LOAD BEARING PANEL ASSEMBLY
A panel assembly includes at least one reinforcing assembly made of a high strength material having a low yield to tensile strength ratio for energy absorption and reduced weight and profile. The panel assembly may be light-weight with a low profile to minimize protrusion into an opening or compartment enclosed by the panel. The panel assembly may be a floor panel assembly for a vehicle floor. The reinforcing assembly may traverse the panel such that the reinforcing assembly extends laterally, e.g., cross-vehicle, relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle body. A method of making the panel assembly may include forming the reinforcing assembly by joining a plurality of metal channel members in a nested arrangement with a plurality of welds to provide a structural assembly with good bending resistance loads imposed on the panel assembly including knee loads. The channel members can be made of dual phase steel.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/837,427 filed Aug. 27, 2015, which is a continuation application of U.S. Pat. No. 9,150,255 issued Oct. 6, 2015, which is a divisional application of U.S. Pat. No. 8,690,228 issued Apr. 8, 2014, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/619,592 filed Apr. 3, 2012, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates generally to a load bearing panel assembly.
BACKGROUNDA panel assembly may be used to enclose a structure which may define an opening or compartment which is to be covered by the panel. The panel may be configured to withstand a force or load imposed on the panel without failing and/or exceeding a maximum deflection. Panel assemblies are used in vehicles to enclose various structures. For example, door panels configured to withstand bending and deflection forces are used to enclose door structures. In another example, a floor panel may be positioned in a floor, trunk, storage, or cargo space of a vehicle to enclose a compartment used to enclose or store one or more vehicle components, such as a spare tire or vehicle jack, or other vehicle user items, such as luggage, tools, etc. The floor panel should be configured to withstand bending and deflection forces and loads imposed by items which may be placed on the floor panel, which may include vehicle users standing, sitting or kneeling on the floor panel. A floor panel may be used in a vehicle including one or more retractable seats, where the floor panel is configured to cover the seat(s) when the seat(s) are fully retracted into a compartment defined by the floor structure of the vehicle. In this configuration, the panel should be configured to withstand loading and deflection forces imposed on the panel when the seats are in the retracted position, which may include withstanding a minimum knee loading requirement. Panels of non-reinforced twin sheet construction may not resist loading forces or may warp or distort in high temperature operating environments. Floor panels strengthened by adding a matrix or grid of reinforcing materials, and/or by increasing the depth of the panel profile or the thickness of the panel are disadvantaged by volume and weight added to the floor panel, such that the panel assembly presents a weight penalty to the vehicle and/or may be difficult to manipulate by a user, and/or the thick panel structure extends substantially into the vehicle compartment being enclosed to consume a portion of the compartment space, thus limiting the open compartment space available for storage, for example, of the retracted seat(s).
SUMMARYA molded assembly and method for making the molded assembly is provided herein. The molded assembly described herein includes a bracket attached to a molded component during the molding process by at least one of a projection formed in an aperture of the bracket during the molding process and a polymeric bond formed between the bracket and the molded component during the molding process. In one example, the bracket includes opposing first and second flanges and a strap disposed between and connecting the first and second flanges. The strap defines an opening to receive a component such that the strap surrounds the component. The strap includes a bridge portion which is separated from each of the first and second flanges by the opening. In one example, the component received into the bracket is a reinforcing component for reinforcing the molded assembly. In one example, the bracket includes a first tang portion defined by one of the first and second flanges, where the first tang portion extends into the opening such that the component is retained in the opening by the tang portion. The bracket can include a second tang portion defined by the other of the first and second flanges, where the second tang portion extends into the opening and cooperates with the first tang portion to retain the component in the opening. The bracket can be made of a bendable material, which can be a polymer based material, such that the bracket is bendable to receive a component between the first and second tang portions and into the opening and to exert a compressive force on the component after the component is received in the opening.
