Patent Application
20070163198
The technical field relates generally to body panel stiffeners, and more specifically to laminate body panel stiffeners with attachments.
Consumer demand has driven the production of vehicles that afford lighter components and less expensive assembly methods while maintaining the capabilities of a vehicle. Lighter vehicles typically achieve greater fuel economy. When vehicle weight is reduced by including less material, a cost savings may be realized. In meeting this demand, body panels for vehicles have been made thinner, and thus lighter, to reduce weight and material costs.
Thinner body panels, such as door panels, may be susceptible to deformation or warping in their central portions due to reduced structural stiffness. Typically, a door stiffener may be attached to the interior surface of a body panel, such as the outer skin of a door, a hood, fender, quarter panel, trunk lid, or tailgate, in order to increase structural stiffness. Laminate panel stiffeners made of layers of fiberglass and a heat curable adhesive can increase the structural stiffness of a body panel to an acceptable level.
In areas of a vehicle adjacent to the interior surfaces of body panels, attachment clips are typically used to secure wiring harnesses, hoses, cables, and various other operable components of a vehicle. Typically, these clips are constructed of fiberglass, plastic or metal and are secured to the interior portions of body panels with a fastener, such as a screw, a rivet, or a weld bead.
While these panel stiffeners and hangers perform adequately for their intended purposes, automobile assembly is an area of continual innovation to provide components that are lighter, less expensive, and easier to assemble.
One embodiment of a laminate door stiffener apparatus includes a first layer having a body panel attachment side and an opposing first laminate connection side, and a second layer having a second laminate connecting side and an opposing perforated side with a perforation formed therein. The apparatus further includes a clip interposed within the perforation. The clip selectively supports an operable device. The first layer is selectively connected to a body panel.
In a further embodiment, a combination hanger and stiffening apparatus includes a stiffening layer selectively coupled to a vehicle body panel and a hanger coupled directly to the stiffening layer.
In still another embodiment, a method of stiffening a body panel of a vehicle while providing an attachment hanger includes adhering a first laminate layer to the body panel with a first adhesive, and adhering at least a portion of a second laminate layer to at least a portion of the first laminate layer with a second adhesive. The method further includes interposing a portion of a clip between the body panel and the second laminate layer. The first laminate layer and the second laminate layer form at least a portion of a laminate structure.
Referring to
The clip 40 includes a first attachment portion 70 and a second attachment portion 72 with an aperture 74 formed therein. The first attachment portion 70 includes a generally planar body 80 having a clip peripheral edge 82, a first clip attachment side 84, and a second clip attachment side 86. In the embodiment illustrated, the aperture 74 of the second attachment portion 72 may be coupled to an operable component of a vehicle (not shown).
As best seen in
The material choices for the first layer 32 and the second layer 34 are fairly broad. Such choices may include fiberglass or other composite materials that form a rigid structure. The material choices for the clip 40 include plastic, rubber metal, alloys, and fiberglass and other known composites.
One method of manufacturing the stiffener 30 is as follows. A desired area of a body panel, such as body panel 20, is prepared. A first layer, such as the first layer 32, is obtained and the backing 90 is removed from the body panel attachment side 42. The first layer 32 is then attached to a desired portion of the inner side 24 of body panel 20. A clip, such as clip 40 is interposed through the aperture 60 of a second layer, such as the second layer 34. The backing 90 is removed from the second laminate connecting side 52. The second laminate connecting side 52 of the second layer 34 is then coupled to the first laminate connecting side 44 of the first layer 32 as the first attachment portion 70 is coupled therebetween. When the vehicle body, or at least the body panel 20 is heat cured, and the adhesives used to form the stiffener 30 thereby rigidify, providing a body panel stiffener with an integral hanger, or clip 40, including fewer parts than those of a conventional stiffener and clip. Typically, a vehicle body is heat cured at temperatures exceeding 300° F. for several hours after a desired stage of assembly.
As mentioned above, an adhesive may be interposed between the first clip attachment side 84 and the first laminate connection side 44. Adhesives used in the stiffener 30 are not limited to adhesives calling for a backing 90, such as peel and stick adhesives, but may include other adhesives. In the embodiments illustrated, adhesives applied to sides 42, 52, 84 are distributed evenly over the entire surface.
In another method, the second layer 34 may be attached to the first layer 32 prior to attaching the first layer 32 to the body panel 20. Additional layers may be built up to form a stiffener, such as the stiffener 30, prior to, after, or during the step of coupling the first layer 32 to the body panel 20.
The clip 140 includes a first attachment portion 170 and a second attachment portion 172 with an aperture 174 formed therein. The first attachment portion 170 includes a generally planar body 180 having an outer clip peripheral edge 182, a first clip attachment side 184, a second clip attachment side 186, and an inner clip peripheral edge 188 defining an aperture 194. In the embodiment illustrated, the aperture 174 of the second attachment portion 172 may be coupled to an operable component of a vehicle (not shown).
The stiffener 130 is assembled in similar fashion to assembly of the stiffener 30, as described above. During the assembly of stiffener 130, the second laminate connecting side 152 of the second layer 134 is coupled to the first laminate connecting side 144 of the first layer 132 through the aperture 194.
The clip 240 includes a first attachment portion 270 and a second attachment portion 272 with a coupling surface 274 formed thereon. The first attachment portion 270 includes a generally planar body 280 having an outer clip peripheral edge 282, a first clip attachment side 284, and a second clip attachment side 286. In the embodiment illustrated, the coupling surface 274 of the second attachment portion 272 may be coupled to an operable component of a vehicle (not shown).
The clip 340 includes a first attachment portion 370 and a second attachment portion 372 with a coupling surface 374 formed therein. The first attachment portion 370 includes a generally planar body 380 having an outer clip peripheral edge 382, a first clip attachment side 384, a second clip attachment side 386, and an inner clip peripheral edge 388 defining an aperture 394.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiments illustrated, two laminate layers are shown. However, the stiffeners 30, 130 may include any number of laminate layers. Specifically, an exemplary stiffener may have one layer, such as the second layer 34, without any other layers, and accordingly, be laminate only in respect to the layer and the adhesive, although the layer and the adhesive may have a relatively undefined border due to cross-linking of materials. Moreover, the layers of an exemplary stiffener need not cover the same area, as generally depicted. Specifically, a layer, such as the first layer 32, may be slightly larger than a portion of a clip, such as the first clip attachment side 84, in order to provide a stiffener layer, such as the second layer 34, that operates generally as described herein.
Additionally, the layers, such as first layer 32 and/or the second layer 34, may have a surface, such as an uncured resin surface, that will bond to an adjacent surface as a result of heat curing, or any other conventional attachment processes, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for a separate adhesive layer.
2 While the first clip attachment side 84, 184, 284, 384 is described as having an adhesive and backing attached thereto, the first clip attachment side 84, 184, 284, 384 may not have any adhesive, or may bond during heat curing of the body panel 20. Additionally, the clip 40, 140, 240, 340 may be constructed of a material that undergoes a physical transformation during heat curing and bonds to adjacent components during cool down.
3 The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe exemplary embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form disclosed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. The invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope. The scope of the invention is limited solely by the following claims.
