Apparatus that manufactures closed-structure part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10828683-B2
Application number	US-201815999494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2018
Priority date	Apr 13, 2012
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus that manufactures a closed-structure part includes a bottom portion and left and right side wall portions, including a press-forming die that form a plurality of first out-of-plane deformed portions and bent portions, the first out-of-plane deformed portions being formed in a region of a workpiece corresponding to the bottom portion and arranged along a longitudinal direction, each of the first out-of-plane deformed portions having a recessed shape or a protruding shape; a pad and a punch that squash the first out-of-plane deformed portions by clamping the region of the workpiece corresponding to the bottom portion therebetween, a cross-sectional shape of a pressing portion of the punch being curved along the longitudinal direction; and bending dies that bend the bent portions by pressing the punch into a space therebetween while the region of the workpiece corresponding to the bottom portion is clamped between the pad and the punch.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus that manufactures a closed-structure part by forming a flat plate-shaped workpiece into a closed structure including a bottom portion curved along a longitudinal direction and left and right side wall portions, the apparatus comprising:
a press-forming die including an upper die and a lower die, the press-forming die being configured to form:
a plurality of first out-of-plane deformed portions and bent portions at boundaries between a region of the workpiece corresponding to the bottom portion and regions of the workpiece corresponding to the left and right side wall portions disposed on the left and right sides in a width direction of the bottom portion,
the first out-of-plane deformed portions in the region of the workpiece corresponding to the bottom portion and arranged along the longitudinal direction, and
each of the first out-of-plane deformed portions with a recessed shape or a protruding shape;

wherein an upper surface of the lower die includes a press-forming surface having a substantially angular-U-shaped cross section whose recessed portion facing upward, the press-forming surface of the lower die includes a bottom forming portion at substantially the center in a width direction and side wall forming portions on left and right sides of the bottom forming portion, the bottom forming portion has, in a side view, a plurality of undulating recessed/protruding shapes that are arranged along the longitudinal direction configured to form the plurality of first out-of-plane deformed portions;
a lower surface and left and right end surfaces of the upper die form a press-forming surface of the upper die including a protruding bottom forming portion at a center in the width direction and side wall forming portions on left and right sides of the upper die such that the press-forming surface of the upper die faces the press-forming surface of the lower die and has a shape corresponding to a shape of the press-forming surface of the lower die; and
a bending die including a pad and a punch, the bending die configured to squash the first out-of-plane deformed portions by clamping the region of the workpiece corresponding to the bottom portion therebetween;
a lower end surface of the punch has a curved shape that is downwardly curved along the longitudinal direction;
the pad faces the punch in a vertical direction and an upper surface of the pad has a shape corresponding to a shape of the lower end surface of the punch.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the bending die further includes a pair of dies that face each other with a distance therebetween, wherein the punch is configured to be pressed into a space between the pair of dies.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the side wall forming portions on left and right sides of the bottom forming portion include a plurality of undulating recessed/protruding shapes configured to form a plurality of second out-of-plane deformed portions, wherein the press-forming die is further configured to form the second out-of-plane deformed portions in the regions of the workpiece corresponding to the left and right side wall portions and arranged along the longitudinal direction, and each of the second out-of-plane deformed portions has a recessed shape or a protruding shape.

Assignees

• Jfe Steel Corp

Inventors

• Higai Kazuhiko
• Yamasaki Yuji

Classifications

• B21D5/015

  for making tubes · CPC title

• B21C37/0815

  without continuous longitudinal movement of the sheet during the bending operation · CPC title

• B21D53/88

  other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards · CPC title

• B21C37/15

  Making tubes of special shape; Making {tube} fittings {(B21C37/0803, B21C37/104, B21C37/124 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B21C37/155 Primary

  Making tubes with non-circular section (B21C37/151, B21C37/154 take precedence) · CPC title