In one example, at least one of the first flange, the second flange, and the bridge portion defines at least one aperture, such that during the molding process, material flows from the molded component into the aperture to form a projection, where the projection has a shape defined by the aperture. In an illustrative example, the aperture is defined by a conical and/or tapered surface.
A method of forming a molded assembly is provided, and includes inserting a first non-metallic sheet in a mold, where the mold defines a first component and a second component; inserting a bracket into the mold; and inserting a second non-metallic sheet into the mold such that the bracket is interposed between the first and second sheets. The method further includes molding the molded assembly such that the molded assembly includes the first component formed from the first sheet and a second component formed from the second sheet, where the first and second components are operatively attached to each other, the bracket is contained between the first and second components, and at least one of the first and second components projects into the bracket to operatively attach the bracket to at least one of the first and second components. The bracket can include an aperture defined, for example, by a flange or bridge portion of the bracket, such that during the molding process, material flows from the molded component into the aperture to form a projection, where the projection attaches the bracket to the molded component. The projection can be molded such that the projection has a shape defined by the aperture.
The above features and other features and advantages of the present teachings are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the present teachings when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numbers represent like components throughout the several figures, the elements shown in
The panel assembly 10 includes a reinforcing assembly 12 which is interposed between the first and second panels 20, 30, and retained in position relative to the panel assembly 10 by a plurality of brackets 40. Referring to
In the illustrative example shown in
The panel assembly 10 includes a reinforcing assembly 12 interposed between the outer and inner panels 20, 30 such that the panel assembly 10 including the reinforcing assembly 12 is configured to withstand loading and deflection or bending forces generally indicated at F which may be imposed on the panel assembly 10 when the seats are in the retracted position and the panel assembly 10 is supported by the perimeter ledge 58 such that the panel assembly 10 encloses the compartment 62. The bending force F which must be withstood by the panel assembly 10 may be expressed as a minimum knee loading requirement. In one example, a minimum knee loading requirement for a vehicle floor panel, such as the panel assembly 10, may be the ability to withstand a point load F of 225 pounds such that deflection of the panel assembly 10 in the direction of the point load does not exceed 15 mm during loading, and permanent deflection of the panel after loading to 225 pounds does not exceed 5 mm. As will be described in further detail, the reinforcing assembly 12 is positioned relative to the panel assembly 10 using one or more brackets 40, retained between the panels 20, 30 and enclosed within a reinforced rib 38 defined by the inner panel 30 during the forming of the panel assembly 10.
Referring again to
In the installed position in the vehicle, the outer panel 20 is outwardly facing so as to be viewable by a vehicle user. The outer panel 20 may be made of a polypropylene-based material, a scrim reinforced polyethylene, or other moldable or compression formable material. The material comprising the outer panel 20 may include a reinforcing fiber, which may be scrim, a natural fiber such as a wood fiber, or other reinforcing element. The outer panel 20 may be characterized by an appearance surface 22, which may be defined by or attached to the outer panel 20. The appearance surface 22 may be configured to match or complement other appearance surfaces of the vehicle 60, including, for example, the floor 68. The appearance surface 22 may include, for example, a carpet or other textile material, which may be tufted or woven, a vinyl, thermoplastic olefin, or other polymeric material, which may be textured, coated or otherwise treated or processed to provide the appearance surface 22. The appearance surface 22 may be configured to meet the requirements of a class “A” surface, e.g., an appearance surface which is viewable by the vehicle user during ordinary vehicle use.
