1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to extruded hollow aluminum alloy panels and methods for producing the hollow panels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Guide rails for guiding sliding doors, for example, are attached to panels such as floor panels for automobiles. According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-168106, for example, a guide rail is fixed to a body of a floor panel by welding. According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-145116, a guide rail is fastened to an outer quarter panel. According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-120116, a guide rail is fastened to an inner door panel at a plurality of positions using bolts and nuts. Such guide rails are usually formed by bending a steel plate so that they have an open space in cross section.
Guide rails of the known art are produced by bending a steel plate and are fixed to panels by fastening or welding. Unfortunately, such guide rails cannot avoid some variations in the positions where they are to be attached and also require complicated production processes.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention in light of the above problems is to provide an extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel that has an accurately defined open segment and can be produced by a simpler process.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel including a plurality of plates and a plurality of ribs joining the plates. This hollow panel includes an open segment and a closed segment that are integrally formed by extrusion so as to extend in an extrusion direction. The closed segment has a plurality of closed spaces defined between the plates by the ribs in a cross section perpendicular to the extrusion direction. The open segment has an open space in the cross section.
According to the present invention, the open segment and the closed segment are integrally formed by extrusion. The position where the open segment is formed therefore depends on the size and shape of a die of the extruder used. This ensures stable positional and dimensional accuracy of the open segment. In addition, the hollow panel can be produced by a simpler process than panels of the known art which have an open segment attached later by, for example, welding.
In a possible example of the extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel, the plurality of plates includes two plates, and the open segment includes the rib disposed at an end of the hollow panel in the width direction of the cross section, protruding portions protruding from the two plates to the outside of the rib in the width direction, and extended portions extended from the outer ends of the protruding portions to the inside of the plates. The extended portions define an opening extending in the extrusion direction to form the open space.
In another possible example of the extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel, the plurality of plates includes two plates, and the open segment is constituted by the two plates and two adjacent ribs of the ribs. One of the two plates has an opening extending between the two adjacent ribs in the extrusion direction to form the open space.
The open segment may be formed of an aluminum alloy having a higher strength than the aluminum alloy for the closed segment.
In addition, the extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel may be configured as any one of a floor panel, a door panel, and a roof panel for automobiles, and the open segment may be configured as a guide rail.
If the guide rail has a higher strength than other portions, the required strength of the guide rail can be ensured while inhibiting the increase in panel weight.
The present invention further provides a method for producing the extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel. This method includes the step of integrally forming the open segment and the closed segment by extruding the materials therefor together.
According to this method, the open segment and the closed segment can be integrally formed in one extrusion operation without the need for the step of, for example, welding the two segments after the extruding step. The hollow panel can thus be produced by a simpler process.
The present invention further provides another method for producing the extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel. In this method, the open segment can be formed of an aluminum alloy having a higher strength than the aluminum alloy for the closed segment. This method includes the steps of preparing a composite material billet with the aluminum alloy for the open segment and the aluminum alloy for the closed segment and extruding the composite material billet to form the extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel.
According to this method, the open segment and the closed segment can be formed using different aluminum alloys in one extrusion operation. The hollow panel can thus be produced by a simpler process.
The present invention, as described above, can provide a simpler process for producing an extruded hollow aluminum alloy panel having an accurately defined open segment.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In
The hollow panel 10 includes a panel body 20, as an example of a closed segment, and a guide rail 22, as an example of an open segment. In this embodiment, the guide rail 22 is disposed at an end of the hollow panel 10 in the width direction thereof (the left end in
The panel body 20 constitutes a part of the hollow panel 10 on the right side of the first rib 14, which is disposed at the left end of the hollow panel 10. The panel body 20 includes a joint portion 24 and an intermediate portion 26. The joint portion 24 is disposed at the other end of the hollow panel 10 (the right end in
The intermediate portion 26 constitutes a part of the hollow panel 10 between the joint portion 24 and the guide rail 22. The second ribs 16 are disposed between the plates 12 in the intermediate portion 26. The second ribs 16 are inclined with respect to the plates 12 in an alternate manner so as to form a zigzag pattern in the width direction of a cross section perpendicular to the extrusion direction. The second ribs 16 extend over the length of the plates 12 in the extrusion direction.
