Sealing Body for Vehicle Cabin Gap Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex shape of aircraft cabin walls and adjacent seats in business class creates challenging gaps that require custom-made sealing bodies, making the sealing process time- and cost-intensive due to the need for on-site adaptation.
Innovation Solution
A process involving a set of standardized sealing bodies with pre-fabricated first lateral faces matching the cabin wall's inner surface and adjustable second lateral faces for form-fitting insertion between the cabin wall and seats, using water-jet cutting or CNC machines to adapt to the specific contours, allowing for efficient sealing without manual adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If custom-made sealing bodies are used to match complex cabin wall contours, then sealing precision is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first lateral face of the sealing body is pre-fabricated with a negative image of the cabin wall's inner surface contour. This preliminary action allows the sealing body to be prepared in advance with the correct shape, eliminating the need for time-consuming on-site customization while maintaining high sealing precision for complex curved surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing body uses a negative image (copy) of the cabin wall's inner surface contour for its first lateral face. This copying approach reproduces the complex geometry accurately without requiring manual measurement and fabrication, thus improving sealing precision while reducing manufacturing time
2Manufacturing precision
If custom-made sealing bodies are used to match complex cabin wall contours, then sealing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing bodies are pre-fabricated with the correct negative image contour of the cabin wall before installation. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for expensive on-site customization work, reducing labor costs while maintaining high sealing precision for complex geometries
Solution Approach 2:
By using negative images (copies) of the cabin wall contour, the complex geometry is reproduced accurately through standardized manufacturing processes rather than expensive custom fabrication, thus improving sealing precision while reducing manufacturing cost
3Productivity
If standardized sealing bodies are used, then productivity is improved, but adaptability to complex contours deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing body has different properties for its two lateral faces: the first lateral face has a negative image contour adapted to the cabin wall, while the second lateral face has a planar or differently contoured surface adapted to the seat. This local differentiation allows standardized sealing bodies to adapt to complex contours while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The first lateral face is pre-formed with the negative image contour, providing built-in adaptability to complex cabin wall shapes. This preliminary shaping allows standardized sealing bodies to be used across different positions without manual customization, improving both productivity and contour adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
A process for manufacturing a vehicle cabin part (1) to fit in a gap (9) between a first component (5) and a second component (7) including: providing different sealing bodies (3') each having a first lateral face (11') conforming to an inner surface (17') of the first component (5') and a second lateral face (13') spaced a certain distance (15') from the first lateral face (11'); select one of the sealing bodies having a certain distance that fits the gap (9) between the first component (5) and the second component (7); insert the selected sealing body (3) into the gap (9) such that the first lateral face (11) at least partially adjoins the inner surface (17) of the first component (5) and the second lateral face (13) at least partially adjoins the outer surface (21) of the second component (7) facing the first component (5).