Patent ID: 7451630

Claim:
An apparatus for making vehicle impact beams of the type having a predetermined open section configuration, comprising: means for cold forming an unhardened blank of hardenable steel at substantially ambient temperature into an elongated vehicle impact beam having opposite ends, and an elongated open section therebetween having an offset lateral cross-sectional configuation with a center portion and a pair of elongated flanges extending along opposite sides of the center portion which collectively define the predetermined open section configuration; an elongated induction heater having longitudinally extending coils positioned adjacent to and extending along at least selected portions of at least one of the center portion and the flanges of the vehicle impact beam, which when activated, heats the selected portions of the vehicle impact beam with eddy currents that move lengthwise along the surfaces of the selected portions of the vehicle impact beam to a temperature sufficient to heat treat the hardenable steel of the vehicle impact beam; a quencher rapidly cooling the heated selected portions of the one of the center portion and the flanges of the vehicle impact beam to selectively harden and strengthen the same; and first and second clamping fixtures spaced longitudinally apart adjacent the opposite ends of the vehicle impact beam, and including first and second clamping members which converge to securely retain therebetween the opposite ends of the vehicle impact beam and prevent the vehicle impact beam from shifting either torsionally or laterally from said predetermined open section configuration during activation of said induction heater and said quencher; at least one of said first and second clamping fixtures being configured to permit at least one of the clamped ends of the vehicle impact beam to shift longitudinally between said first and second clamping members, while preventing torsional and lateral shifting of the vehicle impact beam to accommodate for thermal expansion and contraction of the vehicle impact beam during activation of said induction heater and said quencher.