Flexible member for sealing, barrier or reinforcement

Abstract

An article comprising: (a) a carrier; (b) one or more carrier extensions extending from the carrier at one or more joints; (c) an activatable material disposed on the carrier, at least one of the one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof; wherein the one or more carrier extensions are flexible relative to the carrier at one or more hinges.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention generally relates to a flexible member that can be used particularly for sealing, noise reduction / vibration damping, structural reinforcement, or combinations thereof. Specifically, this invention can relate to a flexible member that can be used particularly for sealing, noise reduction / vibration damping, structural reinforcement, or combinations thereof in cavities. Background Technology

[0002] Industries such as the automotive industry rely on equipment for partitioning, sealing, or reinforcement. These components typically include activatable materials, such as expandable materials, which can be combined with other components to form seals, partitions, structural reinforcements, etc., within cavities (such as those in the body of a motor vehicle). U.S. Patent Nos. 7,784,186, 7,249,415, 5,755,486, 4,901,500, and 4,751,249, all incorporated herein by reference, describe exemplary prior art devices for partitioning, sealing, or reinforcement.

[0003] Many of these components may include one or more extensions to guide or direct expandable material within the cavity. These components may require specific design and configuration to accommodate particular cavity sizes and shapes. Once exposed to an activated state, these components can be rigid, such that one or more cavities in which they are mounted remain stationary relative to other cavities. There is a ongoing industrial need for improved devices that offer better mounting within varying tolerances, faster activation of the activatable material, and support for mounting in a variety of cavity configurations. Partitions, seals, or reinforcements may also be required, and one or more joints may be provided. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure relates to an article of articles comprising: (a) a carrier; (b) one or more carrier extensions extending from the carrier at one or more joints; and (c) an activatable material disposed on the carrier, at least one of the one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof; wherein the one or more carrier extensions are flexible relative to the carrier at one or more hinges.

[0005] In some preferred embodiments, the article of manufacture disclosed herein may include one or more hinges along the length of a carrier, at least one of one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof. In some preferred embodiments, the one or more hinges may be at least one of the one or more joints.

[0006] This disclosure relates to a method for forming an article, the method comprising: (a) providing a carrier material; (b) forming a carrier and one or more carrier extensions from the carrier material; and (c) extruding an activatable material onto at least a portion of the carrier material.

[0007] In some preferred embodiments, the method may include mounting the article into the cavity by bending a carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof, such that the article conforms to the shape of the cavity. In some preferred embodiments, the method may include bending the carrier at one or more hinges during mounting to conform the article to the cavity. In some preferred embodiments, at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be inserted into a first cavity, while at least another of the one or more carrier extensions may be inserted into a second cavity.

[0008] The articles and methods disclosed herein can address the need for providing baffles, seals, or structural reinforcement devices that can be adapted to various cavity shapes and sizes through the flexibility of a plurality of carrier extensions. The articles and methods disclosed herein can address the need for reinforcing one or more cavities by providing an activatable material that expands within one or more cavities. The articles and methods disclosed herein can provide one or more joints by forming one or more hinges in the article. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary component with a hinge, as taught herein, is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary component having a hinge extending along the length of a carrier extension, as taught herein, is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0011] The descriptions and illustrations provided herein are intended to familiarize those skilled in the art with the invention, its principles, and its practical applications. The specific embodiments of the invention illustrated are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of this teaching. The scope of this teaching should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents. All disclosed articles and references (including patent applications and publications) are incorporated herein by reference. Other combinations may also be obtained from the following claims, which are also incorporated herein by reference.

