阅读说明：本技术 用于具有尖锐拐角的方形件的条带密封件 (Strip seal for a square with sharp corners ) 是由 安杰拉·格赖纳 詹姆斯·贝内特 梅根·斯塔比莱 于 2020-04-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种密封元件,该密封元件具有大致呈直角的外拐角并由预制件形成。该预制件由密封材料的条带形成,该密封材料的条带包括第一纵向侧部表面和相反布置的第二纵向侧部表面,该第一纵向侧部表面具有从其突出的突出部,该第二纵向侧部表面在其中形成有凹口。凹口相对于条带的纵向方向与突出部对准。条带的第一部段形成至突出部的第一侧,并且条带的第二部段形成至突出部的第二侧。在第一部段弯曲成垂直于第二部段之后,突出部形成密封元件的大致呈直角的外拐角。(A sealing element having substantially right-angled outer corners and formed from a preform. The preform is formed from a strip of sealing material comprising a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a recess formed therein. The notch is aligned with the protrusion relative to the longitudinal direction of the strip. A first section of the strip is formed to a first side of the tab and a second section of the strip is formed to a second side of the tab. After the first section is bent perpendicular to the second section, the projection forms a substantially right-angled outer corner of the sealing element.)

1. A preform for forming a sealing element, the preform comprising:

a strip of sealing material comprising a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a notch formed therein, wherein the notch is aligned with the protrusion relative to a longitudinal direction of the strip.

2. The preform of claim 1, wherein the notch and the protrusion are the same size and shape.

3. The preform of claim 1, wherein the projection is formed from a first inclined surface and an oppositely disposed second inclined surface.

4. The preform according to claim 3, wherein the first inclined surface is arranged perpendicular to the second inclined surface.

5. The preform according to claim 3, wherein the first inclined surface is arranged at a 45 degree angle with respect to the first longitudinal side surface, and wherein the second inclined surface is arranged at a 45 degree angle with respect to the first longitudinal side surface.

6. The preform of claim 3, wherein a first section of the strip is formed to a first side of the projection and a second section of the strip is formed to a second side of the projection, wherein the projection forms a substantially right-angled outer corner of the sealing element after bending the first section perpendicular to the second section.

7. The preform of claim 6, wherein the sealing material is elongated at each of the first and second inclined surfaces after bending the first section perpendicular to the second section.

8. The preform of claim 1, wherein the strips are cut from the sheet of sealing material in a mold cutting process.

9. The preform of claim 8, wherein a plurality of the strips are cut from the sheet of the sealing material, wherein the cuts defining the first longitudinal side surface and the projections of one of the strips also define the second longitudinal side surface and the notches of an adjacent one of the strips.

10. The preform of claim 1, wherein the sealing material is a polymeric material.

11. The preform of claim 10, wherein the sealing material is one of an elastomer or a thermoplastic.

12. The preform of claim 10, wherein the sealing material is elastically deformable and porous.

13. The preform of claim 1, wherein the first longitudinal side surface comprises a plurality of the projections and the second longitudinal side surface comprises a plurality of the notches, wherein each of the projections is aligned with a corresponding one of the notches relative to the longitudinal direction of the strip.

14. A method of manufacturing a sealing element comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet of sealing material; and

cutting a strip of the sealing material from the sheet of the sealing material, the strip comprising a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a notch formed therein, wherein the notch is aligned with the protrusion relative to a longitudinal direction of the strip.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of: the step of bending a first section of the strip formed to a first side of the projection perpendicular to a second section of the strip formed to a second side of the projection to form a substantially right-angled outer corner of the sealing element.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the protrusion is formed from a first inclined surface and an oppositely disposed second inclined surface, wherein bending the first section perpendicular to the second section forms the substantially right-angled outer corner comprising the first inclined surface disposed substantially parallel to the first section and the second inclined surface disposed substantially parallel to the second section.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of protrusions protrude from the first longitudinal side surface of the strip and a plurality of notches are formed on the second longitudinal side surface, wherein each of the protrusions is aligned with a respective one of the notches relative to a longitudinal direction of the strip.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of the strips are cut from the sheet of the sealing material, wherein the cutting defining the first longitudinal side surface and the tab of one of the strips also defines the second longitudinal side surface and the notch of an adjacent one of the strips.

