Buffer member for room temperature vulcanization sealant

Abstract

The present application provides a cushioning member for room temperature vulcanization sealants. A seal joint assembly includes a plastic component. The seal joint assembly also includes a metal component, wherein the plastic component and the metal component define a cavity in the assembled position. The seal joint assembly also includes a room temperature vulcanized (RTV) material sealant disposed within the cavity. The sealing joint assembly further comprises a buffering component arranged in the cavity, wherein the buffering component is in contact with the plastic component and the metal component.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 641,099, filed May 1, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments described herein relate to sealing assemblies, and more specifically to cushioning components for room temperature vulcanizing sealing assemblies. Background Technology

[0004] Room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) materials are used as adhesives and sealants in various industries. While RTV materials can provide a strong seal between two aluminum interfaces, such as... Figure 1 As shown, however, the sealant proved challenging when attempting to seal aluminum onto plastic.

[0005] In aluminum-to-plastic sealing assemblies, RTV materials provide a robust seal once fully cured, but the downside is the time required to achieve this curing. This is particularly problematic in manufacturing and assembly processes where significant delays at any step of the process are sensitive. For example, in the automotive industry, pressure leak testing may be necessary to ensure the seal withstands the required pressure, such as... Figure 2 As shown. After applying the RTV material and assembling the joints, it can take several hours to pass a leak test. Even uncured RTV material sealing assemblies may take several hours to withstand bursting during a leak test because the outer skin formed at the required gap locations must be thick enough to withstand the air pressure applied during the leak test. The assembly process is significantly slower at the factory due to the need to wait for the outer skin to form at the gap locations. The formation process can also be unpredictable. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a sealing joint assembly includes a plastic component. The sealing joint assembly also includes a metal component, wherein the plastic and metal components define a cavity in an assembled position. The sealing joint assembly also includes a room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) sealant disposed within the cavity. The sealing joint assembly further includes a cushioning component disposed within the cavity, wherein the cushioning component contacts the plastic and metal components.

[0007] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for assembling and testing a sealing joint assembly having a cavity defined by a plastic component and a metal component is provided. The method includes securing a base portion of a cushioning component to the plastic component, wherein finger-like portions of the cushioning component extend from the base portion. The method further includes injecting a room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) material sealant onto a surface of the plastic component. The method also includes assembling a metal component to the plastic component to define a cavity between the metal component and the plastic component, and positioning the finger-like portions of the cushioning component in contact with the metal component, wherein the cushioning component and the RTV material sealant are disposed within the cavity. The method further includes applying pressure with fluid injected into the cavity to test the sealing capability within the cavity.

[0008] These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The subject matter considered to be the present invention is specifically pointed out and explicitly claimed in the claims at the end of this specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 The room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) material used to seal an aluminum component to another aluminum component is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 The RTV material is shown, which seals aluminum components to plastic components and undergoes a pressure leak test.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a front cross-sectional view of a buffer made of RTV material for sealing an aluminum component to a plastic component, according to one aspect of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a front cross-sectional view of a buffer for sealing an aluminum component to a plastic component using RTV material, according to another aspect of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a front cross-sectional view of a buffer for sealing an aluminum component to a plastic component using RTV material, according to another aspect of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a front cross-sectional view of a buffer for RTV material according to another aspect of this disclosure, wherein the buffer is disposed within a recess defined by the plastic component before the joint is assembled between the plastic component and the aluminum component.

[0016] Figure 7 This is after assembling the joint between the plastic and aluminum parts. Figure 6 A front cross-sectional view of the buffer. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The following discussion pertains to various embodiments of this disclosure. While one or more of these embodiments may be described in more detail than others, the disclosed embodiments should not be construed as or otherwise used to limit the scope of this disclosure (including the claims). Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is merely illustrative and not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to that embodiment.

[0018] Reference Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a sealing joint assembly and is generally indicated by the numeral 10. The sealing joint assembly 10 includes a first component 12 formed of plastic and a second component 14 formed of aluminum or another suitable metal. A cavity 16 is defined by the surfaces of the plastic component and the metal component. In the illustrated embodiment, the plastic component surface 18 and the metal component surface 20 are shown in a specific orientation and have specific segmentation, thereby defining a specific shape of the cavity 16. However, it should be understood that the contours and segmentation of the first component 12 (i.e., the plastic component) and the second component 14 (i.e., the metal component), as well as the plastic component surface 18 and the metal component surface 20, and the shape of the cavity 16, can be determined from the following parameters: Figure 3 Example variations. In Figures 4 to 7 Other non-limiting examples are shown. Specific sealing joint applications will determine the shape and surface profile. It should be understood that any joint having a cavity requiring sealing within a cavity defined by plastic and metal components is within the scope of this disclosure.