[0012] This application claims priority to the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 309054, filed on March 16, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0013] This teaching relates to an article of manufacture, which can be a flexible member for providing partitions, seals, reinforcements, or combinations thereof in the manufacture of an article of manufacture. The member may include a carrier; one or more carrier extensions extending from the carrier at one or more joints; and an activatable material disposed on the carrier, the one or more carrier extensions, or the combination thereof. The member may be flexible about one or more hinges, wherein at least one of the one or more carrier extensions is flexible relative to the carrier. The member may be specifically suited for providing seals, partitions, or reinforcements within cavities of a structure. The member may find particular benefits in conforming to cavity dimensions and shapes. For example, a single configuration of the member may provide seals, partitions, or reinforcements for multiple cavity configurations by bending, folding, or deforming about one or more joints to conform to each cavity configuration. For example, a single configuration of the member may provide seals, partitions, or reinforcements for multiple cavity structures by inserting at least one carrier extension into a separate cavity structure, such that each of the multiple cavity structures receives and is reinforced by at least one carrier extension. It is conceivable that the member may be applied (e.g., assembled) to the manufacture of various articles of manufacture, such as ships, trains, buildings, dwellings, furniture, etc. However, it has been found that this component is particularly suitable for use in motor vehicles.

[0014] The article of this disclosure may further include any one or more features described herein in any combination, including the preferred embodiments and examples listed herein, and includes the following features: at least one of the one or more hinges may be positioned along the length of a carrier, at least one of one or more carrier extensions, or both; at least one of the one or more hinges may be at least one of one or more joints; the carrier may include one or more fasteners; the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or combinations thereof may be flexible along multiple axes, multiple planes, or both; the activatable material may be a heat-activatable material; the one or more joints may be integrally formed with the article of this disclosure, such that at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be integral with the carrier. The carrier may be a movable hinge; at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be connected to, located on, or contained by the carrier at one of the one or more hinges; at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be covered with an activatable material; at least one of the one or more hinges may not have an activatable material; at least one of the one or more hinges may be at least partially covered with an activatable material; at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be located in the same plane as at least another of the one or more carrier extensions; at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be located in a different plane from at least another of the one or more carrier extensions.

[0015] The article of manufacture disclosed herein includes a carrier. The carrier can be used to at least fix the article to a surface, provide a substrate for one or more carrier extensions, provide a surface for carrying an activatable material, guide the expansion of the activatable material, or a combination thereof. The carrier may have a longitudinal axis. The carrier may include one or more curved portions. The carrier may be rigid, flexible, or a combination of rigid and flexible portions. The carrier may be flexible or have flexible portions, and thus can be configured to facilitate movement of the carrier and / or one or more carrier extensions along more than one axis. The carrier may include portions having a material thickness greater than that of other portions of the carrier. The portions with greater thickness may be positioned substantially parallel to or substantially perpendicular to portions with less thickness. The carrier may include an activatable material, which may be located only on selected portions of the carrier. The activatable material may substantially surround the entire carrier. The carrier may have a central portion. A portion of the carrier, such as the central portion or an end portion, may be divided into two distinct separate portions. The separate portions of the carrier may be substantially parallel to each other or may be arranged in a non-parallel relationship. The separate portions may be located at the terminating end of the carrier. The separating portions can be formed such that they function as fasteners for positioning the carrier in a desired location, such that the separating portions are located in and / or through an opening, or receive a surface. The portions of the carrier can lie in different planes from each other. The one or more carrier extensions may include protrusions extending into the activatable material to help retain the activatable material on the carrier extensions. The carrier may be attached to one or more fasteners, one or more extensions, one or more portions of the activatable material, or a combination thereof, or may be integral with one or more fasteners, one or more extensions, one or more portions of the activatable material, or a combination thereof. A portion of the carrier, such as a central portion, may separate one or more extensions.

