Abstract:
A joint between two or more structural members in a vehicular body and frame assembly facilitates the application of a coating of a material thereto after assembly of the joint. The first and second structural members have respective outer surfaces provided thereon. A spacer is provided either as a portion of a reinforcement member disposed within the first structural member or integrally with the first structural member. The first structural member is connected to the second structural member with the spacer therebetween so as to define a joint defining a gap between the outer surfaces of the first and second structural members. Lastly, a coating of a material is applied to the outer surfaces of the first and second structural members.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to body and frame assemblies for vehicles. In particular, this invention relates to an improved structure for a joint between two or more structural members in such a vehicular body and frame assembly that facilitates the application of a coating of a material thereto after assembly of the joint. 
     Many land vehicles in common use, such as automobiles, vans, and trucks, include a body and frame assembly that is supported upon a plurality of ground-engaging wheels by a resilient suspension system. The structures of known body and frame assemblies can be divided into two general categories, namely, separate and unitized. In a typical separate body and frame assembly, the structural components of the body portion and the frame portion of the vehicle are separate and independent from one another. When assembled, the frame portion of the assembly is resiliently supported upon the vehicle wheels by the suspension system and serves as a platform upon which the body portion of the assembly and other components of the vehicle can be mounted. Separate body and frame assemblies of this general type are found in most older vehicles, but remain in common use today for many relatively large or specialized use modern vehicles, such as large vans, sport utility vehicles, and trucks. In a typical unitized body and frame assembly, the structural components of the body portion and the frame portion are combined into an integral unit that is resiliently supported upon the vehicle wheels by the suspension system. Unitized body and frame assemblies of this general type are found in many relatively small modern vehicles, such as automobiles and minivans. 
     In both separate and unitized types of vehicular body and frame assemblies, a plurality of structural members are connected together to form the body and frame assembly. At each location where two or more of these structural members are connected together, a joint is defined. Because a typical vehicular body and frame assembly is composed of a relatively large number of structural members, a relatively large number of joints are defined therein. At each of the joints, the connection between the associated structural members may be accomplished using a variety of joint-forming mechanisms. For example, the structural members may be connected together by means of threaded fasteners, welding, adhesives, and the like. Usually, portions of the structural members are moved into abutment with one another to allow the joint-forming mechanism to connect them together. 
     In some instances, it is desirable to provide some or all of the structural members of the vehicular body and frame assembly with a coating of a material. For example, it is often desirable to provide some or all of such structural members with a protective coating of a corrosion resistant material. In the past, these coatings have been applied individually to each of the structural members before they were assembled and connected together to form the vehicular body and frame assembly. This was done to insure that all of the surfaces of all of the structural members, including those surfaces that abutted one another at the joints of the vehicular body and frame assembly, were properly coated with the material. Although effective, this process has been found to be relatively time consuming and expensive. To address this, it has been proposed to initially assemble and connect some or all of the various structural members together, then to apply the coating to the assembled vehicular body and frame assembly. However, the initial assembly of the vehicular body and frame assembly makes is difficult to apply the coating of the material to the portions of the structural members that abut one another at the various joints. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved structure for a joint between two or more structural members in such a vehicular body and frame assembly that facilitates the application of a coating of a material thereto after assembly of the joint. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an improved structure for a joint between two or more structural members in a vehicular body and frame assembly that facilitates the application of a coating of a material thereto after assembly of the joint. The first and second structural members have respective outer surfaces provided thereon. A spacer is provided either as a portion of a reinforcement member disposed within the first structural member or integrally with the first structural member. The first structural member is connected to the second structural member with the spacer therebetween so as to define a joint defining a gap between the outer surfaces of the first and second structural members. Lastly, a coating of a material is applied to the outer surfaces of the first and second structural members. 
     Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicular body and frame assembly including a plurality of joints that have been manufactured in accordance with this invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a joint between one of the side rails and one of the cross members illustrated in  FIG. 1  shown prior to assembly. 
         FIG. 3  is a further enlarged perspective view of the cross member illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional elevational view of the first embodiment of the joint illustrated in  FIG. 2  shown after assembly. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of a second embodiment of a cross member adapted for use in a joint with the side rail illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4  in accordance with this invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of a third embodiment of a cross member adapted for use in a joint with the side rail illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4  in accordance with this invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in  FIG. 1  a portion of a vehicular body and frame assembly that has been manufactured in accordance with this invention. The illustrated vehicular body and frame assembly is, in large measure, conventional in the art and is intended merely to illustrate one environment in which this invention may be used. Thus, the scope of this invention is not intended to be limited for use with the specific structure for the vehicular body and frame assembly illustrated in  FIG. 1  or with vehicular body and frame assemblies in general. On the contrary, as will become apparent below, this invention may be used in any desired environment for the purposes described below. 
