Opening Trim Weather Strip Coating for Wear-Resistant Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rubber-based opening trim weather strips face issues with wear and resilience when converted to thermoplastic elastomers, leading to deterioration of sealing and noise vibration performance.
Innovation Solution
A resin-based opening trim weather strip with a U-shaped attachment base and a hollow seal portion having varying hardness and structural features, including a first root, second root, and a hollow wall with a connecting portion, designed to distribute and disperse applied forces, and a coating layer with higher hardness to enhance wear and fatigue resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the hollow seal portion is made of thermoplastic elastomer to replace rubber, then productivity and ease of manufacture are improved, but wear resistance and resilience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining thermoplastic elastomer (for productivity) with rubber material in the hollow seal portion (for wear resistance). The attachment base is made of thermoplastic elastomer while the hollow seal portion uses rubber, creating a composite weather strip that leverages the advantages of both materials.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the weather strip use different materials optimized for their specific functions. The hollow seal portion that contacts the door uses rubber for superior wear resistance, while the attachment base uses thermoplastic elastomer for manufacturing efficiency. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall productivity and localized wear resistance.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hollow seal portion is made of thermoplastic elastomer, then ease of manufacture is improved, but sealing performance deteriorates due to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines thermoplastic elastomer and rubber materials in a composite structure where each material performs optimally for its designated function, maintaining sealing performance while preserving manufacturing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing-critical hollow seal portion uses rubber material locally to ensure sealing performance, while other portions use thermoplastic elastomer for manufacturing ease. This localized material selection resolves the contradiction between ease of manufacture and sealing performance.
3Productivity
If the hollow seal portion is made of thermoplastic elastomer, then productivity is improved, but noise vibration performance deteriorates due to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure uses rubber in the hollow seal portion to maintain noise vibration absorption capabilities while using thermoplastic elastomer in the attachment base for productivity benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The noise-vibration-critical hollow seal portion uses rubber material locally to maintain NV performance, while other portions use thermoplastic elastomer for productivity. This localized approach resolves the contradiction between productivity and noise vibration performance.
4Reliability
If a coating layer with higher hardness is formed on the hollow seal portion, then wear resistance is improved, but fatigue resistance may deteriorate due to hardness mismatch
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully controls the hardness parameter of the coating layer to be higher than the hollow seal portion (50-80 Shore A) but not excessively so, and optimizes coating thickness (0.01-0.1 mm) to balance wear resistance with fatigue resistance, preventing brittle failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure with a coating layer on the hollow seal portion, where the coating material and base material are selected to have compatible mechanical properties that provide wear resistance without creating excessive hardness mismatch that would cause fatigue failure.
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 improves fatigue and wear resistance, maintaining sealing and noise vibration performance by distributing applied forces and preventing deformation concentration, thus enhancing the resilience of the weather strip.
Implementation Method 1
a hollow seal portion 24 that has an arc shape, is integrated with the vehicle outer side wall 23 of the attachment base 20, and protrudes convexly in a direction away from the vehicle outer side wall 23
Implementation Method 2
a coating layer 37 formed on an outer surface of the hollow seal portion 24 between a vicinity of the connecting portion 34 on the hollow wall 33 side and a vicinity of the second root 32 on the hollow wall 33 side
Data Source
AI summary
A hollow seal portion includes: a first root formed using a material with hardness lower than the attachment base and connected to an end of a vehicle outer side wall opposite to an open portion; a second root connected to the vehicle outer side wall closer to a bottom wall than the first root; and a hollow wall connected to the first and second roots. The first root is formed in a substantially triangular shape in which a wall thickness decreases in a direction of the hollow wall, and includes a connecting portion connected to the hollow wall at an apex portion of the substantially triangular shape. A coating layer with hardness higher than the hollow seal portion is formed on an outer surface between the vicinity of the connecting portion on the hollow wall side and the vicinity of the second root on the hollow wall side.