Movable Flange Seal for Motor Vehicle Partition Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing solutions for motor vehicle interfaces between the engine compartment and interior face challenges in maintaining a reliable seal while compensating for assembly tolerances, as compression forces required for sealing can impair functionality and limit the choice of materials.
Innovation Solution
A movable seal or flange configuration that decouples the sealing function from assembly tolerance compensation, allowing for optimal sealability and acoustic damping, using various materials like foams, rubber, or metal, with additional seals and features like folding bellows and grip-like elements to ensure reliable sealing and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If compression forces are applied to the seal to ensure sealing function, then sealing reliability is improved, but assembly tolerance compensation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent functional components: a seal element for sealing and a movable flange for tolerance compensation. The seal is fastened to the flange, which can move independently relative to the functional unit, allowing each component to fulfill its specific function without interfering with the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange is designed to be movable relative to the functional unit, enabling dynamic adjustment to compensate for assembly tolerances in the direction of travel. This mobility allows the seal to maintain optimal compression and sealing contact despite variations in assembly position.
2Reliability
If high compression forces are applied to the seal, then sealing against air and water ingress is improved, but acoustic damping performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system separates the sealing function from the acoustic damping function. The seal element provides sealing against air and water ingress, while the movable flange and its interaction with the housing provide acoustic damping, allowing both functions to be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for optimization of sealing compression parameters independently from acoustic damping parameters. By making the flange movable, the compression force on the seal can be optimized for sealing without necessarily optimizing for acoustic damping, as the flange position can be adjusted.
3Ease of manufacture
If the seal is rigidly fastened to the functional unit, then assembly simplicity is improved, but sealing reliability under assembly tolerance conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is designed with mobility relative to the functional unit, allowing it to move in the direction of travel to compensate for assembly tolerances. This dynamic capability ensures that the seal maintains reliable sealing contact despite variations in assembly position, while still being relatively simple to assemble.
4Reliability
If the seal material is selected for optimal sealing, then sealing function is improved, but adaptability to different assembly tolerance conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the sealing function (performed by the seal element) from the tolerance compensation function (performed by the movable flange). This allows the seal material to be selected for optimal sealing properties without needing to simultaneously accommodate assembly tolerance variations, as the flange handles that function.
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
Ensures a reliable seal against air and water ingress, effective acoustic damping, and reduces assembly complexity by separating sealing and tolerance compensation functions, enabling the use of diverse sealing materials without additional compression regions.
Implementation Method 1
many seals produce their sealing function by compression of the sealing material
Implementation Method 2
a flange of the functional unit bearing the seal being configured to be movable relative to the functional unit or the seal being movably arranged on the flange
Implementation Method 3
sufficient acoustic damping between the engine compartment and the vehicle interior is ensured so that no disruptive noise is transmitted
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement for sealing line interfaces in a motor vehicle in which lines from an engine compartment of the motor vehicle are led into a vehicle interior, wherein the engine compartment is separated from the vehicle interior by a partition which has an opening, through which the lines are led, and the opening is closed on the vehicle interior side by a seal, which is fastened to a functional unit arranged in the vehicle interior. In order to enable a reliable sealing function despite the assembly tolerance to be compensated, a flange of the functional unit that bears the seal can be moved relative to the functional unit, or the seal is movably arranged on the flange, which is rigidly fastened to the functional unit.