U.S. patent application number 09/973707 was filed with the patent office on 2002-04-18 for vehicle side sill structure.
Invention is credited to Kurokawa, Hiroyuki, Nagura, Hiroyuki, Takashina, Katsuhiko.
Application Number | 20020043821 09/973707 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18790748 |
Filed Date | 2002-04-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020043821 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Takashina, Katsuhiko ; et
al. |
April 18, 2002 |
VEHICLE SIDE SILL STRUCTURE
Abstract
In a vehicle side sill structure in which a side sill portion
having a substantially closed cross section extending in a
longitudinal direction of a vehicle body is provided at the side of
the vehicle body, a pipe member is disposed inside the side sill
portion in such a manner as to extend in the longitudinal direction
of the vehicle body, and at least two concave portions (fragile
portions) are formed in a side portion of the pipe member. Further,
a reinforcing member is disposed substantially along the side
portion of the pipe member, and cooperates with the side portion to
form a second closed section. This enables proper deformation
particularly during side impact with a simple structure.
Inventors: |
Takashina, Katsuhiko;
(Okazaki-shi, JP) ; Nagura, Hiroyuki; (Anjo-shi,
JP) ; Kurokawa, Hiroyuki; (Nisshin-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
18790748 |
Appl. No.: |
09/973707 |
Filed: |
October 11, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/203.03 ;
296/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D 25/025 20130101;
B62D 25/02 20130101; B62D 21/157 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/203.03 ;
296/209 |
International
Class: |
B62D 025/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 11, 2000 |
JP |
2000-310880 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A vehicle side sill structure in which a side sill portion
having a substantially closed section extending in a longitudinal
direction of a vehicle body is provided at a side of the vehicle
body, comprising: a center pillar joined to an intermediate section
of the side sill portion and extended upward; a pipe member
disposed inside said side sill portion and extended in the
longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, at least two fragile
portions being formed in a side portion of said pipe member across
the intermediate section; and a reinforcing member disposed
substantially along the side portion of said pipe member to cover
the fragile portions, and cooperating with said side portion to
form a second closed section.
2. A vehicle side sill structure according to claim 1, wherein the
second closed section is substantially convex-shaped in such a
manner as to protrude toward an outside of the vehicle body.
3. A vehicle side sill structure according to claim 1, wherein the
second closed section is substantially convex-shaped in such a
manner as to protrude toward an inside of the vehicle body.
4. A vehicle side sill structure according to claim 1, wherein the
fragile portions are provided at substantially same distances from
the intermediate section.
5. A vehicle side sill structure according to claim 1, wherein said
pipe member includes bracket members for joining respective front
and rear ends of the side sill portion to respective front and rear
ends of said pipe member.
6. A vehicle side sill structure according to claim 1, wherein said
reinforcing member includes extending plate portions provided at
upper and lower ends thereof to extend in a vertical direction, and
includes a plurality of bead portions provided in the longitudinal
direction of the vehicle to extend in the vertical direction.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This nonprovisional application incorporates by reference
the subject matter of Appl. No. 2000-310880 filed in Japan on Oct.
11, 2000, on which a priority claim is based under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(a).
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention generally relates to a vehicle side sill
structure, and more particularly to a vehicle side sill structure
capable of properly deforming in response to vehicle frontal
impact, offset impact, and side impact.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] A frame portion of the vehicle is basically formed to have a
predetermined rigidity since it receives various kinds of impacts
from the outside while running. In particular, the frame portion of
the vehicle comprises a portion that allows deformation for
absorbing impacts when receiving an overload, and a portion that
improves rigidity with a high priority to ensure a passenger space
such as a frame portion around a vehicle compartment.
