Thermally Expandable Insert for Hollow Cavity Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation industry faces challenges in reducing material usage and costs while maintaining functionality in baffling, sealing, and reinforcement methods, particularly due to the added material and cost associated with traditional mechanical fasteners, and requires efficient installation on assembly lines.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a thermally expandable polymeric material integrated with a carrier and attachment, which is inserted into a hollow cavity, rotated to create a gap, and then heated to expand and seal, separating the cavity into chambers without the need for additional fasteners, using a carrier made of materials like metal, polymeric, or fibrous materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional mechanical fasteners are used for baffling, sealing, and reinforcement, then secure attachment is achieved, but material usage and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fastener and sealing/baffling functions into a single integrated insert component. The insert includes a carrier with attached sealing material and baffling elements, eliminating the need for separate mechanical fasteners. This merging reduces the number of parts and total material usage while maintaining secure attachment through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural reinforcement, sealing, and baffling in one component. The carrier provides mechanical attachment, while integrated sealing material prevents fluid passage, and baffling elements control fluid flow. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate fasteners and sealing components, reducing material usage.
2Reliability
If traditional mechanical fasteners are used for baffling, sealing, and reinforcement, then secure attachment is achieved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fastener and sealing/baffling functions into a single integrated insert component. The insert includes a carrier with attached sealing material and baffling elements, eliminating the need for separate mechanical fasteners. This merging reduces the number of parts and total material usage while maintaining secure attachment through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert utilizes composite construction with a carrier made of one material (e.g., metal or rigid polymer) and sealing/baffling materials attached to it. This composite approach allows optimization of each material for its specific function while reducing overall cost compared to using traditional mechanical fasteners with separate sealing components.
3Reliability
If traditional mechanical fasteners are used, then secure attachment is achieved, but installation complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is designed as a pre-assembled unit with the carrier, sealing material, and baffling elements already integrated. This segmentation allows the entire assembly to be installed as one piece through a single aperture, eliminating the need for separate installation steps for fasteners, seals, and baffles, thereby increasing installation speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing material and baffling elements are pre-attached to the carrier during manufacturing, creating a ready-to-install unit. This preliminary action eliminates the need for assembly line workers to perform multiple attachment operations, allowing for quick installation by simply inserting the pre-assembled insert through the aperture.
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 reduces material and cost while providing effective sealing and reinforcement, allowing for easy installation on assembly lines by eliminating the need for traditional fasteners and ensuring secure attachment through thermal expansion.
Implementation Method 1
heating the thermally expandable polymeric material to cause it to expand and seal the gap that exists between the peripheral edge and the wall of the structure
Data Source
AI summary
A method for locally reinforcing or baffling a structure having a hollow cavity is disclosed. The present invention provides an insert that includes a carrier, a thermally expandable material located on at least a portion of the carrier, and at least one integrally formed attachment that projects outwardly from the carrier. The inserts of the present invention are preferably placed within a hollow cavity in a transverse direction so that once the insert is sealed into place via the thermally expandable material, the hollow cavity is separated into two separate chambers.