Device for reinforcing a structural element

Abstract

A device for reinforcing a structural element in a motor vehicle including: a reinforcing element which has a longitudinal axis and which is disposable in a cavity of the structural element, wherein the reinforcing element includes side walls which extend substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein a fastening element for the preliminary fixing of the reinforcing element to the structural element is disposed on a first side wall, wherein a side wall that is opposite the first side wall at a location that is opposite the fastening element has a closed surface for connecting to the structural element.

Claims

1. A device for reinforcing a structural element in a motor vehicle, the device comprising: a reinforcing element which has a longitudinal axis and which is disposable in a cavity of the structural element, wherein the reinforcing element comprises (i) a plurality of side walls which extend and are elongate substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis, (ii) ribs which interconnect at least two of the side walls; (iii) a front wall and/or a rear wall which are/is disposed in a plane that is transverse to the longitudinal direction; and (iv) a fastening element for preliminarily fixing the reinforcing element to the structural element; wherein: (i) the fastening element is disposed on a first side wall of the plurality of side walls; and (ii) an opposite side wall of the plurality of side walls that is opposite the first side wall has a closed surface at a location that is opposite the fastening element, the closed surface being configured to connect to the structural element.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first side wall and the fastening element are configured so as to be integral.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening element is configured as a clip.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing element has one or two or three fastening elements.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening element is formed from the same material as the first side wall.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the side walls in a cross section that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and at the fastening element form a substantially closed surface for connecting to the structural element.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the side walls are formed from the same material.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing element contains metal, steel, aluminium, magnesium, plastics material, fibre-reinforced plastics material, organic sheet material, or a combination of the materials.

9. A system of a reinforced structural element in a motor vehicle, the system comprising: the structural element; the reinforcing element according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing element is disposed in the structural element; and an adhesive, wherein the adhesive interconnects the reinforcing element and the structural element.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive is a non-expandable adhesive.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive is an expandable adhesive.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the adhesive has an expansion rate of less than 500%.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive is heat-curable, and wherein the adhesive after curing has an E-modulus of at least 100 MPa.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the ribs interconnect the first side wall to the opposite side wall.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the closed surface is configured to provide a linking face for bonding to the structural element with adhesive.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive is provided at an interface between the closed surface of the opposite side wall and the structural element to interconnect the reinforcing element to the structural element.

Description

(1) Details and advantages of the invention will be described hereunder by means of exemplary embodiments and with reference to schematic drawings.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1a shows a schematic illustration of a body;

(4) FIG. 1b shows a schematic illustration of a cross section through a structural element;

(5) FIGS. 2a and 2b show a schematic illustration of a device according to the prior art;

(6) FIGS. 3 and 4 show a schematic illustration of a device according to the prior art;

(7) FIGS. 5a to 5d show a schematic illustration of exemplary reinforcing elements in the cross section; and

(8) FIGS. 6a and 6b show a schematic illustration of an exemplary reinforcing element in a spatial view.

(9) An already known device 16 for reinforcing structural elements 12, 14 is illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b. The device 16 comprises a reinforcing element 20 and an adhesive 13 disposed thereon. The device 16 moreover has two fastening elements 28 for the preliminary fixing of the device 16 in the structural element 12, 14.

(10) The reinforcing element 20 on that side wall that is in each case opposite the fastening elements 28 has an opening 18. Such openings 18 are commonplace because the reinforcing element 20 on account thereof can be produced by an injection-moulding method, because the de-moulding from the injection mould is guaranteed by the opening 18. However, in such known devices 16 it is disadvantageous that there is no linking face for connecting the reinforcing element 20 to the structural element 12, 14 is available in the region of the openings 18.

(11) Various cross sections through a system 1 of a reinforced structural element 12, 14 are illustrated in FIGS. 3a to 4b. One reinforcing element 20 herein is in each case disposed in the cavity 3 of the structural element 12, 14. The reinforcing element 20 herein is connected to the structural element 12, 14 by way of an adhesive 13.

(12) Further devices 16 according to the prior art are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this instance in each case in the cross section. The reinforcing elements 20 herein have in each case one opening 18 on a side wall that is opposite the side wall having the fastening element 28.

(13) The reinforcing element 20 in FIG. 3 has a C-shaped cross section, and the reinforcing element 20 in FIG. 4 has a W-shaped or M-shaped cross section, respectively.

(14) The adhesive 13 in the examples according to FIGS. 2a and 2b as well as 3 and 4 is in each case configured as an expandable adhesive which is disposed on the reinforcing element 20 (for example by way of bi-component injection moulding).

(15) Four different exemplary embodiments are now schematically illustrated in FIGS. 5a to 5d, in which exemplary embodiments one side wall 25 that is opposite the first side wall 21 at least one location 38 that is opposite the fastening element 28 has a closed surface for connecting to the structural element.

(16) The reinforcing element 20 in FIG. 5a has a quadrangular cross section.

(17) The reinforcing element 20 in FIG. 5b has a hexagonal cross section, wherein the second side wall 22 and the third side wall 23 are in each case subdivided into part-walls 22.1, 22.2, 23.1, 23.2.

(18) The reinforcing element 20 in FIG. 5c has an irregularly shaped cross section. The first side wall 21 herein is configured so as to be planar, and the remaining side walls 22, 23, 25 are configured so as to be undulated. The reinforcing element 20 in this exemplary embodiment has ribs 17 in an interior.

(19) The reinforcing element 20 in FIG. 5d again has an irregularly shaped cross section. The side wall 25 that is opposite the first side wall 21 herein is configured so as to be planar, and the remaining side walls 21, 22, 23 are configured so as to be undulated. In this exemplary embodiment the third side wall 23 has an opening such that the cross section of the reinforcing element 20 is not completely closed.

(20) A further exemplary embodiment of a reinforcing element 20 is schematically shown in a spatial illustration in FIGS. 6a and 6b. The reinforcing element 20 in this example has two fastening elements 28 which both are disposed on the first side 21. The side wall 25 that is opposite the first side wall 21 herein has a closed surface at the locations 38 that are opposite the fastening elements 28. A larger linking face for connecting the reinforcing element 20 to the structural element 12, 14 is thus available.

(21) The side walls 21, 22, 23, 25 are disposed along a longitudinal axis 26 of the reinforcing element 20.

(22) The reinforcing element 20 in this exemplary embodiment has a quadrangular cross section.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(23) 1 System 3 Cavity 4 First panel sheet 5 Second panel sheet 6 First joint 7 Second joint 10 Body 11 Reinforcing element 12 Structural element 13 Adhesive 14 Structural element 16 Device 17 Rib 18 Opening 20 Reinforcing element 21 First side wall 22 Second side wall 23 Third side wall 24 Front/rear wall 25 Opposite side wall 26 Longitudinal axis 28 Fastening element 38 Location opposite the fastening element