MXPA97007221A - Groove sealing board for door and vent - Google Patents

Abstract

A sealing groove for door and window in combination is described for effecting a hermetic seal between the door frame of a motor vehicle and the mobile window glass panel, and a method for forming it. The groove seal is formed from thermoplastic elastomers of at least two different durometer values and has an elastic connection in a slot portion of the window travel of the seal.

Description

GASKET FOR SLIDING DOOR AND WINDOW FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to groove seals for motor vehicle door and window, and more particularly to a thermoplastic elastomeric seal having an elastic connection in a window travel slot portion of the sealing gasket to effect a hermetic seal between the door frame of the motor vehicle and the movable glass panel of the window, and to a method of forming the gasket. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The motor vehicle industry, in particular the industrial sectors dedicated to vans and passenger cars, relies increasingly on the assembly at the glass window level to improve the appearance of motor vehicles and reduce the aerodynamic drag of the vehicles in order to make them more fuel efficient. Several conflicting requirements of such tight joints make them difficult and expensive to produce and install. The increasingly complex shape of motor vehicle bodies requires gaskets that do not simply curve in a plane to encircle the top edge of a flat glass window. Seals are formed not only on the spokes (corners of the glass panel), but also arc vertically to match the curved top surface of the glass panel and the rounded sides of the car. Heretofore, thermosetting materials, such as ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM), have been widely used for watertight joints of vehicles. Some complex seals included portions formed from other materials, such as thermoplastic materials, but EPDM has generally been an important portion of the seal. To improve the appearance of motor vehicles, the industry demands color window seals to improve the appearance of the vehicle, usually making it match the color of the body. Obtaining a color in EPDM has not been satisfactory in the past, while thermoplastics are easily colored. Although EPDM has a reasonable (economic) cost as a material, the total cost of manufacturing and installing an EPDM gasket in a motor vehicle is high. The gasket should not only be formed on the spokes of the glass panel by cutting, mitering or welding molded parts, but also should be arched in the vertical direction to match the curved glass panel and rounded sides of the vehicle . To do this with EPDM, a metal support is added inside the EPDM, usually when the EPDM seal is extruded. It requires machinery and tooling of lamination and equipment and curvature tooling by massive and expensive stretching to form the extruded seal in the desired configuration in three dimensions. Thus, the total cost, that is, the cost of the seal and the capital cost of the equipment necessary to form it is high. It is an object of this invention to provide an improved gasket for a vehicle door and window groove that overcomes the drawbacks of known seals by providing a semi-rigid seal that easily adapts to the desired configuration and allows closing action on the Window glass panel. The seal of the invention includes a groove seal which is a substantially rigid but flexible groove seal and which is formed thermally from at least two different polymers, which are joined in a profile. The groove seal is preferably used in conjunction with a sealing insert. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to improve the sealing action against the glass panel by incorporating a less hard TPE elastic gasket at the base of the groove seal to obtain a momentary closing action when the window engages the watertight insert and causes the legs of the window slot to pivot inward and compress the sealing insert against the window pane of the window. An object of the invention is to provide a door and window groove seal in which the groove seal includes a combination of thermoplastic elastomeric materials (TPE) of different hardness which is attached to the vehicle body and whose color can match with that of the automobile and that can be thermally formed so that it adapts to the general contour of the vehicle, thus making unnecessary the machinery and tooling of lamination and the massive and expensive equipment and tools mentioned above. The groove seal can be thermally formed by extrusion or molding in one piece and adapted to the general contour of the vehicle opening. This prevents the molded connection lines and the need to cut, join to miter or weld the support element to adapt it to the corners. The sealing insert can be formed by extruding a relatively flat, elastic rubber element to which a sliding surface, such as a sliding or velvety coating, can easily be given. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In summary and according to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, a watertight door and window slot seal in combination, including an inverted U-shaped window slot defined by a first base with first and second ends, a first leg attached to one end of the base, an elastic tie strip attached to the second end of the base, and a second leg attached to the elastic joint; and a U-shaped flange engaging slot for securing the seal to a door flange defined by a second base, said second leg and a third leg. According to another aspect of this invention, the groove seal includes a pivot projection attached to the first end of the base, in front of the first leg. According to another aspect of this invention, the groove seal includes at least two thermoplastic elastomers of different durometer values. According to another aspect of this invention, the groove seal is formed by coextruding the at least two thermoplastic elastomers. According to another aspect of this invention, the groove seal is formed by molding the at least two thermoplastic elastomers. According to another aspect of this invention, the groove seal includes a thermoplastic elastomer selected from block styrenic copolymers, rubber-polyolefin blends, elastomer alloys, thermoplastic alloys, thermoplastic elastomer alloys, thermoplastic ionomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides and its mixtures. The novel aspects of the invention are set forth in detail in the appended claims. The invention itself, together with other objects and advantages thereof, can be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a sectional view of a groove seal according to the invention before engaging a window. Figure 2 is a sectional view of a groove seal according to the invention after hooking a window. Figure 3 illustrates the corner profile of the door window frame. Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view of the pillar of the flange with a sealed groove joint.

