GB2373764A

GB2373764A - Vehicle grille secured by hook and loop fastening means

Info

Publication number: GB2373764A
Application number: GB0108040A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony George Shute
Original assignee: Lotus Cars Ltd
Current assignee: Lotus Cars Ltd
Priority date: 2001-03-30
Filing date: 2001-03-30
Publication date: 2002-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-30
Also published as: GB2373764B; GB0108040D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automobile having an aperture 11 in bodywork 10 through which air is admitted and a grille covering the aperture. The grille comprises a mesh fabric 14, such as nylon and/or open weave fabric, and the grille is secured in place by hook and loop fastening means 13,15. The hook and loop fastening means may be provided on a rearwardly extending lip 12 perpendicular to the plane of the grille such that forces applied to the central part of the grille give rise to tangential forces on the two joined parts of the hook and loop fastening means. There is also disclosed a method of providing such a vehicle grille arrangement.

Description

AN AUTOMOBILE WITH A NOVEL GRILLE ARRANGEMENT The present invention relates to an automobile having an aperture through which air is admitted and a grille covering the aperture.

Automobiles typically have apertures in their front bodywork allowing admittance of cooling air to a radiator for cooling water flowing in the engine's cooling system. Rear engined vehicles sometimes also have a pair of apertures as air ducts in side panels allowing flow of air to a rear engine compartment, e. g. to admit air to the intake system of the engine.

The apertures are typically covered by rigid grilles made of metal or plastic. These grilles are fixed in place by mechanical fasteners, e. g. screws. The fixing of the grilles can be a surprisingly complicated and therefore expensive process due to the need to provide fixing points in the vehicle bodywork surrounding the aperture. Problems of corrosion often arise in the region of the fixing points.

The present invention in a first arrangement provides an automobile having an aperture on bodywork thereof through which air is admitted and a grille covering the aperture, wherein the grille comprises a mesh fabric and the grille is secured in place by hook and loop fastening means.

The present invention in a second aspect provides a method of providing a grille in an aperture in bodywork of an automobile through which air is admitted, the method comprising securing mesh fabric to the bodywork of the automobile surrounding the aperture using hook and loop fastening means and

pulling a section of mesh fabric tau, across the aperture during securing of the mesh fabric in place.

The present invention in a third aspect provides a use of mesh fabric to form the grille of the automobile described above.

Mesh fabric and hook and loop fastening means together can provide a very cost-effective and easy way to assemble a grille arrangement for an automobile. The mesh fabric will typically comprise a sheet of cloth having a central portion which is pulled taut spanning the aperture when secured in place and an edge portion to which is affixed (e. g. by adhesive) a first part of the hook and loop fastening means. The first part of the hook and loop fastening means is engaged with a second part of the hook and loop fastening means which is affixed (e. g. by adhesive) to a surface of the vehicle bodywork surrounding the aperture. The bodywork can be formed without any special fastening provisions and then the second part of the hook and loop fastening means (typically a strip of material) is adhered in place and then the mesh fabric (with the previously adhered first part of the hook and loop fastening means) is simply fixed by pressing together the first and second parts of the hook and loop fastening means.

The two joined parts of hook and loop fastening are very resistant to shear forces acting to slide one part across the surface of the other, even though the two parts can be peeled apart easily. Thus it is preferable that the central portion of the sheet when pulled taut lies in a first plane and the first and second parts of the hook and loop fastening means

engage each other along a line of engagement generally perpendicular to the first plane. It is also preferable that first and second parts of the loop and hook fastening means are orientated in such a way that forces applied on the central part of the grille perpendicular to the central part give rise to tangential forces on the two joined parts of the hook and loop fastening means. Thus the grille can absorb impacts without detaching from the surrounding bodywork because the force of such impacts is resisted by the strong shear resistance of the joined parts of hook and loop fastening means.

Preferably, the aperture is defined in bodywork of the vehicle by a lip which extends rearwardly away from the exterior bodywork surface visible to the outside of the vehicle and the second part of the hook and loop fastening means is affixed to a surface of the lip which faces away from the aperture.