     The illustrated vehicular body and frame assembly is a separate type of body and frame assembly, including a frame portion, indicated generally at  10 , and a body portion, indicated generally at  11 . The illustrated frame portion  10  of the vehicular body and frame assembly is a ladder type frame portion, including a pair of longitudinally extending side rails  12  and  13  having a plurality of transverse cross members  14 ,  15 ,  16 , and  17  extending therebetween. The side rails  12  and  13  extend longitudinally throughout the entire length of the frame portion  10  and are generally parallel to one another. Each of the side rails  12  and  13  in the illustrated embodiment is formed from a single closed channel structural member having an upper wall, a lower wall, and a pair of side walls. However, it is known that one or both of the side rails  12  and  13  may be formed from a plurality of individually formed closed channel structural members that are secured together by any conventional means, such as by welding, riveting, bolting, and the like. Furthermore, it is known that portions or all of the side rails  12  and  13  may be formed from open channel structural members. 
     The cross members  14  through  17  extend generally perpendicular to the side rails  12  and  13  and are generally parallel to one another. Each of the cross members  14  through  17  in the illustrated embodiment is formed from a single closed channel structural member having an upper wall, a lower wall, and a pair of side walls. However, it is known that some or all of the cross members  14  through  17  may be formed from a plurality of individually formed closed channel structural members that are secured together by any conventional means, such as by welding, riveting, bolting, and the like. Furthermore, it is known that portions or all of the cross members  14  through  17  may be formed from open channel structural members. The cross members  14  through  17  are spaced apart from one another along the length of the frame portion  10  and can be secured to the side rails  12  and  13  by any conventional means, such as by welding, riveting, bolting, and the like. When secured to the side rails  12  and  13 , the cross members  14  through  17  provide lateral and torsional rigidity to the frame portion assembly  10  of the vehicular body and frame assembly. 
     A plurality of body mount support brackets  18  are provided on the vehicle frame assembly  10 . The illustrated body mount support brackets  18  are stamped members that are secured to the side rails  12  and  13  of the vehicular body and frame assembly  10  by any conventional means, such as by welding, adhesives, and the like. The body mount support brackets  18  are provided to facilitate the connection of the body portion  11  and other various components (not shown) of the vehicle to the vehicular body and frame assembly  10 . To accomplish this, each of the body mount brackets  18  has an opening  18   a  formed therethrough. The openings  18   a  are sized in accordance with respective body mounts  11   a  provided on the body portion  11  of the vehicular body and frame assembly  10 . In a manner that is well known in the art, the body mounts  11   a  are received and supported within the openings  18   a  of the body mount support brackets  18  to connect the body portion  11  to the frame portion  10 . 
     At each location where two or more of the structural members  12  through  17  are connected together to form the vehicular body and frame assembly, a joint is defined. The structure of one of such joints between the side rail  13  and a first embodiment of the cross member  15  is illustrated in detail in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 . As shown therein, the cross member  15  is formed from first and second C-shaped structural members  15   a  and  15   b  that are oriented to face inwardly toward one another and are secured together to form the closed channel structural member. The first C-shaped structural member  15   a  has a pair of apertures  15   a ′ (see  FIG. 4 ) formed through the web portion thereof. Similarly, the second C-shaped structural member  15   b  has a pair of apertures  15   b ′ (see  FIG. 4 ) formed through the web portion thereof. Preferably, the apertures  15   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  15   a  are respectively aligned with the apertures  15   b ′ formed through the second C-shaped structural member  15   b . The purpose for such apertures  15   a ′ and  15   b ′ will be explained below. 
     A reinforcement member, indicated generally at  20 , is disposed within the cross member  15  between the first and second C-shaped structural members  15   a  and  15   b . The illustrated reinforcement member  20  includes a pair of side portions  21  that are connected together by a central web portion  22 . Each of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20  is generally hollow and cylindrical in shape (although such is not required) and extends from an upper end  21   a  to a lower end  21   b . The web portion  22  of the reinforcement member  20  is generally flat and rectangular in shape (although such is not required) and may have an opening  22   a  formed therethrough for the purpose of reducing its overall weight. The reinforcement member  22  is preferably sized such that the hollow cylindrical side portions  21  are aligned with the pairs of apertures  15   a ′ and  15   b ′ respectively formed through the first and second C-shaped structural members  15   a  and  15   b.    