Figure 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the corner of the flange with a sealed groove joint. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A combined slot for door and window in combination for motor vehicle according to this invention is shown in cross section in Figure 1. The groove seal 20 is mounted in a door window frame 22 of a motor vehicle for engaging three sides of a moving window glass panel 24. The fourth side of the window glass panel that remains inside the door or the vehicle body is sealed by a linear belt seal mounted by the general in it. The groove seal 20 cooperates with a spring-tight window-latching insert 30. The groove seal 20 has a generally U-shaped body member 26 adapted to engage a flange 28 surrounding the window opening of the vehicle. motor. The body member 26 has a first U-shaped flange-engaging groove 32 formed between an outer leg 34 and an inner leg 36. The inner leg 36 forms a portion of the wider slot in the form of an inverted U-shape. of window 38. The base 40 of the inverted U-shaped slot portion, of window travel, of the seal has a substantially rigid strip 42 and an integral elastic tie strip 44. In addition, the flange engaging groove. U-shaped 32 is preferably provided with one or more soft grip projections 46 and 48 to securely fix the gasket to the vehicle body. The projection 50 located on the surface 51 of the U-shaped body element 26 of the groove seal 20 facing the interior of the vehicle forms another seal with the vehicle body. The legs 36, 52 of the window travel slot 38 have inwardly hanging locking extensions 54, 56 for engaging the insert 30. In a preferred embodiment of the slot seal 20, a pivot projection 58 located on the top of the groove end of the leg 52 extends above the base 40 and engages the frame 22. The pivot projection 58 provides a point around which the slot seal 20 can pivot when a window glass panel 24 engages the insert 30. and biases the binding elastic strip 44. Figure 2 illustrates the effect of hooking the glass panel 24 of a window with the insert 30. The pressure exerted by the glass panel of the window on the base 60 of the insert 30 deflects the base 60 against the rigid strip 42 of the base 40 of the groove seal. The resulting pressure exerted on the base 40 of the groove seal makes the elastic joint 40 stretch and the base 40 approach the frame 22. Simultaneously, when the base 40 approaches the frame 22, the leg 52 pivots toward within the projection 58 and compressing the leg extensions 62 and 64 of the insert 30 against the glass panel 24 in a momentary closing action to form a tighter seal. The dashed lines illustrate the position of the rigid strip 42a, the elastic tie strip 44a and the leg 52a before the glass panel 24 of the window engages. The elastic joint 44 can also be considered as a flexible hinge around which the base 40 and the leg 36 rotate. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the groove seal of this invention can be adapted to effect a seal with the glass panel of a window without using a hermetic insert. The window travel slot 38 may be provided with one or more sealing lips attached to the interior of the legs 36 and 52 to slidely engage the glass panel of the window when the glass panel of the window engages the base 40 of the window. the groove seal 20. Such sealing lips could also have a sliding or velvety coating on the sliding surface.

