 11 which is of shaped trough-like form, fabricated from sheet metal, and a front part 12 which is formed as a moulding of semi-rigid, self skinning, foamed polyurethane, through which a metal insert strip 13 extends. The longitudinal si
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patent: 3431005 (1969-03-01), Priefert
patent: 3610609 (1971-10-01), Sobel
patent: 3677594 (1972-07-01), Gussack et al.
patent: 4168855 (1979-09-01), Koch
patent: 4469360 (1984-09-01), Drury
patent: 4586739 (1986-05-01), Loren et al.
patent: 4671552 (1987-06-01), Anderson et al.
Jib Engineering Ltd.
Pape Joseph D.
Stormer Russell D.
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