RU2811746C2 - Vehicle sidewall structural frame - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: structural sidewalls.

SUBSTANCE: method for manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of a vehicle sidewall is proposed. The method includes providing a plurality of blanks, joining the blanks to each other to form a composite blank, wherein connecting the blanks includes forming one or more overlapping regions formed by the partial overlap of two blanks, and deforming the composite blank to form an integral sidewall structural frame. A one-piece structural sidewall frame is also proposed.

EFFECT: increased strength of the integral sidewall structural frame.

13 cl, 13 dwg

Description

This application claims benefit and priority to application EP 18,382,467.1, filed June 25, 2018.

The present invention relates to vehicle side structural frames and methods for manufacturing vehicle side structural frames.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Vehicles, such as cars, contain a supporting frame configured to withstand all loads to which the vehicle may be subjected during its service life. The supporting frame is further configured to withstand and absorb dynamic impacts, such as in the event of collisions with other vehicles or obstacles.

The supporting frame of a vehicle, for example a car, in this sense may comprise, for example, bumpers, pillars (A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar, C-pillar station wagon), side impact protection beams, body sills or door sills, body door pillars and shock absorbers. The sidewall structural frame mainly includes a body sill panel, a door pillar, a front pillar and a center pillar. The sidewall structural frame may further comprise a C-pillar and a C-pillar of the station wagon.

In some examples, the sidewall structural frame may be formed by connecting a plurality of structural parts around the door. For example, by connecting the lower portion of a pre-stamped B-pillar to a pre-stamped body sill and the upper portion thereof to a pre-stamped A-pillar and/or C-pillar; and a lower portion of a pre-stamped door pillar with a body sill and an upper portion thereof with an A-pillar and/or a C-pillar.

Such structural elements can be formed by one or more plates connected to each other. For example, the B-pillar may be formed by a central reinforcing B-pillar, an inner plate, and some examples of an outer plate. The central reinforcing plate, the inner plate and the outer plate can be connected at their side edges. The B-pillar, A-pillar, C-pillar and other structural members may be supplied to the vehicle manufacturer, for example by the same or different suppliers, for joining to form the sidewall structural frame.

In other examples, the sidewall structural frame may be constructed as a single piece and then supplied to the vehicle manufacturer. According to this aspect, the sidewall structural frame can be formed by joining different blanks, for example by welding, to form a composite blank and further shaping the composite blank, for example by hot stamping or cold stamping.

An example of a one-piece structural side frame of this type and a method for its manufacture can be found in US 2006/0097549 A1. Described herein is a side panel for an automobile that includes a lower door sill member, a roof panel portion, and a plurality of body pillars extending between the door sill member and the roof panel portion. Herein, the door sill member with the body pillars and the roof panel portion forms a one-piece sheet metal structure made of high strength steel and has at least one area that is partially hardened and that is subject to increased stress in the event of a vehicle collision.

The various weldments to form a composite workpiece and further shape the composite workpiece are commonly referred to as a custom weldment blank (TWB). Workpieces of different thicknesses, sizes, materials and properties can be joined to form a composite workpiece to minimize component mass while still meeting design requirements. These workpieces are butt welded (“butt joint”).

These so-called thin-sheet welded composite blanks are primarily designed for hot stamping and subsequent fabrication to form automotive components, such as the sidewall structural frame. In other cases, such composite blanks may be designed for cold forming. Hot forming with cold die quenching (HFDQ) uses boron steel sheets to create stamped components with ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) properties, with a tensile strength of at least 1000 MPa, preferably approximately 1500 MPa, or up to 2000 MPa or more.

An example of a steel used in hot stamping processes is 22MnB5 steel. 22MnB5 steel is supplied in the ferrite-pearlite phase. Mechanical properties are associated with this structure. After heating, the workpiece is hot stamped, then it can be hardened. This process is known as press hardening. A predominantly martensitic microstructure can be obtained by this process. As a result, the tensile strength and yield strength are significantly increased.

An example of 22MnB5 steel is Usibor ^® 1500P. The composition of Usibor ^® is given below in mass fractions (the rest is iron (Fe) and inevitable impurities):

C Si Mn P S Cr Ti B N 0.24 0.27 1.14 0.015 0.001 0.17 0.036 0.003 0.004

Usibor ^® 1500P can have a yield strength of, for example, 1100 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of 1500 MPa.

Usibor ^® 2000 is another boron steel with even higher strength. The yield strength of Usibor ^® 2000 can be 1400 MPa or more, and the ultimate tensile strength can be higher than 1800 MPa. The composition of Usibor ^® 2000 contains in mass fractions: a maximum of 0.37% carbon, a maximum of 1.4% manganese, a maximum of 0.7% silicon and a maximum of 0.005% boron.

Various other UHSS steel compositions may also be used in the automotive industry. In particular, the steel compositions described in EP 2735620 A1 can be considered suitable. Specific reference may be made to Table 1 and paragraphs 0016 to 0021 of EP 2735620 A1, as well as to the ideas in paragraphs 0067 to 0079.

In some examples, UHSS preforms may contain, by weight, approximately 0.22% carbon, 1.2% silicon, and 2.2% manganese.

In some examples, UHSS preforms may contain, by weight, 0.17–0.23% carbon, a maximum of 2.5% manganese, a maximum of 0.5% silicon, and 0.002–0.005% boron.

Another material used in hot stamping is Ductibor ^® 500. Ductibor ^® 500 is a steel material with much greater ductility, which can effectively absorb energy during dynamic impact. The yield strength of Ductibor ^® 500 can be 400 MPa or more, and the ultimate tensile strength can be 550 MPa or more.

The composition of Ductibor ^® 500 contains a maximum of 0.1% carbon, a maximum of 1.3% manganese, a maximum of 0.5% silicon and a maximum of 0.001% boron.

Ductibor ^® 1000 is another material used in hot stamping to improve elongation compared to Usibor ^® 1500 and Usibor ^® 2000. The yield strength of Ductibor ^® 1000 can be 800 MPa or more and the ultimate tensile strength can be 1000 MPa or more . The composition of Ductibor ^® 1000 contains a maximum of 0.12% carbon, a maximum of 2% manganese, a maximum of 0.75% silicon and a maximum of 0.005% boron.

To avoid decarburization and scale formation during the stamping process and to prevent damage due to corrosion and oxidation, steel in any of these compositions (e.g. 22MnB5 steel, such as ^Usibor® and other compositions shown or mentioned above) contains a coating . This coating may be, for example, an aluminum-silicon (AlSi) coating or a coating containing primarily zinc or a zinc alloy.

However, aluminum-silicon coating has a significant disadvantage related to its welding characteristics. If aluminum-silicon coated workpieces are welded to form a custom welded blank (TWB) without any additional measures, the aluminum of the coating may penetrate into the weld area and this may result in significant deterioration of the mechanical properties of the resulting component and an increased likelihood of cracking in the area weld seam.

