VEHICLE PANEL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF ATTACHING THE SAME

摘要

A sound-damped vehicle panel assembly, such as a dash panel, is attached to a structural member with one or more weld joints. The vehicle panel assembly may include a main panel member, a sound-damping patch, and a sound-damping adhesive layer arranged therebetween, where the patch covers at least a portion of an acoustically active region of the main panel member. The weld joints that attach the vehicle panel assembly to the structural member are preferably located at weld openings formed in the sound-damping patch and/or the sound-damping adhesive layer so that the weld joint can be formed without melting and vaporizing the adhesive during the welding operation, as such an operation would likely require additional ventilation equipment and could impact the quality of the weld joint.