Fluid Swellable Vehicle Sealer Composition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle sealants face challenges such as high energy consumption for heat activation, temporary sealing due to fluid contact, and irregular coverage with foam sprays, which affect the reliability and efficiency of sealing vehicle body cavities.
Innovation Solution
A fluid swellable rubber composition comprising a non-fluid swellable base rubber, a crosslinkable ethylene oxide based hydrophilic elastomer with curable functional groups, and a fluid swellable non-elastomeric material, activated by fluid contact to expand and maintain a final shape for permanent sealing, eliminating the need for heat treatment and providing controlled expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heat activation is used to expand the sealant, then the sealant can fill and seal the cavity, but a lot of energy is required to expose the vehicle to the required temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the activation parameter from thermal energy to chemical energy. The sealant composition includes water-soluble salts that trigger expansion through chemical reaction rather than heat, fundamentally changing the activation mechanism to reduce energy consumption while maintaining sealing effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The sealant utilizes phase transition of water (from liquid to ice or vapor) to drive expansion. When water freezes or vaporizes within the sealant structure, it causes volumetric expansion that fills the cavity, eliminating the need for external heat application while achieving reliable sealing
2Ease of manufacture
If foam spray is used to seal the cavity, then the application is simple, but the final shape is irregular and cannot be controlled, so sealing is not certain
Solution Approach 1:
The sealant is pre-formed into a specific shape and size before application. This pre-shaping ensures that when the sealant is installed in the cavity, it already has the correct geometry to fill the space properly, eliminating the irregular shape problem of foam sprays while maintaining simple application
Solution Approach 2:
The sealant is formulated as a composite material containing water-soluble salts, expandable particles, and binding agents. This composite structure allows the sealant to maintain its pre-formed shape while expanding in a controlled manner upon water contact, ensuring both shape control and sealing reliability
3Use of energy by moving object
If sealant expands upon fluid contact, then no heat activation is needed, but the sealant returns to its original shape when it dries
Solution Approach 1:
The sealant is designed with a dual-expansion mechanism where the first expansion from fluid contact is followed by a second expansion or stabilization phase. Water-soluble salts continue to dissolve and trigger further expansion or structural reinforcement as the material dries, ensuring the sealant maintains its expanded sealing shape rather than collapsing
Solution Approach 2:
The sealant composite includes expandable particles, water-soluble salts, and polymeric binders that work together to maintain expansion. As water evaporates, the polymeric matrix solidifies and locks the expanded structure in place, while residual salt dissolution provides ongoing expansion pressure to ensure complete cavity filling and durable sealing
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, energy-saving, and reliable sealing of vehicle body cavities against moisture, noise, and vibrations, with controlled expansion and retention of the final shape after drying, ensuring effective sealing without the need for heat activation.
Implementation Method 1
a crosslinkable ethylene oxide based hydrophilic elastomer having at least one curable functional group
Implementation Method 2
The sealer upon fluid contact has the ability to expand to a final shape
Implementation Method 3
a crosslinkable ethylene oxide based hydrophilic elastomer having at least one curable functional group
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle body arrangement (1) comprising a sealer (2). The sealer (2) has the ability, in an initial state, to be pre-shaped to an initial shape. The sealer (2) upon fluid contact has the ability to expand to a final shape and to a final state, the final shape conforming substantially to a shape of a part of a vehicle body cavity (3) or to a vehicle body cavity (3) thereby sealing the part of the vehicle body cavity (3) or the vehicle body cavity (3). The sealer is made from a sealing composition (2) being a fluid swellable rubber composition being activated by fluid in the initial state, comprising: - a non-fluid swellable base rubber, - a crosslinkable ethylene oxide based hydrophilic elastomer having at least one curable functional group, and - a fluid swellable non-elastomeric material, wherein the sealer (2) essentially retains its final state after the sealer (2) has dried and/or is exposed to heat. The invention also relates to a method for sealing a vehicle body cavity (3) in a vehicle body arrangement (1) with a sealer (2).