Apparatus and method for forming a tubular beam with single center leg

• Main Authors: MALKOWSKI, BRIAN, GATTI, DANIEL, WITTE, DOUG, JOHNSON, THOMAS, OXLEY, BRIAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Polish
• Published: 31.10.2018
• Subjects: MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PUNCHING METAL; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR; WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS ORPROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL

A reinforcement beam for a vehicle bumper system comprises a single sheet deformed to define first and second tubes sharing a common single center wall. A channel rib is formed on each tubes and a crevice rib over the center leg forms a third rib. Edges of the sheet are deformed to a radius so that their surface consistently engages an associated radiused corner formed on ends of the center leg, which facilitates consistent abutting line engagement of material surfaces, and thus facilitates consistent welding. In a preferred beam, front wall sections of each tube are coplanar and form a face of the beam, with each channel rib and crevice rib providing added stiffness to the beam, and yet nothing extends forward of the coplanar front wall sections. Related apparatus and methods are also disclosed.