Adhesive Joint Tunnels for Easier Vehicle Panel Release
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for removing vehicle panels, such as windshields, under high mechanical and vibratory stresses are inefficient due to the difficulty in cutting glue joints with obstacles like protrusions and non-planar zones, which are resistant to conventional cutting techniques and often require permanent wires or complex setups.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of closed tunnels within the glue joint that can be sealed with shutters, allowing for the insertion of cutting tools like vibrating knives or wires for localized cutting, facilitating panel removal without damaging the panel or structure and avoiding the need for permanent wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional cutting methods (wire or vibrating knife) are used to remove adhesive seal, then the adhesive seal can be cut, but the method becomes difficult to implement when obstacles (protrusions, non-planar surfaces) are present in the adhesive joint
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive joint is segmented by creating tunnels through it, which divide the continuous adhesive seal into separate sections. These tunnels provide discrete access points that simplify the cutting operation by allowing the cutting tool to work through defined pathways rather than attempting to cut through the entire adhesive joint in one continuous operation, especially around obstacles.
Solution Approach 2:
Tunnels act as intermediaries between the external environment and the adhesive joint interior. These tunnels provide a controlled pathway that facilitates the insertion and movement of cutting tools through the adhesive seal, mediating the interaction between the cutting tool and the adhesive material while avoiding direct contact with obstacles.
2Strength
If the adhesive joint is made wide and thick to ensure strong bonding under mechanical and vibrational stresses, then the bonding strength increases, but the thickness becomes insufficient for proper positioning and use of cutting tools
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the thickness of the adhesive joint in the vertical dimension to accommodate cutting tools, the invention creates tunnels that provide horizontal pathways through the adhesive seal. This dimensional approach allows cutting tools to be properly positioned and operated without compromising the vertical bonding strength of the adhesive joint.
3Reliability
If permanent wires or complex setups are used to cut adhesive joints with obstacles, then the cutting can be achieved, but the system complexity increases and wires are difficult to conceal
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting tool is extracted from being a permanent or semi-permanent component and transformed into a temporary, removable element. The tunnel system allows the cutting tool to be inserted only when needed for panel removal, performed its function, and then removed, leaving no permanent wires or complex fastening systems in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting tool is used as a disposable element for the specific purpose of removing the adhesive seal. After the cutting operation is completed, the tool is discarded (removed from the system), and the tunnel openings are sealed to restore the airtight and watertight properties of the adhesive joint.
4Reliability
If the adhesive joint is made airtight and watertight to protect the internal environment, then the seal effectiveness increases, but the ability to insert cutting tools through the joint is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Tunnels are created and sealed in advance during the adhesive joint formation process, before the cutting operation is needed. This preliminary action maintains the airtight and watertight properties of the adhesive joint while pre-providing access pathways that can be opened when cutting is required, thus resolving the contradiction between seal effectiveness and operational accessibility.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~8
AI summary
The present invention relates to an assembly (1) comprising a panel (10) bonded by an adhesive joint (20) to a support (5), said assembly (1) facilitating the separation of the panel (10) from the support (5), said adhesive joint (20) being interposed between an internal medium (INT) and an external medium (EXT). The assembly (1) includes at least one tunnel (40), each tunnel (40) passing completely through said adhesive joint (20) along a transverse axis (D1) and connecting the internal medium (INT) and the external medium (EXT), each tunnel (40) being reversibly closed by a shutter (50).