A known solution to this problem is to remove, for example by laser ablation, part of the coating in the area adjacent to the welding zone. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires an additional step to produce (composite or combined) blanks and components and, despite the repetitive nature of the process, this additional step requires a complex quality assurance process that increases the number of parts to be disposed of as scrap metal. This leads to increased costs at the welding stage and limits the competitiveness of the technology in industry.

Recently, other methods have been developed to avoid the coating ablation step. However, such methods require the use of additional powders or wires to neutralize the presence of aluminum around the entire perimeter of the welding zone.

After stamping the integral sidewall structural frame, said integral sidewall structural frame may be connected, for example welded, to the remaining parts of the vehicle's supporting frame, for example, the inner plates of at least one of: A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar, door pillar body and body sill. For example, the lower portion of the integral sidewall structural frame may be coupled to the lower edge of the inner sill plate, and the upper portion of the integral sidewall structural frame may be coupled to the upper edge of the inner plate of the A-pillar and/or the C-pillar. The integral sidewall structural frame formed in this manner may therefore correspond to an "outer" panel, which may be complementary to the A-pillar inner plate, the B-pillar inner plate, the C-pillar inner plate, the door pillar inner plate and/or the inner plate body threshold.

However, with this method, some sections of the A-pillar are not completely closed. The lower edge of the A-pillar inner panel and the one-piece sidewall structural frame do not fit together along its entire length, meaning there is a gap in some sections of the A-pillar. It can occur in the area of the A-pillar located substantially behind the B-pillar, in particular behind the central part of the B-pillar, i.e. in the area that corresponds to the U-shaped section of the B-pillar. Likewise, the top edges of the inner sill panel and the side frame structural frame do not touch throughout the entire length of the sill. This may occur in the sill area located substantially behind the B-pillar and/or door pillar, and therefore some sections of the sill may also not be completely closed.

In accordance with these aspects, there are several sections of the A-pillar and/or rocker panel that are not completely closed, i.e., they do not form a closed section with their corresponding inner plate. Therefore, such sections may have lower strength compared to solutions in which the inner and outer panel are welded through both the upper and lower edges along its entire length, i.e. in which the body pillars and sill are first formed and then combined with the remaining parts of the supporting frame of the vehicle. This lower strength section may result in poor vehicle strength in the event of a collision. However, in order to ensure good performance of the side structural frame compared to the door, and taking into account the characteristics of the geometric environment of the side structural frame, it may be difficult to ensure that the sections between the side structural frame and the inner plate (or plates) are completely closed along the length of the entire part and at the same time at the same time ensuring, for example, the appropriate position of the rubber seals of the sidewall structural frame.

The present invention provides examples of systems and methods that at least partially overcome some of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, a method for manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of a vehicle side is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of blanks, connecting the blanks to each other to form a composite blank, wherein connecting the blanks includes forming one or more overlapping regions formed by the partial overlap of at least two blanks, deforming the composite blank to form an integral sidewall structural frame, and wherein the integral structural frame the side frame includes a lower beam portion and an upper beam portion, a front body pillar portion connecting the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion, and a rear body pillar portion connecting the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion.

According to this aspect, the thickness of some areas of the integral sidewall structural frame is increased and thus the strength of the integral sidewall structural frame may also be increased. Increasing the thickness in one or more overlapping areas can reduce the overall mass of the integral sidewall structural frame and the number of weld lines, compared to solutions that increase the overall thickness of one of the blanks, since the overlap can be more precisely located in the required areas.

As used herein, partial overlap of two blanks means that only a portion of the two blanks overlaps.

Part of the lower beam may be part of the body sill. A portion of the top beam may extend parallel to the roof of the vehicle. The front and rear portions of the body pillars may extend substantially vertically from the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion. Thus, the integral sidewall structural frame may define door openings: a front door opening, and/or a rear door opening, and/or a door opening comprising both a rear door opening and a front door opening. Such a one-piece structural side frame may also be referred to as a “one-piece doorway” or “one-piece doorway”.

In the present invention, the body sill, A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar and door pillar are understood as follows. A body sill or door sill is a component located in a substantially horizontal direction and extending under the door opening(s) from the rear to the front of the vehicle. The B-pillar is a vertically positioned component that extends from the floor to the roof of the vehicle. The B-pillars are located in the center of the vehicle and primarily separate the front door opening and the rear door opening. The door pillar is a vertical housing that essentially extends from the floor to the engine hood or windshield of the vehicle. Front door hinges are usually installed on the body door pillars. The A-pillar is an arcuate housing that extends substantially parallel to a portion of the roof panel and a portion of the front windshield in the upper region of the door opening. The A-pillar extends from the top of the B-pillar to the top of the door pillar. In some configurations, the A-pillar may extend beyond the B-pillar. The C-pillar is a structure behind the vehicle's rear door that extends upward from a portion of the body sill. In some examples, the C-pillar may extend from the sill in a substantially vertical direction to the A-pillar (where the A-pillar extends beyond the B-pillar). In other examples, the C-pillar may include one substantially vertical portion and an arcuate member that extends substantially parallel to the roof panel portion and the upper area of the rear door opening until intersecting with the B-pillar.

In some examples, the B-pillar, A-pillar, door pillar, and sill may define the door frame. In this way, a one-piece side frame structural frame for the front door opening can be formed.

In other examples, a one-piece sidewall structural frame may be formed by connecting the lower portion of the B-pillar to the body sill, the upper portion thereof to the lower portion of the C-pillar, and the lower portion of the C-pillar to the sill so as to form a frame for the rear door opening .

In additional examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may span both the front and rear door openings of the vehicle. In these examples, the rocker panel may be connected to the door pillar and the C-pillar, while the A-pillar may be connected to the door pillar and the C-pillar. In some of these examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may further comprise a B-pillar.

In all of these examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may be an outer frame. In this way, the integral outer sidewall structural frame can be connected to the rest of the vehicle structure. Alternatively, the integral sidewall structural frame may be an inner frame. Such a one-piece inner frame can be connected to an outer frame.

When the sidewall structural frame is formed as a one-piece structure, the boundaries between the various posts are less clear precisely because it is a one-piece structure. Thus, reference is made herein to "parts" of the B-pillar, "parts" of the A-pillar, "parts" of the C-pillar, etc., to designate parts of the integral structure that can be considered to form the B-pillar , A-pillar, C-pillar, etc.

The transition region between the beam portion and the pillar portion is the region in which the pillar portions intersect with the beam portion, or in other words, the region transitioning from a substantially horizontal body to a substantially vertical body.

