Mechanical tool for disassembling bonded surfaces

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly (1) for disassembling two layers bonded together with an adhesive joint, said assembly (1) being notable in that it comprises a means (3) for holding a blade, said holding means (3) having an elongated shape, a blade (5) attached to said holding means (3), an induction heating device (7) configured for heating said blade (5), and a vibration device configured for vibrating the blade (5) in a direction parallel to the length of said holding means (3) of said blade. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Mechanical tool for disassembling bonded surfaces

[0001] The invention relates to an assembly for disassembling two layers bonded together with an adhesive joint and to the use of this assembly for disassembling a substrate comprising two layers bonded together with an adhesive joint. The invention also relates to a method for disassembling two layers bonded together with an adhesive joint.

[0002] Generally, when it is necessary to disassemble an assembly with surfaces bonded together, several options are available to those skilled in the art. These include the application of mechanical forces, solvents, or microwaves. However, this type of separation carries a risk of damaging the bonded surfaces, altering, for example, the mechanical properties of these parts. Furthermore, adhesive residues remaining on the surfaces may require additional processing steps. The use of solvents also presents health risks.

[0003] To overcome some of the problems, US2023039626 describes a particular adhesive that can be easily separated by heating. This adhesive is a two-layer adhesive system containing an adhesive layer with conductive particles. By applying relatively low but sufficient electrical power to heat the conductive particles, it is possible to separate this two-layer adhesive system by heat. The conductive particles can be selected from silver, gold, palladium, platinum, carbon black, carbon fiber, graphite, indium tin oxide, silver-plated nickel, silver-plated copper, silver-plated graphite, silver-plated aluminum, silver-plated fiber, silver-plated glass, silver-plated polymer, antimony-doped tin oxide, and any mixture thereof.

[0004] Although this two-layer adhesive can be used in a variety of applications and can be released upon heating, sometimes adhesive joints joining two layers are not equipped with conductive particles to facilitate the release of the adhesive joint. It is therefore necessary to find a universal means of releasing any type of adhesive present between two layers. Furthermore, the use of conductive particles can represent a certain cost and therefore does not necessarily appear to be a universal solution for joining two layers. problems encountered in the prior art. In particular, the invention aims to provide a tool for disassembling a substrate having two layers bonded together with an adhesive joint.

[0006] To this end, according to a first aspect, the invention relates to an assembly for disassembling two layers glued together with a glue joint, said assembly being remarkable in that it comprises a means for holding a blade, said holding means having an elongated shape, a blade attached to said holding means, an induction heating device configured to heat said blade and a vibration device configured to vibrate the blade in a direction parallel to the length of said holding means of said blade.

[0007] As will be understood from the definition just given, the invention relates to an assembly for disassembling two layers bonded together with an adhesive joint. The adhesive joint is separated by the force applied by a vibration device and also by the heat supplied by the induction heating device. The use of both force and heat does not require the incorporation of conductive particles within the adhesive joint, which allows the assembly to be used with any type of substrate having two bonded layers. Finally, it is worth noting that the temperatures required to operate the assembly according to the invention are relatively low because the adhesive joint is also removed by the force applied by the vibration device.

[0008] Advantageously, the blade is made of steel.

[0009] Preferably, said steel shows a Young's modulus of less than 215 GPa as determined by ISO 6892-1, more preferably less than 213 GPa or less than 211 GPa.

[0010] Advantageously, said blade retaining means has an end connected to said vibration device via a connecting means. Preferably, said connecting means is a chuck coupled to a self-tightening tip.

[0011] Advantageously, the blade shows a beveled shape.

[0012] Advantageously, said blade retention means exhibits a chiseled form.

[0013] Advantageously, the assembly further comprises a motorized arm with one end attached to said blade retention means.

[0014] Advantageously, the assembly further comprises a motorized arm with one end forming said blade retaining means.

[0015] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to the use of an assembly according to the first aspect to disassemble two layers glued together with a glue joint. two layers glued together with a glue joint, the said process is remarkable in that it comprises the following steps:

[0017] (a) supplying a substrate comprising two layers bonded together with a joint glue;

[0018] (b) providing an assembly for disassembling two layers glued together they with a glue joint as defined according to the first aspect;

[0019] (c) heating of the blade;

[0020] (d) placement of the heated blade at the glue joint;

[0021] (e) activation of the vibration device so as to advance the blade within glue joint so as to disassemble the two layers.