[0006] Incidentally, a vehicle body frame portion, forming the side
portion of the vehicle body, is comprised of a roof rail disposed
in the lower section of the vehicle body; a side sill disposed in
the lower section of the vehicle body; a front pillar, a center
pillar, and a rear pillar that connect the roof rail and the side
sill; and so forth. Each of these members is usually formed to have
a closed section to improve the rigidity thereof. Among these
members, the side sill in particular receives an overload
(compressive load) in the longitudinal direction in a frontal
impact or an offset impact, and it is therefore necessary to
inhibit the side sill itself from curving and buckling to disperse
the load. Further, when the side sill receives an overload along
the width of the vehicle in a side impact, it is preferable to
control the mode of bending along the width of the vehicle (the
mode of bending of the side sill itself).
[0007] However, in a conventional side sill structure disclosed in,
for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-99851, an
inverted T-shaped pipe member is disposed in an inverted T-shaped
space to improve the rigidity in an-inverted T shaped connecting
portion between a side sill and a center pillar joined to the
intermediate section of the side sill and to inhibit the
deformation of the connecting portion in a side impact. In another
conventional side sill structure disclosed in Japanese Patent
Laid-Open Publication No. 64-18784, a pipe member is disposed in a
closed space, which is continuously formed along the longitudinal
side of a side sill, through a plurality of bulkheads in order to
disperse a load when a vehicle receives an overload (compressive
load) along the longitudinal side of the side sill.
[0008] Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional structure does
not enable proper deformation particularly in a side impact
although various measures are taken to improve the rigidity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a vehicle side sill structure capable of deforming
particularly in a side impact.
[0010] The above object can be accomplished by providing a vehicle
side sill structure, in which a side sill portion having a
substantially closed section extending in a longitudinal direction
of a vehicle body, is provided at a side of the vehicle body, the
vehicle side sill structure comprising: a center pillar joined to
an intermediate section of the side sill portion and extended
upward; a pipe member disposed inside the side sill portion and
extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, at
least two fragile portions formed in a side portion of the pipe
member across the intermediate section; and a reinforcing member
disposed substantially along the side portion of the pipe member to
cover the fragile portions, and cooperating with the side portion
to form a second closed section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and
advantages thereof, will be explained in the following with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference
characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the
figures and wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle
body side frame structure to which a vehicle side sill structure
according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a side sill
portion in the vehicle body side frame structure;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a side sill in
FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a view showing a modification of a reinforcing
frame in the side sill in FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing another side
sill used in place of the side sill in the vehicle body side frame
structure; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a view showing a modification of a reinforcing
frame in the side sill in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0019] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a vehicle body side frame structure
1 to which a side sill structure for a vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] In the vehicle body side frame structure 1, a single side
outer panel 2 that extends continuously over portions facing a
vehicle compartment and a trunk, not shown, and a side inner panel
composed of multiple members are integrated together by welding or
the like. Although FIG. 1 only shows the vehicle body side frame
structure 1 at the left side, the vehicle body side frame structure
1 is combined with a vehicle body right side frame structure (not
shown) dissymmetric with the vehicle body left side frame
structure, and a number of frame components (not shown) disposed in
a portion facing the vehicle compartment, a portion facing the
trunk, a portion facing an engine room, etc. to thus construct the
whole frame structure of a vehicle body.
[0021] An upper lateral portion 201 of the side outer panel 2 and a
side roof rail inner 301 form a side roof rail (not shown) having a
closed section extending in a longitudinal direction X of the
vehicle body. A front longitudinal pillar 202 of the side outer
panel 2 and vertical front pillar inners 302a, 302b form a front
pillar (not shown) having a substantially closed section extending
in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Further, a rear
longitudinal pillar 203 of the side outer panel 2 and a rear
quarter panel 303 form a rear pillar (not shown) having a
substantially closed section extending in the vertical direction. A
side sill SS (see FIG. 3), having a closed cross section and
extending in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle body, is
comprised of a lower lateral portion (hereinafter referred to as
"side sill outer 204") of the side outer panel 2 and a side sill
inner 304. A center pillar (see FIG. 4) CP, joined to the
intermediate section of the side sill SS and extended upward, is
comprised of a center pillar portion 205 of the side outer panel 2
and a center pillar inner 306.
