Patent ID: 8215704

Claim:
A process for sealing a cavity of a vehicle body at a predetermined cross section of a cavity defined by cavity walls, the process comprising: a) providing a heat expandable baffle comprising: (1) a rigid support plate with a shape corresponding to, but smaller than the shape of the cross section of the cavity, (2) a carrier, for a heat expandable material, having a peripheral edge formed as an L-shaped flange extending outward and equipped with integrally molded pin-like fastening devices, and (3) a heat expandable material, adapted to expand at a temperature in an activation temperature range, mounted only to the outer periphery of the carrier, the pin-like fastening devices protruding through the heat expandable material, said carrier is fixed via the pin-like fastening devices to the rigid support plate, and the heat expandable material, when activated, expands radially from the carrier to seal the cross section of the cavity between the carrier and the cavity wall defining the cross section; b) mounting the rigid support plate to one of the cavity walls in a transverse orientation to said wall and leaving a small peripheral space between the heat expandable material and the cavity walls, c) heating the heat expandable material to said temperature in said activation temperature range, thereby causing the heat expandable material to expand and seal the peripheral space between the carrier and the cavity walls.