METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN OUTER WALL, METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN ARMORED MOTOR VEHICLE, AND SIDE WALL FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

In a method for producing an outer wall, in particular a side wall for a motor vehicle, from armored steel, having openings, a rocker panel extending in the bottom region, a roof frame area, pillars and side pieces extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame area, and openings for receiving windows, the outer contour of the outer wall is defined, and a pressing tool is provided for forming an outer wall blank having this outer contour. The outer wall blank is formed from an armor steel metal sheet and the doors and the openings are cut out from the outer wall blank.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing an outer wall, in particular a side wall for a motor vehicle, from armor steel, comprising openings, a rocker panel running in the bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and side parts, as well as openings for the reception of windows.

The invention further relates to a method for producing an armored motor vehicle having an outer wall made of armor steel, in particular a side wall with doors, which side wall has on a motor vehicle a rocker panel running in the bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, side parts, and openings for the reception of windows.

The present invention further relates to a side wall for a motor vehicle made from armor steel, comprising doors, a rocker panel running in the bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, side parts, and openings for the reception of windows.

Structurally reinforced vehicle side walls, compiled from a plurality of individual components, are known from the prior art. In the front door region, the vehicle side wall consists, for example, of the A-pillar having a rocker panel connection. The B-pillar and the rocker panel are separate components. The individual components are produced and heat-treated in part in the hot forming process and must in some circumstances fulfill different material thicknesses and strength requirements. Following the production of the individual parts, these are joined together by spot welding or gluing to a side wall for a motor vehicle. At the joints, stress peaks can arise. For a welding connection, material overlaps are necessary. This impacts negatively, however, on a low total vehicle weight.

In addition, vehicle armorings in which the passenger compartment, and, where necessary, a trunk or engine compartment, is ballistically protected against the effect of warfare are known from the prior art. For the fitting of the vehicle armoring, armoring plates are generally integrated into the original vehicle body. Thus a door is armored, for example, by the installation of an armored safety glass and by the insertion of an armored steel plate into the original vehicle door in the panel region of the door side wall. A drawback with this production method for a vehicle armoring is that the ballistic protection is created solely by the armored steel plates and the armored glass. Various door structure components, such as, for example, the outer door skin, the door frame or else the window frame are generally maintained in the factory delivery state of the production vehicle, yet often offer no armoring protection. A vehicle door already has a weight of between 20 and 150 kg, which is additionally increased by the armoring measures.

In a further known embodiment, vehicle body outer parts are imparted with armored steel plates or replaced by these. These vehicles are particularly conspicuous from the outside, since they have angular contours. In addition, the externally applied armoring contributes to a more solid appearance. In this embodiment, two drawbacks are known. Firstly, it is undesirable for the armoring of non-military vehicles to be directly apparent and, secondly, retrofitted armoring components which have been externally applied are imprecisely shaped. It is specifically, however, the transitional regions from, for example, the doors of the vehicle to the connecting regions of the body which are of particular importance for ballistic protection. In the event of inadequate covering, pressure waves can here make their way into the interior and thus inflict injury on the passengers.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method with which an armoring of a motor vehicle is matched particularly well to the outer contour of the motor vehicle, combined with simultaneous high ballistic protective effect. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle armoring, as well as a method for the production of the same, which has a particularly high dimensional accuracy.

The aforementioned object is achieved according to the invention with a method for producing an outer wall according to patent claim 1.

The aforementioned object is further achieved by a method for producing an armored motor vehicle according to patent claim 9.

The material part of the object is achieved by a side wall for a motor vehicle made of armor steel and having doors, according to patent claim 12.

Advantageous refinements of the inventive concept are a constituent part of the dependent patent claims.

A particular advantage with the inventive method for producing a motor vehicle armored outer wall is that the total weight of the vehicle is reduced, while the ballistic protective effect is the same and/or improved. In addition, cost savings are achieved in the production method, since complex integrations into pre-existing structures of vehicle bodies are eliminated. The particular dimensional stability of the gap widths in a vehicle outer wall enhances, in turn, the protection against ballistic effects of warfare. Moreover, motor vehicles which are equipped with outer walls produced with a method according to the invention are not in the panel region externally identifiable as protection vehicles.