[0022] It should be noted that each of the above-mentioned members
is formed by pressing a steel plate, and that a plurality of
flanges f, extending from corresponding positions in the
peripheries of the respective members and overlapping portions with
various shapes, are welded together to form the side frame
structure 1.
[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side sill SS forms a first
closed space e1 extending in the longitudinal direction X of the
vehicle body (a direction vertical to paper of FIG. 3) by joining
the side sill outer 204 as the lower lateral portion of the side
outer panel 2 and the upper and lower flanges f1, f2 of the side
sill inner 304. Further, in the first closed space e1, formed by
integrating the side sill outer 204 and the side sill inner 304 in
such a manner as to form a first closed section, a reinforcing
frame 4 is disposed across the whole area in the longitudinal
direction X of the side sill SS.
[0024] The reinforcing frame 4 is composed of a metallic pipe
member 5 and a reinforcing member 6 disposed along an external side
portion 501 of the pipe member 5 at the outer side with respect to
the vehicle body (at the right side in FIG. 3).
[0025] A front bracket 7 and a rear bracket 8 are respectively
joined to the front and rear ends of the pipe member 5. Principal
portions of the front and rear brackets 7, 8 and multiple portions
of end flanges f3 respectively overlap the front and rear ends of
the side sill outer 204 and the side sill inner 304. The
overlapping portions are integrated together. Since the front and
rear brackets 7, 8 are attached to the front and rear ends of the
pipe member 5, the pipe member 5 is prevented from protruding in
the longitudinal direction X when receiving an overload applied in
the longitudinal direction X. Incidentally, the front and rear
brackets 7, 8 should be provided as the necessity arises in terms
of an overload applied to the pipe member 5 in the longitudinal
direction X.
[0026] At the center of the side portion 501 of the pipe member 5,
two concave portions 9, as fragile portions, are formed at a
predetermined interval d facing the outer side of the vehicle. Each
concave portion 9 has a groove, having a thickness h, that is
equivalent to about 1/6 of an inner diameter of the pipe member 5,
so that the mode of bending from the concave portions 9 can be
controlled. In the intermediate section between the two concave
portions 9 in the pipe member 5, the bottom end of the center
pillar CP is connected to the side sill SS in an inverted T-shape.
This prevents the bottom end of the center pillar from curving and
causes the two concave portions 9 to curve upon a side impact as
described later. The predetermined interval d is varied according
to the types of vehicles since the buckling positions must be
controlled according to the basic dimensions of a vehicle such as
the size of a vehicle, the position of passengers, and the energy
diffusing conditions.
[0027] The reinforcing member 6 and the pipe member 5 have
substantially the same length, and they are continuously welded at
the side portion 501 of the pipe member 5 at a plurality of
positions to overlap each other. The reinforcing member 6 is
provided with a convex protruding portion 602 whose point p
protrudes toward the outer side of the vehicle body from upper and
lower welded portions 601 where the reinforcing member 6 overlaps
the side portion 501 of the pipe member 5 such that a gap t is
formed between the point p and the side sill outer 204. The smaller
the gap t is, the strength of the side sill SS against the side
impact is improved, but the gap t is preferably between 3 mm and 5
mm to prevent the reinforcing member and the side sill from
interfering due to the variations in production. The reinforcing
member 6 is further provided with upper and lower extending plate
portions 603, 604 that extend in the vertical direction from the
upper and lower ends of the upper and lower welded portions 601.
The upper and lower extending plate portions 603, 604 are formed by
pressing steel plates.
[0028] The upper extending plate portion 603 of the reinforcing
member 6 is formed as a longitudinal plate. At the base end of the
upper extending plate portion 603, a plurality of beads 11
extending in the vertical direction is formed at regular intervals
b in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle body. In the upper
extending plate portion 603, a portion at the upper side of the
upper ends of the beads 11 forms a flange f4. The upper extending
plate portion 603 is integrated with the side sill outer 204 and
the side sill inner 304 in the state of being sandwiched between
the overlapping portions of the respective upper flanges f1
thereof.
