Crossmember made of a fiber-reinforced composite material for a vehicle dashboard and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9493192-B2
Application number	US-201314405715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2013
Priority date	Jun 7, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dashboard crossmember ( 1 ) for a vehicle, including a crossbar ( 2 ) as well as at least one connection flange ( 3 ) designed to enable said crossbar to be attached to the body of said vehicle, said crossmember being characterized in that said crossbar ( 2 ) includes a bearing web ( 10 ) made of a fiber-reinforced composite material including continuous libers ( 7 ) arranged within a matrix ( 8 ), and preferably results from the assembly of a plurality of preformed basic parts ( 13, 14, 15 ) each produced by bending a composite material lap piece ( 11 ) about a single direction of the space so as to avoid overstretching or dislocating the network of fibers ( 7 ) of each of said laps.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dashboard crossmember for a vehicle having a body, said crossmember comprising a crossbar independent of said body and at least one mounting flange designed for mounting said crossbar to the body of said vehicle; said crossbar defining an open channel having a substantially constant shape along its length; said crossbar comprising a carrier core made substantially of a first material, said first material being a reinforced fiber composite material which extends over most of the length, of said crossbar, said composite material comprising fibers disposed in a matrix of a thermoplastic polymer, the fibers defining a fiber network comprised of lengthwise fibers and transverse fibers, said lengthwise fibers being continuous fibers extending in an uninterrupted manner over the whole length (L10) of said carrier core; said lengthwise fibers being distributed regularly and homogeneously over the width of said crossbar.

2. The crossmember according to claim 1 wherein the carrier core is formed from at least one individual part, said at least one individual part being made of fiber-reinforced composite material and having a developable open form compatible with their fabrication method by bending and/or folding.

3. The crossmember according to claim 2 wherein each of said one or more of the individual parts have one or more arcs and/or folds for which an axis of bending or folding is aligned with said continuous fibers.

4. The dashboard crossmember of claim 3 wherein the continuous fibers run parallel to a lengthwise direction (Y) of extension of the crossbar.

5. The dashboard crossmember of claim 2 wherein the carrier core is formed from an assembly of several individual parts.

6. The crossmember according to claim 1 wherein the carrier core is made over most of its length (L10) from a sheet of continuous composite material of uniform thickness.

7. The dashboard crossmember of claim 6 wherein the carrier core is made over its whole length from a sheet of continuous composite of uniform thickness.

8. The crossmember according to claim 1 wherein the carrier core is coated with a non-metallic reinforcement layer comprised of a second material which is different from the first composite material of said carrier core.

9. The dashboard crossmember of claim 8 wherein said reinforcement layer is formed by over molding.

10. The crossmember according to claim 8 wherein said second material comprises non-continuous reinforcement fibers.

11. The crossmember according to claim 1 wherein the at least one mounting flange(s) is made of a fiber-reinforced composite material.

12. The crossmember according to claim 1 wherein said crossmember comprises an assembly of individual composite parts of different forms, wherein each of said forms are created separately from said first material.

13. A vehicle equipped with the dashboard crossmember according to claim 1 .

14. The dashboard crossmember of claim 1 wherein said carrier core extends over the whole length of said crossbar.

15. The dashboard crossmember of claim 1 wherein said fiber network is about 90% lengthwise fibers extending a 0° relative to an X-direction and about 10% crosswise fibers extending at 90° relative to a Z-direction.

16. A method for fabricating a dashboard crossmember of a vehicle having a body which must be equipped with a crossbar and at least one connecting flange designed for mounting said crossbar to the body of the vehicle, said method comprising a step (a) of forming said crossbar to have an open, developable form which defines an open channel having a substantially constant shape along its length by at least partially by curving or folding a piece of sheet of composite material around a single direction of space so as to avoid overstretching or dislocating a fiber pattern of said sheet; said crossbar being from a composite material comprising lengthwise fibers disposed in a matrix of a thermoplastic polymer which extend in an uninterrupted manner over the length of a carrier core of said crossmember; and wherein the lengthwise fibers are distributed regularly and homogeneously over the width of said crossbar after said forming step is complete.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the method further comprises a step (b) in which several distinct and rigid individual parts are made separately by preparing several pieces from composite material sheet, then by giving each of the different parts a predetermined open, developable form, followed by a construction step (c) in which said preformed individual parts are assembled on the crossbar in order to reconstitute said at least one mounting flange on one or both extremities of said bar.

Assignees

• Faurecia Interieur Ind
• Peugeot Citroen Automobiles Sa

Inventors

• Baudard Laurent
• Trannoy Mickael
• Appasamy Jean Michel

Classifications

• B29L2031/3008

  Instrument panels · CPC title

• Y10T156/1051

  by folding · CPC title

• B62D25/145 Primary

  having a crossbeam incorporated therein · CPC title

• B29C65/00

  Joining {or sealing} of preformed parts {, e.g. welding of plastics materials}; Apparatus therefor {(general aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts B29C66/00; using porous material formed by internal pressure generated therein for joining preformed parts B29C44/1228, B29C44/326)} · CPC title

• B29C53/04

  of plates or sheets {(B29C63/04 takes precedence; bending or folding paper B31F1/0003; folding films B65H45/00)} · CPC title