Patent attributes
A bumper reinforcement beam includes sheets pre-formed to have integral features and to have a final beam shape with non-radiused corners and optimal impact properties, including beams with constant or varied cross-sectional shapes, and beams made of steel, aluminum, or hybrid materials or combinations of material, all of which allow minimization of weight. The non-radiused corners offer excellent impact strength and properties. Beam impact properties can be improved or locally tuned for particular functional requirements by material selection, or by adding an internal reinforcement on an inside center of the front wall, or by localized annealing of the welds to minimize stress risers, or by localized features and shapes. The sheets can be welded using welding processes that provide low heat-affected-zones around the weld or by localized annealing, thus minimizing any adverse effect of welding.
