Fastenable member for sealing, baffling or reinforcing and method of forming same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11390004-B2
Application number	US-201916450494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2019
Priority date	Jun 26, 2003
Publication date	Jul 19, 2022
Grant date	Jul 19, 2022

Abstract

There is disclosed a member for sealing, baffling and/or reinforcing components of an automotive vehicle. The assembly generally includes a carrier, an expandable material and at least one fastener.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming members for providing sealing, baffling or reinforcement to one or more structures, the method comprising:
molding a thermoplastic and fibrous carrier material to provide a rigid contoured structure;
disposing an expandable material upon the carrier material in a continuous manner via cross-head extrusion;
forming members such that each of the members includes a carrier with the expandable material disposed thereon, the carrier being formed of the carrier material;
layering the members so that the rigid contoured structure is formed by at least two members, each comprising a fibrous carrier and expandable material; and
wherein the fibrous carrier comprises a carbon fiber and polyamide material.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material is adapted for forming a sealing material, an acoustical material, an adhesive, a structural foam, or a combination of at least two of the foregoing.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the carrier further includes a layer of a material over at least a portion of its surface that is applied thereto by coextrusion, lamination, adhesion, vapor deposition, plasma deposition, spray coating, brushing, swabbing, dipping, plating or combinations thereof.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material is a material that is thermally deformable at an extrusion temperature, but upon thermal activation at an elevated temperature will cross link to form a thermoset material.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material includes a plastic selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, thermosets, or a combination thereof or a resin selected from the group consisting of an epoxy resin, a thermoplastic resin, an acetate resin, an EPDM resin, a phenoxy resin, a polyurethane resin or a combination thereof.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the carrier material is a polymeric material that is paintable to result in a class A automotive vehicle surface finish.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the length of at least one member along its longitudinal axis is greater than the height of the at least one member.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein, prior to expansion of the expandable material, at least about 10% of the outer surface area of the carrier of each of the members is covered with the expandable material.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material is extruded through an extruder selected from a single-screw extruder, a twin-screw extruder or a mini-applicator to dispose the expandable material on the carrier material.

10. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material volumetrically expands to a size that is at least 1500% its original size up exposure to elevated temperatures.

11. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material has a configuration that is selected from 1) substantially uniform thickness, 2) non-uniform thickness, 3) planar, 4) contoured, 5) geometric, 6) non-geometric, 7) circular cross-section, 8) triangular cross-section, 9) rectangular cross-section.

12. A method as in claim 1 wherein the expandable material includes a property or ingredient selected from a flame retardant, water remediation ingredient, an electrically conductive ingredient, or a sound absorption characteristic.

Assignees

• Zephyros Inc

Inventors

• Larsen Douglas C
• Kleino Thomas D
• Kassa Abraham
• Barz William J
• Harthcock Matthew

Classifications

• B62D65/06

  the sub-units or components being doors, windows, openable roofs, lids, bonnets, or weather strips or seals therefor {(assembling sealing arrangements with vehicle parts, e.g. doors, windows B60J10/45)} · CPC title

• B62D27/06

  readily releasable · CPC title

• B21D53/88

  other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards · CPC title

• B29C48/687

  having projections with a short length in the barrel direction, e.g. pins · CPC title

• B29C48/6803

  Materials, coating or lining therefor · CPC title