Therefore, the transition region between the B-pillar portion and the sill portion is the region in which the B-pillar portion intersects with the sill portion, ie, the region transitioning from a substantially horizontal body to a substantially vertical body. Similarly, a transition portion between the A-pillar and B-pillar parts, a transition portion between the A-pillar and door pillar portions, and a transition portion between the door pillar and sill portions can be defined. Similarly, a transition portion between parts of the C-pillar and the A-pillar, a transition portion between portions of the C-pillar and the B-pillar, and a transition portion between portions of the C-pillar and the sill may be defined.

One or more overlapping regions may be positioned to counteract the amount of material deformation and therefore increase the strength that may be observed in some sections of the integral sidewall structural frame, compared to solutions in which the structural members are first formed and then joined to forming a structural frame of the sidewall.

In some examples, at least one of the overlapping region(s) may substantially correspond to a transition portion between a beam portion, such as a lower or upper beam portion, and a body pillar portion, such as a front or rear portion of a solid body pillar structural frame. This means that one overlapping region may correspond to a transition portion between a rear pillar portion, such as a B-pillar portion or a C-pillar portion, and a lower beam portion, such as a sill portion; or the transition area between the rear part of the body pillar and part of the upper beam; or a transition portion between the front part of the body pillar, for example, the door pillar and the B-pillar, and the lower beam part, or between the front part of the body pillar and the upper beam part.

As an alternative or additional option, the floor may be located in areas where increased loads are expected. For example, the floor may be located within a beam portion and/or a post portion. In some of these examples, at least one of the overlapping regions may be located within a portion of the upper beam, such as within a portion of the A-pillar or within a portion of the C-pillar.

In some examples, joining the workpieces to each other may include welding the workpieces to each other in an overlapping area. By connecting the workpieces to each other in an overlapping area, there may be no need to remove part of the coating in the area adjacent to the weld zone or to use powder or wire materials. Consequently, the efficiency of the production process can be increased and, therefore, costs can be reduced. Optionally, welding of these workpieces may include spot welding. Other examples may use alternative welding technologies, such as remote laser welding. In additional examples, the workpieces may be joined using other suitable methods, such as adhesive.

In some examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may be a front frame. In these examples, the lower beam portion may include a rocker panel portion, the upper beam portion may include a B-pillar portion, the front B-pillar portion may include a door pillar portion, and the rear B-pillar portion may include a B-pillar portion.

One or more overlapping regions may be located in an area of the integral side structural frame that is subject to increased loads in the event of a side impact, such as the transition region between the B-pillar and the sill and/or the transition region between the B-pillar and the A-pillar.

In some of these examples, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition region between the sill portion and the B-pillar portion, ie, the transition region from a substantially horizontal arrangement to a substantially vertical arrangement. Thus, the loss of strength caused by the gap formed between the inner sill plate and the lower section of the U-shaped B-pillar section can be compensated by the increase in thickness provided by the overlapping region. Thus, the strength of the integral structural frame portion of the sidewall extending from the sill portion to the B-pillar portion is increased.

Alternatively or additionally, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the B-pillar portion and the A-pillar portion. As a result, the strength of the integral structural frame portion of the sidewall extending from the B-pillar portion to the A-pillar portion is increased.

In some examples, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the A-pillar portion and the door pillar portion. Such an overlapping area may provide additional rigidity to the structural frame, particularly in the portion extending from the hinge portion to the A-pillar portion.

One of the overlapping regions may also substantially correspond to a transition portion between the body sill portion and the hinge portion.

As an additional or alternative option, one of the overlapping areas may be located within a portion of the A-pillar.

The integral sidewall structural frame may comprise multiple overlapping regions. For example, a B-pillar portion may comprise one overlapping region located on its lower portion, i.e., in a transition region between the sill portion and the B-pillar portion, and another overlapping region located on its upper portion, i.e. in the transition area between the B-pillar and the A-pillar. In this way, the rigidity of part of the B-pillar and therefore of the entire integral sidewall structural frame can be increased.

In some other examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may be a rear frame. In these examples, the front B-pillar portion may include a B-pillar portion, the lower beam portion may include a bed sill portion, the upper beam portion, and the rear B-pillar portion may include a C-pillar portion extending from the bed sill portion to the B-pillar portion.

In some of these examples, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the sill portion and the B-pillar portion.

Alternatively or additionally, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the B-pillar portion and the C-pillar portion.

In further examples, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the C-pillar portion and the sill portion.

In some other examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may be a frame surrounding a separate opening for both the front and rear doors of the vehicle. In these examples, the lower beam portion may include a rocker panel portion, the front pillar portion may include a door pillar portion, the rear pillar portion may include a rear pillar portion, and the upper pillar portion may include a portion of the A-pillar portion. Thus, the A-pillar portion may extend from the door pillar portion to the C-pillar portion, and the C-pillar portion may extend from the sill portion to the A-pillar portion.

As used herein, the B-pillar-sill overlapping region refers to the overlapping region substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition portion between the B-pillar and sill portions; A-pillar-B-pillar overlapping area means an overlapping area substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition portion between parts of the A-pillar and B-pillar; A-pillar hinge overlapping area means an overlapping area substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition area between parts of the A-pillar and the door pillar; By the overlapping area of the hinge-body sill we mean the overlapping area substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition area between the parts of the body door pillar and the body sill; by the C-pillar-sill overlapping area is meant the overlapping region substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition area between the C-pillar and the body sill parts; By C-pillar-B-pillar overlapping area is meant an overlapping area substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition portion between parts of the C-pillar and the B-pillar; by the C-pillar-A-pillar overlapping area is meant an overlapping area substantially corresponding to or provided in the transition portion between the parts of the C-pillar and the A-pillar; B-pillar overlapping area means the overlapping area located inside the B-pillar portion, A-pillar overlapping area means the overlapping area located inside the A-pillar portion, and C-pillar overlapping area means the overlapping area located inside the C-pillar portion. .

In this specification, the length of the overlapping region is understood to mean the distance along the longitudinal axis of the parts of the beam that are part of the overlapping region, for example, part of the A-pillar or the body sill. The longitudinal axis of the beam parts that are part of the overlapping region may correspond to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, ie from the rear to the front. The height of the overlapping area is substantially perpendicular to its length and is understood to mean the distance along the longitudinal axis of the front or rear pillar portions that are part of the overlapping area, for example, the longitudinal axis of a portion of the B-pillar, or the door pillar, or the C-pillar. The height of the overlapping areas may substantially correspond to the vertical axis of the vehicle, ie from the floor to the roof. The length and/or height of the overlapping region may vary along the overlapping region.

