Weather strip for a motor-vehicle

The invention relates to a weather strip for wrap-over doors which is constituted by a semi-rigid plastic or rubber part adapted to fit on to the sheet metal edge of the body and a second solid, sponge-rubber part glued to the first part and adapted to provide a seal for the door and a filler between it and the body.

DESCRIPTION 
The present invention relates to a weather strip for motor-vehicle 
wrap-over doors constituted by two parts, one of semi-rigid plastics or 
rubber and the other of soft rubber. 
At present, in order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of motor 
vehicles, the door profile is designed so that the upper part is of the 
wrap-over type and covers the channel for draining water from the roof. 
This, in fact, when it was uncovered, increased the coefficient of 
resistance to air penetration appreciably. 
Weather strips used at present to make this type of door impermeable are 
constituted by a part of semi-rigid plastics or elastomeric material, 
possibly with a metal core, glued to a tubular rubber part with a profile 
shaped according to requirements. 
One of the disadvantages of this type of weather strip lies in the fact 
that is is very difficult to maintain its initial shape when it is bent to 
adapt it to the profile of a door. 
In fact, where it is curved, the shape becomes different, and this may 
result in disadvantages of a functional type, such as whistling and 
rustling noises and water seepage in more serious cases, or of an 
aesthetic type, in the sense that the rubber does not remain in line with 
the body and may have hollows or projections. 
A second advantage lies in the fact that vibrations produced by the vehicle 
in movement can cause the rubber part to rub continuously against the door 
profile so that, in the long run, it removes paint from the sheet-metal 
parts leaving them free from protection and readily attacked by rust. 
Another disadvantage results from the fact that a weather strip of the said 
type presents not inconsiderable difficulties of registration. 
The object of the present invention is to avoid these and other 
disadvantages. 
This object is achieved by means of a weather strip for motor-vehicle 
wrap-over doors constituted by two distinct parts of which the first is a 
channel section of semi-rigid rubber or plastics material fitted to the 
edge of the sheet metal defining the door opening and the second is of 
rubber, of roughly trapezoidal shape and is glued to the first part and 
has a portion extending into a lip projecting laterally-outwardly of the 
door opening, the trapezoidal part projecting upwardly thereof, 
characterised in that the second part is made from soft, solid rubber and 
the side of the trapezium facing outwardly of the door opening has a 
protuberance which is abutted by the upper edge of the door.

With reference to the drawings, reference 1 indicates the side of a motor 
vehicle the roof 2 whereof, which is welded to the intermediate part 3 
forms a projecting edge 4 which acts as a water-drainage channel. 
The first part 5 of a semi-rigid plastics or rubber weather strip 6 for a 
wrap-over door 7 is fitted on the edge 4. 
The said first part has a channel section and has internal fish-bone like 
projections 8 which help to retain it on the edge 4; the upper inner wall 
of the part 5 also has a rounded projection 9 which, in contacting the 
metal sheet, defines the water-drainage channel between the part of the 
metal sheet forming the roof 2 and the weather strip itself. 
To the first plastics part 5 is glued a second part 10 of the weather strip 
6 which is of solid, soft rubber, of a roughly trapezoidal shape, 
projecting upwardly of the door opening when the weather strip is in 
position. 
On that side of the trapezium facing outwardly of the door space, the 
weather strip is formed with a rounded protuberance 11 which makes the 
upper profile of the weather strip almost flat for aesthetic and 
aerodynamic purposes and forms an abutment for the upper edge 12 of the 
box-section door 13 so that the latter is not in sliding contact therewith 
but acts to compress it, the space being completely sealed and connected 
to the adjacent metal sheets. 
The solid, soft-rubber part of the weather strip 10 extends over the outer 
side of the first part and is formed into a lip 14 which projects 
laterally of the door opening to seal against the metal sheet 15 of the 
door box-section when this is closed, so as to form a further barrier to 
air and other external agents. 
The whole, as will be easily understood, constitutes a perfect connector 
between the profiles of the door and the roof of the body, completely 
sealing the space between the metal sheets.