Sealing Plug With Grooved Cover Restricts Sealant Sag
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing plugs face challenges in maintaining an effective seal, particularly in vehicles with battery-driven energy sources, where the sealant may sag during heating, leading to uneven distribution and compromised sealing efficacy.
Innovation Solution
The proposed sealing plug design includes a sealing cover with a receiving groove for the sealant, a bracket that connects to the sealing cover, and a hot melt adhesive sealant. This configuration restricts the flow of the sealant when it melts, preventing sagging and ensuring even distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sealant is heated to melt for sealing, then the sealant can flow to fill the sealing space, but the sealant may sag and become unevenly distributed
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving groove is pre-formed in the sealing cover to create a containment structure before the sealant is applied. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when the sealant is heated and melts, it remains confined within the groove boundaries, preventing sagging and maintaining uniform distribution throughout the sealing process
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving groove provides localized containment specifically where the sealant needs to be held, while allowing the rest of the sealing plug structure to remain flexible. This localized structural feature ensures uniform sealant distribution only in the critical sealing area without requiring the entire structure to be rigid
2Reliability
If the sealant is made more fluid to improve sealing, then it can better conform to the sealing surface, but it becomes more prone to sagging when heated
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving groove is pre-formed in the sealing cover to create a containment structure before the sealant is applied. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when the sealant is heated and melts, it remains confined within the groove boundaries, preventing sagging and maintaining uniform distribution throughout the sealing process
Solution Approach 2:
The sealant's physical state is changed from solid to liquid through heating, allowing it to flow and conform to the sealing surface. The receiving groove structure compensates for this parameter change by providing physical boundaries that prevent excessive flow and sagging, maintaining position stability despite the fluid state
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 design effectively prevents sagging of the sealant, ensuring a reliable and uniform seal, which enhances the sealing efficacy and maintains the appearance of the component.
Implementation Method 1
a hot melt adhesive sealant (103)
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a sealing plug, comprising a sealing cover, a sealant and a bracket. The sealing cover is connected to the bracket to sandwich the sealant between the sealing cover and the bracket, and the sealant is at least partially received in a receiving space of the sealing cover. In the sealing plug of the present disclosure, the sealing cover and the bracket are two separate parts, and are then connected together by a connection process such as riveting, and the sealant can be sandwiched between the sealing cover and the bracket. In addition, the sealing plug can restrict the flow of the sealant when the sealant melts, thus avoiding sagging of the sealant after melting or unevenness of the sealant after curing, which not only does not affect the appearance of the component to be sealed, but also ensures the reliability of the sealing plug for sealing the hole of the component to be sealed. In addition, in the sealing plug of the present disclosure, it is only necessary to connect the sealing cover and the bracket both made of metal, which avoids the connection between the sealant that is soft and a metal part, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty of the sealant.