Vehicle structure having cross members overlapped by apertured rails
First Claim
1. A vehicle structure comprising:
- at least one cross-member having at least one mating shoulder formed thereon;
at least one rail having at least one receiving aperture sized to slidably mate with said mating shoulder;
an overlapping joint formed with said receiving aperture slidably mated at said mating shoulder; and
a weld joint formed at said overlapping joint to join said rail to said cross-member.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle structure includes a combination of hydro-formed, generally tubular shaped rails joined by an overlapping joint to a two-piece cross member. The overlapping joint is formed between a rail aperture and the cross member. To retain the structural strength lost by removing material from the rails, a weld joint is formed about the total perimeter of contact between the rail aperture and the cross member. The cross member includes a shoulder area formed to nest within the rail aperture. The two-piece cross member assembly reduces total parts while providing a plurality of cross member geometries and the necessary tolerance flexibility at the rail connections. The cross member is formed of two generally C-shaped members having butted or overlapping mating surfaces joined by a perimeter weld joint.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A vehicle structure comprising:
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at least one cross-member having at least one mating shoulder formed thereon;
at least one rail having at least one receiving aperture sized to slidably mate with said mating shoulder;
an overlapping joint formed with said receiving aperture slidably mated at said mating shoulder; and
a weld joint formed at said overlapping joint to join said rail to said cross-member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An overlapped structural portion of a vehicle frame comprising:
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a cross-member having a shoulder formed thereon;
a generally tubular rail having a receiving aperture sized to slidably mate with said shoulder;
said cross member formed as a two-piece body including an upper part joined to a lower part;
an overlapping joint formed with said receiving aperture slidably mated to said shoulder; and
a weld joint formed at said overlapping joint to join said rail to said cross-member. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method to join vehicle frame components comprising the steps of:
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shaping a receiving shoulder onto a cross-member;
forming an aperture dimensionally conforming to said receiving shoulder in a tubular rail;
mating said cross-member with said tubular rail at said aperture; and
welding said cross-member to said tubular rail at said receiving shoulder. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification