Patent ID: 8066321

Claim:
A vehicle body comprising: a vehicle frame defined by metal structural components including two side rails each located at a respective upstanding side wall of the vehicle frame; a structural shear floor panel structurally connected to the metal structural components resting upon and supported by the metal structural components so as to provide a common structural element therewith accommodating structural loads; the panel comprising an upper sheet, a lower sheet and a core material between the upper and lower sheets; each of the upper and lower sheets being formed of a fiber reinforced material so as to provide strength against tension in both longitudinal and transverse directions; the core material having a thickness so as to hold the upper and lower sheets spaced by a distance to provide a resistance of the panel to bending; and a resin permeated through the upper and lower sheets and forming with the core material an integral structure; the floor panel including a floor portion which is of generally planar shape; wherein the floor portion terminates at side edges of the floor portion which side edges lie in a common plane with the floor portion and is bonded by an adhesive to and supported by a respective one of the side rails of the metal structural components of the vehicle body; wherein the floor panel includes at least one second portion which is deformed out of the generally planar shape of the floor portion so as to: raise to a height so that a part of the second portion, which part is defined by the upper sheet, lower sheet and core material, is wholly above a plane of the upper sheet of the floor portion; or fall to a depth so that a part of the second portion, which part is defined by the upper sheet, lower sheet and core material, is wholly below a plane of the lower sheet of the floor portion; and wherein the upper and lower sheets are continuous from the floor portion into the second portion and are held spaced by the core material from the floor portion into the second portion; the second portion extending at least partly across the floor portion; and the floor panel including the second portion being arranged to co-operate with the metal components to provide a structural member by which transverse metal components connecting the side rails are eliminated or reduced.