The overlapping B-pillar-sill area may have a length (distance along the longitudinal axis of the body sill) from 20 to 600 mm, preferably from 100 to 500 mm, and more preferably from 200 to 400 mm, and a height (distance along the longitudinal axis of the B-pillar body) may range from 20 to 600 mm, preferably from 100 to 500 mm, and more preferably from 200 to 400 mm. The C-pillar-sill overlap region, the hinge-sill overlap region, and the A-pillar-B-pillar overlap region may have a size similar to the B-pillar-sill overlap region.

The length of the overlapping area of the A-pillar hinge (distance along the longitudinal axis of the A-pillar portion) may be in the range of 20 to 600 mm, preferably 40 to 400 mm, and the height (distance along the longitudinal axis of the A-pillar portion) may be in the range of ranging from 20 to 600 mm, preferably from 40 to 300 mm. The length and height of the C-pillar-A-pillar overlapping area (the distance along the longitudinal axis of the door pillar portion) and its height (the distance along the longitudinal axis of the door-pillar portion) may be similar to the length and height of the A-pillar-hinge overlapping area.

The overlapping area of the A-pillar may have a length (distance along the longitudinal axis of the A-pillar portion) of 20 to 600 mm, preferably 40 to 400 mm, and a height (distance perpendicular to the length) of 20 to 600 mm, preferably 40 to 400 mm .

The overlapping area of the B-pillar may have a height (distance along the longitudinal axis of the B-pillar portion) from 20 to 600 mm, preferably from 40 to 300 mm, and a length (distance perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the B-pillar portion) from 20 to 400 mm, preferably from 40 to 200 mm.

The overlapping area of the C-pillar may have a length (distance along the longitudinal axis of the C-pillar portion) of 20 to 600 mm, preferably 40 to 300 mm, and a height (distance perpendicular to the length) of 20 to 400 mm, preferably 40 to 200 mm.

A one-piece structural frame of the sidewall is formed by connecting multiple blanks. At least two workpieces are connected to each other by one of the overlapping regions. Thus, the integral sidewall structural frame may comprise at least two blanks, for example four blanks.

In some examples, the parts may contain more than one blank. For example, part of the B-pillar may be formed by two or three blanks.

The integral sidewall structural frame may comprise connections between at least two pieces having an overlapping area. Joints with an overlapping area between two workpieces can be welded using spot welding or other welding or joining techniques. Welding two workpieces in an overlapping area to form a complete sidewall structural frame can improve the productivity of the welding process. In this way, it is possible to avoid spatial gaps between the workpieces formed when the workpieces are not welded throughout the overlapping area, for example, in a butt welding configuration. Accordingly, connections with an overlapping region can help compensate for different workpiece tolerances.

In some examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may include joints between two workpieces with an overlapping area and other joints having a butt configuration, such as a butt joint without a bevel.

In some examples, deforming the composite blank to form an integral sidewall structural frame involves hot stamping the composite blank. At least some of the workpieces may be made of high strength steels (UHSS). Suitable UHSS may be boron steel, such as 22MnB5, or other steel compositions listed or mentioned above. These blanks, for example boron steel blanks, may contain an aluminum-silicon coating or a zinc coating.

In some examples, when producing a one-piece sidewall structural frame, hot stamping may involve heating the composite blank above the austenitizing temperature, cooling the composite blank to a temperature of, for example, 400°C to 600°C, and then stamping the composite blank. In some examples, stamping may include two or more stamping steps. These stamping steps may include, for example, forming, trimming or machining and may be performed on a separate multi-stage press. Examples of stamping comprising two or more stamping steps can be found in US 9492859 B2 or WO 2016142367 A1.

Alternatively, the composite workpiece can be deformed by cold forming. To form a one-piece structural side frame using the cold forming method, high-strength steel grades or ultra-high-strength steel grades can be used.

The plurality of blanks that form the composite component may contain different materials and/or have different thicknesses. For example, Usibor ^® blanks (eg Usibor ^® 1500 or Usibor ^® 2000) and Ductibor ^® blanks or parts of blanks (eg Ductibor ^® 500 or Ductibor ^® 1000) can be used. The use of these types of materials in hot stamping processes results in a predominantly martensitic structure in Usibor ^® parts and a predominantly ferrite-pearlite structure in Ductibor ^® parts. In accordance with these aspects, the characteristics of the integral sidewall structural frame can be specially specified.

In a further aspect, there is provided a one-piece sidewall structural frame produced by a method according to any of the examples described herein.

In some examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may contain regions of varying tensile strength in accordance with any of the examples described herein. In some of these examples, regions with different tensile strengths may have different microstructures.

In some examples, at least one of the blanks may contain regions with different tensile strengths. The workpiece may consist of two different materials having different tensile strengths. Accordingly, the ductility of regions with lower tensile strength is higher, and therefore energy absorption during a collision can be increased.

Alternatively, these regions of different tensile strength may have different microstructures. Various microstructures can be created within the hot-formed one-piece sidewall structural frame. These different microstructures can be created by heating the composite preform above the austenitizing temperature and then controlling the cooling of the composite preform while molding the composite preform to form the sidewall structural frame. The cooling of different areas of the composite workpiece can be controlled by providing heaters to the areas of the stamping tool. Accordingly, the integral sidewall structural frame contains zones with a predominantly martensitic structure and zones containing ferrite, pearlite or bainite or a mixture thereof. Alternatively, a different microstructure may be created by partially heating, for example using a laser beam, a portion of the integral sidewall structural frame that has been press hardened to change the essentially martensitic structure to one containing ferrite and/or pearlite and/or or bainite and/or tempered martensite and a mixture thereof. The tensile strength of the mainly martensitic structure may be greater than 1400 MPa and preferably greater than 1500 MPa, and the tensile strength of lower tensile strength regions may be less than 1000 MPa, preferably less than 800 MPa, e.g. 800 MPa to 500 MPa.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an example of a one-piece structural frame of a vehicle side in accordance with the prior art.

Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view along line A-A' of the integral sidewall structural frame shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view along line A-A' of the integral sidewall structural frame shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the composite preform before being deformed to form the integral sidewall structural frame shown in Figure 3.

Figure 6A shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

Figure 6B shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

Figure 7 shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

Figures 8A-8B show examples of one-piece sidewall structural frames connected to the A-pillar plate and the body sill plate.

Figure 9 shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

Figure 10 shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

Figure 11 shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES

In these figures, like reference numerals are used to designate matching elements.