Preferably the mesh is a nylon fabric cloth and/or an open-weave fabric cloth.

The terms hook and loop fastening means should be understood throughout this specification (including the claims) to encompass similar types of fastenings such as mushroom and velour fastenings which comprise two strips of material which can be joined by simple physical engagement and which can be pulled apart easily but which are resistant to shear forces. Hook and loop fasteners which are suitable for the present invention are supplied under the trade mark VELCRO (RTM) An automobile having a novel grille arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the invention

will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a simple cross section through a grille arrangement according to the present invention.

In the Figure there can be seen a bonnet 10 of an automobile. The bonnet defines an aperture 11 through which air can be admitted, e. g. to cool a radiator of the automobile and/or for the air intake of an engine of the automobile. The aperture 11 is defined by a part of the bonnet 10 which has a lip 12 extending rearwardly away from the exterior surface of the bonnet and which runs around the periphery of the aperture. A strip 13 of hook and loop fastening material is adhered to the surface of the lip 12 which faces away from the aperture 11.

A sheet 14 of nylon open-weave mesh material can be seen in the figure. Around the periphery of the sheet 14 a strip 15 of hook and loop fastening material is affixed by adhesive. The sheet 14 is secured in place by engaging the strip 15 thereon with the strip 13 on the lip 12. A central part of sheet 14 is pulled taut across the aperture 11 the process of securing the sheet 14 in place and this central part forms the grille of the automobile.

From the Figure it will be seen that the two strips 13 and 15 of hook and loop fastening material abut each other along a line generally perpendicular to the plane in which the central part of the sheet lies. Thus, when the central part of the fabric is impacted by an object as the vehicle is driven then the force of the impact gives rise to tangential forces on the hook and loop fastening acting to slide

the strip 15 relative to strip 13 along the surface of strop 13. The two joined strips 13, 15 of hook and loop fastening material exhibit a great resistance to such tangential forces and thus the grille formed by sheet 14 can withstand impacts without separating from the bodywork of the automobile.

The material of the sheet is preferably a plastics material.

(RTM) The HYTRELI fabric of DuPont is a suitable fabric.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An automobile having an aperture in bodywork thereof through which air is admitted and a grille covering the aperture, wherein the grille comprises a mesh fabric and the grille is secured in place by hook and loop fastening means.
2. An automobile as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mesh fabric comprises a sheet having a central portion which is pulled taut spanning the aperture when secured in place and an edge portion to which is affixed a first part of the hook and loop fastening means, said first part of the hook and loop fastening means being engageable with and securable to a second part of the hook and loop fastening means which is affixed to a surface of the vehicle body surrounding the aperture.
3. An automobile as claimed in claim 2 wherein the central portion of the sheet when pulled taut lies in a first plane and the first and second parts of the hook and loop fastening means engage each other along a line of engagement generally perpendicular to the first plane.
4. An automobile as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the first and second parts of the hook and loop fastening means are orientated in such a way that forces applied on the central part of the grille perpendicular to the central part give rise to tangential forces on the two joined parts of the hook and loop fastening means.
5. An automobile as claimed in any one of claims 2

to 4 wherein the aperture is defined in the bodywork of the vehicle by a lip which extends rearwardly away from the exterior bodywork surface which is visible to the outside of the vehicle and wherein the second part of the hook and loop fastening means is affixed to a surface of the lip which faces away from the aperture.
6. An automobile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the mesh fabric is a nylon fabric.
7. An automobile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the mesh fabric is an open-weave fabric.
8. A method of providing a grille in an aperture in bodywork of an automobile through which air is admitted, the method comprising securing mesh fabric to the bodywork of the automobile surrounding the aperture using hook and loop fastening means and pulling a central part of the mesh fabric taut across the aperture during securing of the mesh fabric in place.
9. Use of a mesh fabric to form the grille of the automobile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.
10. An automobile as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

: 283947