The elastic joint strip 44 adjacent a corner of the base 40 of the groove seal is advantageous for adapting the groove seal to a corner of the door window frame. The door window frame 22 in which the profile fits, has a radius greater than the radius in the pillar section of the frame in a corner section. Figure 3 illustrates the corner profile of the door window frame showing the difference z between the distance x between the lower part of the ge 28 and the pillar section 66 of the frame 22 and the distance and between the lower part of the ge 28 and the corner section 68 of the frame 22. The elastic joint strip 44 of the groove seal allows the seal to be accommodated in both sections of the frame 22. Referring now to FIG. 4, a section AA of the frame of the frame is shown. door window with a grooved seal profile attached to the pillar section 66 of the frame 22 representing the elastic joint 44 in the normal extruded state and positioned so as to fit the seal within the distance x of the frame 22. With reference now to FIG. 5 there is shown a section BB of the door window frame with a groove seal joint profile attached to the corner section 68 of the frame 22 representing the union e 44 in a stretched state that allows the seal to fit within the distance and from the frame 22. The TPE elastic joint allows the thermoforming of the corner which results in a normal extruded shape (Section AA) which closes and fits a difference x to fit also, in stretched state, a corner difference and, as shown in Section BB. The slit seal 20 is preferably formed from an extruded profile containing three different polymers, joined in a profile. In one embodiment of the invention, a semi-rigid TPE material forms the structural shape of the profile; a flexible TPE is colored adapting it to the color scheme of the interior of the car; and, finally, an elastic TPE is extruded for the elastic connection and the grip extensions. In said TPE profile an EPDM rubber extrusion sealing insert is placed in the travel slot of the glass panel. Said rubber extrusion may have a sliding or velvety coating on the surfaces that come into contact with the glass panel. The soft TPE hermetically closes the hermetic static zone, while the EPDM rubber hermetically closes the dynamic zone. In one embodiment of the invention, the semi-rigid TPE forms the generally U-shaped frame including the legs 34, 36 and 52, and the rigid strip 42 of the base 40. An elastic TPE forms the elastic tie strip 44 and projections 46, 48 and 58. A second flexible strip forms the projection 50 and the interior facing surface 51 of the groove seal. The interior facing surface 51 can be colored to suit the interior of the vehicle. The elastic hermetic insert 30 is mechanically joined within the window travel slot by means of two anchor lobes 70, 72 which engage the locking extensions 56, 54 to fix the hermetic insert in the window travel slot 38 of the gasket of slot 20.

The insert 30, which is preferably, although not necessarily, manufactured in a relatively open configuration, is curved at its corners and inserted into the glass panel's path of the support. To facilitate the insert fit, it can have multiple slits along or it can be punched at the corners. The plastic portions of the support can be formed from several different plastic materials, for example, thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Depending on their hardness, TPEs are sometimes classified as thermoplastics and sometimes as elastomers. For the purposes of this invention, no distinction will be made and all hard and soft plastics will be referred to as TPEs. The TPEs are commercially available in several different brands and types. Each type can be obtained in different qualities with different properties, such as hardness, tensile strength, compression, elongation, thermal stability and colorability. The selection of the appropriate TPE for a particular application depends on a suitable combination of such properties. The types of TPEs especially useful for the groove seal of the invention are block styrenic copolymers, rubber-polyolefin blends, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic alloys, thermoplastic elastomer alloys, thermoplastic ionomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, polychlorides. Nile and its mixtures. Block styrenic copolymers are marketed in various types (and grades within types), for example, Kraton® from Shell Chemical Co. It is based on styrene block copolymers with a diene or a pair of olefins, ethylene-butylene. The diene may be isoprene or butadiene. Rubber-polyolefin blends (or thermoplastic polyolefins (TPOs)) are mixtures of various polyolefins with ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) or ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM). Suitable polyolefins include polypropylene and various types of polyethylene. Propylene and ethylene copolymers and mixtures of TPOs can also be used. TPOs are also useful as modifiers of other TPEs. The alloy is an interactive combination of two or more materials to obtain a material that has better properties than those of the corresponding mixture. Thermoplastic alloys are available with properties that allow them to be painted. Thermoplastic elastomeric alloys and elastomeric alloys (EAs) are composed of synergistic mixtures of two or more polymers that have been treated to give them properties different from the simple mixtures of the main constituents. The two types of elastomeric alloys are melt processable rubbers (MPRs) and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). EA-MPRs are a category of TPEs made from a single-phase, highly plasticized combination of a chlorinated polyolefin, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and a mixture of acrylic esters in which the rubber phase is highly cross-linked, example, Alcrym® from EI Du Pont Nemours, Inc. EA-TPVs are made from a rubber / polymer plastic blend in which the rubber phase is fully cross-linked. The plastic phase of a TPV is usually a polyolefin (especially polypropylene), and the rubber phase is usually an ethylene-propylene elastomer. A particularly useful TPV, suitable for sealed window seals, is formed from polypropylene and EPDM rubber and is sold in various grades such as Santoprene® by Monsanto Chemical Co. Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are formed by copolymerization of diisocyanates with diols of long chain and short chain diols. TPUs are marketed in various types and qualities, for example, Texin® by Mobay Corporation, Esta e® by BF Goodrich Co., Pellethane® by Dow Chemical Corp., and Q-Thane® by KJ Quinn and Co., Inc. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based TPEs are also suitable for window seals and are available in various grades and mixtures with other TPEs and rubbers. P-Vallou is one such material that can be purchased from GBIE (Gerry Barreich Import Export Inc.), Canada. Thermoplastic ionomers are polymers that contain ionic inter-chain bonding that provides durable, transparent, durable thermoplastics, for example, Suriyn® from EI Du Pont de Nemours, Inc. The substantially rigid plastic portion of the groove seal is preferably formed from a rigid or semi-rigid TPE. A rigid TPE, for example, a polypropylene, preferably has a hardness of the order of 30 to 85 durometers, preferably 70 durometers, according to the Shore D scale. A semi-rigid TPE, for example, Kraton®, has a hardness of between 40 and 90 durometers, preferably 70 durometers according to the Shore A scale. The soft plastic portions of the groove seal are formed from a more elastic and softer TPE, for example, Santoprene®, with a hardness of the order of 40 to 90 durometers, preferably 70 durometers, according to the Shore A scale. The elastic bond strip is preferably formed from a TPE having a hardness of the order of 40 to 90 durometers, preferably 70 durometers according to the Shore A scale. Such hard and soft TPEs are easily processed and manufactured, for example, by extrusion or molding and can be subjected in particular to coextrusion and simultaneous molding of two or more TPEs of different values Durometer. The TPEs are easily colored to adapt them to the vehicle by incorporating pigment or painting them. Directly paintable TPEs have a high surface energy material mixed in the base polymer to accept water-based paints without pretreatment. This material can be obtained in various hardnesses from Ferro Corporation.

