Pickup box front sill, floor and headboard construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9757825-B2
Application number	US-201414317053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2014
Priority date	Jun 27, 2014
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

An aluminum pickup bed is assembled from a stamped headboard, a stamped floorpan, and a roll formed front sill. The headboard, a floorpan flange extending downwardly from the floorpan, and a front wall of the front sill form a three piece sandwich structure. Flow drilled screws are installed into the sandwich structure from the headboard side. The front sill includes a closed front flange and an open rear flange, each of which is welded to the floorpan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aluminum truck bed comprising:
a floorpan;
a front sill having a rear flange fastened to the floorpan, a rear wall extending from the rear flange, a bottom wall extending from the rear wall, a front wall extending from the bottom wall, and a closed front flange extending from the front wall and fastened to the floorpan; and
a headboard joined to the front wall of the front sill by flow drill screws.

2. The aluminum truck bed of claim 1 wherein the floorpan has a downward extending floorpan flange sandwiched between the headboard and the front wall of the front sill.

3. The aluminum truck bed of claim 1 wherein the bottom wall of the front sill defines a plurality of holes to provide access for welding the front flange to the floorpan.

4. The aluminum truck bed of claim 1 wherein the rear flange is welded to the floorpan.

5. An aluminum truck bed comprising:
a headboard;
a front sill having a front wall, a bottom wall and a front flange extending from the front wall, and a rear wall extending from the bottom wall; and
a floorpan welded to the front flange, the floorpan having a floorpan flange extending downwardly from a front edge and sandwiched between and joined to the headboard and the front wall.

6. The aluminum truck bed of claim 5 further comprising a plurality of screws joining the headboard, the floorpan flange, and the front wall of the front sill.

7. The aluminum truck bed of claim 6 wherein the screw joint between the headboard, the floorpan flange, and the front wall is flow drilled.

8. The aluminum truck bed of claim 5 wherein the front sill further comprises:
a rear flange extending from the bottom wall substantially coplanar with the front flange and welded to the floorpan.

9. The aluminum truck bed of claim 8 wherein the front flange is a closed flange and the rear flange is an open flange.

10. The aluminum truck bed of claim 9 wherein the bottom wall defines a plurality of holes to provide access for welding the front flange to the floorpan.

11. The aluminum truck bed of claim 5 wherein the floorpan, headboard, and sill are each made of a 6xxx series aluminum alloy.

12. A method of assembling a truck bed comprising:
obtaining a floorpan having a floorpan flange;
obtaining a front sill having front, bottom, and rear walls and front and rear flanges;
fastening the floorpan to the front flange;
obtaining a headboard; and
installing a plurality of screws through the headboard, the floorpan flange, and the front sill such that the floorpan flange is sandwiched between the headboard and the front wall.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the plurality of screws are installed from a headboard side.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the screws are flow drilled screws.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein screws are installed without predrilled holes.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the bottom wall defines an access hole and fastening the floorpan to the front flange comprises inserting a welding tool through the access hole and welding the floorpan to the front flange.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein obtaining the front sill comprises roll forming aluminum alloy stock to form the front flange, the front wall, the bottom wall, the rear wall, and the rear flange.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising welding the rear flange to the floorpan.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein obtaining the floorpan and obtaining the headboard each comprise stamping aluminum alloy stock.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Courtright Mark Joseph
• Chimento Vince
• Marchlewski Jack
• Comiez John
• Firzlaff Jeffrey Alan

Classifications

• B62D29/008

  predominantly of light alloys, e.g. extruded · CPC title

• B23P15/00 Primary

  Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass · CPC title

• B62D25/2054

  Load carrying floors for commercial vehicles · CPC title

• B62D33/0273

  Movable tailboards for vehicles comprising non-movable sideboards, e.g. pick-up trucks (B62D33/037 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D33/02 Primary

  Platforms; Open load compartments {(flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08)} · CPC title