[0019] A room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) sealant 22 is present within the cavity 16 to seal components 12 and 14 together. To avoid the need for a long and unpredictable time for the RTV sealant 22 to cure to a degree sufficient for pressure leak testing, a buffer component 24 is provided in the cavity 16.

[0020] The buffer member 24 remains within the cavity 16 during the curing of the RTV sealant 22 and is a permanent part of the sealing joint assembly 10. The buffer member 24 can be formed into any suitable shape and will vary depending on the geometry of the parts 12, 14 to be joined, including the size and geometry of the cavity 16. Figure 3 In the example, the buffer component 24 resides within a cavity 16 defined by a set of substantially C-shaped walls of the plastic component 12.

[0021] Figure 4 and Figure 5The examples shown are additional configurations of the shape of cavity 16 and buffer member 24. It should be understood that buffer member 24 can be any suitable shape and can be used in any cavity 16 defined by plastic member 12 and metal member 14 to improve the resistance of RTV sealant 22 to pressure leakage tests during the assembly process of the entire structure in which sealing joint assembly 10 is disposed. Therefore, the examples shown do not limit the range of shapes and configurations that can benefit from the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0022] Regardless of the specific orientation of the sealing joint assembly 10 (particularly the cavity 16), the buffer member 24 includes a base portion 30 that is substantially planar and contacts the base wall defining the cavity 16. In the illustrated example, the base portion 30 of the buffer member 24 contacts and is secured to the plastic member 12. The buffer member 24 also includes finger-like portions 32 extending from the base portion 30 and contacting the wall of the metal member 14. The finger-like portions 32 can be of any suitable shape extending from the base portion 32. Although the base portion 30 of the buffer member 24 is shown secured to the plastic member 12 and the finger-like portions 32 contact the metal member 14, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the opposite mounting configuration exists. Specifically, the base portion 30 may be secured to the metal member 14, and the finger-like portions 32 may contact the plastic member 12.

[0023] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 This, combined with another embodiment of components 12, 14 and cavity 16, illustrates two stages of the assembly method. Specifically, Figure 6 A plastic component 12 is shown, in which an RTV sealant 22 and a cushioning component 24 are disposed within a cavity 16. As shown, the finger-like portion 32 of the cushioning component 24 extends from the base portion 30 to the distal end 34 that contacts the metal component 14. Figure 7 The diagram shows the metal component 14 being slid into a desired position to form a sealing joint assembly 10. During the sliding movement of the metal component 14 to the desired position, a portion of the finger-like portion 32 of the buffer component 24 is contacted and deflected by the metal component 14, but due to the elastic and durable material properties of the buffer component, the buffer component 24 remains in contact with the metal component 14 in the final assembled position.

[0024] The cushioning component 24 can be formed of any suitable material to prevent pressurized air from dislodging the RTV sealant 22 and to meet the leakage test requirements that the cavity 16 undergoes during the assembly process. For example, the cushioning component 24 can be formed of rubber material or any other durable and flexible material, such as various thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) or thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs).

[0025] In any of the disclosed embodiments, all or a portion of the buffer member 24 may be in contact with the RTV sealant 22, or the buffer member 24 may be completely spaced apart from the RTV sealant 22. Specifically, a portion of the buffer member 24 may be in contact with the RTV sealant 22, the finger portion 32 may be completely surrounded by the RTV sealant 22, or no portion of the buffer member 24 may be in contact with the RTV sealant 22. For example, in some embodiments, the finger portion 32 of the buffer member 24 is surrounded by the RTV sealant 22 on a first side 36 and a second side 38 of the finger portion 32. In other embodiments, the finger portion 32 of the buffer member 24 is surrounded by the RTV sealant 22 only on the first side 36 of the finger portion 32. In other embodiments, the finger portion 32 of the buffer member 24 is spaced apart from the RTV sealant 22 within the cavity 16.

[0026] As disclosed herein, the buffer member 24 can be of any shape or size suitable for various cavities. Such variations include different dimensions of the base portion 30 (e.g., width, thickness, etc.) and different configurations of the finger portions 32. The finger portions 32 can be bulbous structures with rounded distal ends 34 (e.g.,...). Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown in the embodiments), or it may have a flatter cross-section (such as...). Figure 6 and Figure 7 (As shown). However, it should be understood that any shape or size of the finger portion 32 can be considered. Furthermore, the position of the finger portion 32 relative to the base portion 30 can be determined from... Figures 3 to 7 The central positioning position is shown to vary. Although a single finger portion 32 is shown in the illustrated embodiment, it should be understood that in other embodiments, multiple finger portions 32 may be formed together with and extend from the base portion 30. Finally, it is contemplated that in some embodiments, multiple buffer members 24 may be located within a single cavity 16.