19. A method of manufacturing a plurality of sealing elements, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet of sealing material; and

cutting a plurality of strips of the sealing material from the sheet of the sealing material, each of the strips of sealing material including a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a notch formed therein, wherein the cuts defining the first longitudinal side surface and the protrusion of each of the strips further define the second longitudinal side surface and the notch of an adjacent one of the strips, wherein the notch and protrusion of each of the strips are aligned with respect to a longitudinal direction of each of the strips.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: bending a first section of each of the strips formed to a first side of the respective protrusion perpendicular to a second section of each of the strips formed to a second side of the respective protrusion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to sealing elements and in particular to sealing elements for sealing rectangular pieces having right angle outer corners.

Background

Sealing elements are typically present at the junction of two components that define a fluid flow path therethrough. The sealing element may, for example, be placed between sealing surfaces of two components that cooperate to form a fluid flow path through a housing of an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle.

In some cases, the sealing element may need to engage the entire sealing surface, including both the right angle inner and outer corners, such as a sealing surface formed in a generally rectangular peripheral shape. For example, the sealing surface may be formed by a generally rectangular rim or flange surrounding a rectangular opening formed through a housing of the air conditioning system.

Conventionally, such sealing elements may be made from an elongate strip of sealing material which is then bent or folded into a prescribed perimeter shape of the respective sealing surface with which the sealing element is configured to engage. However, it has been found that such strips of sealing material often fail to engage the entire respective sealing surface when the sealing surface includes the aforementioned right-angled inner and outer corners. During bending or folding of the strip of sealing material, surface tension forces present within the sealing material tend to cause the sealing element to be stretched at each of its corners. The stretching of the sealing material at each outer corner of the sealing element causes each outer corner to have a generally arcuate or rounded shape.

The folded sealing element has a tendency to develop such a tight curvature, thus causing the sealing element to undesirably fail to engage the entire corresponding sealing surface, thereby presenting a potential weak point in the seal formed by the sealing element.

It is therefore desirable to produce an easily manufactured sealing element that is capable of covering the entire sealing engagement surface with both right angled inner and outer corners.

Disclosure of Invention

Compatible and consistent with the present invention, an improved sealing element adapted to engage a seal engaging surface having a right angled outer corner has surprisingly been discovered.

In one embodiment of the invention, the sealing element having substantially right-angled outer corners is formed from a preform. The preform is formed from a strip of sealing material comprising a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a recess formed therein. The notch is aligned with the protrusion relative to the longitudinal direction of the strip. A first section of the strip is formed to a first side of the tab and a second section of the strip is formed to a second side of the tab. After the first section is bent perpendicular to the second section, the projection forms a substantially right-angled outer corner of the sealing element.

Methods of making the sealing element are also disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: a sheet of sealing material is provided and a strip of sealing material is cut from the sheet of sealing material. The strip includes a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a notch formed therein. The notch is aligned with the protrusion relative to the longitudinal direction of the strip.

Methods of making a plurality of sealing elements are also disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: a sheet of sealing material is provided and a plurality of strips of sealing material are cut from the sheet of sealing material. Each of the strips includes a first longitudinal side surface having a protrusion protruding therefrom and an oppositely disposed second longitudinal side surface having a notch formed therein. The cuts defining the first longitudinal side surface and the tab of each of the strips also define the second longitudinal side surface and the notch of one adjacent one of the strips. The cut-outs and the tabs of each of the strips are aligned with respect to the longitudinal direction of each of the strips.

Drawings

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a seal assembly including a seal element according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the sealing element of FIG. 1 disposed on a seal engaging surface of a seal assembly;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a sheet of sealing material used to form a preform for a sealing element;

FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a method of forming a sealing element from a preform;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a preform used to form a sealing element including both outer and inner peripheral corners, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 6 is a top view of a sealing element including both outer and inner peripheral corners.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description and the annexed drawings describe and illustrate various embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. The steps presented for the disclosed methods are exemplary in nature, and thus the order of the steps is not necessary or critical.

Fig. 1 to 4 illustrate a sealing element 50 and a method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sealing element 50 is adapted to engage each of a first seal-engaging surface of a first component and a second seal-engaging surface of a second component, wherein the first and second components are configured to cooperate to define a fluid flow path that needs to be sealed by the sealing element 50. As one non-limiting example, the fluid flow path may be a flow path through an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle.

