Variable Ratio Adhesive Application for Vehicle Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
One-component adhesive systems used in vehicle window installation require extended curing times and necessitate secondary fasteners, increasing costs and manufacturing complexity, while two-component systems offer faster curing but at a higher expense.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid adhesive system that selectively applies a booster agent at strategic locations to accelerate curing at specific areas, eliminating the need for secondary attachments and reducing costs by using a single component adhesive with localized heat to enhance bonding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a one-component adhesive system is used, then the cost is reduced and the system is simpler, but the curing time is extended and secondary fasteners are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a boosting agent selectively at strategic locations (corners and edges) of the adhesive bead rather than uniformly throughout. This localized application accelerates curing at critical areas that require immediate structural stability, while the remainder of the adhesive maintains its slow-curing properties for cost-effectiveness and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive system is segmented into two functional components: the base one-component adhesive that provides cost-effective slow curing, and a boosting agent that provides accelerated curing when applied. This segmentation allows the system to exhibit different curing characteristics in different regions, resolving the contradiction between speed and cost.
2Loss of time
If a two-component adhesive system is used, then the curing time is reduced, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying the boosting agent throughout the entire adhesive system (which would make it effectively a two-component system), the patent applies it partially only at strategic locations. This provides just enough accelerated curing at critical areas without incurring the full cost and complexity of a two-component system.
Solution Approach 2:
The boosting agent is applied locally at corners and edges where rapid curing is most beneficial for structural stability, rather than uniformly throughout the entire adhesive application. This localized approach reduces material costs while achieving the necessary curing speed at critical locations.
3Reliability
If secondary fasteners are used, then the window stability is improved during curing, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fastening system (secondary fasteners, locking pins, dual lock) with a chemical system (adhesive with localized boosting agent). The boosted corners provide sufficient mechanical stability through chemical bonding alone, eliminating the need for additional mechanical attachment structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the curing parameter (speed) at specific locations by applying the boosting agent. This parameter change creates localized rigid zones at the corners that provide structural stability equivalent to mechanical fasteners, but through chemical means alone, simplifying the overall assembly.
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
This approach reduces manufacturing costs and complexity by ensuring immediate window stability through accelerated curing at corner areas, allowing the remaining adhesive to cure slowly, thus eliminating the need for additional fasteners and tooling, while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a boosting agent added to the single component curable adhesive for securely holding the window in place upon assembly of the window onto the frame
Implementation Method 2
localized heat to enhance bonding
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A process for adhering a window to a frame comprising the steps of: providing a frame for a window having a peripheral surface for mating to an outer peripheral surface of a window; applying a bead of curable adhesive at least partially around the peripheral surface of the frame or on the outer peripheral surface of the window; and adding a boosting agent to the bead of curable adhesive at preselected areas of the peripheral surface of the frame or of the outer peripheral surface of the window for securely holding the window in place upon assembly of the window into the frame.