GB2091650A - Van body - Google Patents

Abstract

Savings and economies in the manufacture of box van bodies can be obtained by providing a vehicle body comprising a nearside side panel 12, an offside side panel 13, a front panel 14 and a pair of front corner pillars 16 and 17, a roof panel 11 and a pair of cant rails 20 and 21, a floor panel 10 and a pair of side rails 24, in which the front corner pillars and at least one of the cant rails and the side rails are discrete lengths of a single elongate, constant cross-section construction element. Conveniently, a side wall of one panel-receiving slot in the element provides a base surface of a second slot perpendicular to the first. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle body Vehicle box van bodies to be carried on the chassis of the vehicle comprise a floor panel, above it a roof panel, a pair of side panels connecting the floor and roof panels, a front panel, and usually a rear opening to which may be secured whatever form of door is required. For connecting the various panels of the vehicle body a variety of components is employed.

It is one object of the present invention to reduce the number of different components required to make up vehicle bodies. Such simplification leads to savings and economies in manufacture and servicing of the vehicle bodies according to the invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a vehicle body comprising a nearside side panel, an offside side panel, a front panel and a pair of front corner pillars connecting the front panel and the side panels, a roof panel and a pair of cant rails connecting the roof panel and the side panels, and a floor panel and a pair of side rails connecting the floor panel and the side panels, wherein the front corner pillars and at least one of the cant rails and the side rails are discrete lengths of a single elongate, constant cross-section, constructional element.

The constructional element will normally be an extruded section but could be, for example, a rolled section.

Conveniently, not only the cant rails and front corner pillars, but also all the other rails and pillars which serve to join two adjacent ones of said body panels, are provided as discrete lengths of a single extruded alloy section having a pair of longitudinal panel-receiving slots arranged perpendicular to one another thereby to receive that pair of panels which meets at a right angle and defines an edge of the vehicle body. Thus, the extruded section can be used not only for the front and rear corner pillars but also for the cant and side rails of the body which extend horizontally around the circumference thereof at the top and the bottom of the body respectively.

In one preferred embodiment, the single extruded section comprises a pair of panelreceiving slots, at least one of which has a flat base. That wall, of the web which forms the flat base, which is external of the slot with the flat base, constitutes a first one of a pair of side wall surfaces of the other slot of the section. In these preferred embodiments, the top edge of vertical panels of the box body may engage in the slot with the flat base, and the other slot may be directed outwardly of the body, so that the edges of a roof panel may overlie, and be secured to, the second one of the said pair of wall surfaces, and may if desired be folded downwardly, e.g. by peening, in a manner which will be understood by those skilled in the art to be simple and effective, over the outwardly directed, open edge of the second wall surface.In this way, the preferred extruded section can be used with advantage to secure to a panel which fits tightly in one of the slots, a panel, e.g. a roof panel, not suitable to be accommodated securely within the other of the slots.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a van body in accordance with the present invention; and Figs. 2 to 7 are details of Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale and cut away to illustrate the junctions of selected ones of the panels of the body as identified on the drawings.

The van body of Fig. 1 has a floor panel or sheet 10 which is not visible in Fig. 1 but which can be seen in Fig. 3, a thin roof panel or sheet 11, a nearside panel 12, an offside panel 13, a front panel 14 and a rear aperture 1 5. A nearside front corner pillar 1 6 connects the panels 12 and 14 and an offside front corner pillar 1 7 connects the 13 and 14. At the rear of the panels 12 and 13 are nearside and offside rear corner pillars 1 8 and 19 respectively. At the junction of the roof sheet 11 and the side panels 12 and 13 are a nearside cant rail 20 and an offside cant rail 21 respectively. A top front rail 22 connects the roof panel 11 with the front panel 14. Bridging the rear pillars 18 and 1 9 and supporting the rear edge of the roof panel 11 is a top rear rail 23.Connecting the floor sheet 10 and the nearside panel 12 is a nearside side rail 24 and connecting the floor sheet 10 and the front panel 14 is a bottom front rail 25. As seen from Fig. 5, a rear bottom rail 26 is provided to support the rear edge of teh floor sheet 10 and connect the bases of the rear pillars 18 and 19.

Not shown on any of the drawings is the offside side rail which connects the offside panel 1 3 with the floor sheet 10.

With reference to Figs. 2 to 7, various, more particular aspects of the construction of the van body will now be described.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the nearside top edge of the body at Il-Il on Fig. 1. It shows the form of the single, extruded aluminium alloy section from which the rails and pillars are formed.

The top edge of the side panel 1 2 is tightly received in a downwardly directed slot 27 of the nearside can rail 20. The other slot 28 of the side rail 20 is directed outwardly of the van body as can be seen from Fig. 1. The thin roof panel or sheet 11 overlies and is secured to the top surface of the can rail 20 by rivets 29 and the sheet is also peened over the lip 30 of the top rails of the body to improve strength and weather-proofing round the top edges of the body. The web 31 of the extruded section provides the flat base of the slot 27 and a flat side wall surface of the slot 28.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the nearside lower edge of the body at Ill-Ill on Fig. 1. The lower edge of the side panel 1 2 is received tightly in an upwardly directed slot 27 of the nearside side rail 24 and the floor panel 10 is received tightly in an inwardly directed slot 28 of the side rail 24.

