Seat Belt Buckle Shell Element Hard Soft Elastomer Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seat belt buckle shell elements often rub against vehicle structures, leading to damage and noise, and existing solutions like felt pads or adhesive strips increase costs and compromise visual appeal, with issues related to detachment over time due to environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A shell element composed of a hard elastomer base body connected via a direct material bond to a soft elastomer element, produced using a two-component injection-moulding method, providing rigidity and resilience while maintaining visual and haptic appeal, and allowing for UV resistance and decorative features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a hard elastomer shell element is used for the buckle cover, then rigidity and structural strength are improved, but wear and noise occur when bearing against vehicle structures
Solution Approach 1:
The shell element is produced as a one-piece component with a base body made of hard elastomer and a further element made of soft elastomer, combining the rigidity of hard material with the wear-resistant and noise-reducing properties of soft material. This composite structure allows the buckle cover to maintain structural strength while preventing wear and noise when bearing against vehicle structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft elastomer further element is positioned at specific locations where the shell element bears against vehicle structures or other buckle covers. This localized application of soft material provides wear protection and noise reduction only where needed, while the hard elastomer base body maintains overall rigidity and structural integrity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If felt pads or adhesive strips are adhered to the shell element to prevent wear, then wear and noise are reduced, but manufacturing complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The soft elastomer further element is integrated directly into the shell element as a one-piece component through two-component injection-moulding, merging the protective function with the structural component. This eliminates the need for separate felt pads or adhesive strips, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs while maintaining wear and noise protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell element is designed to be self-sufficient with the soft elastomer further element permanently integrated during manufacturing. This eliminates the need for additional assembly steps to attach separate protective elements, and the integrated structure ensures long-term durability without detachment issues.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If felt pads or adhesive strips are adhered to the shell element, then wear protection is provided, but visual appearance and haptic properties are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The soft elastomer further element is seamlessly integrated into the shell element as a unified one-piece component, eliminating visible seams or attachments that would impair appearance. The continuous surface maintains attractive visual and haptic properties while providing wear protection through the soft material.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If separate protective elements are adhered to the shell element, then wear protection is achieved, but reliability decreases due to detachment over time
Solution Approach 1:
The soft elastomer further element is permanently integrated into the hard elastomer base body through direct material connection via two-component injection-moulding. This unified structure eliminates the risk of detachment over time, ensuring long-term reliability and continuous wear protection throughout the vehicle's lifetime.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated one-piece structure is self-sufficient and maintains its integrity without requiring additional fastening mechanisms or adhesive bonds that could fail. The direct material connection ensures the protective element remains reliably attached under all environmental conditions.
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 solution prevents wear and noise when the buckle cover contacts hard surfaces, maintains attractive appearance and haptic properties, and ensures long-term durability and UV resistance, while enabling easy attachment of decorative elements.
Implementation Method 1
A preferred method for producing such a shell element is a so-called two-component injection-moulding method, initially the soft elastomer of the further element being injected into the injection mould, and subsequently the hard elastomer of the base body being injected onto the soft elastomer
Data Source
AI summary
A shell element for the buckle cover of a seat belt buckle is disclosed. The shell element comprises a base body made of a hard elastomer and an outer and an inner surface. So that when the buckle cover bears against a further vehicle element with a hard surface, no wear and no undesirable noise is generated and so that the seat belt buckle permanently has attractive visual and haptic properties, a further element made of a soft elastomer is directly connected to the base body and is connected thereto by a material and/or positive connection, said further element forming at least one part of the outer surface of the shell element.