Sealing string for forming a seal on a vehicle body

Abstract

Sealing string for forming a seal on a vehicle body (3), in particular for sealing a vehicle window pane (1) on a window recess (2), wherein the sealing string (4) can be clamped to the vehicle body (3) via U-shaped legs (6, 7) of a U-shaped mounting section (5) with a flange (11, 12) extending in the longitudinal direction of the string, and in at least one predetermined longitudinal section (20, 20') of the sealing string (4), which is shorter than the total length of the sealing string, the clamping width between the U-shaped legs (6, 7) is reduced while the outer contour of the cross-section remains constant; characterized in that the reduction of the clamping width is formed by applying material to the inside of only one of the U-shaped legs (6).

Description

The invention relates to a sealing strand for forming a seal on a vehicle body, in particular for sealing a vehicle window pane on a window shaft, wherein the sealing strand can be clamped to the vehicle body via U-shaped legs of a U-shaped mounting section with a flange extending in the longitudinal direction of the strand. Flanges on vehicle bodies designed for clamping with sealing strips are predominantly formed from several, possibly bonded, layers of sheet metal. Depending on the body construction, however, such a body flange may have at least one section in which at least one of these sheet metal layers is omitted, and the flange thickness is correspondingly reduced. The stability of the clamping connection between an extruded sealing strip, which has a constant cross-section along its entire length, can therefore be significantly impaired in such sections of reduced flange thickness. This is conventionally counteracted by plastic deformation of the sealing strip in the affected sections, thereby reducing the distance between the U-shaped flanges. From GB 873 939 A, a sealing strip is known in which the clamping width between two U-shaped legs is reduced in several longitudinal sections while maintaining a constant outer contour by means of serrated deformations of a metallic reinforcement layer. From EP 1 391 337 A1, it is known to provide an additional lip in a sealing strip outside a U-shaped mounting section, which, if necessary, can be folded into the U-shaped mounting section in a limited longitudinal section of the sealing strip to compensate for a locally reduced thickness of a sheet metal flange. The invention provides a new sealing strand of the type mentioned above, characterized in that in at least one predetermined length section of the sealing strand the clamping width between the U-legs is reduced while the outer contour of the cross-section of at least one of the U-legs remains constant, wherein the reduction of the clamping width is formed by applying material to the inside of only one of the U-legs. Advantageously, this inventive solution allows a reduction in the clamping force between the sealing string and the flange to be compensated for in sections of reduced flange thickness without any significant change in the external shape of the sealing string in the relevant length section. The clamping width can be reduced over the entire length or locally within the length. Preferably, the U-shaped fastening section has a U-shaped reinforcement insert, which is in particular an insert made from continuous sheet metal bent into a U-shape. The material application can extend over the entire length of the aforementioned length section and may, for example, be formed by a strip of material connected to the inside of the U-leg. It is understood that the material application preferably affects the U-shaped leg that, when a sheet layer is removed, is located at a distance from the remaining sheet layer. This prevents any offset or twisting of the sealing strip at the transition to the relevant section. If only one middle sheet layer remains out of three, material application is possible for both U-shaped legs. The invention is further explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings relating to these exemplary embodiments. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a sealing strip for sealing a vehicle window pane, arranged on a window channel; Fig. 2 a cross-sectional view of the sealing arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a further cross-sectional view of the sealing arrangement of Fig. 1 in an end region of the sealing strip; Figs. 4 and 5 a first exemplary embodiment of a sealing strip in perspective and cross-sectional views, respectively; and Figs. 6 and 7 further exemplary embodiments of sealing strips according to the invention. A window pane 1 is sealed to a window pane recess 2 of a vehicle body 3 by an approximately straight sealing strip 4. The preferably extruded sealing strip can be made, for example, of EPDM or a thermoplastic. According to the cross-sectional view of Fig. 2, the sealing strand 4 has a U-shaped mounting section 5 with U-shaped legs 6 and 7 and a U-shaped metallic reinforcing insert 8. Sealing lips 9 and 10 extend from the U-shaped leg 6. As can further be seen in Fig. 2, the sealing strand 4 with its U-shaped fastening section 5 is attached to a flange of the body 3 formed from sheet metal layers 11 and 12 (not visible in Fig. 1). In end sections 20 and 20' of the sealing strip 4 shown as an example in Fig. 1, the thickness of the body flange is reduced, as the body flange in these end sections is formed only by the sheet metal layer 12. A disadvantage in end sections 20 and 20' is the unstable connection between the sealing strip 4 and the body flange due to the unsuitable clamping width of the fastening section 5. In particular, the sealing strip 4 can be tilted according to arrow 13, as can be seen in Fig. 3. Figures 4 and 5 show a first embodiment of a sealing strand that solves this problem. The sealing strand has local indentations in the relevant end sections that reduce the clamping width of the U-shaped legs 6, 7. Along the longitudinal direction of the strand, over a length l, the U-shaped leg 6, including the reinforcing insert 8, is notched at several points in a tab-like manner, and the tab 17 formed by the notch 14 is bent inwards. In the example shown, the reinforcing insert 8 is made of aluminum, the exposure of which by the notches 14 does not cause any significant corrosion problems. In an embodiment shown in Fig. 6, two parallel incisions 15 and 16 are formed in each of the U-shaped leg 6, and the area between the incisions 15, 16 is pressed in, forming a bow-like indentation 19 projecting towards the U-shaped leg 7. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the reinforcing insert 8 is also made of aluminum. An embodiment shown in Fig. 7 has no incisions but only local indentations 18, by which the clamping width between the U-legs 6 and 7 is locally reduced and adapted to the reduced thickness of the body flange. In all described cases, the outer cross-sectional contour of the sealing strand remains largely unchanged in the area of ​​the only local indentations. In the illustrated embodiments, the indentations reducing the clamping width are formed in the U-shaped leg 6, which adjoins the sheet metal layer 11 outside the end sections 20, 20'. Advantageously, this prevents any offset of the sealing strand transversely to its longitudinal direction at the transition to the end sections 20, 20', and instead allows the sealing strand to transition into the end sections 20, 20' without external deformation. It is understood that the number of indentations and their extents in the longitudinal and circumferential directions can be selected according to the requirements of the application.

Claims

Sealing string for forming a seal on a vehicle body (3), in particular for sealing a vehicle window pane (1) on a window recess (2), wherein the sealing string (4) can be clamped to the vehicle body (3) via U-shaped legs (6, 7) of a U-shaped mounting section (5) with a flange (11, 12) extending in the longitudinal direction of the string, and in at least one predetermined longitudinal section (20, 20') of the sealing string (4), which is shorter than the total length of the sealing string, the clamping width between the U-shaped legs (6, 7) is reduced while the outer contour of the cross-section remains constant; characterized in that the reduction of the clamping width is formed by applying material to the inside of only one of the U-shaped legs (6). Sealing string according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping width is reduced only locally over the entire length section (20,20') or within the length section (20,20'). Sealing strand according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the U-shaped fastening section has a reinforcing insert (8) in a U-shape, which is preferably made of sheet metal that extends continuously in the longitudinal direction of the strand and is bent into the U-shape. Sealing strand according to claim 1, characterized in that the material application extends over the entire length of the longitudinal section (20,20'). Sealing string according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that the material application is formed by at least one strip of material connected to the inside of the U-leg.

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