Fig. 4 shows the top, rear, right hand (offside) corner of the van body, there being a mitre joint between the offside cant rail 21 and the top rear rail 23 and also, although not shown, between the rearside cantrail 20 and the rear rail 23. The rear pillars flanking the rear aperture 1 5 of the van body, of which only the right hand one 19 is shown in Fig. 4, have their flat faces directed inwardly and rearwardly with respect to the van body so that one of the two slots in each rear pillar receives a side panel and the other 28 is directed outwardly of the van body.

Fig. 5 shows the bottom, rear, left hand (nearside) corner of the van body and the way in which the rear bottom rail 26 is disposed to receive the floor sheet 10 with a tight fit in one 27 of its slots, with the other slot 28 directed downwardly so that the flat faces of the rear bottom rail 26 are directed upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the van body. From Figs. 4 and 5 it will be appreciated that the bottom and side edges of the rear aperture 1 5 of the van body are flat, so facilitating movement of goods through the aperture.

The construction of the fourfront corners of the van body will be apparent from inspection of Figs.

6 and 7 of the drawings. At each of these four front corners of the body may be disposed, either within or outside the body, a housing (not shown) to which the three mutually perpendicular extruded members which extend into that corner are fastened in order to render that corner more secure and weather-proof. The housing may be of cast metal and the rails and pillars may be secured to the housings by bolts or screws of appropriate design.

The various panels may be secured within the slots 27 and 28 in conventional manner e.g. by use of adhesives and mechanical fasteners. The van body may be secured to the chassis of a vehicle in conventional manner. Rub rails along the external sides of the vehicle body may be required, and those skilled in the art will be aware of ways in which such rub rails can be provided.

Advantageously, the slots 27 and 28 have identical widths. Where this is so, it will be convenient for at least the front and side panels which make up the van body, and the floor sheet, to have a common thickness, at least around their edges. However, it would also be possible for the width of slot 27 to differ from that of slot 28, in which case it would be preferable for the vertically disposed panels of the van body to have a first common thickness, at least around the edges, to be received within slot 27, and for the floor panel and, if desired, also the roof panel to have a second common thickness, at least round the edge, for reception within slot 28.

When it is desired to provide the van body with a rear panel instead of an aperture 1 5, then it may be convenient to direct the slot 28 of the rear pillars 18 and 1 9 inwardly rather than outwardly and the slot 27 of the rear bottom rail 26 upwardly rather than downwardly.

The scope of the claims which follow should not be regarded as being limited to vehicle bodies in which the said single extruded section is that illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Claims (14)

1. A vehicle body comprising a nearside side panel, an offside side panel, a front panel and a pair of front corner pillars connecting the front panel and the side panels, a roof panel and a pair of cant rails connecting the roof panel and the side panels, and a floor panel and a pair of side rails connecting the floor panel and the side panels, wherein the front corner pillars and at least one of the cant rails and the side rails are discrete lengths of a single elongate, constant cross-section constructional element.

2. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 1 wherein the constructional element is an extruded section.

3. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cant rails are of said single constructional element and the side rails are of a different, side rail section.

4. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the side rails are of said single constructional element and the cant rails are of a different, cant rail section.

5. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein both the side rails and the cant rails are discrete lengths of said single, constructional element.

6. A vehicle body as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, including a pair of rear corner pillars which are discrete lengths of said constructional element and wherein the nearside side panel is secured to a nearside one of said rear corner pillars and the offside side panel is secured to an offside one of said rear corner pillars.

7. A vehicle body as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein discrete lengths of said single constructional element connect the front panel to the floor panel and to the roof panel.

8. A vehicle body as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said constructional element comprises a pair of panel-receiving slots aligned at right angles to one another.

9. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 8, wherein one of said slots has a flat base formed by a web of said section, one wall surface of said web thereby forming a base surface of said one slot, and wherein the other slot of said pair of slots is so located relative to said one slot that the other wall surface of said web forms one of the pair of internal wall surface of said other slot.

10. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the cant rails are formed from said constructional element and are arranged so that one of said pair of slots accommodates the top edge of a vertical panel of said body and the other of said pair of slots is directed outwardly with respect to the body, said roof panel overlying said constructional element cant rails and being secured to them.

11. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 10, wherein said roof panel is folded downwardly over the outwardly directed edge of the upper side wall surface of the outwardly directed slot.

12. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 11 wherein the downward folding is effected by a peening method.

13. A vehicle body as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and including an opening having a pair of vertical sides and a horizontal lower edge, said sides and edge being defined by discrete lengths of said single constructional element.

14. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 13 wherein the opening is a rear opening and the vertical sides are rear corner pillars of the body.

1 5. A vehicle body as claimed in claim 14, wherein the cross-section of the constructional element is such that the surface of the rear corner pillars which faces inwardly on said rear opening are flat.

1 6. A vehicle body substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.