Stiffened Sealing Plug Structure for Easier Body Hole Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rubber-elastic sealing plugs for vehicle body holes face difficulties in assembly and disassembly due to deflection during the process, leading to poor sealing efficiency and increased complexity.
Innovation Solution
A sealing plug with a stiffened structure, featuring a central cavity surrounded by a first wall with increased rigidity, incorporating transverse ribs within the cavity to enhance holding power and ease assembly, and made from an elastic material with heat-activatable adhesive properties for improved sealing and assembly feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pressure is applied to the central area of the base of the cup-shaped element during fitting, then the plug can be inserted into the hole, but the outer wall spreads causing the plug to widen or exert pressure on the edges of the hole
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is pre-formed with a stiffened inner circumferential wall and V-shaped cross-section that anticipate the assembly process. These pre-engineered features prevent excessive deformation during insertion, allowing the plug to maintain its shape while being assembled into the hole.
2Device complexity
If the plug is made purely linear with a dome-shaped element, then the structure is simple, but the deflection of the surrounding wall during assembly or disassembly is not eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than making the entire plug complex, the invention applies local quality enhancement by stiffening only the inner circumferential wall while keeping the outer wall flexible. This localized approach improves sealing performance without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
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 stiffened design improves assembly ease, enhances holding power, and provides better sealing performance, with improved ergonomics and reduced deformation, allowing for higher sheet thickness coverage and larger hole diameters with precise tolerances, while maintaining water resistance.
Implementation Method 1
The sealing plug (1) is made of an elastic, in particular rubber-elastic, material
Implementation Method 2
made from an elastic material with heat-activatable adhesive properties
Data Source
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AI summary
Sealing plug for closing holes in objects, in particular for closing body holes of vehicle bodies, wherein the sealing plug has at least a first circumferential wall which encloses a cavity, wherein a transverse wall is present in the cavity between the circumferential side wall, which has an outer shape which corresponds to the shape of the cavity and is connected circumferentially to the side wall, wherein, for the purpose of stiffening the circumferential wall against deflection outwards or inwards, at least one stiffening rib extends transversely through the cavity and connecting opposite areas of the circumferential side wall.