PERIMETER SEAL AND SEALING SYSTEM

Abstract: A seal for sealing the gap between a door opening (1) and a door of a motor vehicle, the seal having a fixing portion (5) in­ corporating a carrier (9) which is preferably formed of wire bent into a zig-zag and held in that configuration by stitching or knit­ ting (13), the carrier being incorporated in the fixing portion during extrusion of the seal which is also provided with a seal­ ing portion (7) which may be formed of a different hardness from the fixing portion (5). A central region of the carrier (9) is not embedded in the material of the fixing portion so that wefts or limbs (11) of the zig-zag carrier are exposed so that the seal can be attached to either the door frame of the vehicle or the door itself by means of a plurality of large headed studs (3) welded to the frame or door, with the heads of the studs being engaged behind two adjacent limbs of the carrier and with the stem of the stud extending between said limbs. The invention also relates to a sealing system incorporat­ ing the seal and studs and to a method of forming a seal.

Description: This invention relates to a perimeter seal and sealing system, which is particuarly suitable for use in motor vehicles, and to a method of forming a seal between two members, such as between a vehicle door and the door opening. One type of door seal for motor vehicles has a fixing portion, from which a sealing portion extends, which fixing portion is located in a 'C' (shaped) channel on the perimeter of the door, or possibly the perimeter of the door opening. Other methods for fixing such seals in position include using adhesive or two-sided tape, or plastics pegs engaging in apertures in the base of the channel, a flange on the door or perimeter of the door opening; however, such methods suffer from the following disadvantages:- a) On assembly the operator tends to damage the painted surface of the 'C' channel, therefore starting a rusting cycle. b) The base of the 'C' channel cannot be successfully sealed against water ingress therefore allowing a potential leak situation to exist at all times. c) When using plastic pegs, the operation of punching holes is difficult. Furthermore, the frequency of pegs required to give a reasonable retention is impractical. Peg mounted seals also tend to "cross corners", therefore reducing the satisfactory functioning of the seal. d) Two-sided tape and adhesive give problems on assembly and the serviceability gives grave problems. e) Rolled sections of metalwork are expensive to form and not very rigid and it is preferred to retain the "meatplate" approach of door construction to ensure the best build tolerance situation, i.e.to manufacture the door from two spaced dish-shaped components which are welded together around their edge flanges. In US-A-3071826 a seal suitable for use as a car door seal is disclosed, the seal having a fixing portion and a sealing portion, with a resiliently deformable carrier located in the fixing portion, the carrier having a plurality of deformable limbs which extend transversely of the seal throughout its length. During manufacture of this seal, the carrier is provided with looped receptacle portions open at one side, and into which elastomeric attachment caps are engaged, with a groove therein accommodating the looped receptacle portion, so that in the end product, a conical part of the cap projects from the seal. The seal is attached to the door by engagement of the conical cap part in an aperture in the metal of the door. Such a seal is difficult and expensive to manufacture, and can easily be displaced from the door. Also, the presence of apertures in the metal of the door to receive the conical cap part makes the door susceptible to rusting. In FR-A-2548742, a sealing system is disclosed which comprises a sealing member for forming a seal between two movable parts, and a plurality of studs having enlarged heads, with the sealing member having a fixing portion and a sealing portion with a resiliently deformable carrier, supported by the fixing portion, and having a plurality of resiliently deformable limbs extending transversely of the sealing member through its length. In the seal, the limbs of the carrier are deformed into a re-entrant shape, as shown in Figure 2 of the patent specification and the seal is moulded or extruded to a similar shape around the limbs, so that there is a groove running along the underside of the seal, which, when viewed in cross section, has a mushroom shape and which is dimensioned to receive the enlarged heads of the studs. The seal, in use, is subjected to lateral pressure when a door is shut against it, and the seal is very prone to rolling off the studs, and becoming displaced, due to this lateral pressure. The present invention therefore seeks to provide a seal and sealing system which overcomes the above disadvantages, and which gives the opportunity for the seal to be as