CONNECTION OF ELEMENTS IN MOTOR VEHICLES

Abstract

A system of connected elements for a motor vehicle includes: a first element which has at least one depression on a surface; a second element which is arranged on the first element in such a manner that a surface of the second element and the depression of the first element form a cavity; a filling opening which forms an access to the cavity; and an adhesive which at least partially fills the cavity and thereby adhesively bonds the first element to the second element.

Claims

1. A system of connected elements for a motor vehicle, the system comprising: a first element which has at least one depression on one surface; a second element, which is arranged on the first element in such a way that a surface of the second element and the depression of the first element form a cavity; a filling aperture which forms an access to the cavity; and an adhesive which at least partially fills the cavity and thereby bonds the first element to the second element.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first element and/or the second element are/is a panellike element, a profile or a casting.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first element and/or the second element consist/consists at least partially of metal, plastic or fiber-reinforced plastic.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between shoulder and second element is at most 1 mm.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a depression width is between 3 and 50 mm and/or wherein a depression depth is between 0.5 and 5 mm and/or wherein a depression length is between 15 and 500 mm.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adhesive is selected from the following group: one-component epoxy adhesive, two-component or multicomponent epoxy adhesive, two-component acrylic adhesive, two-component polyurethane adhesive.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filling aperture has a diameter of 0.5 to 10 mm.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the depression has a rectangular, V-shaped, U-shaped or irregularly shaped cross section.

9. A method for connecting elements of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first element, the first element having a depression on one surface; providing a second element; arranging the first element and the second element in such a way that a surface of the second element and the depression of the first element form a cavity; introducing an adhesive into the cavity, the adhesive being introduced into the cavity through a filling aperture.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the method comprises the following additional step: shaping the depression on the surface of the first element.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the depression is formed during shaping by embossing or by impressing or by stamping.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the method comprises the following additional step: forming a filling aperture in the first element or in the second element, the filling aperture forming an access to the cavity.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the method comprises the following additional step: curing the adhesive.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the adhesive during introduction into the cavity has a temperature of 10 to 100 C., and/or wherein the adhesive is introduced into the cavity with a volume flow rate of 0.1 to 5 cm.sup.3/s.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the method is carried out with elements of the system of connected elements for the motor vehicle comprising: the first element which has at least one depression on one surface; the second element, which is arranged on the first element in such a way that the surface of the second element and the depression of the first element form the cavity; the filling aperture which forms an access to the cavity; and the adhesive which at least partially fills the cavity and thereby bonds the first element to the second element.

Description

[0066] Details and advantages of the invention are described below in reference to working examples and in relation to schematic drawings. In the drawings:

[0067] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary representation of a body of a motor vehicle;

[0068] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary first element;

[0069] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary first and second element;

[0070] FIGS. 4a to 4c show a schematic representation of an exemplary first element and second element;

[0071] FIGS. 5a and 5b show a schematic representation of an exemplary first element and second element;

[0072] FIGS. 6a and 6b show a schematic representation of an exemplary first element and second element; and

[0073] FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of an introduction device.

[0074] Depicted schematically in FIG. 1 is a body 10 of a motor vehicle. The body 10 here comprises various structures, such as columns 14 and cross struts 12, for example. Body 10 structures of this and other kinds have to be connected to one another in a suitable way. In particular, profiles, castings, and panellike elements may be connected to one another.

[0075] Depicted schematically in FIG. 2 is a detail of a first element 1. The first element 1 here has a depression 3 on its surface. The surface of the first element 1 forms a shoulder 6 next to the depression 3. The depression 3 here has a depression length 16.

[0076] Depicted schematically in FIG. 3 is a cross section of a detail of a first element 1 and of a second element 4. The first element 1 again has a depression 3, which is formed on the surface of the first element 1. The depression 3 here has a depression width 17 and a depression depth 18. The cross section of the depression 3 in this exemplary embodiment is rectangular in form. A shoulder 6 is again formed next to the depression 3.