Hard TPEs can be made with high gloss finish; for example, a Class A finish or a brightness of a numerical value of at least 60, measured at an angle of 60 ° with a brightness meter, is substantially obtained, which is substantially higher than what can be obtained with a rubber seal EPDM. Said TPE has to satisfy the external weathering cycle according to SAE J1960 with minimum change of color or brightness. The elastic insert can be formed from a rubber, for example, natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) or ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber (EPDM). EPDM is preferred, which exhibits good setting in compression, durability and weather resistance. In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for forming a groove seal for door and window of the invention, wherein the groove seal of thermoplastic elastomer, for example, as described in Figure 1, it is obtained by coextruding the thermoplastic elastomers of different durometer values to form a substantially rigid groove seal in a generally U-shaped configuration, in one piece. The extrusion temperature is generally between about 150 ° and 250 ° C, preferably about 200 ° C. In some applications, the extrusion is further subjected to thermoforming to adapt it to the shape of the vehicle body. The thermoforming step can stretch the elastic joint more in the corner of the seal than in the rest of the seal. The first post-extrusion operation is to form the arcs at the end of the extrusion. These curves will coincide with the curvatures of the doors and the glass panel. The arches are curved at each end of the piece, allowing an exact fit with the pillars of the door. Once the arcs are formed, the corners are formed. After forming the TPE extrusion to fit into the door, the EPDM extrusion is placed in the slot. A segmented strip through the base of the rubber extrusion allows to fit the extrusion in the corners, while maintaining the hermetic lips without wrinkles. The installation of the TPE system is easy. The semi-rigid nature of this product allows coarse treatment. The product can be deformed and will return to its position. When the window is raised, the geometric design of the profile together with the special TPE material allow the closing action. When the window is raised, the elastic joint that is strategically placed in the profile is responsible for the momentary closing action when the window comes in contact with the gasket. The momentary closing action also occurs in the corner areas, causing the tight seal to close tightly on the glass panel. The insert member is formed by extruding an elastomer, preferably an EPDM rubber, in a generally planar configuration and curing said extrusion. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flat extrusion then receives a sliding surface, for example, by velvety. The extruded insert is then folded to the U-shaped groove seal to securely join them, for example, by interlocking the projections of the insert with the extensions of the groove seal In another aspect of the invention, the seal The thermoplastic elastomer groove, for example, that described in FIG. 1, is obtained by thermally molding the thermoplastic elastomers of different durometer values to form a thermoplastic, substantially rigid groove seal, in a generally U-shaped configuration in one piece The molding temperature is generally between about 150 ° and 250 ° C, preferably about 200 ° C. This invention thus provides a combination door and window groove seal which is easily formed from substantially rigid TPEs and The elastic joint allows the legs of the groove seal to pivot and form a tight seal tight with the glass panel of the window. The TPE system with the rubber insert offers the following advantages: from 40% to 50% weight reduction per door; adaptation to the interior color; wide variety of Class A surfaces on external surfaces, from matt black to high gloss black; the match with the exterior color is possible. The TPE is not harmful to the environment and can be recycled. The soft TPE hermetically closes the hermetic static zone, while the EPDM rubber hermetically closes the dynamic zone. The groove seal of the present invention has other advantages. The groove seal formed from substantially rigid thermoplastic material does not require a wire support, a stamped metal support or a solid metal support, and can receive a glossy finish with a gloss of up to 60, as compared to rubber whose brightness is usually limited to 20 or less. Assembly requires less labor and capital expenditures not only for production, but also for installation. The complete assembly is lighter than the rubber assemblies exclusively used in the past. In general, the gasket of this invention is more versatile, more attractive and easier to maintain than known seals. Although the invention has been described in connection with its presently preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications and changes can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, which, therefore, is intended to be defined only by the appended claims.

