Vehicle body frame including structural bulkhead with acoustic spray foam control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969442-B1
Application number	US-201615381580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Dec 16, 2016
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle body frame includes a longitudinally extending roof side rail. The roof side rail includes an outer panel, an inner panel fixed to the outer panel to define a cavity therebetween, and a reinforcement panel disposed between and fixedly secured to the outer and inner panels. The reinforcement panel separates the cavity into an inner cavity and an outer cavity. The roof rail has a forward end portion and a rearward end portion. An acoustic spray foam control bulkhead is secured within the cavity at the rearward end portion of the roof side rail. The bulkhead includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall spaced from and opposed to the first sidewall. The first and second sidewalls are configured to at least partially confine within the inner cavity between the first and second sidewalls an acoustic spray foam injected into an injection inlet aperture provided on the inner panel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle body frame comprising:
a roof side rail extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body frame, the roof side rail including an outer panel, an inner panel fixed to the outer panel to define a cavity therebetween, and a reinforcement panel disposed between and fixedly secured to the outer and inner panels, the reinforcement panel separating the cavity into an inner cavity and an outer cavity, the roof rail having a forward end portion and a rearward end portion; and
an acoustic spray foam control bulkhead secured within the cavity at the rearward end portion of the roof side rail, the bulkhead including a first sidewall and a second sidewall spaced from and opposed to the first sidewall, the first and second sidewalls configured to be complimentary in shape to inner surfaces of the inner panel and reinforcement panel that define the inner cavity, the first and second sidewalls partition the inner cavity and at least partially confine within the inner cavity between the first and second sidewalls an acoustic spray foam injected into an injection inlet aperture provided on the inner panel,
wherein the first and second sidewalls are configured to span between and engage the inner surfaces of the inner panel and reinforcement panel, and the bulkhead further includes a base wall spanning between and connected to the first and second sidewalls, the base wall configured to engage the inner surface of the reinforcement panel,
wherein the reinforcement panel includes an opening, and the bulkhead is configured to guide dispersal of the acoustic spray foam through the opening and into the outer cavity.

2. The vehicle body frame of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sidewalls flanking the injection inlet aperture.

3. The vehicle body frame of claim 2 , wherein the bulkhead is substantially U-shaped in plan view.

4. The vehicle body frame of claim 2 , wherein the bulkhead includes structural adhesive which is activatable to expand toward inner surfaces of the roof side rail and the reinforcement panel and fixedly bond the bulkhead thereto.

5. The vehicle body frame of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second sidewalls of the bulkhead includes at least one flange extending along a majority of a length of the sidewall, the adhesive adhered to the at least one flange of each of the first and second sidewalls.

6. The vehicle body frame of claim 5 , wherein the adhesive is applied to the base wall of the bulkhead.

7. The vehicle body frame of claim 2 , wherein the bulkhead includes a first fastener and a second fastener configured to attach the bulkhead to the inner panel.

8. The vehicle body frame of claim 7 , wherein the first fastener has a first configuration is provided on the base wall, and the second fastener has a second configuration that differs from the first configuration and is located between the first and second sidewalls.

9. The vehicle body frame of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sidewalls are configured to inhibit longitudinal dispersal of the acoustic spray foam into an accessory connection area defined in the roof side rail.

10. The vehicle body frame of claim 1 , wherein the rearward end portion of the roof side rail at least partially defines a rear attachment location for a roof panel, and the bulkhead is configured to provide support and stability to the roof panel.

11. An acoustic spray foam control method for a roof side rail of a vehicle body frame, the roof side rail including an outer panel, an inner panel fixed to the outer panel to define a cavity therebetween, and a reinforcement panel disposed between and fixedly secured to the outer and inner panels, the reinforcement panel separating the cavity into an inner cavity and an outer cavity, the method comprising:
providing an acoustic spray foam control bulkhead configured for mounting within the inner cavity of the roof side rail, wherein the bulkhead includes opposed first and second sidewalls complimentary in shape to inner surfaces of the inner panel and reinforcement panel which define the inner cavity;
adhering the first and second sidewalls of the bulkhead to the inner surfaces of the inner panel and reinforcement panel, wherein the first and second sidewalls together with the inner surfaces form an enclosed space within the roof side rail;
injecting an acoustic spray foam through an injection inlet aperture defined in the inner panel and into the enclosed space with the bulkhead controlling the expansion flow of the acoustic spray foam within the inner cavity, the opposed first and second sidewalls flanking the injection inlet aperture; and
directing dispersal of the acoustic spray foam through an aperture defined in the reinforcement panel and into the outer cavity.

12. The acoustic spray foam control method of claim 11 , including containing longitudinal dispersal of the acoustic spray foam when injected into the inner cavity with the first and second sidewalls of the bulkhead to inhibit dispersal of the acoustic spray foam into an accessory connection area defined in the roof side rail.

13. The acoustic spray foam control method of claim 11 , wherein prior to the adhering step, the method includes connecting the bulkhead to the inner panel.

14. A vehicle body frame comprising:
a first roof side rail that extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body frame, the roof side rail includes:
an outer panel,
an inner panel fixed to the outer panel to define a cavity therebetween, the inner panel defines a first aperture for spraying acoustic foam into the cavity, and
a reinforcement panel positioned between the outer and inner panels to separate the cavity into an outer cavity and an inner cavity, the reinforcement panel defines a second aperture that is in communication with the inner cavity and the outer cavity;

a second roof side rail that extends along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body frame;
a roof rail that extends from the first roof side rail to the second roof side rail, the roof rail is joined to the first roof side rail at a region of the first side rail that partially defines a vehicle door ring; and
a bulkhead positioned in the inner cavity of the first roof side rail at the intersection of the roof rail and the first roof side rail, the bulkhead includes:
a first sidewall that extends from the reinforcement panel to the inner panel, the first sidewall is structurally bondable to both the reinforcement panel and the inner panel to reinforce the region of the first roof side rail that intersects the roof rail and partially defines the door ring,
a second sidewall spaced apart from the first sidewall that extends from the reinforcement panel to the inner panel, the second sidewall is structurally bondable to both the reinforcement panel and the inner panel to reinforce the region of the first roof side rail that intersects the roof rail and partially defines the door ring, and
a base wall spanning between and connected to the first and second sidewalls, the base wall is structurally bondable to the reinforcement panel,
wherein the first aperture of the inner panel and the second aperture of the reinforcement are positioned along the length of the first roof side rail between the first sidewall and the second sidewall so that acoustic foam sprayed via the first aperture of the inner panel into the inner cavity is confined longitudinally between the first sidewall and the second sidewall and is guided from the inner cavity into the outer cavity via the second aperture of the reinforcement panel.

15. The vehicle body frame of claim 14 , where

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd
• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Vigil Fabian J
• Madsen Aron K
• Campbell Shawn W

Classifications

• B62D25/02

  Side panels {(B62D33/046 takes precedence; sideboards for open load compartments B62D33/023)} · CPC title

• B62D25/06

  Fixed roofs (non-fixed roofs or like shelters B60J7/00; roof liners B60R13/02; insulating elements B60R13/08) · CPC title

• B62D29/002 Primary

  a foamable synthetic material or metal being added in situ (shaping of substances in a plastic state by foaming, in general B29C44/00) · CPC title

• B60R13/0815

  Acoustic or thermal insulation of passenger compartments (wall or roof liners integrating the insulating function B60R13/02; insulating floor mats or carpets B60N3/04) · CPC title