[0016] The carrier may include one or more carrier extensions. The one or more carrier extensions may secure the article to at least one surface, one or more cavities, or both. The one or more carrier extensions may deform, for example at one or more hinges, to allow the article to conform to various cavity sizes and shapes. The one or more carrier extensions may carry activatable material and guide the expansion of the activatable material. The extensions may have different lengths or may be substantially similar in length. A first extension having a first length may be located between two adjacent second extensions having a length shorter than the first length. Alternatively, the first extension may have a first length shorter than the length of one or more adjacent extensions. The carrier may have extensions extending away from or towards each other. The one or more carrier extensions may be rigid, flexible, or include both rigid and flexible portions. The one or more carrier extensions may all be entirely flexible, including portions having greater flexibility than other portions. The one or more extensions may extend from a central portion of the carrier, which may be substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis. The one or more extensions may be connected to or secured to the carrier at one or more joints. The one or more extensions may be detachable from or integral with the carrier. The one or more extensions may extend from the carrier along any length of the carrier. The one or more extensions may be configured to be substantially perpendicular to the center of the carrier. Alternatively, the one or more extensions may extend from the center of the carrier at an angle. The center of the carrier may include extensions extending at both angles and perpendicular angles. The one or more carrier extensions may be located in the same plane, different planes, or both with one or more other carrier extensions. The one or more carrier extensions may include activatable material thereon. The area between the one or more extensions may be substantially free of activatable material. Alternatively, the area between the one or more extensions may be substantially filled with activatable material, or may be only partially filled with activatable material. The one or more carrier extensions may include protrusions extending into the activatable material to help retain the activatable material on the carrier extension. The carrier may include one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, ten, or more carrier extensions, or any number thereof. The carrier may include twenty, eighteen, sixteen, fifteen, or fewer carrier extensions, or any number thereof. The one or more carrier extensions may be inserted into the same cavity, or one or more of each individual carrier extension may be inserted into one or more individual cavities. For example, all carrier extensions can be inserted into the same cavity as the carrier. For example, a first extension can be disposed in a first cavity, a second extension in a third cavity, and a fourth extension in a fourth cavity.The one or more carrier extensions can be inserted into one or more individual cavities to allow bending or movement of the one or more individual cavities relative to other cavities or surfaces, while providing sealing, partitioning, and / or structural reinforcement for each individual cavity. The carrier extensions can be bent, folded, deformed, etc., around one or more hinges.

[0017] The article may include one or more hinges. The one or more hinges may facilitate and / or guide the bending of the carrier, carrier extension, or both. The one or more hinges may allow or facilitate the article to conform to the shape and / or size of one or more cavities into which the article is inserted and / or mounted. The one or more hinges may include a single hinge or multiple hinges. The one or more hinges may not bend or flex along the hinge until pressure is applied to one or more portions of the carrier, carrier extension, or combination thereof. The one or more hinges may bend or flex under their own weight without the application of additional pressure. The one or more hinges may bend by approximately 10 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, or greater, or any degree in between, under the weight of the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or both. The one or more hinges may bend by approximately 180 degrees, 160 degrees, 150 degrees, 135 degrees, or less, or any degree in between, under the weight of the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or both. The one or more hinges may be formed as joints, notches, recesses, weak points, areas of the carrier and / or carrier extension that are substantially free of activatable material, movable hinges, etc., or any combination thereof. It is understood from U.S. Patent Application 13 / 804840 that activatable material is provided to realize or support one or more hinges, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The one or more hinges may be formed from portions of the carrier and / or carrier extension having a cross-section thinner than adjacent portions of the carrier and / or carrier extension. The one or more hinges may be formed from portions of the carrier and / or carrier extension having a pre-formed curved shape. The one or more hinges may be positioned along the length of one or more of the carrier extension, the carrier, or both. The one or more hinges may be formed at one or more joints, or formed as one or more joints where one or more carrier extensions extend from the carrier. The carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or both may each have one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, ten, or more hinges, or any number thereof. The carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or both may each have twenty, eighteen, sixteen, fifteen, or fewer hinges, or any number of hinges therein. The hinges may allow the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or both to bend at an acute angle around the hinge. The hinges may allow each carrier extension to bend at the hinge at an angle of approximately less than 90 degrees, approximately less than 75 degrees, approximately less than 50 degrees, approximately less than 45 degrees, approximately less than 10 degrees, or even smaller, or any angle therein. The hinges may also allow each carrier extension to bend at the hinge at an angle of approximately greater than 3 degrees, approximately greater than 5 degrees, or even larger, or any angle therein.

