FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automotive vehicle load floors. More particularly, the present invention relates to such load floor which is light weighed, has high mechanical strength and waterproofing properties due to non-woven material 5 lamination.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Load floors are commonly used in automotive vehicles in luggage compartment 10 to provide an aesthetically pleasing look and to carry loads from one source to other. The Load carrying compartment, if equipped with floors composed of metal or solid polymer, would be too heavy for practical use. Hence, a light weight polymers, materials and composites are required to be developed and used to provide load floors with ideal properties that make them a suitable candidate of 15 selection for practical use.
Automotive components are continually tasked to meet higher specifications at lower cost. During the past several years, both structural and interior components have incorporated more composite materials in order to achieve these market 20 demands.
With the rising functionality of today’s automotive vehicles and the immense crossover in the automotive markets, load floors are becoming more common and more useful. The station wagons and mini-vans of two decades ago and the 25 SUV’s (sports utility vehicles) of the past decade have continued to create an increasing awareness and respect for accessible stowage space and vehicle flexibility.
As per today’s market demand, it is required to provide structural and load 30 bearing floor surfaces with the following characteristics:
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• Low overall weight,
• High compressive strength,
• Contours that maximize the available packaging space, and
• Tough surfaces with good abrasion resistance and UV stability,
• Good flexural strength and modulus, 5
• Acoustical absorption.
• Easy clean up,
• System harmony with interior and attractive decorative finishes,
• Excellent dimensional and thermal stability.
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Further requirement demands that the load floor exhibit sufficient stiffness and strength to resist buckling and maintain function when loaded.
The problem associated with prior art load floors is that the load floors typically require many assembly stops often involving costly labor. Also, the material 15 making up such load floors is often non-recyclable.
Sometimes, in order to achieve this required stiffness, load floors are made of relatively thick sections, dense materials which do not lend themselves to weight savings. Likewise, in the case of seatbacks, the relatively large buckets that 20 surround many seats would desirably be produced in lighter weight versions without losing their structural capabilities. In the non-automotive industries, articles such as molded seats, garage doors, and the like are also amenable to use of lightweight, yet strong and highly stiff materials.
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Another problem associated with some load floors especially carpeted load floors is that they have covers which cover storage area in an automotive vehicle. Further, loose items or objects in the storage area can cause relatively loud, undesirable noises during vehicle travel. Also, when the cover is in its open position the underside of the cover is not particularly visually appealing. 30
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Thus, there is a need to a load floor structure that is thin, lightweight, cost-effective and sufficiently strong to withstand the load requirements for automotive applications.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 5
The main object of the present invention is to provide a load floor structure composed of polyurethane glass fiber composite that is thin, light weight, and possesses high mechanical strength.
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Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a load floor made up of sandwich structure composite of fiber glass, polyurethane resin, and atleast one polyurethane foam core.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a water resistant load 15 floor structure laminated with a non woven material.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a resilient and dimensionally stable load floor for easy installation in the luggage compartment or boot space or any other space means for storage of luggage in the automotive 20 vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a load floor structure for automobile vehicles 25 composed of polyurethane glass fiber composite. The composite is formed by combining polyurethane resin and fiber glass to form an organized sandwich that harnesses the individual strengths and properties of each component. The glass fiber possesses excellent flexural and tensile strength remaining it resilient, dimensionally stable, and durable under the conditions like high temperature, 30 humid environments and the like.
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In another embodiment, the load floor structure has resilient property that makes it easier to install into luggage compartment of the automotive vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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A complete understanding of the system and method of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following drawings:
FIG 1 is a perspective view of the Load floor structure.
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FIG 2 is a perspective view of the load floor structure installed in the luggage compartment of an automotive vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG 3A and 3B are perspective top side and bottom side views of the load floor 15 respectively after lamination with non woven fabric.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to the 20 accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 25
Referring to the Figure 1, a perspective view of the load floor structure is illustrated. The load floor structure according to this embodiment comprises of a non woven fabric lamination on the outer surface of the load floor structure. A layer of Polyurethane resin and fiber glass is also defined wherein these 30 components are combined together to form a sandwiched type composite using polyurethane foam as a core material.
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Referring to Figure 2, a diagrammatic view of the finished load floor structure is illustrated, wherein said structure is fitted in the luggage compartment or boot space of an automotive vehicle. The figure 2 represents the resilient and dimensionally stable property of the load floor structure that makes it easy to fit in the desired location to which said structure is designed. 5
Referring to figure 3A and 3B, other perspective views of the top side and bottom side of the load floor structure respectively are illustrated after lamination of said structure with a non woven fabric. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the finished load floor structure is about 22 mm. 10
In another embodiment, the sandwich composite structure comprises of fiber glass, polyurethane resins, and at least one polyurethane foam core. The composite structure includes a first outer layer having an outer surface, a second outer layer and a polyurethane foam core positioned between said outer layers. 15 When the components are so combined, the resulting sandwich composite provides an exceptional load bearing capability as well as mechanical strength.
The structure further includes a sandwich-type, generally planar, structural member having an attachment feature. The core is sandwiched between the first and second outer layers. The outer layers are bonded to the core by press 20 molding. A portion of the structural member is crushed by the press molding to form a depression having bottom and side surfaces formed by the first outer layer and having a predetermined depth. The structural member has a connector fixedly secured to the bottom surface of the depression which attaches the members together to form the load floor structure. 25
In another embodiment, the load floor structure is laminated with water resistant non woven fabric and/or material. In this embodiment, the load floor structure possesses a thickness of about 22 mm.
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CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle comprising a sandwich composite structure said composite structure consisting of a first outer 5 layer having an outer surface, a second outer layer and a polyurethane foam core; characterized in that said first and second outer layers are composed of a polyurethane resin and fiber glass; wherein said polyurethane foam core is positioned between said first and second outer layers to form a sandwich-type structure. 10
2. The lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second outer layers respectively define top and bottom surface of the load floor structure.
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3. The lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said top and bottom surfaces are laminated with a non woven fabric.
4. The lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, 20 wherein the thickness of the load floor after lamination is about 22mm.
5. The lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second outer layers are bonded to the core by press molding method. 25
6. The lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sandwich composite further comprises a structural member wherein said structural member is crushed by the press molding to form a depression having bottom and side surfaces formed by the first outer layer 30 and having a predetermined depth.
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7. The lightweight load floor for automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said load floor is water resistant, resilient and possesses high mechanical strength.