Figure 1 shows an example of a one-piece structural frame 1 of a vehicle side in accordance with the prior art. Structural frame 1 of the sidewall contains part 3 of the body sill, part 5 of the front body pillar, part 4 of the door pillar of the body, connecting part 3 of the body sill with part 5 of the front body pillar, and part 2 of the middle body pillar, connecting part 3 of the body sill with part 5 of the front body pillars. Part 4 of the door pillar is located at the front of the vehicle, while the B-pillar is located in the central part relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

The sidewall structural frame 1 is made of two blanks, the first blank 10 and the second blank 20. The blanks are connected to each other by welding along laser welding lines 19. The workpieces are butt welded, for example, a butt joint without beveling the edges. The blanks are first welded to form a composite blank, and then the composite blank is deformed to form the integral sidewall structural frame 1. Thus, the first blank 10 and the second blank 20 were pre-assembled and then simultaneously deformed during the combined stamping process.

Although not shown in Figure 1, it should be understood that the integral sidewall structural frame 1 is connected to the remaining members of the vehicle's load-bearing frame. In Figure 1, the body sill part 3 is connected to the vehicle body sill inner plate (not shown in Figure 1), and the A-pillar part 5 is connected to the vehicle A-pillar inner plate (not shown in Figure 1).

Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view along line A-A' of the one-piece sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 1, containing the inner plates of the body sill and the A-pillar. The one-piece structural frame 1 of the sidewall is connected to the inner plate 70 of the front pillar of the body and the inner plate 60 of the body sill.

The A-pillar inner plate 70 includes a lower edge 71 and an upper edge 72. The integral sidewall structural frame, in particular the A-pillar part 5, is connected to the A-pillar inner plate 70 via an upper edge 72. As described above, the A-pillar lower edge 71 the body does not completely adhere to part 5 of the front body pillar of the side wall structural frame 1, i.e. there is a gap between the lower edge 71 and the side wall structural frame 1. Such a gap in the event of a collision may represent a weak point in terms of the strength characteristics of the structure.

The inner body sill plate 60 includes a lower edge 61 and an upper edge 62. The side frame structural frame is connected to the inner body sill plate 60 through the lower edge 61. Similar to the connection of the A-pillar inner plate 70 with the A-pillar part 5, the inner body sill plate 60 is not completely adjacent to part 3 of the body sill of structural frame 1 of the sidewall. This gap may also represent a structural weakness.

The blanks of the integral sidewall structural frame shown in Figures 1 and 2 are butt welded and therefore no overlapping areas are formed.

Figure 3 shows an example of a one-piece sidewall structural frame 1 for a vehicle. In this example, the sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 3 is the front frame. The side frame structural frame has a one-piece structure, wherein the lower beam part includes a body sill part 3, the upper beam part contains an A-pillar part 5, the front beam part contains a door body pillar part 4 connecting the body sill part 3 with an A-pillar part 5, and the rear beam part contains the B-pillar part 2, which connects the body sill part 3 with the A-pillar part 5. The B-pillar portion may comprise a U-shaped section with two side edges.

The integral sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 3 is made of two blanks, the first blank 10 and the second blank 20, connected to each other to form a composite blank, which is deformed to form the integral sidewall structural frame 1. The first workpiece 10 and the second workpiece partially overlap in the overlapping region 11, i.e., only part of the first workpiece and part of the second workpiece overlap.

In the example of Figure 3, the first workpiece 10 and the second workpiece 20 are spot welded throughout the overlapping region 11. In this particular example, the overlapping region 11 is located at the bottom of the first workpiece 10. The upper portion of the first workpiece 10 may be welded by laser welding with the second workpiece 20 along the entire laser welding line 19. Laser welding the top of the first workpiece 10 to the second workpiece 20 may include the step of removing the coating of the workpieces or using a powder or wire to neutralize the effect of the coating. Other methods may be used to counteract the negative effects of the coating in these non-overlapping joints, such as generating a laser beam applied to the weld zone or using a magnetic field in the weld zone to mix the coating and the base material of the workpieces.

In this example, one blank, first blank 10, may contain at least a portion of the B-pillar part 2, and another blank may contain the remaining portions of the sidewall structural frame, for example, the second blank 20 may contain at least a portion of the body sill hinge part 3 parts 4 and parts 5 of the A-pillar. Thus, the first blank, substantially corresponding to the B-pillar, may have a substantially oblong shape. This shape can help optimize the use of material in rolls to form blanks and minimize metal waste.

In this example, the overlapping region 11 may be substantially located in the transition region between the body sill part 3 and the B-pillar part 2. By this, an overlapping area is formed, which may be referred to as the B-pillar-sill overlapping area 11 .

In further examples, one or more overlapping regions may optionally or alternatively be located in other portions of the integral sidewall structural frame.

Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view along line A-A' of the one-piece sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 3. The sidewall structural frame 1 is connected to the A-pillar inner plate 70 and the body sill inner plate 60. The sidewall structural frame is connected to the inner body sill plate 60 by means of a lower edge 61. As the thickness of the sidewall structural frame in the overlapping region 11 increases, the overlapping region 11 can provide sufficient rigidity to the integral sidewall structural frame to at least counteract the negative structural impact of an incompletely adjacent inner plate 60 of the body sill and part 3 of the body sill of the structural frame 1 of the sidewall.

Figure 5 shows the composite blank before being deformed to form the sidewall structural frame shown in Figure 3. The composite blank 100 is made by joining two blanks, a first blank 10 to a second blank 20. The first blank 10 and the second blank 20 partially overlap in an overlapping region 11. In this example, the top of the first workpiece 10 is laser butt welded to the second workpiece 20 along the entire laser welding line 19 . After connecting the blanks to each other, a composite blank 100 is formed, and then the composite blank is deformed to form an integral sidewall structural frame, as shown in Figure 3 .

Deformation may involve hot stamping, i.e. heating the composite billet in a furnace, possibly above the austenitizing temperature, in particular above Ac3. After heating in the oven, the blank can be transferred to a press where the blank is deformed to obtain the final shape of the sidewall structural frame. During and immediately after stamping, hardening can be performed. In particular, quenching may involve cooling above a critical cooling rate so as to produce a martensitic microstructure. In some examples, hardening may be eliminated in selected portions of the sidewall structural frame.

Figure 6A shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame 1 . The one-piece sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 6A is a front frame and is made from four pieces. Each of the blanks may comprise at least a portion of one of the following: A-pillar portion 5, B-pillar portion 2, door pillar portion 4, and sill portion 3. For example, the first workpiece 10 may be attached to a second workpiece 20 and a third workpiece 30, while a fourth workpiece 40 may be attached to a second workpiece 20 and a third workpiece 30 on the opposite side. In Figure 6A, the first blank 10 may comprise at least a portion or all of the B-pillar portion 2, the second blank 20 may comprise at least a portion of the body sill portion 3, the third blank 30 may contain at least a portion of the A-pillar portion, and optionally , the entire A-pillar portion, and the fourth blank 40 may comprise at least a portion of the door pillar portion 4.