Claims (17)

1. CLAIMS 1. A sealed groove for door and window in combination, including: an inverted U-shaped window slot defined by a first base with first and second ends, a first leg attached to one end of the base, a strip of elastic joint attached to the second end of the base, and a second leg joined to the joining strip; and a U-shaped flange engaging slot for securing the seal to a door flange defined by a second base, said second leg and a third leg.
2. 2. The gasket of claim 1, including a pivot projection attached to the first end of the first base, in front of the first leg.
3. 3. The gasket of claim 1, including a first sealing lip attached to the first leg, and a second sealing lip attached to the second leg.
4. 4. The gasket of claim 1, including a plurality of gripping projections attached to the flange engaging groove.
5. 5. The gasket of claim 1, including a flexible window slot insert in the window groove.
6. The gasket of claim 5, wherein the insert includes a base having first and second legs, and first and second anchor lobes for securing the insert in the window groove.
7. The gasket of claim 6, including a first locking extension attached to the first leg of the groove seal and a second locking extension attached to the second leg of the groove seal to secure the insert.
8. 8. The gasket of claim 1, including a thermoplastic elastomer.
9. The gasket of claim 8, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is selected from block styrenic copolymers, rubber-polyolefin blends, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic alloys, thermoplastic elastomer alloys, thermoplastic ionomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, polyvinyl chloride and its mixtures.
10. The gasket of claim 8, including at least two thermoplastic elastomers of different durometer values.
11. The gasket of claim 10, wherein the elastic joint strip has a softer durometer value than the durometer value of the first and second bases and the first, second and third legs.
12. 12. The gasket of claim 10, including a co-extruded integral unit.
13. The gasket of claim 8, including a molded integral unit.
14. A method for forming a sealed groove for door and window in combination, including: coextruding thermoplastic elastomers of at least two different durometer values to form a watertight groove for door and window in a generally U-shaped configuration, substantially rigid, in one piece, so that one corner of a window slot section of the seal has an elastic strip of a durometer value integrally disposed between substantially rigid strips of another durometer value; and thermoforming the elastic strip to fit the corner difference of a door and window frame.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the thermoforming step further includes stretching the elastic strip further into the corner of the seal than in the remainder of the seal.
16. 16. A method for forming a slotted door and window slot seal in combination, including: molding thermoplastic elastomers of at least two different durometer values to form a watertight door and window joint in a generally U-shaped configuration, substantially rigid, in one piece, so that one corner of a window slot section of the seal has an elastic strip of a durometer value integrally disposed between substantially rigid strips of another durometer value; and thermoforming the elastic strip to fit the corner difference of a door and window frame. The method of claim 16, wherein the thermoforming step further includes stretching the elastic strip further into the corner of the seal than in the remainder of the seal.