far outboard of the aperture as possible and thereby offer optimum sealing and noise reduction efficiency. Further, the invention also seeks to provide a seal which is easy to install onto the vehicle and has good retention after fitting, and ensures minimum damage, in the fitting process, to metalwork and which also makes the best use of the latest manufacturing equipment, i.e. robots, for the assembly of the metalwork areas on the vehicle. According to the present invention, we provide a seal suitable for use as a door seal in a motor vehicle, said seal having a fixing portion and a sealing portion wherein a resiliently deformable carrier is supported in the fixing portion, said carrier having a plurality of resiliently deformable limbs extending transversely of the seal throughout its length, and wherein a region of the carrier in the fixing portion is exposed so that the head of a stud may be forced between adjacent ones of the limbs during fitting of the seal so that the seal can be fitted to a part to which the or each stud is connected, and be secured to the part by engagement between the head and a pair of the deformable limbs. Preferably, the seal is extruded from one or more polymeric materials, and part of the carrier is embedded in the fixing portion, which may be formed of a different material from that of the sealing portion. Preferably also, the carrier extends across substantially the whole width of the fixing portion, with a region of the carrier not being embedded in the polymeric material of the fixing portion so that the studs can be forced easily between adjacent limbs of the carrier. It is important that the durometer of the polymeric material of the fixing portion is sufficiently high to hold the fixing portion firmly against the vehicle body (or door) throughout the length of the seal. However, it should be low enough to allow the seal to be bent around corners, e.g. of a door opening. Preferably, the carrier is formed of wire formed into a zig-zag configuration with generally parallel limbs, any adjacent pair of which is joined together by a U-shaped edge portion of the carrier, and which limbs provide wefts which are held in their generally parallel configuration in known manner by parallel spaced warps knitted into the wefts. The carrier may be of the type disclosed in European Patent Application No.83303150.3 or 84306335.5. Preferably, the wire is formed of a highly corrosion-resistant material such as stainless steel. Also according to the present invention, we provide a sealing system comprising a seal as described above, and a plurality of studs having enlarged heads, wherein the studs are secured to one of the parts between which the seal is required with their heads projecting from said one part, and said seal is engaged with said studs with the heads of the studs being entrapped between adjacent limbs of the carrier where they are exposed in the fixing portion. The invention also extends to a method of attaching a seal to a member, and in its broadest sense, comprises the steps of attaching a plurality of headed studs to the member, and then attaching the seal, which incorporates a carrier therein, which has a plurality of resiliently deformable limbs, to the studs by passing the heads of the studs between respective adjacent pairs of limbs of the carrier where they are exposed in the seal. The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a typical transverse section through a seal; and FIGURE 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1 with some of the material of the seal omitted for the sake of clarity, and showing the position which a head of a stud would occupy when the seal is fixed in position as shown by the chain line outline in Figure 1. Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the surface of a flange, e.g. around a door opening in a motor vehicle, to which a plurality of enlarged headed studs 3 have been welded, by means of which a seal 4 may be attached to the vehicle around the door opening. A particularly suitable make of stud is that produced by Tucker Fasteners. The stud is T-shaped and is made from stainless steel thus reducing the possibility of corrosion if slightly damaged on assembly. The stud is welded onto the metalwork of the vehicle with the use of an automatic welding system carried by a robot. This means that the stud can be orientated in any required position, the only restriction being the size of the welding head which at the present time is 18mm in diameter. The dimension between the base of the stud head and the surface of the vehicle metalwork can vary,a typical dimension being from 2.5mm to 2.3mm. The diameter of the head and the shank of the stud are important, as will be described, but typically the head diameter could be 5.05mm +/- 0.5mm and the shank diameter 3.0mm +/- 0.5mm. The overall design of the head of the stud may include a tapered condition to ease assembly. The seal 4 