Vehicle Tailgate Plastic Panel Glue Bead Gap Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for ensuring water-tightness and aesthetic quality in vehicle tailgates made of plastic material, such as adding bridge walls or moulding during injection, often result in visual defects and discontinuities in the gluing path, compromising the perceived quality and tightness of the tailgate.
Innovation Solution
An additional local glue bead is applied at the gap between bridge walls and the inner face of the outer panel to ensure water-tightness, complementing the conventional glue bead and reducing visual defects by positioning the gap near style lines, thus maintaining continuity and appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bridge walls are added to the outer panel to improve gluing path continuity, then water-tightness is improved, but visual defects such as sink marks and flow lines appear at the junction of bridge walls with the inner face
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful junction between bridge walls and inner face is extracted by creating a gap, removing the source of visual defects while maintaining the bridge wall structure for water-tightness
Solution Approach 2:
A second glue bead is introduced as an intermediary element to fill the gap between bridge walls and inner face, providing an alternative path for water-tightness that avoids the visual defects caused by direct contact
2Manufacturing precision
If the junction of bridge walls is positioned opposite or near style lines to reduce visual defects, then appearance quality is improved, but the gluing path continuity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The gluing path is segmented into two parts: the first glue bead provides the main continuous path, while the second glue bead provides additional sealing at the gap, ensuring both continuity and appearance quality
3Manufacturing precision
If a movable slider is used in the mould to eliminate the junction between bridge walls and inner face, then visual defects are reduced, but a gap is created that disrupts the gluing path continuity
Solution Approach 1:
The gap created by the movable slider, which initially causes discontinuity, is converted into a beneficial feature by applying the second glue bead that provides superior sealing and can be positioned to hide visual defects
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 effectively enhances water-tightness and reduces visual defects by using overlapping glue beads to seal gaps, ensuring a continuous sealing path while masking potential defects, thereby improving the overall quality and appearance of the tailgate.
Implementation Method 1
a first glue bead applied between the inner panel and the outer panel so as to assemble the two panels by gluing and to create a water-tight inner space between the two panels
Implementation Method 2
a second glue bead applied at the gap so as to seal the gap and thus ensure that the cavity is water-tight
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle tailgate is made of a plastic material and includes: an inner panel, an outer panel and a first glue bead applied between the inner panel and the outer panel, such that the inner panel and the outer panel are assembled via the glue bead and an inner space is disposed between the inner panel and the outer panel. The outer panel includes: a skin with an appearance surface; a housing configured to receive an optical unit, delimited by a peripheral wall joined to the skin; and a cavity delimited by the skin, at least a portion of the peripheral wall of the housing, and walls projecting from the housing towards an inner face of the skin. At least one of the walls projecting from the housing towards the inner face of the skin does not touch the inner face of the skin, such that there is a gap between the at least one wall and the inner face of the skin. The gap is sealed by a second glue bead.