[0022] Advantageously, the step (c) of heating the blade is carried out at a temperature between 40°C and 80°C, or between 45°C and 75°C, or between 50°C and 70°C.

[0023] Advantageously, the step (e) of activating the vibration device is implemented with a frequency between 10 Hz and 500 Hz, preferably between 20 Hz and 100 Hz, or between 25 Hz and 50 Hz.

[0024] Advantageously, the step (e) of activating the vibration device is implemented with an amplitude between 0.05 mm and 1.00 mm, preferably between 0.10 mm and 0.90 mm, or between 0.20 mm and 0.80 mm.

[0025] Advantageously, the process further includes a step (f) of scraping the surface of the two layers.

[0026] Advantageously, step (e) is automated by means of a robot.

[0027] The invention will be well understood and other aspects and advantages will become clear upon reading the following description given with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0028] [Fig-1] Fig.1 represents the assembly for disassembling two glued layers between them with a glue joint according to the invention.

[0029] [Fig.2] Fig.2 schematically illustrates the detachment of two layers of a substrate with the assembly according to the invention.

[0030] In the following description, the term "include" is synonymous with "include" and is not limiting in that it permits the presence of other steps in the process or other elements in the sealing frame or the vehicle to which it relates. It is understood that the term "include" includes the terms "consist of".

[0031] Similarly, the terms "lower", "upper", "high" and "low" shall be understood according to their usual definition, in which the terms "lower" and "low" indicate a greater proximity to the ground in the vertical direction than respectively the terms "higher" and "high".

[0032] Throughout the description, the different figures use the same reference signs to designate identical or similar entities.

[0033] The present invention relates to an assembly 1 for disassembling two layers (11, 13) bonded together with a glue joint 15. Figure 1 shows a representation of such an assembly 1. The assembly 1 according to the invention is remarkable in that it comprises a blade retaining means 3, said retaining means 3 having an elongated shape, a blade 5 attached to said retaining means 3, an induction heating device 7 configured to heat said blade 5, and a vibration device (not shown) configured to vibrate the blade 5 in a direction parallel to the length of said retaining means 3.

[0034] The disassembly tool of the present invention thus makes it possible to separate two layers (11, 13) bonded together with an adhesive joint 15. One of the advantages of the invention is that it is not necessary to have a particular adhesive joint for the tool to function, which makes it possible to apply the assembly 1 according to the invention to any substrate that has two layers bonded together. Furthermore, the presence of both an induction heating device and a vibration device facilitates disassembly, to the point that the temperatures required to activate the release of the adhesive joint are not excessive.

[0035] The induction heating device 7 activates the release of the adhesive forming the glue joint 15, thereby reducing any stress on the substrate 9 during separation. For example, the induction heating device 7 could be an induction heating gun.

[0036] The vibration device makes the detachment process more efficient and facilitates the use of assembly 1 by the user. For example, the vibration device can be a multi-functional tool.

[0037] Assembly 1 according to the invention allows for the disassembly of bonded assemblies while ensuring the integrity of both layers once the disassembly is complete. Indeed, the mechanical and physical stresses on the layers to be detached are reduced due to the use of the blade in conjunction with the induction heating device.

[0038] Since the integrity of the two layers (11, 13) forming the substrate 9 is guaranteed, it is possible to recycle these layers, in particular to reform other substrates. The disassembly tool according to the invention therefore offers economic and environmental advantages.

[0039] The blade 5 can be made of steel, preferably soft steel. Thus, preferably, the steel has a Young's modulus of less than 215 GPa as preferably determined by ISO 6892-1, more preferably less than 213 GPa or less than 211 GPa.

[0040] For example, steel may show a Young's modulus between 203 GPa and 215 GPa as preferably determined by ISO 6892-1, more preferably between 205 GPa and 213 GPa, or between 207 GPa and 211 GPa.

[0041] Advantageously, said blade retaining means 3 has an end connected to said vibration device via a connecting means. Preferably, said connecting means is a chuck coupled to a self-tightening bit, for example a self-tightening bit of the SDS type (Special Direct System), which facilitates the assembly and disassembly of the assembly 1.