[0029] The lower extending plate portion 604 of the reinforcing
member 6 is formed as a curved plate. At the base end of the lower
extending plate portion 604, a plurality of beads 11 extending in
the vertical direction is formed at regular intervals b in the
longitudinal direction X of the vehicle body. In the lower
extending plate portion 604, a portion at the lower side of the
lower ends of the beads 11 is buckled steplike, and a point thereof
forms a flange f5 that is integrated with the side sill outer 204
and the side sill inner 304 in the state of being sandwiched
between the overlapping portions of the respective lower flanges f2
thereof. The beads 11 are intended to improve flexural rigidity of
the reinforcing member along the width of the vehicle to thus
prevent the reinforcing member from being displaced along the width
of the vehicle to come into contact with the side sill SS and make
noise while the vehicle is running. The shorter the predetermined
interval b is, the curving rigidity of the reinforcing member along
the width of the vehicle is increased; however, a preferable
interval b is between 50 mm and 80 mm in terms of welding pitches.
In FIG. 3, reference W1 denotes points of arc welding; W2, points
of indirect welding. The welding process is carried out at the
respective points W1, W2.
[0030] In the reinforcing frame 4 in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reinforcing
member 6 is continuously welded to the side portion 501 of the pipe
member 5 at a portion facing the outer side of the vehicle body.
Therefore, the cooperation of the pipe member 5 and the reinforcing
member 6 forms a closed section that forms the second closed space
e2, and this improves the rigidity of the reinforcing frame 4. In
particular, the reinforcing member 6 covers the two concave
portions 9 of the pipe member 5 in such a manner as to bridge the
gap between them, and this maintains the rigidity of the covered
portion against a compressive load at substantially the same level
as the rigidity of other portions.
[0031] As stated above, the side sill SS forms the first closed
section by the side sill outer 204 and the side sill inner 304 and
forms the first closed space e1 extending in the longitudinal
direction X of the vehicle body, thereby ensuring the basic
rigidity. Further, the second closed space e2 is formed by
integrating the pipe member 5 and the reinforcing member 6 forming
the reinforcing frame 4 in the first closed space e1 in such a
manner as to form the second closed section. Therefore, the side
sill SS is capable of satisfactorily inhibiting the buckling
deformation even if an excessive compressive load is applied.
[0032] Suppose that a vehicle manufactured by using the vehicle
body side frame structure 1, wherein the reinforcing frame 4 is
added to the frame of the side sill SS, receives a frontal impact
or an offset impact while running. In this case, an overload in the
longitudinal direction is applied to the front end of the side sill
SS, but the pipe member 5 formed like a round pipe is capable of
reinforcement against such an excessive compressive load. Moreover,
the rigidity of the reinforcing frame 4, forming the second closed
space e2 as well as the rigidity of the side sill outer 204 and the
side sill inner 304 forming the first closed space e1, disperses
the excessive compressive load through the side sill SS, i.e.
disperses and transmits the excessive compressive load to the rear
pillar disposed at the rear of the vehicle body.
[0033] Moreover, the reinforcing member 6 covers the two concave
portions 9 of the pipe member 5 in such a manner as to bridge the
gap between them, and thus, the rigidity of the covered portion
against the buckling deformation is maintained at substantially the
same level as the rigidity of other portions to thus prevent the
covered portion from buckling quickly.
[0034] Although the above description was made with respect to the
frontal impact, the same effects can be achieved in the case of a
rear impact since the side sill SS is deformed in reverse in
substantially the same manner.
[0035] On the other hand, suppose that the intermediate section of
the side sill SS receives a side impact while the vehicle is
running.
[0036] The bottom end of the center pillar CP is integrated with
the intermediate section of the side sill SS in the inverted
T-shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the two concave portions 9 are formed
at a predetermined interval d in the pipe member 5.
[0037] Thus, when an overload F in the lateral direction Y of the
vehicle is applied to the intermediate section of the side sill SS,
the side sill outer 204 collapses by the gap t (see FIG. 3).
