GB2268993A

GB2268993A - Vehicle body jointing bracket

Info

Publication number: GB2268993A
Application number: GB9215588A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Kidney
Original assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Current assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Priority date: 1992-07-22
Filing date: 1992-07-22
Publication date: 1994-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-22
Also published as: GB2268993B; GB9215588D0

Abstract

The bracket 1 comprises a one-piece body 2 of mild steel, or other stiff resilient sheet material, having an elastically bendable intermediate portion 9 connecting a first flange 7 for fixing to a transverse bulkhead and a second flange 11 for fixing to the sidewall of a vehicle body. The generatrices of the curved intermediate portion 9 extend in a fore-and-aft direction, so that relative transverse motion of the flanges 7, 11 is allowed but relative fore-and-aft motion is resisted. The body 2 may be in one piece as shown or may be in two (or more) pieces hinged together along a generatrix and linked by spring means. <IMAGE>

Description

Vehicle Body Jointing Bracket This invention relates to a vehicle body jointing bracket for connecting together two members of a vehicle body, in particular for connecting a transverse member or bulkhead to a sidewall member.

In small vans, and other light commercial vehicles, a transverse bulkhead panel is fitted behind the driver's and passenger's seats in order to partition the seating area (passager compartment) from the load area. The bulkhead mountings and the panel itself must be sufficiently strong to prevent the intrusion of goods from the load area into the passenger compartment, for example during vehicle braking. They must also be strong enough to support downward loading on the bulkhead panel1 e.g. should a van operator use the panel as a support when removing goods from the load area.

In commercial vehicles, weight-saving considerations have resulted in increasingly more flexible vehicle bodies. The transverse range of movement of the sidewalls in a small van may be as much as + 3 mm or more. However, in its own plane a bulkhead panel is extremely rigid. Therefore, the flexing of the sidewalls of the vehicle body relative to the bulkhead panel can cause the problems of unsightly distortion of the sidewalls and detachment of the bulkhead panel from the sidewalls. Both of these problems have become increasingly evident in modern designs of light commercial vehicles.

What is desired is a bulkhead mounting which avoids or at least mitigates these problems. In particular, the mounting should provide transverse flexibility in order to reduce distortion of the sidewalls. It should also provide fore-and-aft rigidity in order to prevent intrusion of goods into the passenger compartment. A degree of torsional rigidity is also desirable, in order to support vertical loads.

Rubber mounts could be designed to satisfy these requirements, but a specific mount design would be required to match the shape of a contoured interior panel. Furthermore, the tooling costs would be relatively high, and long-term durability would be difficult to achieve.

GB-A-2 187 252 describes a corner joint for a vehicle body in which adjacent edges of two walls are connected so as to permit relative flexing of the walls. Inside the corner a curved plate is fixed to the walls by bolts spaced from the corner. The plate provides strength to the corner joint while permitting the relative flexing. However, such a corner joint cannot solve the problems mentioned above. It still requires a direct (flexible) connection of one wall to the other. The resistance to fore-and-aft motion is the same as the resistance to transverse motion. There is not enough transverse flexibility to allow hinge-type movement between the walls. A flexible connection such as is shown in GB-A-2 187 252, if applied to a bulkhead, would not be sufficient to prevent forward and rearward movement of the bulkhead under impact.

The present invention provides a bracket which allows relative transverse motion but resists relative fore-and-aft motion.

In particular the invention provides a vehicle body jointing bracket comprising a body of stiff resilient material, the body having a first portion which is to be fixed to a transverse member or bulkhead, a second portion which is to be fixed to a sidewall member, and a curved intermediate portion which connects the first and second portions and which is elastically bendable, the generatrices of the curved intermediate portion extending in a fore-and-aft direction so as to allow relative transverse motion of the first and second portions and to resist relative fore-and-aft motion.

As well as allowing transverse motion of the sidewall, the bracket can also allow up and down motion and torsional motion in any sense, if the intermediate portion of the bracket body is suitably shaped.

Preferred and optional features are set forth in claims 2 et seq.

The invention will be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view, from the front, one side, and above, of a bracket for connecting a transverse bulkhead to a left-hand sidewall member of the body of a light van; Figure 2 is a front view of the bracket, in the direction of arrow II in Figures 3 and Ii; Figure 3 is a side view of the bracket, in the direction of arrow III in Figures 2 and 3; Figure 4 is a plan view of the bracket; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a bracket (which is a mirror image of the bracket of Figures 1 to 4) connecting the bulkhead to a right-hand sidewall member of the body of the van; Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 1, of a modified bracket;; Figure 7 is a similar view of another modified bracket; Figure 8 is a similar view of yet another modified bracket; and Figure 9 is an exploded view of part of the bracket shown in Figure 8.