Inventive side walls made of armor steel additionally increase the rigidity of the total body. This is of particular importance in the case of very strong ballistic effects, such as, for example, explosive charges. A total deformation to the detriment of the passenger compartment is very largely avoided. The body structure of the motor vehicle is reinforced with the outer walls according to the invention against the deformation effect of warfare.

The inventive method for producing an outer wall, in particular a side wall for a motor vehicle, from armor steel, comprising openings, a rocker panel running in the bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and side parts, is characterized by the following method steps:

• • definition of the outer contour of the outer wall,
  • provision of a pressing tool for the forming of an outer wall blank having this outer contour,
  • forming of the outer wall blank from an armor steel metal sheet, and
  • cutting out of the doors and openings from the outer wall blank.

This offers the advantage that the outer contour of the outer wall of the motor vehicle can be identically reproduced with the armored outer wall. Consequently, a difference relative to the original production vehicle is not detectable from the outside.

From the derived outer contour of the outer wall is derived a suitable tool geometry, allowance being made for the degree of shrinkage during the hot forming. From this, a pressing tool for forming an outer wall blank having the outer contour can be provided. According to the purpose of use, this pressing tool can hot form various protective materials from temperature ranges above AC₃ into the desired shape. The various protective materials are respectively, in the form of an armor steel metal sheet, reshaped into an outer wall blank.

For the production, a suitable tool geometry and a corresponding tool design must be provided, with due regard to suitable tool materials. Particular importance is attached to the large heat quantity of the armor steel metal sheet. These have anticipated sheet weights ranging between 100 and 500 kg. It is necessary to ensure that the heat is reliably evacuated from the sheet metal and the tool, so that hardening is possible in the forming tool.

In a further method step, it is provided that doors and openings, as well as openings in the doors, are cut out of the outer wall blank. A particularly good dimensional stability is hereby attainable. Consequently, a small gap width ensues.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer contour is defined by determination of the original motor vehicle outer contour. The determination can here be undertaken on the basis of CAD data, which are directly provided, for example, by the vehicle manufacturer. It is also possible for a point cloud to be generated, which point cloud is then ascribed to a surface area. Furthermore, within the determination of the outer structure, an optical derivation of the original outer contour is conceivable. The optical derivation can be generated by partial or complete redesign.

Preferably, the cutting out of the openings is realized by laser beam cutting or water jet cutting. As a result, a particularly high dimensional stability of the openings relative to the cutouts produced by the cutting ensues. A further advantage of laser beam or water jet cutting is that, in the course of the manufacturing process, a press hardening operation is applied, wherein the outer wall blank is already heat-treated before the openings are cut out. The cutting methods of the laser beam cutting or water jet cutting keep the structural transformations at the cutting sites low, so that the ballistic protection capability of the thereby produced sheet metal components is not impaired. In addition, it would also be possible within the scope of the invention to produce the openings by punching during the production operation.

In a further construction variant, hinges and opening means are coupled to the generated cutouts and the cutouts are arranged as doors and flaps in the outer wall. The doors and flaps are here formed by the cutouts. The cutouts themselves are provided with hinges or opening brackets, for example in the form of door handles, and are arranged, once again, in the outer wall. As a result of the previously produced cutouts in the form of the doors, a particularly high dimensional stability is ensured between the outer wall and the doors. The gap width is here substantially determined by the cutting out process. Possible warping of the components by a downstream heat-treatment process is eliminated in the method according to the invention.

The fitting of the hinges and opening means can here be realized in an integrally bonded, form-fit or force-locking connection. The connection of, for example, window frames, or else door inner panel parts, should also be construed within the scope of the invention.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the gap widths formed between doors and outer wall are configured so as to be ballistically secure by coupling with respectively circumferential overlaps. The overlap can here be realized, for example, in the form of a stop or a circumferential weld-on plate or similar. The fitting of the stop can take place from outside or else from inside. The attachment can be made to the door or to the side wall. It is particularly beneficial that the fitting of the overlap can be realized individually in accordance with the different armoring level requirements. In the case of high anticipated ballistic pressure effects resulting from explosive warfare, for example, the fitting of an overlap from the outside is thus advantageous, whereas, in the case of a low level of armoring, the overlap can be fitted from the inside, so that an appearance of the production vehicle which is as true to the original as possible is maintained.