[0018] The article may include an activatable material located on a carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof. The activatable material may be located substantially on the entire carrier or may be located only on a portion of the carrier. The activatable material may be substantially located on all or part of one or more carrier extensions, or it may be located only on a portion of one or more carrier extensions. The activatable material may substantially completely surround the entirety, one or more carrier extensions, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the activatable material may substantially surround only a portion of the carrier, a portion of one or more carrier extensions, or any combination thereof. The activatable material may extend beyond the end of the carrier. Alternatively, the activatable material may extend substantially with the end of the carrier. The activatable material may be located on any part of the article of manufacture (e.g., a carrier forming a fastener). The activatable material may substantially surround any part of the article of manufacture (e.g., a carrier forming a fastener). Any part of the carrier forming a fastener may also be substantially free of activatable material. The activatable material may be located on one or more hinges, or one or more hinges may be substantially free of any activatable material. The activatable material itself may be formed to have a curved profile. Where the activatable material does not extend with the carrier, the activatable material extending beyond the end of the carrier may be curved. Any angle of curvature of one or more of the carrier and the activatable material may be selected based on the intended location of the device, which may depend on the shape of the cavity in which the device will be located. The carrier and / or activatable material can be bent in a single direction or in multiple directions. The curve can form a device that is substantially U-shaped or substantially V-shaped.

[0019] The article may include one or more fasteners. The one or more fasteners may be used to secure a carrier to a surface, such as the wall of a cavity. The one or more fasteners may be integrally formed with or separately from the carrier and / or one or more carrier extensions. The carrier may include one or more fasteners positioned such that they correspond to openings formed in the wall. The carrier may include a single fastener located in a wall opening, or multiple fasteners positioned adjacent to each other to be located in multiple adjacent wall openings. The one or more fasteners may include cedar fasteners, arrowhead fasteners, push pin fasteners, clip fasteners, etc., or any combination thereof. The fastener may be an arrowhead fastener, wherein one or more ends of the arrowhead include a surface formed to contact and apply force to a surface adjacent to an opening in the wall. The fastener may be shaped to include a surface in direct planar contact with a surface located immediately adjacent to an opening (e.g., the opening in which the fastener is located). The article may include a single fastener or multiple fasteners. The one or more fasteners may enter and / or pass through openings in the surface (e.g., the cavity wall) to secure the article. The one or more fasteners may accommodate a surface (e.g., a protrusion from a cavity wall) to secure the article. The carrier comprising multiple fasteners may be configured such that a first fastener is located in a first plane and a second fastener is located in a second plane, which may be the same as or different from the first plane. The multiple fasteners may be arranged parallel to each other. The multiple fasteners may be configured such that the first fastener can be perpendicular to the second fastener. The carrier may be flexible enough that, prior to insertion into the opening, the first and second fasteners can be positioned parallel to each other (e.g., in a first position relative to each other), but during use and when inserted into the opening, the first and second fasteners are positioned in a non-parallel relationship relative to each other (e.g., in a second position relative to each other).

[0020] At least a portion of the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or any combination thereof, may have a thin profile (e.g., a profile thinner than adjacent portions of the carrier and / or carrier extensions). The thin profile portion allows it to be located in an area where the surface on which the carrier is situated must remain generally planar. The thin profile portion may also be connected to a fastener having a substantially thicker profile, such that the thickness of the fastener helps to maintain the thin profile portion in a planar position on the surface adjacent to the fastener.

[0021] The formation of the components disclosed herein may include various processing steps, depending on the desired configuration of the components. In any case, it is generally contemplated that the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, and activatable material may be manually attached to each other, automatically attached to each other, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, various processes such as molding (e.g., compression, injection, or other molding), extrusion, pultrusion, etc., can be used to form the carrier, activatable material, one or more fasteners, one or more carrier extensions, one or more activatable material extensions, and these processes are used to attach these components together. One or more of the carrier and / or activatable material may be formed by the methods disclosed in U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 074237, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0022] The method of forming the component disclosed herein may include providing a carrier material, forming a carrier and one or more carrier extensions from the carrier material, and extruding and / or pultruding an activatable material on at least a portion of the carrier material, whereby the activatable material may be co-extruded and / or pultruded with the carrier material.