The bracket 1 illustrated comprises a one-piece body 2 of stiff resilient sheet material of substantially constant thickness. In the illustrated embodiment the material is mild steel with a nominal thickness of 1.5 mm and is fabricated by stamping. However, other stiff resilient materials (such as other metals, plastics, and composites) and other fabrication methods (such as casting or moulding) could be used. The material of the body 2 is elastically bendable to a limited extent before plastic deformation occurs under excess load. As shown in Figure 5 the bracket 1 is used to connect the rear surface 3 of a transverse bulkhead 4 (which extends upwardly and inclines rearwardly, behind the backs of the driver's and passenger's seats) to the inner structure 6 of a sidewall of the body of a light van.

The bracket body 2 has a first portion in the form of a transverse flange 7 which in the example shown extends upwardly and inclines rearwardly so as to hold the upper edge of the transverse bulkhead 4 in its desired orientation. A web portion 8, which extends rearwardly and is inclined downwardly and which also extends transversely, connects the flange 7 to one end of a curved intermediate portion 9, whose other end is connected to a second portion in the form of a flange 11 which is elongate in a fore-and-aft direction, for connection to the inner structure 6 by bolts, rivets, or other fixing means inserted through holes 12. Alternatively, the holes may be omitted and the bracket may be fixed directly to the vehicle sidewall, e.g. by welding.

Viewed in a transverse vertical plane (Fig. 2) the curved intermediate portion 9 is of serpentine shape; as can be seen from the drawings, its generatrices (the straight generating lines of its curved surfaces) are arranged to extend in the fore-and-aft direction when the bracket is mounted in the vehicle. Because of the elastic bendability and serpentine shape of the intermediate portion 9, the flange 11 can move both transversely and vertically relative to the flange 7, but the intermediate portion 9 remains relatively rigid in the fore-and-aft direction. Thus the bracket 1 allows limited flexing and vertical and lateral movement of the inner structure 6 of the sidewall of the vehicle body relative to the bulkhead 4 but prevents rearward and forward movement of the bulkhead 4 relative to the sidewall of the vehicle body.

The intermediate portion 9 includes a C-shaped, downwardly open, semi-cylindrical section 9a, with an internal radius of 14 mm, for example. The outer end of the C-shaped section 9a merges with the flange 11, the merging edges being curved at 13 with a minimum radius of 6 mm, for example. The inner end of the section 9a merges with a vertical planar section 9b which, in turn, merges with a shallow arcuate section 9c whose minimum internal radius is 10 mm, for example. The inner end of the arcuate section 9c merges with the web 8 and the generatrices of the section 9c are therefore parallel with the plane of the web 8. The merging edges are curved at 14 with a minimum radius of 10 mm, for example.

Considering the shape of the serpentine intermediate section 9 (Fig. 2) as part of a wave, it can-be said that the section 9 occupies about three-quarters of a wave cycle. Other multiples of a wave-cycle (e.g. one cycle or one-and-a-half cycles) or any other forms of serpentine shapes could be used in other embodiments, to permit a greater (or lesser) range of movement of the sidewall, for example. In an alternative embodiment to that illustrated, the C-shaped section 9a of the intermediate portion could be directed upwards; however, the illustrated arrangement is preferred because it provides a hook-like structure which is particularly advantageous as it can be used for supporting the bulkhead before it is fixed in the vehicle body on the vehicle assembly line.

The front edge of the web 8 merges with the flower edge of the flange 7 through a curved region 16. Its rear edge merges with a downwardly bent lip portion 17. The curved portion 16, the bent lip portion 17, and the arcuate section 9c together enhance the rigidity of the web 8.

The flange 7 has two holes 18 in register with respective screwthreaded bores of two square nuts 19 which are welded to the rear surface of the flange 7, to receive bolts for fixing the flange 7 to the bulkhead 4.

Figure 6 shows a modified bracket 1' in which the serpentine intermediate portion 9 is generally S-shaped, the outer end of the downwardly open C-shaped section 9a merging with a vertical planar section 9d which, in turn, merges with the inner end of an upwardly open C-shaped section 9a whose outer end merges with the flange 11. This modification allows an increased range of transverse movement of the sidewall, without significantly reducing resistance to fore-and-after movement of the bulkhead.

Figure 7 shows a modified bracket 1" in which the C-shaped section 9a includes a hinge 21 whose axis extends parallel to a generatrix, mid-way along the section 9a, thereby dividing the body 2 into two pieces 2a,2b. Associated with (and coaxial with) the hinge 21 are two coil springs 22 (one might be sufficient) which are unstressed as shown and which urge the pieces 2a,2b to the neutral position shown. The two ends 23 of each spring 22 are fixed to the pieces 2a,2b of the body 2 by means of lugs 24 stamped out of the body 2. The spring-loaded hinge 21 increases the flexibility of the body 2 about a fore-and-aft axis without significantly altering its transverse compressibility and without reducing resistance to fore-and-aft movement of the bulkhead. It may be possible to omit the springs 22 altogether.