The inner panel 30 may be made of a polypropylene-based material, a scrim reinforced polyethylene, or other moldable or compression formable material. The material comprising the inner panel 30 may include a reinforcing fiber, which may be scrim, a natural fiber such as a wood fiber, or other reinforcing element. The inner panel 30 may include a plurality of protrusions 34 and a plurality of recesses 32 which may be arranged to support, strengthen and/or stiffen the panel assembly 10, and/or define the profile of the inner panel 30. The plurality of recesses 32 may be configured to define a plurality of bonded interfaces 70. The configuration of the protrusions 34 may vary, and may include one or more elongated ribs oriented generally parallel to one or more of the x- and y-directions (see
The protrusions 34 may be configured to define a “low profile panel assembly” 10, wherein a “low profile panel assembly” is a panel assembly 10 configured to minimize the profile depth a (see
The example shown in
The compressible element 16 may be configured as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape, which may have a pressure sensitive adhesive, such as an acrylic-based adhesive, applied to opposing sides of the tape such that compressible elements 16 may be placed in adhesive contact and adhered to the reinforcing assembly 12 and to the outer and inner panels 20, 30 at bonding interfaces 36 as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The channel members 14A, 14B may be made of a metallic material. In the example shown, the channel members 14A, 14B are made of a dual phase steel to provide a high strength structure with good bending resistance and high springback, to meet knee loading requirements including maximum loaded and permanent deflection limits. By using dual phase steel, channel members 14A, 14B may be made from lower gage (thinner) material relative to channel members made from other non-dual phase steel materials. The use of lower gage e.g., relatively thinner, channel stock in conjunction with the dual wall construction provides a low-profile reinforcing assembly which enables formation of the panel assembly 10 as a low-profile panel, e.g., one where the profile depth a (see
As shown in
Each flange 42 of the bracket 40 defines a tang portion or tang 54 which extends centrally through the opening 48, as shown in
During forming of the panel assembly 10, the bracket 40 is sandwiched between the outer and inner panels 20, 30, such that during molding the bracket 40 becomes bonded to the outer and inner panels 20, 30. As described previously, the bracket 40 and outer and inner panels 20, 30 may each include a polypropylene based material, to provide bonding compatibility between the bracket 40 and panels 20, 30. The bracket 40 may include a plurality of openings or apertures 44 defined by the flanges 42 and bridge 46. As shown in
The panel assembly 10 may be formed, by way of non-limiting example, using a thermoforming process which may include vacuum forming, blow molding and/or compression molding. For example, the panel assembly 10 may be formed by providing a first preheated sheet of material, e.g., a raw board, of the type used to form the inner panel 30, to a mold (not shown) configured to define the profile of the inner panel 30. The mold may be preheated. The mold is configured in a press or similar equipment (not shown) such that a vacuum may be applied to the mold to at least partially form the profile of the inner panel 30 and at least partially define a reinforcing rib 38 in the inner panel 30. The reinforcing bar 12 including attached compressible elements 16 and slidably attached brackets 40 is inserted into the reinforcing rib 38 portion of the inner panel 30, now formed in the mold. Prior to inserting the reinforcing bar 12 into the mold, adhesive surfaces of the compressible elements 16 may be exposed, for example, by removal of a protective release liner, such that the compressible elements 16 may be adhered to the panels 20, 30 during the molding process. If required, the position of the brackets 40 may be adjusted to position the reinforcing assembly 12 and/or brackets 40 relative to the inner panel 30 and/or the mold.
A second preheated sheet of material of the type used to form the outer panel 20 is provided to the mold, and the mold is activated to blow form the outer panel 20. An appearance layer 22, which may be a carpet material, textile, or other insert, as described previous, may be provided to the mold and applied or placed in contact with the outer panel 20, for bonding to the outer panel during a compression molding cycle. The mold is closed and a compression molding cycle is activated. The mold may include a trim feature such that the first and second sheets are trimmed by closure of the mold to define the compartment interface 64 of the panel assembly 10. During the compression molding cycle, which may include a cure and/or cooling cycle, the brackets 40 are bonded to the outer and inner panels 20, 30, and material from the outer and inner panels 20, 30 flows into the apertures 44 to form the projections 52, to retain the reinforcing assembly 12 in position relative to the outer and inner panels 20, 30. The outer and inner panels 20, 30 are bonded to each other during the compression cycle to form bonded interfaces 70 (see
The examples shown in
The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the invention, but the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claimed invention have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the invention defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A bracket comprising:
- opposing first and second flanges; and
- a strap disposed between and connecting the first and second flanges;
- wherein the strap defines an opening to receive a component such that the strap surrounds the component;
- a first tang portion defined by one of the first and second flanges;
- wherein the first tang portion extends into the opening such that the component is retained in the opening by the tang portion.