[0023] The method of forming the component disclosed herein may further include any one or more of the steps or features described herein in any combination, including the preferred methods and examples listed herein, and includes the following: installing the article into a cavity by bending a carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or any combination thereof, such that the article conforms to the shape of the cavity; during the installation of the article into the cavity, the carrier, one or more carrier extensions, or any combination thereof may be bent about at least one of one or more hinges; the carrier, one or more extensions, or any combination thereof may be bent about one or more hinges, the hinges being located at at least one or more extensions extending from the carrier; at least one of the one or more carrier extensions may be inserted into a... In a cavity, and at least one of the one or more carrier extensions can be inserted into a second cavity; an activatable material is activated, causing it to expand and substantially fill the one or more cavities; after the activatable material is activated, the first cavity can be movable relative to the second cavity; the carrier material can be provided by extrusion; at least a portion of the carrier material can be extruded simultaneously with at least a portion of the activatable material; at least one fastener can be integrally formed from the carrier material (carrier, at least one of the one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof); at least one fastener can be individually attached to the carrier, at least one of the one or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof; a component is installed into the cavity, such as a vehicle cavity; and the activatable material and / or the carrier material can be further extruded to form a contour configuration.

[0024] The carrier may include polymeric materials, metallic materials, or combinations thereof. The carrier may include composite materials, woven materials, or combinations thereof. The activatable material may comprise an epoxy resin. One or more of the carrier material and / or the activatable material may comprise a composite article formed during extrusion molding, injection molding, pultrusion molding, or any combination thereof by contacting an epoxy / amine reaction product material (e.g., a reaction product of a diepoxide and a primary amine (e.g., monoethanolamine), or a material containing a diepoxide resin (e.g., BPA), a primary amine, a secondary amine, a dimeroclonal, and / or a dicarboxylic acid reaction product). Contact may occur only after the reaction between the epoxy resin and the amine is complete (e.g., only after the epoxy resin and amine have reacted), as described in U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 130908, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Illustrative Examples

[0025] The following description of the accompanying figures is provided to illustrate the teachings of this article and not to limit its scope.

[0026] Figure 1 A cross-section of a component 10 according to the teachings herein is shown. Component 10 includes a carrier 12 having a longitudinal axis 14. The component includes a plurality of carrier extensions 16. The carrier extensions 16 extend from the carrier 12. The carrier extensions 16 can extend from any portion of the carrier 12, but the extension shown is from the center portion 18 of the carrier 12. The carrier extensions 16 may extend from the carrier at one or more joints 20. At least one of the carrier extensions 16 may be in the same plane as another carrier extension 16, and may also be in a different plane from another carrier extension 16. The carrier extensions 16 may be flexible relative to the carrier 12 at one or more hinges 22. The one or more hinges 22 may be located at one or more joints 20 and / or the center portion 18 of the carrier 12. An activatable material 24 may be disposed on the carrier 12, at least one carrier extension 16, or both. The activatable material 24 may be disposed along the length, end, or both of at least one carrier extension 16 and / or the carrier 12. The carrier 12 may include one or more fasteners 26 that can secure the component to a cavity wall.

[0027] Figure 2A cross-section of a component 10 according to the teachings herein is shown. Component 10 includes a carrier 12 having a longitudinal axis 14. The component includes a plurality of carrier extensions 16. The carrier extensions 16 extend from the carrier 12. The carrier extensions 16 can extend from any portion of the carrier 12, but the extension shown is from the center portion 18 of the carrier 12. The carrier extensions 16 can extend from the carrier at one or more joints 20. At least one of the carrier extensions 16 can be in the same plane as another carrier extension 16, and can also be in a different plane from another carrier extension 16. The carrier extensions 16 can be flexible relative to the carrier 12 at one or more hinges 22. One or more hinges 22 can be located at one or more joints 20 and / or the center portion 18 of the carrier 12. An activatable material 24 can be disposed on the carrier 12, at least one carrier extension 16, or both. The activatable material 24 can be disposed on the center portion 18 of the carrier 12, or on one or more joints 20, or both. The activatable material 24 may be disposed along the length, end, or both of at least one carrier extension 16 and / or carrier 12. At least some of the one or more hinges 22 may be substantially without the activatable material 24. The carrier 12 may include one or more fasteners 26 that can secure the component to the cavity wall.

