FR2616402A1 - FRONT COVER FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE HOOD - Google Patents

Abstract

This front cover has a body 1 made in a single piece of plastic material having a front wall 4 which comprises stiffening ribs 9 which make it resistant to twisting and bending. The front wall 4 further comprises support lugs intended to receive the hinges which will articulate the hood on the hull of the vehicle. The end zones 5 of the front wall 4 of the hood 1 constitute two housings intended to receive the front optical units of the vehicle. The hood further comprises two side walls which constitute the front sides of the vehicle body.

Description

The present invention relates to a hood

front for a motor vehicle.

  The object of the invention is to provide a cover which can be manufactured at low cost and which, at the same time, has a structure able to withstand the stresses to which the cover is subjected in use. To achieve this object, the invention relates to a front cover for motor vehicles characterized by the combination of the following features, a) the cover comprises a body formed of a single piece of plastic; b) the body of the hood has a front wall with stiffening ribs which make it resistant to torsion and bending, as well as

  support legs for receiving the hinges

  binding the hood to the hull of the vehicle.

  The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing a front cover for motor vehicles, characterized in that the cap is manufactured by low pressure molding between two half-molds which define between them a cavity shaped to define on

  the front wall of the hood a series of stiffening ribs

  able to make the front wall of the hood resistant to pressure and torsion, and in that, when the molding is completed, the two half-molds are moved apart.

  from each other in the longitudinal direction of the body

pot.

  According to another characteristic, the zones of ex-

  trenches of the front wall of the hood thus obtained defined

  two dwellings intended to accommodate

  before the vehicle. In addition, in a preferred form

  embodiment, the hood comprises two lateral walls.

  which constitute the front flanks of the vehicle. The cap

  pot therefore has a three-dimensional shell structure

the, of great resistance.

  Other features and advantages of the

  will be better understood when reading the description of

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front seat for a motor vehicle according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the hood of Figure 1;

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating

  the hood of Figure 1, mounted on the hull of a motor vehicle and placed in the open position; Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 3; and

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the mold used

  se for the manufacture of the hood according to the invention.

  In the drawings, reference 1 designates in

  together a front hood of a motor vehicle pre-

  feeling a body constituted by a single piece of

  plastic case which has a top wall 2, two

  side walls 3 and a front wall 4.

  The front wall 4 comprises two end zones

  5 which constitute two housings for receiving the front optical groups of the vehicle. For this purpose, the bottom wall 5a of the housing 5 has an opening

  6 to receive the back part of the optimum groups

  c. The central part of the front wall 4 of the hood has a lower staircase area 7 and an upper zone 8 which constitutes a hollow wall, convex towards the outside and provided with stiffening ribs 9.

  Thanks to the presence of stiffening ribs

  9, which came integrally with the body of the hood 1, the front wall 4 of the hood is resistant to

  flexion and torsion. These characteristics of

  are necessary to allow the hood to

  carry the constraints that result from the fact that it is

  intended to be articulated on the hull of the motor vehicle

  bile in the forward position. In particular, on the

  7 of the front wall 4 are provided, support lugs 10 incorporated in the hood, which support the hinge pins 11 which articulate the

  Hood to the hull. These axes are in touch with the extremes

  upper tabs of metal tabs 12 (FIGS.

  4) which are screwed to the hull 13 of the vehicle.

  The cover 1 is obtained by molding at low pressure.

  cavity 14 (FIG. 5) defined between two

  half-molds 15, 16 (FIG. 5 is a sectional view according to

  the vertical vertical plane of the hood). The cavity 14 is

  formed to define the stiffening ribs 9 of the front wall of the hood. The zone 8 of this wall, which carries the ribs 9, is intended to be covered by a shell (not shown) which can be fixed by fitting on the upper edge of the front wall 4 of the hood, as well as on the edge of the step 7. When the molding is completed, the two half-molds 16 are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the hood, indicated by the arrows A in FIG. 5. The presence in the mold of the cavities intended to mold

  the ribs 9 guarantees the obtaining of a piece of

  plastic material of high quality. In particular, this

  the presence of cavities guarantees the absence of bubbles

  of air in the molded body, by virtue of the fact that

  the fronts in advance of the plastic resin

  than to come and die in these cavities, thus letting escape any air bubbles contained in

resin.

  It is possible to foresee the insertion of

  metal studs to form elements of the hinges and the lock of the hood. In addition, it is possible to further strengthen the structure of the hood by sticking on this structure other shaped elements able to locally define box sections in

combination with the hood wall.

  Of course, various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to the device which

  just described as a non-limiting example.

  mitative without departing from the scope of the invention.

R E V E N D I CATI ONS

  1 - Front cover (1) for a motor vehicle,

  characterized by the combination of the following characteristics:

  (a) the hood (1) comprises a body formed of a single piece of plastics material; b) the body (1) of the hood has a front wall (4) having stiffening ribs (9) which make it resistant to twisting and bending and support legs (10) for carrying the hinges connecting the hood (1) to the hull of the motor vehicle.

  2 - Front cover according to claim 1, characterized

  characterized in that said stiffening ribs are provided on the central portion of the front portion (4) of the hood (1), while the two end zones (5) of

  this front wall (4) constitute two dwellings intended

  born to receive the front optical groups.

  3 - Front cover according to claim 2, characterized

  secured in that the central part of the front wall

  (4) of the hood (1) has a lower zone in

  bind (7) and an upper zone defined by a wall

  curve, convex to the outside and presenting the

  stiffening ribs (9) on its outer surface

born.

  4 - Front cover according to claim 2, characterized

  characterized in that the hood comprises two side walls

  which constitute the front flanks of the vehicle.

  - Method of manufacturing a front cover

  for motor vehicles, characterized in that

  pot (1) is manufactured by low-pressure molding between two half-molds (15, 16) defining between them a cavity (14) shaped so as to define, in line with the front wall of the hood, stiffening ribs ( 9) able to make the front wall of the hood resistant to

  flexion and torsion and that, when the movement

  the end is completed, the two half-molds (15, 16) are moved apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the

hood thus obtained.