Within the scope of the invention, the production of the outer wall blank can be realized by means of hot forming or by cold forming. The forming operations are respectively followed by a heat treatment in the form of hardening of the outer wall blank. This can be realized, for example, in the hot forming process by quenching in a tool clamping system or else by cold forming with subsequent heat treatment. This gives the advantage that, according to the material used, the heat treatment process can be individually tailored thereto, so that optimal forming conditions are achieved and an optimal hardening, and thus protective effect, of the armored material is adjusted in line with the respective requirement profile.

The present invention further relates to a method for producing an armored motor vehicle having an outer wall made of armor steel, in particular a side wall with doors, which side wall has on a motor vehicle a rocker panel running in the bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and side parts, said method comprising the following method steps:

• • removal of the original vehicle outer wall,
  • arrangement of the outer wall of armor steel on the motor vehicle, and
  • coupling of the outer wall to the motor vehicle.

This gives the advantage that the original vehicle outer wall is replaced by the produced motor vehicle armored outer wall. In terms of the vehicle, unnecessary weight which would accrue, for example, from the standard sheet metal outer wall with integrated armored steel plates is eliminated. The outer wall of armor steel is thus optimized with regard to the weight distribution and also the weight. Furthermore, an outer wall produced with the method according to the invention can be optimally integrated onto and into the vehicle. In the roof region, as well as in the underbody region, it can be coupled to the vehicle, wherein in the roof region and underbody region further armorings are introduced. Within the scope of the invention, the roof or underbody region itself can also be produced with the inventive method for producing an outer wall.

Preferably, the outer wall is coupled to original connecting points of the motor vehicle. Through precise ripping out of the unarmored outer wall, it is possible to produce the connecting region directly with standard connecting points and the armored outer wall. This offers, in particular, the advantage that the rigidity of the vehicle body, by the retrofitting of an armored outer wall on the original connecting points, remains equal to the production vehicle, or is enhanced by the armored component.

In a further embodiment, the outer wall is coupled in a roof region, in a floor region and/or in front regions to additional armored steel plates which are mounted on the motor vehicle for the armoring of the regions. The additional coupling offers on the one hand an enhancement of the ballistic protection, on the other hand an enhancement of the rigidity of the total vehicle body.

The present invention further relates to a side wall for a motor vehicle made of armor steel, comprising doors, a rocker panel running in the bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and side parts, characterized in that the side wall is produced in one piece from an armor steel metal sheet, and the doors and openings are then cut out of the produced shaped part.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the side wall has a hardness between 300 and 800 Brinell hardness. The armored side wall which is thus produced offers, in particular, protection against warfare in the form of explosive charges and also in the form of projectiles. According to the used armored material and used requirement profile, or the required level of armoring, said side wall must expediently be tailored to the wishes of the respective vehicle manufacturer or customer with a production method within the scope of the invention.

In another preferred embodiment, a gap, surrounding the doors, between the door and the side part is designed to be ballistically secure by virtue of additional coupled covers. Pressure waves can hence penetrate through the gaps into the protected compartment only in reduced form. As a result of connections with sealing profiles, the protected compartment can be protected against nuclear, bacteriological and chemical warfare.

Further advantages, features, characteristics and aspects of the present invention emerge from the following description, preferred embodiments on the basis of the schematic drawings. These serve for easier understanding of the invention, wherein:

FIGS. 1a-1d show an inventive method for producing an armored outer part;

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a transitional region of the outer wall to a door with overlap, and

FIG. 3 shows an inventive construction variant of an armored side part with doors.

In the figures, the same reference symbols are used for same or similar parts, wherein corresponding or comparable advantages are achieved even if a repeated description is dispensed with for reasons of simplification.

FIGS. 1a to 1d show an inventive method for producing an outer wall 1 of an armored motor vehicle 2. In a first step, an outer contour 3 of the armored motor vehicle 2 is determined. In the determination of the outer contour 3, rocker panels 4, a roof frame region 5, various pillars 6, such as, for example, the A, B and C pillar of a side part 7 of an armored motor vehicle 2, are determined. Following this, openings 8 are fixed in the side wall of the armored motor vehicle 2. With the thus determined data, a pressing tool (not detailed here) is provided. In the pressing tool, an armor steel metal sheet is formed into an outer wall blank 9. This is represented in FIG. 1a. In a second step, cutouts 10 are generated in the outer wall blank 9. The cutouts 10 are generated at the sites at which openings 8 are intended to be formed. The openings 8 can be configured, for example, in the form of a window cutout 11, or else a door 12. The doors 12 themselves can, in turn, have window cutouts 11.