For example, fig. 1 and 2 show a first housing structure 41 including a first sealing interface surface 42 and a second housing structure 45 including a second sealing interface surface 46. Each of the illustrated seal engaging surfaces 42, 46 includes the following shape: the shape is similar to that of a rectangular frame having four right angle inner corners 48 and four right angle outer corners 49. It should be understood that the phrase "inner corner" refers to a surface arrangement in which the mating surfaces or edges forming the corner are formed as being generally concave, while the phrase "outer corner" refers to a surface arrangement in which the mating surfaces or edges forming the corner are formed as being generally convex. As used herein, "substantially" is defined as "substantially" or "close to" or other meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. If for some reason the imprecision provided by "substantially" is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then "substantially" as used herein at least denotes variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters.

The first housing structure 41 is shown to include a first opening 43, the first opening 43 having a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape surrounded by a generally rectangular rim 44, wherein the first seal engaging surface 42 forms a flange around an outer peripheral surface of the rim 44. The second housing structure 45 includes a second opening 47 having a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape, wherein the second seal engaging surface 46 surrounds the second opening 47. The second seal engaging surface 46 may comprise substantially the same size and shape as the first seal engaging surface 42, including having four right angle inner corners 48 and four right angle outer corners 49. The second opening 47 may be sized to receive the rim 44 of the first housing structure 41 therein when the first and second seal engaging surfaces 42, 46 are moved toward each other in the compression direction of the sealing element 50 as desired. The first and second openings 43, 47 cooperate to form a fluid flow path through the combined housing formed by the first and second housing structure members 41, 45 cooperating. The sealing element 50 is thus configured for placement between the first and second seal engagement surfaces 42, 46 for sealing the fluid flow path defined by the mating housing structural members 41, 42.

The sealing element 50 may be formed of a single material, or the sealing element 50 may be made of a laminated structural member of two or more materials, as desired. For example, the sealing element 50 may be formed from a single polymeric sealing material, or the sealing element 50 may include a layer of polymeric sealing material and at least one additional layer of adhesive for securing the position of the sealing element 50 relative to the corresponding seal-engaging surface. If an adhesive layer is used, the sealing element 50 may additionally include a removable backing material layer for selectively exposing the adhesive when coupling the sealing element 50 to the respective seal-engaging surface, and possibly an additional base layer (not shown) adapted to receive the adhesive thereon and to be coupled to the layer of sealing material. Regardless of the number of layers used to form the sealing element 50, it should be understood that the primary layer of polymeric sealing material forms a majority of the sealing element 50, such that the inclusion of any additional adhesive or backing layer does not significantly alter the essential features of the present invention.

The polymeric material forming the sealing element 50 may be any suitable polymeric material having the requisite characteristics to elastically and recoverably deform when compressed between the respective sealing surfaces 42, 46. By way of non-limiting example, the polymeric material may be a thermoplastic, an elastomer, or a copolymer thereof. The polymeric material may be formed into a foam structure that includes a desired porosity and resiliency. By way of non-limiting example, if a foam structure is used, the foam may be formed from Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) rubber or polyurethane. The polymeric material may be a composite material including both the polymeric material and at least one filler material, as desired. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the concepts disclosed herein are applicable to a variety of different elastic sealing materials that, as disclosed herein, are typically subjected to surface tension when elastically deformed during folding or bending.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the sealing element 50 may be cut or otherwise removed from a sheet 60 of one of the above materials or laminates. In the following, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, it will be assumed that the sheet 60 is formed of a single sealing material, without any additional layers such as the aforementioned adhesive layer or backing layer.

The sheet 60 comprises an overall substantially constant height dimension, wherein the height dimension extends in the compression direction of the sealing element 50 when the sealing element 50 is compressed between the first and second housing structure 41, 45. Removing sealing element 50 from sheet 60 may include cutting or otherwise shearing the desired perimeter shape of preform 55 of sealing element 50 from sheet 60 such that preform 55 includes a generally constant height that is generally similar to sheet 60. The cutting or shearing of the sheet 60 may be performed perpendicular to the plane of the sheet 60 such that the preform 55 comprises a circumferential surface arranged parallel to the height direction of the preform 55. Preform 55 may be removed from sheet 60, for example, during a die cutting process, as desired.