is extruded from one or more polymeric materials and has a fixing portion 5, a sealing portion 7 and partially embedded in the fixing portion 5 is a knitted wire carrier 9. The wire carrier 9 acts as a reinforcement for the fixing portion 5 or base of the seal 4 to maintain the integrity of the seal when negotiating complex or sharp radii, e.g. around door openings, and is also the prime means for fixing the seal 4 to the flange 1 of the vehicle. The wire carrier 9 is shown in Figure 2, and comprises wire bent into a zig-zag formation so as to have a plurality of generally parallel limbs or wefts 11, connected together at their ends by U-shaped edge portions 12. Obviously, the opposite ends of each limb to those illustrated in Figure 2 will be connected not to the ones illustrated but to its adjacent limb on the opposite side of the one shown as being joined by a U-shaped edge portion 12 (see top right hand corner of Figure 2). The wefts 11 are maintained in their illustrated position by means of a plurality of generally parallel warps 13, only one of which is shown in full, connected by a known knitting or knotting process to each limbs 11. Other warps are represented by the broken lines 15. As can be seen from the drawings, the polymeric material of the fixing portion is extruded only over the edge regions of the carrier 9, leaving a rectangular sectioned central channel 17 across which the carrier 9 extends. This channel is somewhat wider than the heads of the T studs 3, so that the shanks 19 of the studs can be located between adjacent limbs of the wire, with the heads 21 holding the seal on the studs 3. The wire carrier can include "phantom warps" 23 to allow the centre section of the wire to be warp-free when the section is extruded and thus allow the studs to be inserted freely between the limbs 11. This can be achieved by forming these of a material which melts during extrusion of the seal (such as polypropylene). It will be appreciated that the frequency of limbs 11, i.e. their spacing, is determined by the size of the T stud to be used and for studs of the above-mentioned diameter, there are about six limbs 11 per inch. The material of the wire should be corrosion resistant to ensure that no corrosion takes place in service because the wire will be the only fixing medium so a failure would be unacceptable. The wire must be malleable enough to be formed easily but on application have sufficient resistance to bending to produce the required retention characteristics. A typical diameter for the wire is 0.76mm but this may be varied, and the width of the wire carrier is about 22mm, but obviously the width can be varied according to the actual requirement. In the illustrated seal, the wire carrier is encapsulated by an elastomeric polymer compound (possibly based on EPDM rubber) which forms the base or fixing portion 5 of the seal. This provides a good seal against the face of the flange. The seal is improved by having sharp edges 25 on each edge of the fixing portion 5. The grade of polymeric compound must exhibit sufficient flexibility to negotiate corners. Ideally, the compound should have a durometer which is sufficiently high to hold the seal throughout its length against the vehicle body (with the aid of the carrier 9). In many instances the seal will have to be bent around corners of door openings, and for such seals, the durometer of the compound should be low enough to permit such bending without detracting from the other requirements of the seal. The sealing portion 7 is illustrated in the form of a polymeric sponge flip, but it will be appreciated that many other different constructions could form the sealing portion to seal between the two moving parts of the structure of the vehicle, i.e. door and body. This part of the seal needs to be flexible enough to conform to the variations experienced in practice, e.g. (a) a nominal door gap of 16mm, (b) an unpainted body build tolerance of +/- 2mm, (c) a high speed "suck out" condition of +3mm, i.e. the seal must be sufficient to maintain a seal between vehicle door edge and door opening even at high speeds when there can be a tendency for the door to move outwards around its periphery by up to 3mm. The sealing portion 7 is co-extruded with the fixing portion 5 and the wire carrier 9 and has to be of sufficient softness to conform easily to the body variations and give acceptable door shut efforts but have sufficient modulus to provide a seal. Obviously, the above described seal is just one possible example incorporating the invention. The shape and size of the sealing and fixing portions 7 and 5 could be quite different, as could their relative positions. Likewise, the studs could be of a different shape. Furthermore, it is envisaged that non-extruded seals could be used, e.g. the carrier 9 could be covered with textile or other material, or uncovered, and hidden, for example by a textile or pile sealing