Vehicle panel assembly and method of attaching the same

US8403390B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• SHILOH INDUSTRIES, INC. · US
• GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC · US

Inventors

• Jonathan E. Rich · Clinton Township, US
• Marcel R. Cannon · Romeo, US
• Terry A. Swartzell · Ann Arbor, US
• Andrew W. White · Columbus, US
• Kenneth D. Schmid · Northville, US
• James F. Keys · Northville, US
• Jonathan W. Fisk · Canton, US
• Stephen A. Fetsko · Medina, US
• James J. Evangelista · Northville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 10, 2011
• Grant date: Mar 26, 2013
• Expiry date: Apr 1, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B60K37/20
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A sound-damped vehicle panel assembly, such as a dash panel, is attached to a structural member with one or more weld joints. The vehicle panel assembly may include a main panel member, a sound-damping patch, and a sound-damping adhesive layer arranged therebetween, where the patch covers at least a portion of an acoustically active region of the main panel member. The weld joints that attach the vehicle panel assembly to the structural member are preferably located at weld openings formed in the sound-damping patch and/or the sound-damping adhesive layer so that the weld joint can be formed without melting and vaporizing the adhesive during the welding operation, as such an operation would likely require additional ventilation equipment and could impact the quality of the weld joint.