Method for connecting hollow profiles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027499-B2
Application number	US-201715800308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	Apr 2, 2014
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A method is provided for connecting hollow profiles (1-4) in a joint (10) to produce a load-bearing structure (5). The method includes placing ends of hollow profiles (1-4) in a mold and pressing the ends together with at least one semi-finished product to connect the ends of the hollow profiles to the semi-finished product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a load-bearing structure, comprising:
providing a semi-finished composite body having a plurality of plug-in regions each of which has an open end and one open side, the semi-finished composite body being formed from a first fiber/plastic composite material;
placing the semi-finished composite body in a mold;
placing ends of profiles in the open sides of the plug-in regions of the semi-finished composite body, each of the profiles having a hollow portion formed from a second fiber/plastic composite material and a rigid foam core filling and reinforcing all of the respective hollow portion; and
pressing the plug-in regions of the semi-finished composite body together with the ends of the profiles in the plug-in regions of the composite body in the mold to connect a plurality of sides of the ends of the profiles firmly to the semi-finished composite body; and
heating the regions of the semi-finished composite body that have been pressed to the ends of the profiles sufficiently to cross link plastic of the first fiber/plastic composite material to plastic of the second fiber/plastic composite material to form the load-bearing structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semi-finished product comprises at least one moldable and curable sheet-like fiber/plastic composite semi-finished product, the step of pressing comprising connecting the ends of the profiles to the sheet-like fiber/plastic composite semi-finished product in the mold and curing.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sheet-like fiber/plastic composite semi-finished product is a sheet molding compound.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second fiber/plastic composite material comprises carbon fibers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semi-finished product is formed from a similar material to or the same material as the profiles.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising mounting end pieces onto ends of the profiles remote from the semi-finished composite body.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the end pieces are formed from metal.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the end pieces are formed from magnesium or aluminum.

Assignees

• Porsche Ag

Inventors

• Flaig Markus
• Scheiner Philipp

Classifications

• B29C70/462 Primary

  Moulding structures having an axis of symmetry or at least one channel, e.g. tubular structures, frames · CPC title

• B29C70/682

  Preformed parts characterised by their structure, e.g. form · CPC title

• B29C70/78

  Moulding material on one side only of the preformed part · CPC title

• B29C70/86

  Incorporated in coherent impregnated reinforcing layers, {e.g. by winding} · CPC title

• B29C65/70 Primary

  by moulding (using a particular moulding technique, see the relevant technique {, e.g. by injection B29C45/14467}) · CPC title