BEARER JOINT FOR VEHICLE BODYWORK, ESPECIALLY LONGITUDINAL BEARER JOINT, AND PROCESS FOR REPLACING AN ALUMINIUM BEARER

摘要

The invention relates to a bearer joint for vehicle bodywork, especially a longitudinal bearer joint, and a process for replacing an aluminium bearer on a bearer joint in vehicle bodywork. An extruded aluminium section bearer (4) is inserted in a corresponding tubular aluminium recess (16) and welded by a surrounding weld seam (17). According to the invention, the length of the recess (16) comprises a first longitudinal region (24) which is necessary for matching the shape of a fixed joint and at least one second longitudinal region (18; 22) corresponding to the axial expansion of a heat affected zone, in which a substantial drop in rigidity through welding in the material of the recess (16) may be observed. When the bearer (4) is replaced, a ring (19) in the length of a heat affected zone (18) is separated and removed together with the bearer (4) secured by the weld seam (17). A new bearer (4) is then inserted and reconnected to the front edge of the shortened recess (16) by a surrounding weld seam (21). With a suitably long recess (16), this repair process can be repeated several times while still providing a sufficiently stable bearer joint.