Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-21
2003-08-05
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S070000, C296S029000, C029S460000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06601909
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a tailored blank article and a manufacturing method thereof, which is manufactured by a tailored blank obtained by welding a plurality of blanks, and, for example, is applied to an article used at the position where the inside and the outside are partitioned or an article having a portion for partitioning the inside and the outside, such as a dashboard panel of an automobile.
BACKGROUND ART
A dashboard panel of an automobile is a partition article for partitioning the inside and the outside since it partitions an engine room to be exposed to the outside air and a car room to be cut off from the air. As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. Sho 59-172678, in a conventional dashboard panel, a lower panel made of a thick plate and an upper panel made of a thin plate are joined together by a spot welding.
This kind of dashboard panel is manufactured by pressing a thick plate blank and a thin plate blank into predetermined shapes to produce the lower panel and the upper panel, joining these panels by the spot welding, performing a waterproofing to a space between these panels, and coating an entire body.
When manufacturing an article for a car body of the automobile other than the dashboard panel, which is used at the position where the inside and the outside of the car room are partitioned, by spot welding a plurality of panels produced by the blanks, it was conventionally manufactured by undergoing the same process as that of the aforesaid dashboard panel.
According to this conventional technology, the spot welding is performed after a plurality of the blanks are subjected to the pressing to manufacture a plurality of the panels in predetermined shapes, which makes it necessary to prepare a press die for each blank, thus causing the disadvantage that its cost becomes high. Further, since the panels between a plurality of spot welding portions which are scattered about are not joined together, it is necessary to perform an extra waterproofing in order to prevent a formation of rust by an entering of the waterdrop thereinto, which causes the disadvantage that the productivity becomes difficult to be increased.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tailored blank article and a manufacturing method thereof, which is capable of reducing the number of the press dies compared with the conventional art and making it unnecessary to perform the extra waterproofing in order to prevent the formation of rust.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A tailored blank article according to the present invention is manufactured by using two blanks with these overlapped end portions joined together by a mash-seam welding and pressed as at least a part of material for manufacturing, and a portion made of the two blanks makes a partition portion for partitioning the inside and the outside.
In this tailored blank article, since the overlapped end portions of the two blanks are joined by the mash-seam welding, a pressing into a predetermined shape is performed after the blanks are joined by the mash-seam welding. Therefore, it is unnecessary to prepare a press die for each blank. Further, even if a portion made of the two blanks makes a portion for partitioning the inside and outside, the blanks are joined together without leaving any space therebetween by the mash-seam welding, which makes it unnecessary to perform an extra waterproofing in order to prevent a formation of rust.
Moreover, in the tailored blank article, the blanks are joined together by the mash-seam welding so that higher joining strength can be obtained than in a spot welding, and further, an overlap margin of the end portions can be reduced more than in the spot welding so that the weight reduction and the improvement of material yield can be achieved.
In the tailored blank article, when the two blanks are a thick plate blank and a thin plate blank and the mash-seam welding is performed while the end portion of an outer surface of the thick plate blank to be exposed to the outside is overlaid on the end portion of an inner surface of the thin plate blank, the thin plate blank may be bent until the inner surface of the thin plate blank is made flush or almost flush with an inner surface of the thick plate blank.
Thereby, even if the two blanks are the thick plate blank and the thin plate blank which differ in thickness, the inner surfaces of these blanks are made flush or almost flush with each other, and hence the inner surfaces thereof can be attaching surfaces for attaching other parts.
Further, the tailored blank article according to the present invention is manufactured by using two blanks with these matched end portions joined together by a laser welding and pressed as at least a part of material for manufacturing, and a portion made of the two blanks make a partition portion for partitioning the inside and the outside.
In the tailored blank article, since the matched end portions of the two blanks are joined by the laser welding, a pressing into a predetermined shape is performed after the blanks are joined by the laser welding. Therefore, it is unnecessary to prepare a press die for each blank in this tailored blank article, too. Further, even if a portion made of the two blanks makes a portion for partitioning the inside and outside, the blanks are joined together without leaving any space therebetween by the laser welding, which makes it unnecessary to perform an extra waterproofing in order to prevent a formation of rust, similarly to the case of the mash-seam welding.
Moreover, in the tailored blank article, the blanks are joined together by the laser welding so that higher joining strength can be obtained than in a spot welding, and further, unlike the spot welding, it is unnecessary to overlap the end portions of the blanks so that the further weight reduction and the improvement of material yield can be achieved.
In the tailored blank article, when the two blanks are a thick plate blank and a thin plate blank and respective outer surfaces to be exposed to the outside of the thick plate blank and the thin plate blank are made flush or almost flush with each other, the thin plate blank may be bent until an inner surface of the thin plate blank is made flush or almost flush with an inner surface of the thick plate blank.
Thereby, even if the two blanks are the thick plate blank and the thin plate blank which differ in thickness, the inner surfaces of these blanks are made flush or almost flush with each other, and hence the inner surfaces thereof can be the attaching surfaces for attaching other parts.
In the tailored blank article by both of the mash-seam welding and the laser welding as described above, when a connection part is provided, which is connected to at least one of an outer surface and the inner surface of the two blanks over a welding portion, a portion in the connection part which corresponds to the welding portion is made to be spaced from the welding portion.
Thereby, when the coating is performed onto the surface connected with the connection part in order to ensure durability, after the connection of the connection part, the welding portion by the mash-seam welding and the welding portion by the laser welding can be securely coated.
A method for manufacturing the tailored blank article according to the present invention, which has at least a portion made of the thick plate blank and the thin plate blank as a partition portion for partitioning the inside and the outside, comprising the steps of: joining the end portion of the thick plate blank and the end portion of the thin plate blank while the inner surface of the thin plate blank is overlaid on the outer surface of the thick plate blank to be exposed to the outside by a mash-seam welding, pressing these blanks, bending the thin plate blank until the inner surface of the thin plate blank is made flush or almost flush with the inner surface of the thick plate blank, and thereafter coating at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface of the thick plate blank and the thin plate blank inclu
Kodama Kazumi
Komatsu Hiroyuki
Niisato Fumiaki
Obara Hisashi
Shimohigashi Kouji
Dayoan D. Glenn
Engle Patricia
Flynn ,Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.
Kikuchi Co., Ltd.
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