Reinforcement structure for pipe

Details Reinforcement structure for pipe Reinforcement structure for pipe

2001-01-18

2001-10-23

Brinson, Patrick (Department: 3753)

Pipes and tubular conduits

Reinforced

With embedded element

C138S172000, C138S178000, C138S153000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06305430

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reinforcement structure of a pipe which is suitable for fixing a reinforcement member such as a resin material into a pipe.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a structure for reinforcing a closed sectional structure, for example, there have been known (1) a structure having a resin material inserted therein and (2) a structure described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei.8-2289(JP-A-8-2289) “Instrument Panel Reinforcement and Instrument Panel Reinforcement Manufacturing Method”.
The art (1) will be below.
FIG. 15
is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional reinforcement structure of a closed sectional structure.
A center pillar
100
to be the closed sectional structure serves to interpose a stiffener
103
between an inner panel
101
and an outer panel
102
. In order to reinforce the center pillar
100
, a resin material
104
for reinforcement is provided between the inner panel
101
and the stiffener
103
. The reference numerals
105
and
105
denote a fixing hole for fixing the resin material
104
to the inner panel
101
.
FIG. 16
is a sectional view showing a conventional center pillar. The resin material
104
is constituted by a hard resin
106
to be a core member and a foaming resin material
107
fixed to an external surface of the hard resin
106
, and clip portions
108
and
108
are provided on the hard resin
106
and are coupled to the fixing holes
105
and
105
of the inner panel
101
. Consequently, the resin material
104
is fixed into the center pillar
100
.
FIG. 17
is a view illustrating a state in which the conventional center pillar is reinforced. In this state, the foaming resin material
107
(see
FIG. 16
) is foamed and a foaming resin
111
is filled between the inner panel
101
and the stiffener
103
.
Moreover, the art (2) has described an instrument panel reinforcement
10
in which flanges
20
,
22
,
24
and
26
protruded from an external surface are provided in a pipe-shaped large diameter portion
14
, a pipe-shaped small diameter portion
16
is inserted into the large diameter portion
14
and the large diameter portion
14
and the small diameter portion
16
are welded through welding holes
36
and
38
opened on the large diameter portion
14
in order to enhance a strength of an instrument panel of an automobile as shown in FIG.
2
.
In the art (1), the resin material
104
can be fixed into the center pillar
100
comparatively easily. In the case in which the art (1) is to be applied to the art (2), the clip portion for fixing a resin material into a fixing hole opened on the small diameter portion
16
requires a special shape, for example. Consequently, a cost is increased. Furthermore, in the case in which the pipe-shaped small diameter portion
16
is elongated, the clip portion for the resin material which is inserted into the small diameter portion
16
should be aligned with the fixing hole in the small diameter portion
16
at an end of the small diameter portion
16
. Therefore, a fixing work is hard to perform.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a reinforcement structure of a pipe which can easily fix a reinforcement member such as a resin material into a pipe.
In order to achieve the object, a first aspect of the invention is directed to a reinforcement structure of a pipe comprising a core member to be inserted into a pipe to be reinforced and a protruded member protruded from the core member and having a slightly larger diameter than an inside diameter of the pipe, wherein one of the core member and the protruded member is formed of a foaming resin material and the core member or protruded member pressed into the pipe is foamed and expanded, thereby sealing an internal surface of the pipe and an external surface of the core member or that of the protruded member.
The protruded member has a slightly larger diameter than the inside diameter of the pipe. Consequently, the protruded member is pressed into the pipe together with the core member so that the core member and the protruded member are fixed into optional positions in the pipe.
Thus, the core member and the protruded member can easily be fixed into the pipe so that a workability can be enhanced.
Moreover, it is not necessary to use the fixing hole and the clip portion which serve to fix the core member and the protruded member into the pipe. Consequently, it is possible to reduce a cost for processing a pipe and a cost of a material.
A second aspect of the invention is directed to the reinforcement structure of a pipe, wherein the core member and the protruded member are formed of the same foaming resin material integrally.
The core member and the protruded member are formed of the same foaming resin material integrally. Thus, an integral product of the core member and the protruded member can easily be formed.
Accordingly, a manufacturing cost of the integral product can be reduced.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5573040 (1996-11-01), Schumacher et al.
patent: 5579809 (1996-12-01), Millward et al.
patent: 6035900 (2000-03-01), Ellis
patent: 8-2289 (1996-01-01), None

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