An elongated, tubular, steel, vehicle door impact beam, each end of which has a convex curvilinear outer surface to form opposite curvilinear, outwardly facing connector surfaces, a steel plate at each end having at least one portion which is generally flat, and having a pair of opposite faces, a pair of elongated beads upstanding from one of these faces of the steel plate, each bead having a convex curvilinear cross section, the beads being spaced from and parallel to each other, defining elongated, adjacent, mutually facing, curvilinear surfaces engaging the opposite curvilinear, outwardly facing surfaces of the tubular impact beam, and each curvilinear bead surface being welded to one of the curvilinear beam surfaces of one of the beam ends. The beads are formed from the steel plate, each having a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of curvature of the ends of the beam. The mutually facing curvilinear bead surfaces are spaced apart an amount less than the diameter of the beam end.

Apparatus and method for hydroforming a dual wall conduit having a controlled size gap between the walls, a frame having an upper crown and a lower bed defining a hydroforming space therebetween, the bed having a slideway extending from the space to a load-unload-preform position out of the space. A mold assembly on the slideway has a lower platen and an upper platen defining at least two hydroforming cavities, one cavity being an elongated preform and semi-finish cavity, and the other cavity being an elongated finish cavity. Mold shifting means is positioned for shifting the mold assembly on the slideway from the position in the space between the crown and bed, to and from the forward load-unload-preform position. Mold closing and preforming hydraulic cylinders are operably connected to the upper mold platen for closing the upper platen onto the lower platen and creating mechanical preforming on dual wall tubular stock in the preform and semi-finish form cavity. The upper crown has a peripherally retained bladder over the mold assembly for applying a closure clamping force on the mold assembly by the bladder. A first pair of double acting, tube sealing, hydroforming elements are at the ends of the preform, semi-finish cavity, and a second pair of tube sealing hydroforming elements are at the ends of the finish cavity.

The invention provides an impact beam assembly and method for making the same. The method includes (a) deforming a tubular beam to provide an arcuate channel that extends inwardly from one end of the beam and that has a depth which decreases with increasing distance from the end of the beam, and (b) securing the beam to a mounting fixture near the deformed end of the beam. An arcuate channel and mounting fixture can also be provided at the other end of the impact beam. The arcuate channel provides a tapered profile to the end or ends of the impact beam, while preserving much of the beam's inherent tube strength.

Apparatus and method for hydroforming a dual wall conduit having a controlled size gap between the walls, a frame having an upper crown and a lower bed defining a hydroforming space therebetween, the bed having a slideway extending from the space to a load-unload-preform position out of the space. A mold assembly on the slideway has a lower platen and an upper platen defining at least two hydroforming cavities, one cavity being an elongated preform and semi-finish cavity, and the other cavity being an elongated finish cavity. Mold shifting means is positioned for shifting the mold assembly on the slideway from the position in the space between the crown and bed, to and from the forward load-unload-preform position. Mold closing and preforming hydraulic cylinders are operably connected to the upper mold platen for closing the upper platen onto the lower platen and creating mechanical preforming on dual wall tubular stock in the preform and semi-finish form cavity. The upper crown has a peripherally retained bladder over the mold assembly for applying a closure clamping force on the mold assembly by the bladder. A first pair of double acting, tube sealing, hydroforming elements are at the ends of the preform, semi-finish cavity, and a second pair of tube sealing hydroforming elements are at the ends of the finish cavity.

A method of forming a vehicle component, particularly an elongated impact beam, having an open section structure, in a manner to provide predetermined strategically strengthened portions, comprising the steps of cold forming unhardened steel into a workpiece having mounting surfaces, selectively fixturing the mounting surfaces, static induction heating the workpiece with lengthwise surface eddy currents on selected portions, followed by quenching of the fixtured heated workpiece to form strengthened portions, and unfixturing the resulting component. Also disclosed is apparatus to accomplish this, and the resulting novel vehicle component.