Self-Lubricating Window Lifter Contact Surfaces for Lower Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window lifters for motor vehicles face challenges with high frictional forces in movable plastic components, leading to damage and reduced service life, particularly due to the need for external application and consumption of large amounts of liquid lubricants, which can be applied incorrectly, causing quality issues and increased maintenance.
Innovation Solution
Embedding microcapsules filled with lubricants in the plastic components at contact surfaces with metal components, allowing for localized and controlled release of lubricants upon mechanical loading, reducing friction and wear while eliminating the need for external lubricant application and minimizing CO2 emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external lubricants are applied to plastic components, then friction and wear are reduced, but the process becomes costly, inefficient, and risks component damage from incorrect application
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic component contains microcapsules filled with lubricant that are embedded directly in the contact surfaces. When mechanical loading occurs during operation, these microcapsules rupture and release lubricant locally at the friction points, enabling the component to self-lubricate without external application processes
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant is pre-loaded into microcapsules that are embedded in the plastic component during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation ensures that lubricant is already positioned at critical contact surfaces before the component enters service, eliminating the need for subsequent external lubrication steps
2Ease of manufacture
If dry lubricants are used, then incorporation in plastics is easy, but material diversity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state and containment form of the lubricant from bulk liquid/grease to microencapsulated form. This allows diverse lubricant materials (silicone grease, lithium grease, PTFE-based lubricants) to be incorporated as microcapsules within the plastic matrix, combining ease of incorporation with broad material selection
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic component becomes a composite material containing both the base plastic matrix and embedded microcapsules filled with various lubricant materials. This composite structure enables the plastic to incorporate diverse lubricant types that would otherwise be difficult to integrate, maintaining ease of manufacturing while expanding lubricant material options
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 microencapsulated lubricant system provides long-term friction reduction, extends the service life of plastic components, reduces maintenance, and ensures reliable lubrication, while integrating the benefits of liquid and dry lubricants, and allowing for easier production with existing equipment.
Implementation Method 1
microcapsules filled with a lubricant being embedded in a plastic material of the plastics component at least in a region of the contact surface
Data Source
AI summary
A window lifter for a motor vehicle contains a plastic component and a metal component. The plastic component is at least in sections in mechanical contact with the metal component on a bearing surface, and wherein microcapsules are embedded into the plastic material of the plastic component at least in the region of the bearing surface. The microcapsules are filled with a lubricant.