Vehicle Body Hole Sealing Plug With Rib-Stiffened Inner Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing plugs for vehicle body holes suffer from issues such as outward or inward deflection during assembly and disassembly, complicating installation and leading to reduced holding force.
Innovation Solution
A sealing plug with a stiffened inner circumferential wall and transverse ribs within the cavity, made from a heat-activatable adhesive material, providing increased rigidity and improved assembly and disassembly ease.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pressure is applied to the central area of the bottom of the cup-shaped element during installation, then the outer wall expands to widen the plug or exert pressure on the hole edges, but this complicates installation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying pressure to the central area to expand the outer wall, the invention applies pressure to the inner circumferential wall to expand it outward. This inversion of the pressure application point allows the plug to be installed more easily without requiring complex central pressure application mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is divided into functional segments: an inner circumferential wall for expansion and sealing, an outer circumferential wall for structural support, and a transverse wall for stability. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function efficiently, with the inner wall handling the sealing expansion while the outer wall provides structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If the plug is made of elastic material to allow wall deflection during assembly, then the plug can be inserted, but the wall deflects outward or inward reducing holding force
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the plug have different mechanical properties: the inner circumferential wall is made elastic to allow controlled expansion during installation, while the outer circumferential wall and transverse wall provide structural stability. This local differentiation of material properties allows the plug to be easy to install while maintaining strong holding force.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug combines elastic material properties in the inner wall with more rigid structural elements in the outer wall and transverse wall. This composite structure allows the inner wall to deflect elastically for easy insertion while the outer structure maintains dimensional stability and holding force after installation.
3Reliability
If the inner circumferential wall is made rigid to prevent deflection, then holding force is improved, but assembly becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is segmented into an elastic inner circumferential wall for easy insertion and a rigid outer circumferential wall with transverse wall for holding force. This segmentation allows each segment to optimize for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner circumferential wall has local elastic properties to facilitate assembly, while the outer wall and transverse wall have local rigid properties to ensure holding force. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between ease of assembly and holding force.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The plug ensures easier installation, enhanced holding force, and improved sealing properties, with reduced deformation and simplified automation, suitable for a wide range of sheet thicknesses and hole diameters.
Implementation Method 1
made from a heat-activatable adhesive material
Data Source
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AI summary
Sealing plug for closing holes in objects, in particular for closing body holes of vehicle bodies, wherein the sealing plug has at least a first circumferential wall which encloses a cavity, wherein a transverse wall is present in the cavity between the circumferential side wall, which has an outer shape which corresponds to the shape of the cavity and is connected circumferentially to the side wall, wherein, for the purpose of stiffening the circumferential wall against deflection outwards or inwards, at least one stiffening rib extends transversely through the cavity and connecting opposite areas of the circumferential side wall.