[0038] The reinforcing frame 4 then deforms relatively easily due
to a load from the side compared with the compressive load. On this
occasion, the pipe member 5 deforms at the two concave portions 9
toward the center of the vehicle body (downward in FIG. 4), and the
side sill inner 304 also deforms.
[0039] Thus, if the protruding portion 602 of the reinforcing
member 6 is attached to the outside of the vehicle (facing to the
outside), energy can be efficiently transmitted to the reinforcing
frame 4 having a high rigidity to exercise an energy absorbing
function more quickly after the side impact.
[0040] Further, since the pipe member 5 is curved at the two
concave portions and not at one point during the side impact, it is
possible to significantly decrease the degree to which the
intermediate section of the side sill SS and the center pillar CP
enter the vehicle compartment (i.e. the amount of deformation) and
significantly lower the speed at which the intermediate section of
the side sill SS and the center pillar CP enter the vehicle
compartment. In other words, a bending mode control function can be
exercised to realize a desired deformation mode to thus improve
safety of passengers.
[0041] Further, when the intermediate section of the side sill SS
receives the side impact, the protruding portion 602 of the
reinforcing member 6 and the pipe member 5 are able to sequentially
absorb an overload caused by the side impact. This improves the
impact absorbing function.
[0042] Further, in the side sill SS shown in FIG. 2, the first
closed space e1, extending in the longitudinal direction X of the
vehicle, is formed by the side sill outer 204 and the side sill
inner 304, and the reinforcing frame 4 is disposed in the first
closed space e1. Thus, the structure is simplified compared with
the conventional structure. Accordingly, it is also possible to
reduce the number of parts and the number of steps in welding and
simplify dies and equipment, thus lowering the manufacturing cost.
Moreover, it is possible to reduce the total weight by reducing the
total plate thickness of the side sill outer 204 and the side sill
inner 304 that form the external surface.
[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates a side sill SSa in a vehicle body side
frame structure 1a (not shown) to which a vehicle side sill
structure according to the second embodiment is applied.
[0044] The structure of the side sill SSa is different from that of
the side sill SS in the vehicle body side frame structure 1 in FIG.
2 only in that a pipe member 5a and a reinforcing member 6a forming
a reinforcing frame 4a are laterally reversed in position
(horizontal direction in FIG. 5), and a description thereof is
therefore omitted here.
[0045] In the side sill SSa shown in FIG. 5, the side sill outer
204 and the side sill inner 304 form a first closed space e1, and
the reinforcing frame 4a is disposed across the whole area of the
first closed space e1 in the longitudinal direction X (i.e. a
direction vertical to paper of FIG. 5).
[0046] The reinforcing member 4a is comprised of the pipe member 5a
and the reinforcing member 6a disposed along a side portion 502 of
the pipe member 5a at the inside of the vehicle body (at the left
side in FIG. 5). The front and rear ends of the pipe member 5a are
integrally welded to the front and rear ends of the side sill outer
204 and the side sill inner 304 via front and rear brackets, not
shown. In the central section of the side portion 502 of the pipe
member 5a, two concave portions 9a are formed at a predetermined
interval d (see FIG. 6) facing the center of the vehicle
compartment, so that the mode of bending from these concave
portions 9a can be controlled.
[0047] The reinforcing member 6a is comprised of upper and lower
welded portions 601a that are welded to the side portion of the
pipe member 5a at portions facing the inside of the vehicle body, a
convex protruding portion 602a that protrudes toward the inside of
the vehicle body such that a point p thereof faces the side sill
inner 304 across a gap t1, and upper and lower extending plate
portions 603a, 604a. A plurality of beads 11 is formed at the
longitudinal plate-shaped base ends of the upper and lower
extending plate portions 603a, 604a of the reinforcing member 6a. A
portion at the upper side of the upper extending plate portion 603a
forms a flange f4 and is integrally welded to respective upper
flanges fl of the side sill outer 204 and the side sill inner 304.