2. The bracket of claim 1, further comprising a second tang portion defined by the other of the first and second flanges;
- wherein the second tang portion extends into the opening and cooperates with the first tang portion to retain the component in the opening.
3. The bracket of claim 2, wherein the bracket is made of a bendable material such that the bracket is bendable to:
- receive a component between the first and second tang portions and into the opening; and
- to exert a compressive force on the component received in the opening.
4. The bracket of claim 3, wherein the bracket is made of a polymer-based material.
5. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the first tang portion is tapered.
6. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the strap includes a bridge portion;
- wherein the bridge portion is separated from each of the first and second flanges by the opening.
7. The bracket of claim 6, wherein the first tang portion is parallel to the bridge portion.
8. A molded assembly including a molded component, the molded assembly comprising:
- a bracket including: opposing first and second flanges; and a strap disposed between and connecting the first and second flanges; wherein the strap includes a bridge portion defining an opening between the bridge and each of the first and second flanges; wherein at least one of the first flange, the second flange, and the bridge portion defines at least one aperture;
- a molded component including at least one projection;
- wherein the at least one projection projects into the at least one aperture to attach the bracket to the molded component.
9. The molded assembly of claim 8, wherein the projection is formed by material flowing from the molded component into the aperture during the molding operation such that the projection has a shape defined by the aperture.
10. The molded assembly of claim 9, wherein the bracket is made of a polymer-based material; and
- wherein the molded assembly further includes a polymeric bond formed between the bracket and the molded component.
11. A method of forming a molded assembly, the method comprising:
- inserting a first non-metallic sheet in a mold;
- wherein the mold defines a first component and a second component;
- inserting a bracket into the mold;
- inserting a second non-metallic sheet into the mold such that the bracket is interposed between the first and second sheets; and
- molding the molded assembly such that the molded assembly comprises:
- the first component formed from the first sheet;
- a second component formed from the second sheet;
- wherein: the first and second components are operatively attached to each other; the bracket is contained between the first and second components; and at least one of the first and second components projects into the bracket to operatively attach the bracket and said at least one of the first and second components.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the bracket defines an aperture; and molding the molded assembly further comprises:
- said at least one of the first and second components projecting into the aperture to operatively attached the bracket and said at least one of the first and second components.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the bracket is made of a polymer-based material; and
- molding the molded assembly further comprises: forming a polymeric bond between the bracket and at least one of the first and second components.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the bracket defines an opening to receive a third component; and
- molding the molded assembly further comprises: inserting the third component into the opening prior to inserting the second non-metallic sheet into the mold, such that the third component is retained in the bracket and interposed between the first and second sheets.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third component is retained in the bracket such that the third component is slidably attached to the bracket.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the bracket further comprises:
- opposing first and second flanges; and
- a strap disposed between and connecting the first and second flanges;
- wherein the strap defines the opening.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bracket further comprises:
- a tang portion defined by at least one of the first and second flanges;
- wherein the tang portion extends into the opening and is in contact with the third component to retain the component in the opening.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the strap is configured to exert a compressive force on the third component such that the third component is retained in the bracket by the compressive force.
19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
- forming a rib in one of the first and second components such that the bracket is at least partially disposed in the rib.
Type: Application
Filed: May 20, 2016
Publication Date: Sep 15, 2016
Applicant: Century Plastics, Inc. (Shelby Township, MI)
Inventors: Joseph W. Marchesano (Macomb, MI), Calvin A. Saur (West Bloomfield, MI)
Application Number: 15/160,088