Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Patent
1998-09-09
2000-08-15
Pape, Joseph D.
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
29620303, 296205, B60J 750
Patent
active
061024724
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle body, especially for private cars, including a front part and a rear part joined together via a floor pan and body sides with openings for doors, and a roof part which via hollow pillars is structurally connected to the front and rear parts respectively the body sides, which body is composed of two main structural body parts joined to each other in the region of an imaginary dividing surface level with or under the glass lower edges of window openings in the body, where the main body part under the dividing surface is a body lower part comprising the floor pan, front and rear parts and body side lower parts.
The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a light, complete body superstructure for a vehicle body of the above mentioned type.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
A body of this type is known from JP 61-92965. The body superstructure in this case comprises A- and C-pillars, the constructural design of which, however, is not described.
DE 4018592 also concerns a vehicle body comprised of a lower part and a super-structure where the beam structure of the superstructure comprises conventional, hollow beam profiles of extruded aluminium.
AU B 37074/89 describes a vehicle body where the beam construction of the super-structure comprises conventional, hollow beam profiles consisting of sheet metal profiles with welded-together flange parts.
It is important in vehicles with self-supporting bodies that the engine-gearbox, power transmission and wheel suspensions are fastened to beams and/or stiffeners in the body. A self-supporting body is usually manufactured from pressed steel plates (in the main mild pressing steel) which are joined together by means of spot welding In this case the normal thickness of the sheet is 0.7-2.5 mm. After welding together the body is anti-rust treated and then painted.
Environmental thinking has meant for the car industry, amongst others, more effective exhaust cleaning and reduced exhaust quantities. Sharper emission requirements and increased fuel prices are driving the work of reducing the fuel consumption of cars in different ways. This can take place by producing engines with improved fuel economy and by means of new constructional solutions, which means that the weight of the cars can be lower and which, in practice, means new body constructions with lower weights. The lower weight must, however, be combined with the requirements for improved collision safety (which corresponds to a sharper requirement for dimensionally stable cabin space), and the new body constructions which developments are now forcing through must also be both lighter and stronger than the body types used up to now.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is therefore to produce a new and lighter type of vehicle body, which furthermore offers a more flexible way of building in that the body is formed of a body lower part and a body superstructure with a beam structure which gives the required weight reduction but at the same time contributes to an increased body strength and stiffness.
The basic idea of the invention in this respect is to use strengthwise more effective sections and materials, and thereby lighter construction elements, in the beam structure of the body superstructure.
Materially this will take place through the use of high tensile steel or steel alloys with considerably higher strength than conventional steel sheet metal which is generally used for pressed body parts respectively sheet metal which is used for the manufacture of e.g. spot-welded sheet metal flanged beams. The above mentioned object is achieved in a vehicle body of the type given in the introduction through the body having the features stated in the characterizing part of claim 1. A distinguishing feature is in this case that the main body part lying above the dividing surface is a body superstructure with a beam structure comprising thin-walled profile parts formed through rolling and joined together through we
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AB Volvo
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran
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