At the base end of the lower extending plate portion 604a, a
steplike curved portion extends from the bottom end of the bead 11.
A flange f5 at the point of the curved portion is welded to
respective lower flanges f2 of the side sill outer 204 and the side
sill inner 304.
[0048] Suppose that a vehicle manufactured by using the vehicle
body side frame structure 1a, wherein the reinforcing frame 4a is
added to the frame of the side sill SSa, receives a frontal impact
or an offset impact while running.
[0049] In this case, in the side sill SSa shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,
the rigidity of the reinforcing frame 4 forming the second closed
space e2 as well as the rigidity of the side sill outer 204 and the
side sill inner 304 forming the first closed space e1 disperses the
excessive compressive load through the side sill SS, i.e. disperses
and transmits the excessive compressive load to the rear pillar
disposed at the rear of the vehicle body. On this occasion, the
reinforcing member 6 covers the two concave portions 9a in such a
manner as to bridge the gap between them, and this prevents the
covered portion from buckling quickly and maintains the rigidity of
the covered portion against the buckling deformation at
substantially the same level as the rigidity of other portions.
[0050] On the other hand, supposing that an overload F in the
lateral direction Y is applied to the intermediate section of the
side sill SSa when the vehicle receives a side impact at the
intermediate section of the side sill SSa, the side sill outer 204
collapses first and the overload is then applied to the reinforcing
frame 4a (see FIGS. 5 and 6). On this occasion, the pipe member Sa
deforms at the two concave portions 9a toward the center of the
vehicle body (the left side in FIG. 5) by the gap t1, so that the
point p of the protruding portion 602a is faced on the side sill
inner 304.
[0051] The side sill SSa in the vehicle body side frame structure
1a (not shown) shown in FIG. 5 achieves the same effects as the
vehicle body side frame structure 1 shown in FIG. 1. Particularly
because the protruding portion 602a of the reinforcing member 6a
faces the vehicle compartment (inward), the facing of the
protruding portion 602a on the side sill inner 304 improves the
capacity to withstand the load. Moreover, after the facing of the
protruding portion 602a on the side sill inner 304, the deformation
speed and the deformation amount are significantly decreased, i.e.
the bending mode control function can be exercised to thus ensure
the safety of passengers. Further, if a large overload F is applied
in a side impact, the protruding portion 602a of the reinforcing
member 6a and the pipe member 5a can sequentially absorb the
overload F, and this significantly improves the impact absorbing
function.
[0052] In the above description, the vehicle side sill structure of
the present invention is applied to the vehicle body side frame
structure 1, but the same effects can be achieved as the vehicle
body side frame structure 1 shown in FIG. 1 if the side sill
structure of the present invention is applied to a vehicle having
another side sill.
[0053] As stated above, the structure of the present embodiment
improves the rigidity to satisfactorily inhibit the buckling
deformation of the fragile portions when the first closed section
receives a compressive load in the frontal impact or the offset
impact. Further, in the side impact, the respective fragile
portions of the pipe member and the reinforcing member covering
them can reduce the deformation amount and exercise the bending
mode control function of controlling the mode of bending from the
fragile portions. Moreover, the structure of the present embodiment
is simplified, and this reduces the number of parts and the steps
in welding and simplify dies and equipment, thus lowering the
manufacturing cost.
[0054] According to the first embodiment, the second closed section
is formed as the substantially convex portion that protrudes toward
the outside of the vehicle, and this enables the point of the
substantially convex portion to quickly deform in response to the
overload to absorb energy. This preferably improves the impact
absorbing function.
[0055] If the second closed section is formed as the substantially
convex portion that protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle as
in the second embodiment, the point of the substantially convex
portion is faced on the inner wall of the side sill portion at the
inside of the vehicle body when the side sill portion deforms due
to the side impact. This preferably improves the impact absorbing
function.
[0056] It should be understood, however, that there is no intention
to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the
contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternate
constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope
of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.
* * * * *