In these examples, the integral side frame may comprise two or more overlapping regions. For example, one overlapping region 11 corresponds to or is provided in the transition region between the body sill part 3 and the B-pillar part 2. The overlapping region may be referred to as the B-pillar-sill overlapping region 11. The one-piece sidewall structural frame may further comprise an A-pillar-door pillar overlapping area 13 corresponding to or provided in a transition portion between the A-pillar and the door pillar.

Workpieces connected throughout the overlapping areas can be welded by spot welding. Other workpieces, i.e., workpieces joined without overlapping areas between them, can be welded to each other along the weld lines 19.

The overlapping area 11 of the B-pillar - body sill may have a length (distance along the longitudinal axis of the body sill) similar to the width, i.e. from one side edge to the other, of part of the B-pillar and height (distance along the longitudinal axis of the B-pillar) , similar to the height of part 3 of the body sill, i.e. from the lower edge to the upper edge of the body sill part. In other examples, the height of the B-pillar-body sill overlapping region 11 may be less than the height of the body sill portion.

The overlapping area 13 of the A-pillar hinge may have a length similar to the width of the door pillar portion.

In some examples, in the event of a collision, the area extending from the door pillar to the A-pillar may be subject to increased stress. As the thickness of the third overlapping region increases, the stiffness of that region increases.

Figure 6B shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame 1 similar to the example illustrated in Figure 6A. The sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 6B contains a first blank 10 having a B-pillar part 2 and is connected in the overlapping B-pillar-sill region 11 to the second blank 20 and in the overlapping A-pillar-B-pillar region 12 with the third blank 30. In this figure, the second blank 20 contains part 3 of the body sill and is also connected to the fourth blank 40 throughout the overlapping hinge area 14 - the body sill. A fourth blank 40, which may include a hinge portion 4, may also be connected to a third blank in an overlapping A-pillar hinge region 13. In this example, the third blank 30 contains part of the A-pillar piece 5. Thus, in Figure 6B, the integral structural frame 1 of the sidewall is formed by four blanks.

In additional examples, the integral sidewall structural frame may be formed by additional blanks. These additional workpieces may be connected to each other or to any of the above workpieces by an overlapping area or butt weld line.

Figure 7 shows another example of a one-piece vehicle side structural frame 1 similar to the example illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B. In figure 7, the structural frame 1 of the sidewall contains an overlapping area 11 of the B-pillar - the body sill, in which the first workpiece 10 and the second workpiece 20 partially overlap, and an overlapping area 12 of the front pillar - the B-pillar, in which the first workpiece 10 and the second workpiece partially overlap third blank 30.

In Figure 7, the overlapping area 11 of the B-pillar - body sill has a length corresponding to the width of part 2 of the B-pillar in its lower part, and a height corresponding to half the height of part 3 of the body sill. According to this aspect, the first blank 10 does not completely cover the height of the body sill part 3. Likewise, the A-pillar-B-pillar overlapping area 12 may have a length corresponding to the width of the B-pillar portion 2 at its top and a height corresponding to half the height of the A-pillar portion 5. In other examples, the shape of the overlapping regions may be adapted to the shape of the sidewall structural frame and/or the strength characteristics of the vehicle.

In these examples, the fourth workpiece 4 is welded to the third workpiece 3 and the second workpiece 5 along the entire weld lines 19. Alternatively, these connections can be made by partially overlapping these blanks in accordance with any of the examples described herein.

The integral sidewall structural frame may include regions with different mechanical properties to control deformation of the integral sidewall structural frame or an increase in energy absorbed by the sidewall structural frame in the event of a collision, while at least maintaining the overall strength of the sidewall structural frame.

The one-piece sidewall structural frame 1 shown in Figure 7 could be deformed by hot stamping and then hardened. The one-piece sidewall structural frame shown in Figure 7 is made from four aluminum-silicon coated boron steel blanks. After press hardening, the sidewall structural frame has a predominant essentially martensitic microstructure with a tensile strength in excess of 1400 MPa. However, the first sidewall structural frame blank 10 contains an area 25 with low tensile strength. This low tensile strength region 25 has a different microstructure compared to the martensitic structure. Such low strength region 25 may contain ferrite and/or bainite and/or pearlite and/or tempered martensite and/or a mixture thereof. Accordingly, the tensile strength of the low strength region may be lower than 1000 MPa. Therefore, the ductility of this region is increased and thus the energy absorption can be increased, and the deformation of the sidewall structural frame can be more accurately controlled. Thus, an integral sidewall structural frame may have regions with tensile strength above 1400 MPa, i.e., rigid zones, and regions with tensile strength below 1000 MPa, i.e., ductile zones.

In Figure 7, the low strength area 25 is located on the bottom of the first blank 10. The low strength area 25 can only be located above the overlapping B-pillar-sill area 11. According to this aspect, the B-pillar-sill overlap region 11 may correspond to the lowermost region of the B-pillar portion 2. As a result, the overlapping B-pillar-sill region 11, i.e., the region in which the first and second blanks partially overlap, provides rigidity to the sidewall structural frame, and the low-strength region 25 helps control the deformation of the B-pillar portion so that In the event of a collision, penetration into this part can be reduced.

Such low strength regions 25 may be formed by unequally cooling these regions of the composite blank as it is pressed in a die during hot die quenching to form a sidewall structural frame. Alternatively, such an area may be formed by differential heating during hot stamping, preventing these areas from reaching temperatures above the austenitizing temperature. In additional examples, this low strength to modify the microstructure in these areas can be achieved by partially heating some areas of the integral sidewall structural frame after pressure hardening.

In yet other examples, rather than modifying the microstructure to change mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation, low strength regions may be formed from materials having different mechanical properties compared to the rest of the sidewall structural frame. For example, the low strength region 25 may be made of Ductibor ^® and the remaining portions of the sidewall structural frame are made of Usibor ^® .

In other examples, multiple blanks may have different thicknesses. In additional examples, some of the blanks may be composed of parts having different thicknesses.

In any of these examples described herein, the integral sidewall structural frame may also include a “patchwork,” i.e., local reinforcement provided on the composite preform.

It should be noted that these different concepts for improving the response of the integral sidewall structural frame in the event of a collision can be combined in the sidewall structural frame and even in at least one preform.

One-piece structural sidewall frames in accordance with other examples may contain areas of low strength or areas for strengthening the frame in the event of a collision in accordance with any of the examples described in relation to Figure 7.

Although in the preceding examples the integral sidewall structural frame is coupled to the lower edge of the inner sill plate and the upper edge of the inner A-pillar plate, the sidewall structural frame may alternatively be coupled to the outer sill plate and/or the outer A-pillar plate. In some cases, such as for manufacturing purposes, the vehicle frame may comprise an outer sill or A-pillar outer plate instead of an inner plate before joining the sidewall structural frame. Figures 8A-8B show examples of one-piece sidewall structural frames coupled to the A-pillar plate and the rocker panel plate.