[0042] Preferably, a cooling system (not shown) can be incorporated between the connecting means and the holding means 3, so that the induction heating device 7 does not interfere with the vibration device by heating it. For example, the cooling system consists of a water conduit with an inlet and an outlet within said blade holding means 3.

[0043] The blade 5 may have a beveled shape. The beveled shape of the blade allows for better penetration of the blade into the glue joint.

[0044] The blade retention means 3 may have a chiseled shape. This allows stress to be applied to the upper layer during the passage of the blade in order to facilitate detachment.

[0045] Assembly 1 according to the invention is used to disassemble two layers glued together with a glue joint.

[0046] The invention also relates to a method of disassembling two layers (11, 13) glued together with a glue joint 15.

[0047] The first step (a) of the process is the provision of a substrate comprising two layers (11, 13) bonded together with an adhesive joint 15. The second step (b) is the provision of an assembly 1 as described above. Then, in the third step (c), the blade is heated, for example, to a temperature between 40°C and 80°C, or between 45°C and 75°C, or between 50°C and 70°C. In the fourth step (d), the heated blade is placed at the adhesive joint 15, as shown in [Fig. 2]. Finally, a step (e) consists of activating the vibration device so as to advance the blade 5 within the adhesive joint 15 in order to separate the two layers (11, 13). The heated blade 5 advances into the glue joint 15 under the effect of the vibratory mechanism, which allows it to be inserted without effort from the operator.

[0048] This step of activating the vibration device is for example implemented with a frequency between 10 Hz and 500 Hz, preferably between 20 Hz and 100 Hz, or between 25 Hz and 50 Hz.

[0049] This step of activating the vibration device is for example also implemented with an amplitude between 0.05 mm and 1.00 mm, preferably between 0.10 mm and 0.90 mm, or between 0.20 mm and 0.80 mm.

[0050] Advantageously, the assembly 1 may further comprise a motorized arm with one end attached to said blade retaining means 3 and / or forming the blade retaining means 3. For example, the motorized arm is an articulated arm, preferably 100% activated by a robot. Therefore, the activation step of the vibration device can also be automated by means of a robot, which makes it possible to use assembly 1 according to the invention in a continuous industrial process.

[0051] Advantageously, the process further includes a step (f) of scraping the surface of both layers, which ensures the cleaning of the glued surface of each layer. Scraping is generally facilitated by the flexibility of the steel used to make the blade 5 of the assembly.

Claims

Demands

1. Assembly (1) for disassembling two layers (11, 13) bonded together with a joint (15) of glue, said assembly (1) being characterized in that it comprises a means for retaining (3) a blade, said means for retaining (3) having an elongated shape, a blade (5) attached to said means for retaining (3), an induction heating device (7) configured to heat said blade (5) and a vibration device configured to vibrate the blade (5) in a direction parallel to the length of said means for retaining (3) said blade.

2. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the blade (5) is made of steel; preferably, said steel exhibits a Young's modulus of less than 215 GPa as determined by ISO 6892-1.

3. Assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said blade retaining means (3) has an end connected to said vibration device via a connecting means; preferably, said connecting means is a chuck coupled to a self-tightening tip.

4. Assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the blade (5) shows a beveled shape.

5. Assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said blade retaining means (3) shows a chiseled shape.

6. Assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises a motorized arm with an end forming said blade retaining means (3).

7. Use of an assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 for disassembling two layers (11, 13) glued together with a joint (15) of glue.

8. A method for disassembling two layers (11, 13) bonded together with a glue joint (15), said method is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) providing a substrate (9) comprising two layers (11, 13) bonded together with a glue joint (15); (b) providing an assembly (1) for disassembling two layers (11, 13) bonded together with a glue joint (15) as defined according to any one of claims 1 to 6; (c) heating the blade (5); (d) placing the heated blade at the glue joint (15); (e) activating the vibration device so as to advance the blade (5) within the glue joint (15) so as to disassemble the two layers (11, 13).

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that step (c) of heating the blade (5) is carried out at a temperature between 40°C and 80°C.

10. Method according to claim 8 to 9, characterized in that the method further comprises a step (f) of scraping the surface of the two layers (11, 13).

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