[0077] The second element 4, then, is arranged relative to the first element 1 in such a way that a cavity 5 is formed between the depression 3 of the first element 1 and the second element 4.

[0078] In this case there is a distance 9 between shoulder 6 of the first element 1 and the surface of the second element 4. In FIG. 3, this distance 9 is exaggerated for more effective appreciation. According to one exemplary embodiment, this distance 9 is at most 1 mm.

[0079] The second element 4 in this exemplary embodiment has a filling aperture 2, which has a diameter 22. Through this filling aperture 2, the adhesive (not depicted in this figure) can be introduced into the cavity 5.

[0080] In an alternative embodiment not depicted, the filling aperture may also be arranged in the first element 1. Depending on accessibility, the arrangement of the filling aperture in the first or in the second element may be accompanied by advantages.

[0081] FIGS. 4a to 4c depict various embodiments of an exemplary first element 1 and of an exemplary second element 4. A depression 3 is arranged in each case on one surface of the first element 1. Formed between this depression 3 and the second element 4 in each case is a cavity 5.

[0082] The exemplary first element 1 in FIG. 4a has a depression 3 which has a V-shaped cross section. In this exemplary embodiment, the filling aperture 2 is arranged in the second element 4.

[0083] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4b, the first element 1 has a depression 3, which has a U-shaped or semicircular cross section. In this exemplary embodiment, the filling aperture 2 is again arranged in the second element 4.

[0084] The exemplary embodiment of the first element 1 that is depicted in FIG. 4c has a depression 3 which has a rectangular cross section. In this exemplary embodiment, the filling aperture 2 is arranged in the first element 1.

[0085] FIGS. 5a and 5b each depict a first element 1 and a second element 4, with FIG. 5a depicting the elements before their arrangement for bonding, and FIG. 5b showing the elements arranged relative to one another for bonding. In this exemplary embodiment, the elements 1, 4 are each in the form of metal panels. In this case the depression 3 in the first element 1 has been shaped into the panel by embossing or stamping.

[0086] In FIG. 5a, holes 20 are depicted in the elements 1, 4. FIG. 5b shows fastening means 21, which in this example are implemented as screws and which protrude through the holes 20. These fastening means 21 serve for fixing of the first element 1 and of the second element 4 relative to one another, before the adhesive is introduced through the filling aperture 2.

[0087] Depicted in FIG. 6a is an exemplary combination of a first element 1 with a second element 4. In this case the first element 1 takes the form of a curved panellike element, and the second element 4 takes the form of a profile. In this exemplary embodiment, the filling aperture 2 is arranged in the first element 1.

[0088] Depicted in FIG. 6b is a further exemplary combination of a first element 1 with a second element 4. In this case the first element 1 takes the form of a profile, and the second element 4 takes the form of a casting. In this exemplary embodiment, the filling aperture 2 is arranged in the second element 4.

[0089] Depicted in FIG. 7 is a device for introducing the adhesive into the cavity between the first and second elements (not apparent on this depiction). A pump 25 here conveys adhesive from an adhesive tank 24 through a filling aperture 2 in the first element 1 into the cavity between first element 1 and second element 4.

[0090] The first element 1 and the second element 4 are preliminarily fixed by fastening means 21, so that a relative arrangement of the elements to one another does not change when the adhesive is introduced.

KEY TO FIGURES

[0091] 1 first element [0092] 2 filling aperture [0093] 3 depression [0094] 4 second element [0095] 5 cavity [0096] 6 shoulder [0097] 9 distance between shoulder and second element [0098] 10 body [0099] 12 cross strut [0100] 14 column [0101] 16 depression length [0102] 17 depression width [0103] 18 depression depth [0104] 20 hole [0105] 21 fastening means [0106] 22 diameter of filling aperture [0107] 24 adhesive tank [0108] 25 pump