[0027] The assembly process disclosed above is part of an overall assembly and testing process. Specifically, the method includes securing the base portion 30 to the plastic component 12 and injecting RTV sealant 22 along at least a portion of the surface 18 of the plastic component to allow the RTV sealant to adhere to the surface of the plastic component. In some embodiments, this may involve positioning the RTV sealant 22 in contact with the finger portion 32 of the cushioning component 24, while in other embodiments, the RTV sealant 22 is spaced apart from the finger portion 32, as disclosed herein. With the cushioning component 24 and the RTV sealant 22 in place, the metal component 14 and the plastic component 12 are positioned in an assembled position to define a cavity 16 between the metal component and the plastic component. Assembling the metal component 14 to the plastic component 12 involves positioning the finger portion 32 of the cushioning component 24 in contact with the metal component 14. This step may involve displaced the finger portion 32 from an initial rest position to a deflected position, for example, as... Figure 4 and Figure 7 This is shown well. In this situation, pressurized fluid 40 ( Figure 5 (For example, air) is injected into cavity 16 to test the sealing capability within cavity 16.

[0028] The sealing joint assembly 10 and method disclosed herein can be used in any industry, but are particularly useful in the assembly process of vehicles where delays are a problem in the factory. For example, the sealing joint assembly 10 can be used in any type of vehicle, such as a car, truck, SUV, minivan, crossover, any other passenger vehicle, any suitable commercial vehicle, or any other suitable vehicle. While the vehicle may be a wheeled passenger car intended for use on roads, the principles of this disclosure can be applied to other vehicles, such as airplanes, tractors, boats, or other suitable vehicles.

[0029] The embodiments disclosed herein advantageously eliminate the need for an O-ring seal (which is more expensive than using a buffer component 24 and RTV sealant 22 because the use of buffer component 24 and RTV sealant 22 eliminates the need for housing machining and O-ring removal), while also avoiding the additional and unpredictable time required for curing the RTV sealant 22.

[0030] Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to only a limited number of embodiments, it is readily understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to include any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not previously described but commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it should be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the embodiments described. Moreover, any feature, element, component, or advantage of any embodiment may be used in any other embodiment. Therefore, the invention should not be considered as limited to the foregoing description.

Claims

1. A sealing joint assembly, comprising: Plastic parts; A metal component, wherein the plastic component and the metal component define a cavity in an assembled position; A room temperature vulcanizing sealant is disposed within the cavity; and A buffer component is disposed within the cavity, wherein the buffer component is in contact with the plastic component and the metal component.

2. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The buffer component includes a base portion and finger-like portions extending from the base portion.

3. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The base portion contacts the plastic component, and the distal end of the finger-like portion contacts the metal component.

4. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The base portion has a planar shape.

5. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The finger-like portion has a circular shape at its distal end.

6. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The finger-like portion has a flattened shape at its distal end.

7. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The finger-shaped portion of the buffer component is surrounded on the first and second sides by the room temperature vulcanizing sealant.

8. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The finger-shaped portion of the cushioning component is surrounded only on the first side of the finger-shaped portion by the room temperature vulcanizing sealant.

9. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The finger-shaped portion of the buffer component is spaced apart from the room temperature vulcanizing sealant within the cavity.

10. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The cushioning component is formed of at least one of rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, and thermoplastic vulcanized rubber.

11. The sealing joint assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The metal component is made of aluminum.

12. A method for assembling and testing a sealing joint assembly having a cavity defined by plastic and metal parts, the method comprising: The base portion of the cushioning component is fixed to the plastic component, wherein the finger-like portion of the cushioning component extends from the base portion; Inject room temperature vulcanizing sealant onto the surface of the plastic part; The metal component is assembled to the plastic component to define the cavity between the metal component and the plastic component, and the finger-like portion of the cushioning component is positioned to contact the metal component, wherein the cushioning component and the room temperature vulcanizing sealant are disposed within the cavity; and Pressure is applied by injecting fluid into the cavity to test the sealing capability within the cavity.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, Assembling the metal component to the plastic component includes: biasing the finger-like portion to a deflection position.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, Injecting the room temperature vulcanizing sealant into the cavity includes: positioning the room temperature vulcanizing sealant in contact with the finger-shaped portion of the cushioning component.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The fluid injected into the cavity to test the sealing capability is pressurized air.

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