Elevated Fastening Clip for Expandable Adhesive Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for reinforcing, sealing, or damping structural elements in vehicles face challenges such as uncontrollable expansion of expandable materials during injection molding, leading to attachment issues with fastening elements and difficulties in demolding, especially when the expandable material rises on clips.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a carrier with a fastening element and an expandable adhesive, where the fastening element is elevated from the surrounding surface, preventing the adhesive from contacting the clip and ensuring proper attachment, with the adhesive applied around the elevated ridge to enhance bonding and simplify demolding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the expandable material is attached directly to the carrier surface at the fastening element location, then the bonding area is maximized, but the adhesive becomes uncontrollable during injection molding and rises on the clip
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening element is elevated from the carrier surface by a support structure, transitioning from a 2D surface attachment to a 3D spatial arrangement. This vertical dimension separates the adhesive application zone from the fastening element, preventing adhesive contamination while maintaining bonding area on the surrounding surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier surface is segmented into distinct functional zones: an elevated fastening element zone for mechanical attachment and a surrounding flat surface zone for controlled adhesive application. This spatial segmentation prevents interference between the adhesive and fastening element during manufacturing.
2Reliability
If the expandable material is expanded to fill the cavity, then sealing and reinforcement are achieved, but demolding becomes difficult due to attachment with fastening elements
Solution Approach 1:
By elevating the fastening element above the carrier surface, the expanded adhesive material can fill the cavity and bond to the surrounding surfaces without becoming trapped under or around the fastening element, enabling easier demolding while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening element is extracted from the plane of the carrier surface and positioned in an elevated location. This separation allows the expandable adhesive to be applied and expanded without interference, preventing adhesion issues that would complicate demolding.
3Manufacturing precision
If the fastening element is elevated from the carrier surface, then adhesive control is improved and demolding is facilitated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elevated fastening element structure serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical fastening, creates adhesive barriers, and facilitates demolding. This multi-functionality justifies the increased structural complexity by eliminating the need for separate adhesive containment features.
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 prevents adhesive contact with clips, improves attachment and bonding, and facilitates easier demolding by maintaining the adhesive away from the fastening element, thereby addressing the issues of uncontrollable expansion and demolding complications.
Implementation Method 1
the expandable material 13 is usually expanded by the action of heat, the expanded material 13' thereby closing the gap between the device 16 and the structural element 12, 14
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for reinforcing, sealing, or damping a structural element in a motor vehicle, comprising a support with a securing element for prefixing the device in the structural element; and an expandable adhesive arranged on the support for connecting the support to the structural element; wherein the securing element is arranged on an elevation of the support, and the elevation rises up from a surrounding surface of the support. The expandable adhesive is at least partly arranged around the elevation on the surrounding surface of the support.