Figure 8 shows a further modified bracket 1"' in which transverse cantilever extensions 8a projecting horizontally outwards from the outer edge of the web 8 and transverse cantilever extensions lia projecting horizontally inwards from the lower edge of the flange 11 overlap and cooperate so as to permit relative transverse movement of the flanges 7,11 and to resist relative vertical movement, fore-and-aft movement, and torsional movement about a fore-and-aft axis. One pair of cooperating extensions 8a,11a may be sufficient for this purpose.

The extensions 8a,11a are connected by rivets 26 passing through slotted apertures 27 and through friction-reducting (e.g PTFE) washers 28 interposed between the extensions 8a,11a.

The modifications described above with reference to Figure 7 and Figures 8 and 9 may be applied to the bracket shown in Figure 6. In particular one or both of the C-shaped sections may be provided with a hinge.

Other modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, if sufficient space is available between the bulkhead and the sidewall, the first portion or flange may be connected to an end surface of the bulkhead, in which case the first portion or flange will be roughly parallel to the second portion or flange and the intermediate portion may be U- or J-shaped. The intermediate portion may be treated (e.g.

heat-treated) differently from the other portions that it is more easily flexible and/or more elastic than the other portions. The curvature of the intermediate portion could be made more complex in order to enhance the fore-and-aft rigidity of the bracket, if necessary. The bracket may be made of composite material, such as fibre reinforced plastics material, which can provide the advantages of reduced weight and enhanced resilience and strength, and which can facilitate the control of material thickness in critical areas in order to provide the bracket with the required mechanical characteristics.

The brackets described above have the advantages of being easy to manufacture, relative low in cost, and durable (the bracket shown in Figure 1 having been subjected to a test equivalent to 500,000 km of normal use, without fatigue being observed), while providing desirable flexibility/rigidity characteristics and having a hook-like shape which assists in vehicle assembly.

Claims

Claims:

1. A vehicle body jointing bracket comprising a body of stiff resilient material, the body having a first portion which is to be fixed to a transverse member or bulkhead, a second portion which is to be fixed to a sidewall member, and a curved intermediate portion which connects the first and second portions and which is elastically bendable, the generatrices of the curved intermediate portion extending in a fore-and-aft direction so as to allow relative transverse motion of the first and second portions and to resist relative fore-and-aft motion.

2. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 1, in which the said first portion comprises a transverse flange which is to be fixed to a transverse surface of the transverse member or bulkhead.

3. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 2, in which the said transverse surface is a rear surface.

4. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 2 or 3, in which the first portion is connected to the intermediate portion by a web portion extending both in a transverse direction and in a fore-and-aft direction and having front and rear lateral edges and inner and outer end edges, one of the lateral edges merging with the transverse flange and the outer end edge merging with the intermediate portion.

5. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 4, in which the said outer end edge merges with an arcuate section of the intermediate section, the minimum radius of curvature of the arcuate section being 10 mm.

6. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 5 or 6, in which the outer end edge of the web extends beyond a lateral edge of the intermediate portion and is merged with this lateral edge by way of a curved edge section whose minimum radius of curvature is at least 10 mm.

7. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, in which the said one edge is the front lateral edge.

8. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 4 to 7, in which the other lateral edge merges with a bent lip portion extending therealong.

9. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 2 to 8, in which the transverse flange has at least one hole in register with the screwthreaded bore of a nut rigidly fixed to the flange.

10. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, in which the minimum radius of curvature of the curved intermediate portion is at least 10 mm.

11. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, in which the curved intermediate portion includes a C-shaped curve.

12. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 11, in which the C-shaped curve is open downwards.

13. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 12, in which the intermediate portion additionally includes a C-shaped section which is open upwards.

14. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, in which the said second portion comprises an elongate flange which extends in a fore-and-aft direction.

15. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, in which the bracket body is made of sheet steel or of fibre reinforced plastics material.

16. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, in which the bracket body is in one piece.

17. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, in which the intermediate portion is hingeable about at least one hinge axis extending parallel to a generatrix.

18. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 17, in which the said generatrix is mid-way along a C-shaped section of the intermediate portion.

19. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 17 or 18, including spring means which act on parts of the bracket body lying on opposite sides of the said generatrix so as to urge the said parts to a given neutral position relative to each other.

20. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 19, in which the spring means comprises a coil spring coaxial with the hinge axis.

21. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, including an outwardly directed transverse cantilever portion connected to the said first portion and an inwardly directed transverse cantilever portion connected to the said second portion, the cantilever portions overlapping each other and being connected together so as to be relatively movable substantially only in the transverse direction.

22. A vehicle body jointing bracket as claimed in claim 21, including at least one friction-reducing insert interposed between the overlapping portions.

23. A vehicle body jointing bracket substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 to 5, Figure 6, Figure 7, or Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.

24. A vehicle body including a transverse member or bulkhead connected to respective sidewall members by respective brackets according to any preceding claim.