The intermediate portion 26 has a smaller wall thickness than the guide rail 22 and the joint portion 24, although the intermediate portion 26 has substantially the same wall thickness as the guide rail 22 in a predetermined region extending therefrom.
The guide rail 22 includes the first rib 14, protruding portions 28 protruding from the plates 12 to the outside of the first rib 14 in the width direction, and extended portions 30 extended from the outer ends of the protruding portions 28 to the inside of the plates 12. The extended portions 30 are separated from each other so as to define an opening 32 extending therebetween in the extrusion direction. A support 34 supporting the guide roller 23 is inserted into the guide rail 22 through the opening 32.
The guide rail 22 has a larger wall thickness than the part of the panel body 20 other than the predetermined region extending from the guide rail 22. This increases the rigidity of the guide rail 22 while inhibiting the increase in the total weight of the hollow panel 10.
A method for producing the hollow panel 10 is described below. The hollow panel 10 is produced using an extruder 40 shown in
The container 42 has an inner hole 42a extending in the direction in which a billet 48 is extruded. A stem 49 coupled to a rod of a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is slidably disposed in the inner hole 42a. The platen 44 is disposed on the extrusion side of the container 42 (the right side in
The die unit 46 includes a die slide 50, a die ring 52, a die 54, a backer 56, and a bolster 58. The die slide 50 can be slid perpendicularly to the extrusion direction from a set position between the container 42 and the platen 44 to an escape position.
The die slide 50 holds the die ring 52. The die ring 52 and the bolster 58 are arranged in the horizontal direction of
The die ring 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape and holds the die 54 and the backer 56, which are arranged in the extrusion direction in that order inside the die ring 52.
Referring to
The extrusion portion 62 has a die hole 62a for merging extrudates of the billet 48 passing through the entry ports 60a and extruding them in the shape of the hollow panel 10. As shown in
The stem 49 is actuated with the hydraulic cylinder to extrude the billet 48 from the container 42. The billet 48 is then injected and split into the entry ports 60a of the injection portion 60 of the die 54. The extrudates passing through the entry ports 60a of the injection portion 60 are merged and injected into the die hole 62a of the extrusion portion 62 to extrude the hollow panel 10, which includes the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 as one piece.
According to the first embodiment, as described above, the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 are integrally formed by extrusion to produce the hollow panel 10. The position where the guide rail 22 is formed therefore depends on the size and shape of the die 54 of the extruder 40. This ensures stable positional and dimensional accuracy of the guide rail 22. In addition, the hollow panel 10 can be produced by a simpler process than panels of the known art which have a guide rail attached later by, for example, welding.
The guide rail 22 is formed as an example of the open segment in the first embodiment, although the open segment is not limited to guide rails.
The second ribs 16 are arranged continuously in the width direction such that they form a triangular pattern inside the closed segment when viewed in the extrusion direction, although the arrangement of the second ribs 16 is not limited to the example described above. Referring to
In a second embodiment of the present invention, the hollow panel 10 is formed in the same shape as the floor panel shown in
In the second embodiment, specifically, the guide rail 22 and the panel body 20 are formed of different aluminum alloys. The aluminum alloy (second material) used for the guide rail 22 has a higher strength than the aluminum alloy (first material) used for the panel body 20. Examples of the second material used include JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) 7000 series aluminum alloys, such as alloy numbers 7075 and 7N01. Examples of the first material used include JIS 6000 series aluminum alloys, such as alloy number 6N01.
The hollow panel 10 according to the second embodiment is formed by preparing a composite material billet 66 with two aluminum alloys in advance, as shown in
Referring to
The ratio of the flow rates of the extrudates passing through the entry ports 60a for the first material and the extrudate passing through the entry port 60b for the second material may be adjusted so as to agree with the volume distribution ratio of the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 (see Japanese Patent No. 3645453). The hollow panel 10 can then be formed such that the welded portions of the first and second materials substantially agree with the boundary between the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22. The volume distribution ratio refers to the ratio of the volumes of the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 per unit length of the hollow panel 10.
