IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,623,638
Granted Patent B2
US 9,623,638 · App. 14/550,480 · Granted Apr 18, 2017

Skin component for a vehicle

Inventors: Dirk Lungershausen (Wiesbaden, DE); Tino Jacob (Leipzig, DE)
Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
B32B27/12B29C70/088B32B5/26B32B7/005B62D29/043B29C70/48B29K2101/10B29K2301/12B29K2305/00B29L2009/00B29L2031/30B32B2260/021B32B2260/046B32B2262/02B32B2262/06B32B2262/101B32B2262/103B32B2262/106B32B2605/00Y10T428/24752
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,623,638
App. No.
14/550,480
Granted
Apr 18, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A skin component for a vehicle for use as a roof module, an engine compartment hood or a trunk lid is disclosed. The skin component includes at least one supporting layer and a protective layer. The protective layer includes a fiber-reinforced band that is installed along at least one outer edge of the skin component.

Claims (15)

1. A skin component for a vehicle, comprising:

at least one supporting layer and a protective layer,

wherein the at least one supporting layer comprises two supporting layers, the protective layer is arranged between the two supporting layers and the protective layer includes a fiber-reinforced band that is installed along at least one outer edge of the skin component, the fiber-reinforced band of the protective layer includes a plurality of fibers, with each of the fibers aligned substantially parallel to the at least one outer edge of the skin component and the two supporting layers directly contact each other at a distance from the at least one outer edge.

2. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the fibers of the protective layer comprises at least one of a pre-stretched thermoplastic polymer and steel.

3. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the fibers of the protective layer are not interwoven.

4. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the fibers of the protective layer are oriented in a longitudinal direction of the fiber-reinforced band.

5. The skin component according claim 1 , wherein the protective layer is a fiber layer impregnated with a thermosetting polymer matrix of the at least one supporting layer.

6. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the protective layer comprises a matrix fused together with a thermosetting polymer matrix of the at least one supporting layer.

7. The skin component according claim 1 , wherein the supporting layer further comprises reinforcing fibers including at least one of a carbon fiber, a glass fiber or a plant-based fiber.

8. The skin component according to claim 7 , wherein the reinforcing fibers of the supporting layer comprise a fabric.

9. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting layer comprises pre-impregnated fibers.

10. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the skin component comprises one of a roof module, an engine compartment hood or a trunk lid.

11. A method for fabricating a skin component according to claim 1 comprising interweaving the supporting layer and the protective layer with a thermosetting polymer matrix using a resin-transfer-molding (RTM) process.

12. A method for fabricating a skin component according to claim 1 comprising interweaving the supporting layer and the protective layer with a thermosetting polymer matrix using a gap impregnation process.

13. The skin component according to claim 1 , wherein the fibers of the protective layer comprise a pre-stretched thermoplastic polymer and the fibers of the protective layer deform in an elasto-plastic manner.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 21, 2014
From: LUNGERSHAUSEN, DIRK; JACOB, TINO
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 034234/0847 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2013 019 677 · Nov 22, 2013 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150147536A1 · May 28, 2015