portion. Furthermore, it is not essential that the studs 3 should engage a central region of the carrier 9. It is also envisaged that the carier 9 could be of a different construction to that illustrated. While it is preferably formed of knitted wire, it might be possible to use some constructions of slotted metal carrier, for example. The seal of the present invention allows vehicle manufacturers to fix the T studs 3 to the vehicle with robots to allow flexibility of design, ease of manufacture and consistency of process. Furthermore, the invention allows the use of current wire carrier technology in a novel form to allow ease of seal fitment with good retention characteristics for the seal, i.e. the wire carrier has the new task of holding the seal on the studs. Another advantage is the elimination of the recurring corrosion problems experienced by traditional methods of seal fixing systems, and yet a highly flexible seal is provided, which is easy to fix in position. It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims: A seal (4) suitable for use as a door seal in a motor vehicle, said seal (4) having a fixing portion (5) and a sealing portion (7) wherein a resiliently deformable carrier (9) is supported in the fixing portion (5), said carrier (9) having a plurality of resiliently deformable limbs (11) which extend transversely of the seal throughout its length, characterised in that a region of the carrier (9) in the fixing portion (5) is exposed so that the head (21) of a stud (3) may be forced between adjacent ones of said limbs (11) to fit the seal to a part (1) to which the stud (3) is connected. A seal according to claim 1, which is extruded from one or more polymeric materials (5,7) with part of the carrier (9) embedded in the fixing portion (5). A seal according to claim 2 characterised in that the carrier (9) extends across substantially the whole width of the fixing portion (5), with a region of the carrier (9) not being embedded in the polymeric material of the fixing portion (5). A seal according to claim 3, characterised in that said carrier region (9) is located centrally of the fixing portion (5). A seal according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the fixing portion (5) is formed of a harder material than that of the sealing portion (7). A seal according to any one of claims 1-5 wherein the carrier (9) is formed of wire formed into a zig-zag configuration with generally parallel limbs (11), any adjacent pair of which is joined together by a U-shaped edge portion (1) of the carrier (9), and which limbs (11) provide wefts which are held in their generally parallel configuration in known manner by parallel spaced warps (15,23) knitted into the wefts. A seal according to claim 6 wherein the wire is formed of a highly corrosion-resistant material. A sealing system comprising a sealing member (4) for forming a seal between two relatively movable parts, and a plurality of studs (3) having enlarged heads (21), and said sealing member comprising a fixing portion (5) and a sealing portion (7) with a resiliently deformable carrier (9) supported by the fixing portion, having a plurality of resiliently deformable limbs (11) extending transversely of the sealing member throughout its length, characterised in that a portion of the carrier (9) in the fixing portion (5) is exposed and in that the studs (3) are secured to one of the parts (1) between which the seal is required with their heads (21) projecting from said one part (1), and in that said sealing member is engaged with said studs (3) secured to said part (1) with the heads (21) of the studs (3) being forced between and entrapped between adjacent limbs (11) of that part of the carrier (9) which is not embedded in the fixing portion (5). A sealing system according to claim 8 wherein the carrier is formed of wire formed into a zig-zag configuration with generally parallel wefts (11) joined together at their ends by U-shaped portions (12) along each edge of the carrier, and between their ends by knitted warps (15,23), the seal being extruded from at least one polymeric material in which the carrier (9) is embedded except for a central region (17) thereof, with which region said studs (3) engage. A method of attaching a seal (4) which incorporates a carrier (9) having a plurality of resiliently deformable limbs (11) extending transversely of the seal throughout its length to a member (1), said method being characterised by the provision of a portion of the carrier (9) being exposed and by the steps of attaching a plurality of headed studs (3) to the member (1), and then attaching the seal (4) to the studs (3) by passing the heads of the studs (3) between respective adjacent pairs of limbs (11) of the carrier (9) in the exposed portion thereof.

Inventors: EAMES, DAVID GEORGE
Applicants: SCHLEGEL (UK) HOLDINGS LIMITED
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B60R13
IPC codes: B60J10, F16B5, B60R13