According to the second embodiment, as described above, the guide rail 22 is formed so as to have a higher strength than the panel body 20. The strength of the guide rail 22 can thus be increased while inhibiting the increase in the total weight of the hollow panel 10. Hence, the hollow panel 10 can more readily achieve a desired strength.
In the second embodiment, additionally, the composite material billet 66 is prepared in advance and is extruded using an extruder to form the hollow panel 10 in one extrusion operation. The hollow panel 10 can thus be produced by a simpler process.
The guide rail 22 has a larger wall thickness than the panel body 20 to ensure the required strength in the first embodiment while different materials are used for the guide rail 22 to ensure the required strength in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the guide rail 22 may have substantially the same wall thickness as the panel body 20 in some panel applications. The rest of the structure, the operation, and the advantages is the same as in the first embodiment.
In a third embodiment of the present invention, the hollow panel 10 is configured as a floor panel for automobiles. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the guide rail 22 is formed in the intermediate portion of the hollow panel 10 in the width direction (perpendicular to the extrusion direction), as shown in
In the third embodiment, the guide rail 22 separates the panel body 20 into two segments in the width direction. An opening 68 extending in the extrusion direction is defined at a position on the upper plate 12 where the guide rail 22 is to be formed, and the first rib 14 is disposed on each of the two sides of the opening 68. The guide rail 22 is defined by the two adjacent first ribs 14, portions of the upper plate 12 extending between the two first ribs 14, and a portion of the lower plate 12 opposite the portions of the upper plate 12. The portion of the lower plate 12 opposite the opening 68 has a larger thickness than the rest of the lower plate 12 to increase the strength of the guide rail 22.
The panel body 20, when viewed in the extrusion direction, includes a first body segment 20a disposed on the left side of the guide rail 22 and a second body segment 20b disposed on the right side of the guide rail 22. The first body segment 20a includes a joint portion 24a and an intermediate portion 26a, and the second body segment 20b includes a joint portion 24b and an intermediate portion 26b. The joint portions 24a and 24b are disposed at the ends of the hollow panel 10 in the width direction to join the hollow panel 10 to, for example, other panels. The intermediate portions 26a and 26b are disposed between the guide rail 22 and the joint portion 24a and between the guide rail 22 and the joint portion 24b, respectively. The intermediate portions 26a and 26b include the second ribs 16, and the joint portions 24a and 24b each include the third rib 18.
According to the third embodiment, the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 are integrally formed by extrusion, as in the previous embodiments. This ensures stable positional and dimensional accuracy of the guide rail 22. In addition, the hollow panel 10 can be produced by a simpler process.
The single guide rail 22 is defined in the intermediate portion of the panel body 20 in the third embodiment, although the number of guide rails is not limited. For example, two guide rails may be defined to separate the panel body 20 into three segments in the width direction. In addition, the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 may be formed of different materials as in the second embodiment. The rest of the structure, the operation, and the advantages is the same as in the first embodiment.
In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the hollow panel 10 is configured as a roof panel for automobiles, as shown in
The hollow panel 10 is formed as a one-piece roof panel using a single material in this embodiment, although the panel body 20 and the guide rail 22 may be formed of different materials as in the second embodiment. The rest of the structure, the operation, and the advantages is the same as in the first embodiment.
In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the hollow panel 10 is configured as a door panel for automobiles, as shown in
One of the plates 12 is substantially flat while the other is curved. The hollow panel 10 is therefore thicker in the center of the height thereof, rather than being uniform in thickness.
The second body segment 20b disposed between the two guide rails 22 has a larger wall thickness than the first body segment 20a disposed on the top side of the guide rails 22 and the third body segment 20c disposed on the bottom side of the guide rails 22 to increase the strength of the hollow panel 10 for use as a door panel.
The hollow panel 10 is formed as a one-piece door panel using a single material in this embodiment, although the panel body 20 and the guide rails 22 may be formed of different materials as in the second embodiment. The rest of the structure, the operation, and the advantages is the same as in the first embodiment.
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