Composite Cable Harness Tape for Flexible EMI Shielding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adhesive tapes for cable looms in vehicles are too stiff, leading to flagging and potential damage at sharp edges, and fail to provide effective electromagnetic protection while being flexible and lightweight.
Innovation Solution
An adhesive tape with a woven or nonwoven fabric carrier and a conductive metallic layer, where the fabric protrudes beyond the edges of the metallic layer, providing mechanical protection and flexible wrapping, while the metallic layer attenuates electromagnetic interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesive tapes with thick nonwoven or foam material carriers are used to improve damping properties, then damping performance is improved, but the tape becomes too stiff leading to flagging and potential damage at sharp edges
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive tape combines a textile carrier (woven or knitted fabric) with a metallic layer (aluminum, copper, or steel foil) to create a composite structure. This composite material provides both mechanical protection and electromagnetic shielding while maintaining flexibility, avoiding the flagging and damage issues associated with thick foam or nonwoven carriers.
2Strength
If adhesive tapes with stable, abrasion-resistant carrier materials are used to improve protective function against scuffing and rubbing, then abrasion resistance is improved, but the tape becomes too stiff for flexible installation
Solution Approach 1:
The textile carrier provides abrasion resistance through its woven or knitted structure, while the metallic layer adds protective function. The composite structure maintains flexibility because neither layer is excessively thick or rigid, allowing the tape to conform to cable looms during installation without flagging.
3Strength
If adhesive tapes with additional protective coatings are used to improve protection against impact exposure, then impact resistance is improved, but the tape becomes heavier and less flexible
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic layer (aluminum, copper, or steel foil) provides impact protection and structural reinforcement, while the textile carrier provides flexibility and damping. This composite structure achieves impact resistance without the excessive weight that would result from adding thick foam or additional protective coatings.
4Strength
If full-area adhesive coating is applied to provide secure bonding, then bonding strength is improved, but the cable loom becomes very stiff making spiral wrapping difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive is applied selectively rather than over the full area of the carrier. This localized adhesive application provides sufficient bonding strength to secure the tape to the cable loom while leaving other areas flexible, enabling easy spiral wrapping and installation without making the assembly overly stiff.
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 tape offers enhanced mechanical protection and electromagnetic shielding, ensuring flexible installation and reducing the risk of damage, even in confined spaces, with a balanced weight and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
the second carrier is a metallic layer... which likewise results in a very stiff cable loom. On account solely of the thickness of the resulting cable loom, there is a risk which cannot be ruled out, given the narrow installation conditions which currently prevail in motor vehicle construction, of the adhesive tape being damaged at sharp edges, causing the cable bundling to tear.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to adhesive tape, especially for lengthwise jacketing of elongate items such as cable harnesses in a motor vehicle, comprising a carrier having a top side and a bottom side, where the carrier, based on the cross direction, has a width BT, and at least one layer of adhesive applied on the bottom side of the carrier, the adhesive layer bearing a second carrier, the first carrier with the adhesive layer protrudes at least on one long edge relative to a side edge of the second carrier, where the first protrusion has a width of Bstart, characterized in that the first carrier is a woven fabric or a nonwoven fabric and the second carrier is a metallic layer, and the first carrier has a basis weight of 50 g/m2 to 600 g/m2.