     The apertures  15   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  15   a  are preferably formed to be slightly larger than the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20 . Thus, as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20  can extend through the apertures  15   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  15   a . The apertures  15   b ′ formed through the second C-shaped structural member  15   b  are preferably sized to be smaller than the lower ends  21   b  of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20 . Thus, as also shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , the lower ends  21   b  of the side portions  21  do not extend through the apertures  15   b ′ formed through the second C-shaped structural member  15   b , but rather abut the inner surface thereof. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , a pair of apertures  13   a  is formed through a portion of the side rail  13 . Preferably, the apertures  13   a  are threaded, although such is not required. The apertures  13   a  formed through the side rail  13  are preferably positioned to be aligned with the apertures  15   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  15   a  and the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20 . Thus, to assemble the joint between the side rail  13  and the cross member  15 , one or more threaded fasteners (such as a pair of bolts  25 ) can be respectively inserted through the apertures  15   b ′ formed through the second C-shaped structural member  15   b  and through the hollow cylindrical side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20  into threaded engagement with the threaded apertures  13   a  formed through the side rail  13 . The bolts  25  are effective to secure the cross member  15  to the side rail  13  to form the joint therebetween. If desired, the apertures  13   a  formed through the side rail  13  need not be threaded, but rather may be through apertures. In this instance, a pair of threaded nuts (not shown) may be provided within the interior of the side rail  13  for engagement with the threaded fasteners  25 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20  function as spacers to provide and maintain a gap  26  between the upper outer surface of the cross member  15  and the lower outer surface of the side rail  13 . This gap  26  is provided to facilitate the application of a coating of a material to the outer surfaces of the side rail  13  and the cross member  15  after assembly of the joint. Preferably, the gap  26  defines a space of approximately four millimeters between the upper outer surface of the cross member  15  and the lower outer surface of the side rail  13 . However, the gap  26  may have any desired size. Any desired material can be used to coat the outer surfaces of the side rail  13  and the cross member  15 . Such material can be easily sprayed, dipped, or otherwise applied to the outer surfaces of the side rail  13  and the cross member  15  because of the gap  26 . The only portions of the outer surface of the side rail  13  that are not exposed for coating are those portions that are directly engaged by the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20 . However, these portions of the outer surface of the side rail  13  are physically small and, in any event, are tightly engaged by the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  of the reinforcement member  20 . Thus, the lack of a coating of the material on these portions of the outer surface of the side rail  13  is inconsequential. 
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of a second embodiment of a cross member, indicated generally at  30 , that is adapted for use in a joint with the side rail  13  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4  in accordance with this invention. As above, the cross member  30  is formed from first and second C-shaped structural members  30   a  and  30   b  that are oriented to face inwardly toward one another and are secured together to form the closed channel structural member. The first C-shaped structural member  30   a  has a pair of apertures  30   a ′ formed through the web thereof. Similarly, the second C-shaped structural member  30   b  has a pair of apertures (not shown) formed through the web thereof. Preferably, the apertures  30   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  30   a  are respectively aligned with the apertures formed through the second C-shaped structural member  30   b . The upper surface of the first C-shaped structural member  30   a  has one or more raised darts  31  or similar embossments formed thereon. Each of the darts  31  is somewhat elongated in shape and extends a predetermined distance above the upper surface of the first C-shaped structural member  30   a . The above-described reinforcement member  20  is disposed within the cross member  30  between the first and second C-shaped structural members  30   a  and  30   b . The reinforcement member  20  functions in the same manner as described above, except that the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  do not extend through the apertures  30   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  30   a . Rather, when the cross member  30  is assembled with the side rail  13 , the darts  31  function as spacers to provide and maintain the gap  26  between the upper surface of the cross member  30  and the lower surface of the side rail  13 . 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of a third embodiment of a cross member, indicated generally at  40 , that is adapted for use in a joint with the side rail  13  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4  in accordance with this invention. As above, the cross member  40  is formed from first and second C-shaped structural members  40   a  and  40   b  that are oriented to face inwardly toward one another and are secured together to form the closed channel structural member. The first C-shaped structural member  40   a  has a pair of apertures  40   a ′ formed through the web thereof. Similarly, the second C-shaped structural member  40   b  has a pair of apertures (not shown) formed through the web thereof. Preferably, the apertures  40   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  40   a  are respectively aligned with the apertures formed through the second C-shaped structural member  40   b . The upper surface of the first C-shaped structural member  40   a  has one or more raised dimples  41  or similar embossments formed thereon. Each of the dimples  41  is relatively small and circular in shape and extends a predetermined distance above the upper surface of the first C-shaped structural member  40   a . The above-described reinforcement member  20  is disposed within the cross member  40  between the first and second C-shaped structural members  40   a  and  40   b . The reinforcement member  20  functions in the same manner as described above, except that the upper ends  21   a  of the side portions  21  do not extend through the apertures  40   a ′ formed through the first C-shaped structural member  40   a . Rather, when the cross member  40  is assembled with the side rail  13 , the dimples  41  function as spacers to provide and maintain the gap  26  between the upper surface of the cross member  40  and the lower surface of the side rail  13 . 
     Although this invention has been described in the context of the illustrated joint between the side rail  13  and the various embodiments of the cross member  15 ,  30 , and  40 , it will be appreciated that this invention can be used to connect any other components of the vehicle body and frame assembly. For example, this invention can be used to secure one or more of the body mount brackets  18  to the side rails  12  and  13 . 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiments. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.