In a third method step, the cut-out doors 12 are provided with hinges 13 and further opening means 14. The coupling to a window frame region (not referred to in detail here), or else to inner panel parts, should also be construed, for example, as an element of the invention. In a fourth step, represented in FIG. 1d, the doors 12 coupled to the hinges 13 and opening means 14 are, in turn, inserted into the side part 7. To this end, the doors 12 with the hinges 13 and with the opening means 14 are connected to the side wall at coupling points (not shown here due to the schematic drawing). Particularly advantageously, in the method according to the invention, an optimal minimal gap width 15 bordering the doors 12 is obtained.

In FIG. 2, the transitional region of the side part 7 to a door 12 with an overlap 16 is represented. It is particularly evident that a minimal gap width 15 is configured between the door 12 and the side part 7. The overlap 16 offers, on the one hand, supplementary ballistic protection, on the other hand, however, also a stop facility for the door 12. The overlap 16 can here be coupled in a connecting region to the door 12, or else, as represented here, to the side wall. The coupling is preferably realized in an integrally bonded connection, but can also be realized in form-fit and/or force-locking connection. There is also the option of fitting a seal circumferentially to the door 12 in the region of the connecting region 17. The seal 18 can also, however, be fitted to the overlap 16.

FIG. 3 shows an inventive construction variant of an armored vehicle outer wall 19 with doors 12. The vehicle outer wall 19 is produced with the inventive method for producing an armored outer wall with doors 12, and is coupled to the armored motor vehicle 2 at factory-made connecting points 20. The coupling is here realized in a roof region 21, in a floor region 22 and in a front region 23. At the respective coupling regions, the motor vehicle 2 can be reinforced with additional armor steel plates 24.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

• • 1—outer wall
  • 2—armored motor vehicle
  • 3—outer contour
  • 4—rocker panel
  • 5—roof frame region
  • 6—pillar
  • 7—side part
  • 8—opening
  • 9—outer wall blank
  • 10—cutout
  • 11—window cutout
  • 12—door
  • 13—hinge
  • 14—opening means
  • 15—gap width
  • 16—overlap
  • 17—connecting region
  • 18—seal
  • 19—vehicle outer wall
  • 20—connecting point
  • 21—roof region
  • 22—floor region
  • 23—front region
  • 24—armor steel plate

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A method for producing an outer wall, comprising:

defining an outer contour of an outer wall by determining the disposition of an opening, a rocker panel in a bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and side parts;

forming an outer wall blank from an armor steel metal sheet in correspondence with said outer contour, using a pressing tool; and

cutting out the opening from the outer wall blank commensurate with the establishment of a door, thereby producing a cutout.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer wall is a side wall for a motor vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer contour is defined by determination of an original motor vehicle outer contour.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer contour is defined in at least one of two ways, a first way in which the outer contour is optically modeled on a motor vehicle outer contour, a second way in which the outer contour is redesigned.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the openings are cut out by laser beam cutting or water jet cutting.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising attaching hinges and opening hardware to the cutout, and arranging the cutout as a door in the outer wall.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising attaching a circumferential overlap to ballistically secure a gap width formed between the door and the outer wall.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer wall blank is formed by hot forming or cold forming, with subsequent hardening.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising hardening the outer wall blank in the pressing tool.

24. A method for producing an armored motor vehicle having an outer wall made of armor steel, comprising:

removing an original outer wall of the motor vehicle;

arranging an outer wall of armor steel on the motor vehicle; and

coupling the outer wall to the motor vehicle.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the outer wall is a side wall of the armored motor vehicle having a door and including a rocker panel in a bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and side parts.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising coupling the outer wall of armor steel to original connecting points of the motor vehicle.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising mounting an additional armor steel plate in at least one region of the side wall selected from the group consisting of roof region, floor region, and front region, and coupling the side wall in the region to the additional armor steel plate.

28. A side wall for a motor vehicle made in one piece from an armor steel metal sheet to produce a shaped part and comprising a rocker panel running in a bottom region, a roof frame region, pillars extending between the rocker panel and the roof frame region, and a side part, with an opening being cut out commensurate with the establishment of a door in the shaped part.

29. The side wall of claim 28, having a hardness between 300 and 800 HB.

30. The side wall of claim 28, further comprising an additional cover to ballistically secure a gap which surrounds the door and is formed between the door and the side part.