In Figure 8A, the lower part of the integral side frame structural frame 1 is connected to the lower edge of the inner sill plate 60 of the body. In this example, the second blank 20 is connected to the lower edge 61 of the inner plate of the body sill 60 in a manner similar to that described in relation to Figure 4. The third blank 30 may be connected to the upper edge 77 of the outer plate 75 of the A-pillar.

In contrast, in Figure 8B, the second blank 20 is connected to the lower edge 66 of the outer body sill plate 65, while the third blank 30 is connected to the upper edge 72 of the inner plate of the A-pillar 70 of the body in a manner similar to that described with respect to Figure 4.

Figure 9 shows another example of a vehicle side integral structural frame 1, in which the side integral structural frame is a rear frame. In this example, the lower beam portion may comprise a body sill portion 3, the front B-pillar portion may include a B-pillar portion 2, and the rear B-pillar portion and the upper beam portion may include a C-pillar portion 6 extending from the body sill portion 3 to the portion 2 B-pillars.

The integral sidewall structural frame 1 contains one or more overlapping regions. In this figure, the structural frame 1 comprises an overlapping B-pillar-sill area 11 and an overlapping C-pillar-B-pillar area 16. The structural frame 1 in this figure contains three blanks, one blank 10 containing the B-pillar part 2, another blank 20 containing the body sill part 3 and another blank 50 containing the C-pillar part 6. In this example, blanks 10 and 50 partially overlap in the C-pillar-B-pillar overlap region 16, and blanks 10 and 20 partially overlap in the B-pillar-sill overlap region 11. However, the workpieces 20 and 50 are butt-joined to each other throughout the weld line 19 .

In other examples, the structural frame 1 may comprise only one of the overlapping B-pillar-sill area 11 and the overlapping C-pillar-B-pillar area 16.

Alternatively or additionally, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the C-pillar portion and the sill portion, i.e., the structural frame may comprise an overlapping C-pillar-sill portion.

Figure 10 shows another example of a one-piece structural frame 1 of a vehicle side, in which the one-piece structural frame encloses a separate opening for the front and rear doors of the vehicle. In this example, the lower beam portion may comprise a rocker panel portion 3, the front pillar portion may contain a door pillar portion 4, the rear pillar portion may include a rear pillar portion 6, and the upper beam portion may contain an A-pillar portion 5. The A-pillar part 5 may extend from the A-pillar hinge part 4 to the C-pillar part 6, and the C-pillar part 6 may extend from the body sill part 3 to the A-pillar part 6.

In this figure, the one-piece side frame structural frame 1 includes one overlapping area 17 located inside the A-pillar part 2. Thus, part 2 of the A-pillar can be formed by partially overlapping blanks 31 and 32. Joints between other blanks can be made end-to-end along the entire length of welding line 19.

In other examples, one or more overlapping regions may be located in other parts of the integral sidewall structural frame 1.

In some examples, the structural frame 1 may include an overlapping A-pillar-hinge region that substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the A-pillar portion and the door pillar portion.

Alternatively or additionally, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the C-pillar portion and the sill portion, i.e., the structural frame may comprise an overlapping C-pillar-sill portion.

Alternatively or additionally, one of the overlapping regions may substantially correspond to a transition portion between the hinge portion and the body sill portion, ie, the structural frame may comprise an overlapping hinge-sill portion.

In these examples, the integral structural frame 1 of the sidewall does not contain part of the B-pillar. However, the B-pillar may be separately molded and coupled to a one-piece sidewall structural frame to form a “non-one-piece” sidewall structural frame.

In a further aspect, a method is provided for manufacturing a sidewall structural frame made from a B-pillar coupled to a one-piece sidewall structural frame. The method includes providing a one-piece sidewall structural frame to span openings for both a front and rear door, without a portion of the B-pillar in accordance with any of the examples described herein, providing a B-pillar, and connecting the B-pillar to the one-piece front structural frame sidewalls. As a result, a “non-solid” sidewall structural frame can be produced.

Figure 11 shows another example of a vehicle side integral structural frame 1 similar to the side integral structural frame containing a B-pillar part 2 . In this example, blanks containing part of the B-pillar are joined to other blanks before being deformed, for example by hot stamping. The B-pillar part 2 may be located between the door pillar part 4 and the C-pillar part 6, and may extend from the sill part 3 to the A-pillar part 5.

In addition to the A-pillar overlapping area 17 as in Figure 10, the integral sidewall structural frame 1 may further comprise a B-pillar-sill overlapping area 11 and an A-pillar-B-pillar overlapping area 12.

The integral sidewall structural frame 1 may comprise any combination of one or more overlapping regions described in relation to Figure 10.

In yet another additional aspect, a method is provided for manufacturing a sidewall structural frame made from two integral sidewall structural frames. The method includes providing an integral front sidewall structural frame in accordance with any of the examples described herein, providing an integral rear sidewall structural frame in accordance with any of the examples described herein, and connecting the front and rear sidewall structural frame along a portion of the B-pillar body to form a structural side frame. The resulting structural frame is thus a “non-solid” sidewall structural frame.

For completeness, various aspects of the present invention are set forth in the following numbered paragraphs:

Clause 1. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of the side of a vehicle, including:

providing a variety of preparations;

connecting the workpieces to each other to form a composite workpiece, wherein joining the workpieces includes forming one or more overlapping regions formed by the partial overlap of the two workpieces;

deforming the composite workpiece to form an integral sidewall structural frame;

wherein the integral sidewall structural frame comprises a lower beam portion and an upper beam portion, a front body pillar portion connecting the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion, and a rear body pillar portion connecting the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion.

Claim 2. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to claim 1, where joining the blanks to each other includes welding the blanks to each other in one or more overlapping areas; and in particular includes spot welding the workpieces in at least one of the overlapping areas.

Claim 3. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to any one of clauses 1 to 2, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the beam portion and the body pillar portion.

Clause 4. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein one of the overlapping areas is located within a beam portion and/or within a body pillar portion.

Claim 5. The method of manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein deforming the composite blank to form a one-piece sidewall structural frame includes hot stamping of the composite blank.

Clause 6. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of blanks comprises blanks of different materials and/or different thicknesses.

Claim 7. A method for manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame includes a portion of an outer frame.

Claim 8. The method for manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to item 7, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame is an outer frame.

Claim 9. The method of manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame includes a portion of an inner frame.

Claim 10. The method for manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to item 9, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame is an inner frame.

Claim 11. A method for manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame comprises an outer frame portion and an inner frame portion.

Claim 12. The method for manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of items 1 to 11, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame is a front frame; and moreover

part of the lower beam contains part of the body sill;

the upper beam part contains a part of the front pillar of the body;

the front part of the body pillar contains a part of the door body pillar; And

the rear part of the body pillar contains part of the B-pillar.