[0028] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram:

[0029] 10 components

[0030] 12 carriers

[0031] 14 Longitudinal axis

[0032] 16 Carrier Extensions

[0033] 18 Central Department

[0034] 20 or more connectors

[0035] 22 One or more hinges

[0036] 24 Activated Materials

[0037] 26 One or more fasteners

[0038] Any numerical values ​​listed in the foregoing applications include all values ​​from lower to higher values ​​in increments of one unit, provided that there is an interval of at least two units between any lower and any higher value. These are merely examples of specific intent, and all possible combinations of numerical values ​​between the listed lowest and highest values ​​are considered expressly illustrative in this application in a similar manner. Unless otherwise stated, all ranges include all numbers between endpoints. The term "substantially constitutes" used to describe a combination should include the identified elements, components, parts, or steps, as well as other elements, components, parts, or steps that do not substantially affect the basic and novel features of the combination. The use of the terms "comprising" or "including" to describe combinations of elements, components, parts, or steps herein also contemplates embodiments that are substantially constituted by elements, components, parts, or steps.

[0039] Multiple elements, components, components, or steps may be provided through a single integrated element, ingredient, component, or step. Alternatively, a single integrated element, ingredient, component, or step may be divided into multiple separate elements, ingredients, components, or steps. The disclosure of "a" or "an" describing an element, ingredient, component, or step is not intended to exclude other elements, ingredients, components, or steps.

Claims

1. An article comprising: (a) Carrier; (b) Two or more carrier extensions extending from the carrier at one or more joints, wherein one or more hinges are formed as notches at one or more joints; (c) An activatable material portion disposed on a plurality of separate portions on at least one of two or more carrier extensions, each separate portion being separated by at least one hinge, and at least a portion of the activatable material extending beyond the terminating end of at least one of the two or more carrier extensions; One or more of the hinges contain no activatable material; Before activation, each portion of the activatable material is in direct contact with only one of the two or more carrier extensions. The two or more carrier extensions are flexible relative to the carrier at one or more hinges; At least one of the two or more carrier extensions is located in a different plane from at least another of the two or more carrier extensions.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the carrier includes a central portion, and each of two or more carrier extensions is joined at the central portion.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more hinges is positioned along the length of at least one or both of the carrier and the two or more carrier extensions.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises one or more fasteners.

5. The article of claim 1, wherein the carrier, two or more carrier extensions or combinations thereof are flexible along a plurality of axes, a plurality of planes or both.

6. The article according to claim 1, wherein the activatable material is a heat-activatable material.

7. The article of claim 1, wherein the one or more connectors are integrally formed with the article, such that at least one of the two or more carrier extensions is integral with the carrier.

8. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more hinges is a movable hinge.

9. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two or more carrier extensions is connected to, located on, or accommodated by the carrier at one of the one or more hinges.

10. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two or more carrier extensions is located in the same plane as at least another of the two or more carrier extensions.

11. The method for forming an article according to claim 1, the method comprising: a) Provide carrier materials; b) The carrier is formed from a carrier material, comprising two or more carrier extensions, one or more joints, and at least one hinge; c) Extrude an activatable material portion onto at least a portion of the carrier material such that the hinge has no activatable material and each portion of the activatable material is in direct contact with only one of the two or more carrier extensions.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising mounting the article into the cavity by bending a carrier, two or more carrier extensions or a combination thereof, such that the article conforms to the shape of the cavity.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising mounting the article into the cavity around at least one bent carrier, two or more carrier extensions or a combination thereof in one or more hinges.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the carrier, two or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof, are bent around at least one hinge, the hinge being located at at least one carrier extension extending from the carrier.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the two or more carrier extensions is inserted into the first cavity, and at least another of the two or more carrier extensions is inserted into the second cavity.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising activating the activatable material to cause it to expand and fill the first and second cavities.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first cavity is movable relative to the second cavity after the activatable material is activated.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the carrier material is provided by extrusion.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising simultaneously extruding at least a portion of the carrier material and at least a portion of the activatable material.

20. The method of claim 11, comprising integrally forming at least one fastener from a carrier material, said carrier material comprising a carrier, at least one of two or more carrier extensions, or a combination thereof.

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