After the cutting process, the preform 55 is presented as an elongated strip 62 of sealing material or laminated sealing structure. The circumferential surface of the strip 62 comprises a first end surface 63, a second end surface 64 arranged opposite the first end surface 63, a first side surface 65 connecting the first end surface 63 to the second end surface 64, and a second side surface 66 arranged opposite the first side surface 65 and also connecting the first end surface 63 to the second end surface 64. The first side surface 65 and the second side surface 66 extend substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the strip 62. The width direction of the strip 62 is arranged perpendicular to each of the longitudinal direction and the height direction thereof, and extends between the first side surface 65 and the second side surface 66.

As shown in fig. 4, the first side surface 65 of the strip 62 includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced projections 71 and the second side surface 66 of the strip 62 includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches 81, wherein each of the projections 71 is aligned with a respective one of the notches 81 relative to the longitudinal direction of the strip 62.

Each of the projections 71 forms a convex surface having a generally triangular cross-sectional shape taken through a plane extending in the width and longitudinal directions of the strap 62. More specifically, each of the projections 71 is formed by fitting a first inclined surface 73, the first inclined surface 73 being arranged at right angles to an oppositely arranged second inclined surface 74, so that each of the inclined surfaces 73, 74 is inclined at 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the strip 62. The inclined surfaces 73, 74 meet at a tip 72 of each of the projections that points in the width direction of the strip 62. Tip 72 may be spaced from a peripheral portion of first side surface 65 by approximately one-half of the width dimension of strip 62, as measured between first side surface 65 and second side surface 66.

Each of the notches 81 forms a recessed surface having a generally triangular cross-sectional shape taken through a plane extending in the width and longitudinal directions of the strip 62. More specifically, each of the notches 81 is formed by fitting a first inclined surface 83, the first inclined surface 83 being arranged at a right angle with respect to an oppositely arranged second inclined surface 84, so that each of the inclined surfaces 83, 84 is inclined at 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the strip 62. The tip 82 of each of the notches 81 points in the width direction of the strip 62 and is positioned in alignment with the pointing direction of a respective one of the projections 71. The tip 82 of each of the notches 81 can be spaced from the peripheral portion of the second side surface 66 by approximately half the width dimension of the strip 62.

The first inclined surface 73 of each of the projections 71 is arranged parallel to and longitudinally aligned with the respective first inclined surface 83 of one of the recesses 81, and the second inclined surface 74 of each of the projections 71 is arranged parallel to and longitudinally aligned with the respective second inclined surface 84 of one of the recesses 81.

Each of the first and second end surfaces 63, 64 is shown as an inclined surface arranged at approximately 45 degrees to the longitudinal direction of the strip 62, but it will be appreciated that any two complementary shapes may be used at the respective ends of the strip 62 to form a continuous sealing element 50 at the junction between the first and second end surfaces 63, 64 as the strip 62 forms the final shape of the sealing element 50.

The aligned pairs of projections 71 and notches 81 divide the strip 62 into a plurality of sections configured for folding relative to one another during formation of the sealing element 50. The illustrated tape 62 includes a centrally located third section 93, second and fourth sections 92, 94 surrounding the third section 93, and first and fifth sections 91, 95 surrounding the second and fourth sections 92, 94. The length of the third section 93 is substantially equal to the combined length of the first and fifth sections 91, 95, while the length of the second section 92 is substantially equal to the length of the fourth section 94. In the example provided, the third section 93 and the combined first and fifth sections 91, 95 have a longer length than the second or fourth sections 92, 94, but it will be appreciated that the lengths of the different sections 91, 92, 93, 94 may be modified to produce a rectangular shaped sealing element 50 of any desired size without departing from the scope of the invention.

Referring to fig. 4, a method of folding the strip 82 to achieve the final configuration of the sealing element 50 is disclosed. As indicated by the curved arrows adjacent each of the notches 81, the first section 91 is folded relative to the second section 92 and the fifth section 95 is folded relative to the fourth section 94. The folding of the first and fifth sections 91, 95 is such that the first and fifth sections 91, 95 are arranged perpendicular to the second and fourth sections 92, 94. Next, the first combination of the first and second sections 91 and 92 and the second combination of the fourth and fifth sections 94 and 95, respectively, are folded with respect to the third section 93 until the second and fourth sections 92 and 94 are arranged perpendicular to the third section 93. After the strip 62 is folded, the first end surface 63 and the second end surface 64, which have corresponding shapes, are joined to form the sealing element 50 having a closed rectangular shape. It will be appreciated that the sections 91, 92, 93, 94, 95 may be folded relative to one another in any desired order without departing from the scope of the invention.