Clause 13. The method of manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to claim 12, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the body sill portion and the B-pillar portion.

Clause 14. A method for manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame as set forth in any one of clauses 12 to 13, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the B-pillar portion and the A-pillar portion.

Claim 15. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 12 to 14, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the A-pillar portion and the door pillar portion.

Claim 16. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 12 to 15, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the body sill portion and the body door pillar portion.

Item 17. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of items 12 through 16, wherein one of the overlapping areas is located within a portion of the A-pillar.

Claim 18. The method of manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of items 1 to 11, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame is a rear frame; and moreover

part of the lower beam contains part of the body sill;

the front part of the body pillar contains part of the middle pillar of the body;

the upper beam portion and the rear B-pillar portion comprise a C-pillar portion extending from the body sill portion to the B-pillar portion.

Clause 19. The method of manufacturing the one-piece sidewall structural frame of claim 18, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the body sill portion and the B-pillar portion.

Clause 20. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 18 to 19, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the B-pillar portion and the C-pillar portion.

Clause 21. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 18 to 20, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the C-pillar portion and the body sill portion.

Item 22. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of the sidewall according to any of items 1–11, where

part of the lower beam contains part of the body sill;

the front part of the pillar contains a part of the body door pillar;

the rear part of the pillar contains a part of the rear pillar of the body;

the upper beam part contains a part of the front pillar of the body;

wherein the A-pillar portion extends from the door pillar portion to the C-pillar portion, and the rear pillar portion extends from the sill portion to the A-pillar portion.

Clause 23. The method of manufacturing the one-piece structural side frame of claim 22, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the A-pillar portion and the door pillar portion.

Clause 24. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 22 to 23, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to the transition portion between the body sill and a portion of the C-pillar.

Clause 25. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 22 to 24, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to the transition portion between the body sill and a portion of the body door pillar.

Clause 26. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 22 to 25, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between a portion of the A-pillar and a portion of the C-pillar.

Item 27. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of items 22 to 26, wherein one of the overlapping areas is located within a portion of the A-pillar.

Item 28. The method of manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of items 22 to 27, wherein the one-piece sidewall structural frame further comprises a B-pillar portion located between the body door pillar portion and the C-pillar portion and extending from the body sill portion to the A-pillar portion. body

Item 29. The method of manufacturing a one-piece sidewall structural frame as set forth in item 27, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the body sill portion and the B-pillar portion.

Clause 30. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame as set forth in any one of clauses 28 to 29, wherein one of the overlapping regions substantially corresponds to a transition portion between the B-pillar portion and the A-pillar portion.

Item 31. One-piece structural frame of the side, obtained by the method according to any of items 1–30.

Claim 32. The integral sidewall structural frame of claim 31, wherein the integral sidewall structural frame comprises regions of different tensile strengths, and optionally wherein the regions of different tensile strengths have different microstructures.

Clause 33. A method of manufacturing a sidewall structural frame, comprising: providing a one-piece front sidewall structural frame as defined in any one of claims 12 to 17;

providing a one-piece rear sidewall structural frame as specified in any of clauses 18 to 21;

connecting the front and rear sidewall structural frames along the B-pillar to form the sidewall structural frame.

Clause 34. A method of manufacturing a sidewall structural frame, comprising: providing a one-piece sidewall structural frame according to any one of claims 22 to 27;

provision of a B-pillar;

connection of the B-pillar to the integral structural side frame.

Clause 35. A method of manufacturing a sidewall structural frame, comprising: providing an external integral sidewall structural frame as set forth in claim 8; provision of an internal integral structural frame of the sidewall according to paragraph 10; connecting the outer and inner frames to each other to form a structural side frame.

Although only a few examples are disclosed herein, other alternatives, modifications, uses and/or equivalents thereof are possible. In addition, all possible combinations of the described examples are also covered. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to specific examples, but should only be determined by careful reading of the following claims.

Claims (31)

1. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of the side of a vehicle, including: providing a variety of blanks; connecting the workpieces to each other to form a composite workpiece, wherein joining the workpieces includes forming one or more overlapping regions formed by the partial overlap of the two workpieces; deforming the composite workpiece to form an integral sidewall structural frame; characterized in that the integral structural frame of the sidewall contains: part of the lower beam containing part of the body sill and part of the upper beam, a front body pillar portion connecting the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion, and a rear body pillar portion connecting the lower beam portion to the upper beam portion; and characterized in that one of the overlapping areas essentially corresponds to a transition portion between the body sill portion and the B-pillar portion and is located inside the body sill portion. 2. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to claim 1, characterized in that joining the blanks to each other includes welding the blanks to each other in one or more overlapping areas; and in particular includes spot welding the workpieces in at least one of the overlapping areas. 3. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the one-piece structural frame of the side is a front frame; and moreover the upper beam part contains a part of the front pillar of the body; the front part of the body pillar contains a part of the door body pillar; And the rear section of the pillar contains part of the B-pillar. 4. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to claim 3, characterized in that one of the overlapping areas essentially corresponds to a transition area between a part of the B-pillar and a part of the A-pillar. 5. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to claim 3, characterized in that one of the overlapping areas essentially corresponds to the transition area between the A-pillar part and the door pillar part. 6. The method of manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to claim 3, characterized in that one of the overlapping areas essentially corresponds to the transition area between the body sill part and the body door pillar part. 7. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to any one of claims. 1, 2, characterized in that the integral structural frame of the sidewall is a rear frame; and moreover the front part of the body pillar contains part of the middle pillar of the body; the upper beam portion and the rear pillar portion comprise a C-pillar portion extending from the body sill portion to the B-pillar portion. 8. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural side frame according to any one of claims. 1, 2, characterized in that the front part of the pillar contains a part of the body door pillar; the rear part of the pillar contains a part of the rear pillar of the body; the upper beam part contains a part of the front pillar of the body; wherein the A-pillar portion extends from the door pillar portion to the C-pillar portion, and the rear pillar portion extends from the sill portion to the A-pillar portion. 9. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of a sidewall according to any one of claims. 1, 2, characterized in that the deformation of the composite workpiece to form an integral structural frame of the sidewall includes hot stamping of the composite workpiece. 10. A method for manufacturing a one-piece structural frame of a sidewall according to any one of claims. 1,2, characterized in that the plurality of blanks contains blanks of different materials and/or different thicknesses. 11. One-piece structural frame of the side, obtained by the method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-10. 12. One-piece structural frame of the sidewall according to claim 11, characterized in that the one-piece structural frame of the sidewall contains areas with different tensile strength. 13. One-piece structural side frame according to claim 12, wherein areas with different tensile strengths have different microstructures.