公开(公告)号：US11761052B2

公开(公告)日：2023-09-19

申请号：US17801019

申请日：2021-02-24

Applicant: Multimatic Inc.

Inventor： Mark Sullivan

IPC: B21K21/12 ,  C21D9/08 ,  B23K9/028 ,  B23K9/173 ,  B23K9/235 ,  B23K33/00 ,  C21D1/18 ,  C21D1/56 ,  C21D8/10 ,  C21D9/50

CPC classification number: C21D9/085 ,  B21K21/12 ,  B23K9/0282 ,  B23K9/173 ,  B23K9/235 ,  B23K33/008 ,  C21D1/18 ,  C21D1/56 ,  C21D8/105 ,  C21D9/505 ,  C21D2211/008

Abstract: A process for preparing a multi-thickness welded steel vehicle rail, the process comprises the steps of: (a) forming a first tube having a first outer diameter, an inner diameter and a first wall thickness; (b) forming a second tube having the first outer diameter, a second inner diameter and a second wall thickness different than the first wall thickness; (c) swaging a first end of the first tube to a second outer diameter less than the second inner diameter of the second tube; (d) inserting the swaged first end of the first tube into an end of the second tube to form a joint; (e) welding the first tube and the second tube together to form a weld at the joint to form a tube blank with a heat affected zone of lower metal strength in the area of the weld; (f) preheating the tube blank to create a common crystalline microstructure along a length of the tube blank; (g) introducing the tube blank into a blow molding tool having inner molding walls; (h) molding the tube blank at an elevated temperature by expanding the tube blank against the inner molding walls of the molding tool by injecting a pressurized medium into an interior cavity of the tube blank; and (i) quenching the tube blank by replacing the pressurized medium with a cooling medium through the molding tool and the tube blank to achieve a rapid cooling effect on the tube blank and to create a completed vehicle rail with essentially uniform material strength across the weld. A completed vehicle rail has an overlapped welded structure and uniform microcrystalline structure along the length of the rail.

公开(公告)号：US20230183831A1

公开(公告)日：2023-06-15

申请号：US17801019

申请日：2021-02-24

Applicant: Multimatic Inc.

Inventor： Mark Sullivan

IPC: C21D9/08 ,  B21K21/12 ,  B23K9/028 ,  B23K9/173 ,  B23K9/235 ,  B23K33/00 ,  C21D9/50 ,  C21D8/10 ,  C21D1/56 ,  C21D1/18

CPC classification number: C21D9/085 ,  B21K21/12 ,  B23K9/0282 ,  B23K9/173 ,  B23K9/235 ,  B23K33/008 ,  C21D9/505 ,  C21D8/105 ,  C21D1/56 ,  C21D1/18 ,  C21D2211/008

Abstract: A process for preparing a multi-thickness welded steel vehicle rail, the process comprises the steps of: (a) forming a first tube having a first outer diameter, an inner diameter and a first wall thickness; (b) forming a second tube having the first outer diameter, a second inner diameter and a second wall thickness different than the first wall thickness; (c) swaging a first end of the first tube to a second outer diameter less than the second inner diameter of the second tube; (d) inserting the swaged first end of the first tube into an end of the second tube to form a joint; (e) welding the first tube and the second tube together to form a weld at the joint to form a tube blank with a heat affected zone of lower metal strength in the area of the weld; (f) preheating the tube blank to create a common crystalline microstructure along a length of the tube blank; (g) introducing the tube blank into a blow molding tool having inner molding walls; (h) molding the tube blank at an elevated temperature by expanding the tube blank against the inner molding walls of the molding tool by injecting a pressurized medium into an interior cavity of the tube blank; and (i) quenching the tube blank by replacing the pressurized medium with a cooling medium through the molding tool and the tube blank to achieve a rapid cooling effect on the tube blank and to create a completed vehicle rail with essentially uniform material strength across the weld. A completed vehicle rail has an overlapped welded structure and uniform microcrystalline structure along the length of the rail.