As can be observed from fig. 1, 2 and 4, each 90 degree fold of the strip 62 causes the first and second inclined surfaces 83, 84 of each of the notches 81 to be placed in abutment with each other. At the same time, the folding of the strip 62 also causes the first and second inclined surfaces 73, 74 of each of the projections 71 to stretch in the following manner: wherein the tip 72 of each of the projections 71 is brought into proximity with the tip 82 of a respective one of the notches 81. In other words, the folding process at one of each pair of aligned tabs 71 and a corresponding one of the notches 82 comprises: the sealing material forming the sealing element 50 is compressed in the width direction of the strip 62, while the sealing material forming the first and second inclined surfaces 73, 74 of the strip 62 is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the strip 62.

It has surprisingly been found that the above-mentioned compression and elongation of the sealing material during the folding process results in the sealing element 50 comprising a substantially right-angled outer corner 58, which outer corner 58 corresponds to each of the protrusions 71 formed in the strip 62 prior to the folding process. Each of the right angled outer corners 58 includes: a portion of the first inclined surface 73 of each of the predefined tabs 71 of the strip 62, the first inclined surface 73 being arranged substantially parallel to an adjacent portion of the predefined first side surface 65 of the strip 62; and a portion of the second inclined surface 74 of each of the predefined tabs 71 of the strip 62, the second inclined surface 74 being arranged substantially parallel to an adjacent portion of the predefined first side surface 65 of the strip 62.

After the folding process, the formation of each of the right-angled outer corners 58 advantageously enables the sealing element 50 to engage with all of the first and second seal-engaging surfaces 42, 46 of the respective housing structural members 41, 45 when placed between the first and second seal-engaging surfaces 42, 46. For example, referring to fig. 2, it is apparent that the sealing element 50, when placed in engagement with the first seal engaging surface 42, engages the entirety of the first seal engaging surface 42, including each of the outer corners 58 of the sealing element 50 that generally corresponds in shape to each of the outer corners that form the first seal engaging surface 42.

As shown in fig. 3, the alignment of each of the tabs 71 with a respective one of the notches 81 also enables a plurality of strips 62 to be cut from the sheet 60 in a nested configuration, wherein a cut corresponding to one of the tabs 71 also corresponds to one of the notches 81 of an adjacent one of the strips 62. This nested configuration of projections 71 and notches 81 advantageously reduces the amount of material wasted during the formation of each sealing element 50 by eliminating any unnecessary voids within the interior portions of sheet 60. For example, removing each notch 81 from sheet 60 without forming a corresponding protrusion 71 may result in a plurality of triangular voids being formed within sheet 60, wherein each of the voids represents a portion of sheet 60 that must be discarded or otherwise reused.

The mating shapes of the first end surface 63 and the second end surface 64 also allow the strip 62 to be cut in a repetitive manner relative to a second direction that is arranged perpendicular to the first direction of the stack, thereby further reducing the amount of material wasted during the cutting process.

The sealing element 50 is shown and described as engaging a sealing surface having a generally rectangular frame shape, including an inner surface having a rectangular shape and an outer surface having a rectangular shape, but it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the concepts disclosed herein may be adapted to form a sealing element adapted to engage any sealing surface having any pattern of right-angled inner and outer corners.

For example, fig. 5 shows a preform 155 forming a sealing element 150 for engagement with an irregularly shaped seal-engaging surface including inner and outer corners around its perimeter. Preform 155 includes longitudinally aligned notches 156 and protrusions 157 in a similar manner as preform 55 of fig. 1-4, but notches 156 and protrusions 157 are formed on each opposing longitudinal side of preform 155. The shape of the formed preform 155 can also be formed into a nested and repeating configuration to cut from the sheet without wasting interior portions of the sheet. As shown in fig. 6, the preform 155 may be folded into a generally L-shaped sealing member 150, the sealing member 150 including five outer corners and one inner corner about its periphery. It should further be appreciated that the notches and protrusions may be formed in any pattern on opposite sides of the respective preform and at any desired distance from each other so as to form any desired sealing engagement shape having right-angled inner and outer corners.

From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of the present invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.