PLASTIC BODY ARRANGEMENT FOR SMALL, LIGHT VEHICLES

Abstract: Appliance in the manufacturing of plastic car bodies, preferably moulded/cast in one piece, with openings for doors and windows, including recesses (A) from the outside to the inside, terminating inside in an approximately right angle. Opening (B) is cut out by means of a projection from the angle (K). A securing moulding (C) envelopes the plastic part (D) and is screwed/riveted to the internal roll-over bracket/frame (E). On one side of the door the securing moulding (C) is extended to comprise/fasten door hinges (H).

Description: Plastic body arrangement for small, light vehicles. The present invention relates to a method for the production of bodies/cabins for lightweight vehicles in that these are moulded/casted/blow moulded, mainly with floor, sidewalls and roof in one piece, with floating/spot-free devices for securing/fixing the cabin to the vehicle's roll-over safety bars and floor frame/chassis. For the building of car bodies/ cabins, it has been normal to use a metal frame with plates welded on as bodywork. This is possible when the plates and the framework are both metallic. Building bodies/cabins with glass-fibre reinforced Polyester has been tried, but it proves to be extremely work-intensive. It necessitates a substantial amount of handwork, being built up in layers and thus making the bodies expensive. The fixing between a metal framework and the plastic bodyparts by screws or rivets creates local stresses. Metal bodies have therefore more or less controlled the market, but these are heavy and have disadvantages such as corrosion and the like. Comprehensive galvanization and paint treatment has been necessary, but the problems still exist. Another drawback is that the bodies are getting very heavy, which has impeded the development of small, light weight vehicles. This invention has made it possible to produce the car/vehicle body/cabin by, for example, vacuum moulding, blow moulding and rotational moulding, mainly with floor, roof and sidewalls in one piece. In the case of rotational moulding, 4 moulds and a cycle of I hour, the moulding time for each body will be approximately 15 minutes. By using coloured plastics, no further surface handling is needed, and if the body suffers a blow, it will sustain few visible "scratches" or dents. The elastic plastic material will be more gentle on the passengers in case of a crash. According to the invention, in the production mould, recesses are made from the outside to the inside for doors and windows. The recesses terminate at the innermost in an approximately 905 angle, and the openings are cut out so that a projection remains. Cut-outs are made for windows and doors after the body has been moulded. To make the body lightweight and as safe as possible, it is assumed according to the invention, that one uses internal roll-over safety bars and a metallic floor frame/chassis, preferably of aluminium. Plastic and aluminium have different degrees of temperature expansion, and according to the invention the body is fixed in a flexible manner to the At least two of the roll -over bars are fastened to the floor frame, one on each side of the door opening, and they are covered by the body's/cabin's plastic on at least two sides. Profiles envelopes and fixes the rest of the plastic angle after the openings for doors/windows have been cut out; they direct and press the plastic against the roll-over bars when the profile is firmely fixed; screwed or riveted. This also provides a stable flange for doors and window. This allows the plastic and the metal framework to move in various ways in varying temperatures. Fatigue fractures will therefore not arise at local fixing spots. According to the invention, the above-mentioned profiles is also used to secure the we therstrip/gaskets around the doors and windows. It is assumed that these'openings shall not have sharp-angled corners, but preferably rounded ones with a radius of 20 mm or more. The profiles are, according to the invention, also intented to cover the plastic edges resulting from the cutting out of openings for doors and windows. As mentioned above, the invention is intended used for lightweight bodies/cabins and it assumes therefore that the side door is combined as/with window. Preferably, the whole door should be made of an impact-resistant, transparent plastic. The internal roll-over safety bars curve toward the ceiling has a greater radius than that of the adjacent part of the plastic body/cabin. This means that it arlϊows for varying expansion and shrinkage of the plastic and metal rførts when temperatures change. The invention can be produced in various ways, and the enclosed drawing of details shows one means of production, where A shows the body/ cabin part with recession for the door opening. B shows the cut out door opening, with the cut edge D a slight distance from the angle K innermost in the recession. A profile C envelopes the remaining end of the angle, D, and fastens the body/cabin f loatingly to the roll-over bar E, which can be round or square. The profile C can be fixed to the roll-over bar E by e.g. means of screws of rivets. The profile C has an extention on the side of the door and window intended for hinges, G, for fastening the hinges. The profile C is also used to fasten the weatherstrip/gasket E around the door and windows. The windscreen L can likewise overlap the roll-over bar E. at the back and is secured by the profile C.

Claims: PATENT CLAIM5 1. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, characterized in that a formed lightweight plastic body/cabin, with floor, sidewalls, roof and recess areas for door and window openings A from the outside to the inside - is fastened to the roll-over safety bars/framework E on the f loorframe/chassis with the one edge of the profile C, while the other edge slides over the plastic cabin's/body's cut-away edges D resulting from the cutting out of door and window openings B. 2. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabi s for small, lightweight vehicles, according to claim 1, characterized in that the cut-outs in the body/cabin for door and window openings have recesses with an inward curve of approximately 90s from the outside and inwards, terminating with an angle K. The cutting out/trimming B. of the opening is carried out having a projection D from the angle K. 3. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, according to claim 1 - 2, characterized in that there is one bar/framework £ on either side of the door opening B and is adjacent to and covered by plastic from the body/cabin on at least two sides. 4. Methods in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, according to claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the profile C form a cover for the body's/cabin's plastic edges D against the door and window openings B. 5. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, according to claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the profile C also fixes the edge of the weatherstrip/gasket E. 6. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, according to claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the profile C is strengthened/lengthened on one side G forming a hinge/fixing point for hinges H. 7. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, according to claims 1 - 6, characterized in that the frontscreen L ends with the same inward curving profile and finish described for the body/cabin in item 2 and is fastened to the bar by profile C. 8. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, accσ ' f ffήg to claim 1, characterized in that the body/cabin A is shaped with the floor, sidewalls and roof in one piece, by means of rotational moulding. 9. Method in the manufacture of bodies/cabins for small, lightweight vehicles, according to ςlalm 1, characterized in that the body/cabin A is formed with the floor, sides and roof fn one piece, by means of blow moulding.

Inventors: RINGDAL JAN OTTO, RINGDAL LARS, RINGDAL, JAN, OTTO, RINGDAL, LARS
Applicants: RINGDAL JAN OTTO, RINGDAL LARS, RINGDAL PATENTER AS, A.S RINGDAL PATENTER, RINGDAL, JAN, OTTO, RINGDAL, LARS
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B62D29
IPC codes: B62D25, B62D29