DE29624249U1 - Motor vehicle component - Google Patents

Description

Benteler AG. Residenzstr. 1. 33104 Paderborn Motor vehicle component

The invention relates to a motor vehicle component made of a tube with areas made of different materials.

Pipes are used as metallic construction elements in a wide range of industries. They are characterized by their high section modulus and their weight-saving design. Welded pipes are formed from strip steel or plates into slotted pipes and then welded along their long edges.

Components or molded bodies made from tubes are subjected to different levels of stress in different areas depending on the application. The stresses that occur are distributed at different levels across the component due to the component design. Examples of components subject to such different levels of stress are body parts or chassis components of motor vehicles. For these reasons, it is known to provide such components with different wall thicknesses,

Telephone (0234) 51957/58/59 ■ Fax (0234) 51 0512 · e-mail: bochumpatent@t-online.de

Commerzbank AG Bochum, account no. 3 864782 (bank code 43040036) · Postbank Essen, account no. 74 47-431 (bank code 360100 43)

VAT ID No.: DE 124146411

In this way, on the one hand, we can meet the expected loads and, on the other hand, save material accordingly.

In the context of EP O 279 866 B1 it is proposed to weld construction elements either from already deformed individual sheet metal parts of different thicknesses or to first weld sheet metal parts of different thicknesses together and then deform them as a whole into a supporting body.

The partial wall thickness reduction is a promising step towards weight reduction.

For reasons of economic efficiency and productivity, we are constantly striving to further improve the component design of structural elements, particularly for lightweight components, and to increase the adaptability of products to the potentially rapidly changing demands and conditions of the market.

It is therefore an object of the invention to create a motor vehicle component made of a tube with improved design options and targeted adaptation to later use.

The solution to this problem consists according to the invention in a motor vehicle component according to claim 1.

The core of the invention is the measure of producing a motor vehicle component from a tube which has sections made of different materials and different wall thicknesses, wherein the sections are provided with a coating which improves the surface quality and/or the material strength.

Individual sections made of different materials are joined together to form a board. At least two sections have different wall thicknesses. Individual sections

sections or all sections and also the entire board can be provided with a coating which improves the surface quality or the material strength.

The size and shape of the individual sections can vary. These, as well as the choice of material, are tailored to the subsequent component load. The assembled sections have the required geometry of the blank. The blank then corresponds to the unfolding of the pipe to be made from it. The dimensions are usually rectangular. Of course, other configurations are also conceivable in order to produce pipes with cross-sections that vary in diameter.

A slotted tube is then formed from the board and the long edges are joined together.

If necessary, the board can be cut to size before forming.

The properties of a motor vehicle component made from the tube are influenced by the choice and combination of materials used in the individual sections. In this way, a tube is created with properties in terms of strength, load-bearing capacity or forming behavior that are optimally tailored to the use of the motor vehicle component made from the tube. At the same time, the targeted use of light metals or alloys can make a further contribution to weight reduction.

When manufacturing the board, different steels or steel alloys as well as light metals can be combined.

Such a pipe, which has a reduced wall thickness in some areas and consists of a combination of different materials, is used for the manufacture of motor vehicle components, in particular body parts or chassis components of motor vehicles, which are subject to external loads

and where the stresses that occur are distributed at different levels across the component due to the component design.

The automotive component has a load behavior that is tailored to its later use and allows a high degree of weight savings. Technically more sophisticated automotive components can be produced while simultaneously reducing the component weight. This contributes to a further improvement in efficiency, particularly in automotive engineering.

Through suitable surface treatment, for example galvanizing, areas of the motor vehicle component that are particularly at risk can be protected against corrosion. Coatings can also be provided that improve wear resistance, provide insulation or increase or reduce friction.

Furthermore, the required material strength can be achieved by applying a suitable stove-enamel finish.

The invention is described below with reference to the drawing, which shows a plan view of a welded blank for producing pipes with different wall thicknesses and materials.

Figure 1 shows a circuit board 1 which consists of a total of four sections 2, 3, 4, 5, each of which is made of different materials W1-W4. In addition, sections 2-5 have a different thickness S1-S4. Each section 2-5 is also provided with a different coating B1-B4.

The individual sections 2-5 are connected to each other by welding. Any suitable welding process can be used to create the welded connection. Laser or pinch weld welding is particularly suitable.

The plate 1, which is manufactured for a specific application, has deliberately varying materials W1-W4 and plate thicknesses S1-S4. Depending on the subsequent use of the pipe made from it, the plate 1 thus provides various areas with precisely those material properties and wall thicknesses that are tailored to the respective loads and thus also the locally differing stress peaks to which these areas are subject in practical use. The use of light metals in the appropriate sections leads to a further weight saving in addition to the reduction in wall thickness.

Through a targeted coating B1-B4, the surface quality of a pipe or the automotive component made from it is further improved.

The plate 1 is then formed into a slotted tube using suitable forming techniques. The plate 1 is usually first formed into a U-shape and then into an O-shape. The adjacent longitudinal edges 6, 7 of the formed plate 1 are then welded.

The pipe produced in this way can be subjected to additional tempering steps. The pipe is heated as a whole or in sections and quenched in a defined manner, which results in high-strength properties. It is also conceivable to restrict the tempering to individual sections 2-5.

Reference symbol list

1 - Circuit board

2 - Sections 3 - Sections 4 - Sections

5- Sections

6- Longitudinal edge 7 - Longitudinal edge

W1 - Material 1

W2- Material 2

W3- Material3

W4- Material 4

S1 - Thickness 1

S2- Thickness 2

S3 - Thickness 3

S4- Thickness 4

B1 - Coating

B2 - Coating

B3 - Coating

B4 - Coating

Claims (1)

Motor vehicle component made from a tube which is produced from a plate ( 1 ) by joining sections ( 2-5 ) made of different materials (W1-W4), for which purpose the plate ( 1 ) is formed into a slotted tube and joined at the longitudinal edges ( 6 , 7 ), wherein at least two sections ( 2-5 ) have different thicknesses (S1-S4) and the sections ( 2-5 ) and/or the plate ( 1 ) are provided with a coating (B1-B4) which improves the surface quality and/or the material strength.