Vehicle Cavity Insulating Element With Rib-Guided Expansion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing insulating and reinforcing elements for vehicle cavities require individual adaptation for each vehicle shape, leading to high development and production costs, especially in small series production, and struggle with efficiently sealing and stabilizing irregularly shaped or narrow cavities.

Innovation Solution

A standardized insulating element with a carrier having congruent walls and ribs, filled with expandable material, and a fixing element, which guides the expansion of the material to efficiently fill cavities and maintain directional stability, allowing for use in various cavity shapes and sizes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If individually adapted sealing and reinforcing elements are produced for each vehicle body shape and cavity, then the insulation and sealing effectiveness is improved, but the development and production costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinsulation and sealing effectivenessVSAvoiddevelopment and production costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by designing a standardized insulating element with a carrier and expandable material that can be used across multiple vehicle body shapes and cavity types. Instead of producing individually adapted elements for each cavity, a single universal design serves multiple functions and applications, reducing development and production costs while maintaining effectiveness through the expandable material's ability to adapt to different cavity geometries

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs parameter changes by utilizing an expandable material that changes its volume and shape parameters after insertion into the cavity. The material expands from a compact initial state to fill the cavity space, allowing a standardized element to adapt to varying cavity dimensions without requiring custom manufacturing for each size

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Volume of moving object

If the expandable material is allowed to expand freely without guidance, then the material can fill the cavity completely, but the expansion may be deflected in undesired directions by gravity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecavity filling completenessVSAvoidexpansion direction stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary structure consisting of ribs integrated into the carrier that act as guides during the expansion process. These ribs mediate between the expandable material and the cavity walls, channeling the expansion in the desired longitudinal direction and preventing gravity-induced deflection, thereby ensuring both complete filling and directional stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The carrier is segmented into multiple ribs that divide the expansion space into controlled zones. This segmentation creates channels that guide the expandable material's growth direction, ensuring systematic and controlled expansion throughout the cavity while maintaining stability against gravitational forces

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If the insulating element is designed to accommodate large gaps between the carrier and structural element, then the applicability to various cavity sizes is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplicability to various cavity sizesVSAvoidinsulating element structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes parameter changes by employing an expandable material that can dynamically adjust its volume to match the gap size between the carrier and the structural element. Whether the gap is large or small, the material expands to fill the available space, allowing a single insulating element design to accommodate various cavity dimensions without increasing structural complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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

This solution enables efficient insulation of multiple cavity shapes with reduced development and production costs, supporting the expandable material to ensure reliable sealing and noise reduction, suitable for both large and small gaps between the carrier and structural elements.

Implementation Method 1

an expandable material (13) which is disposed between the walls (2, 3) and which is disposed on either side of the ribs (6, 7)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectExpandable material expansion:

Data Source

PatentUS11845385B2Insulating element

Publication Date: 2023.12.19 SIKA TECH AG

AI summary

An insulating element for insulating a structural element in a vehicle includes a carrier which has a first wall and a second wall. A first rib and a second rib are arranged between the walls. The insulating element also includes an expandable material which is arranged between the walls and on both sides of each rib. The insulating element also includes a fastening element for fastening the insulating element in the structural element.