GB2357471A

GB2357471A - Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2357471A
Application number: GB0030891A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bernd Hohl; Gerhard Romer
Original assignee: Hymer AG
Current assignee: Hymer AG
Priority date: 1999-12-22
Filing date: 2000-12-19
Publication date: 2001-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-19
Also published as: ITMI20000707U1; DE19962060B4; GB2357471B; DE19962060A1; FR2802886B3; FR2802886A3; IT250398Y1; GB0030891D0

Abstract

The sealing of open butt joints on vehicles, in particular on caravans and mobile homes is disclosed. Two vehicle parts 1, 2 are adhered at an abutted joint 15; a profiled rail 11 having at least two legs 12, 13 essentially covers over the outside of the adhered joint. An additional, permanently elastic sealing compound 20 is placed in the clearance between the legs of the profiled rail and the respective outer skin of the composite panel.

Description

1 2357471 Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles, in particular on

caravans and mobile homes

The subject matter of the invention is the 5 sealing of open butt joints on vehicles, in particular on caravans and mobile homes, in accordance with the preamble of Patent Claim 1.

Land vehicles of this type, such as mobile homes and caravans, have a series of open butt joints in the superstructure and body region which all have to be permanently sealed. It has hitherto been known to butt composite panels and mouldings (front and rear masks) against one another and to fill the clearance which forms with an adhering joint. Then, a joint-filling profile (aluminium joint-filling profiled rail) or a weatherstrip rail (PVC weatherstrip profiled rail) is pressed into this adhering joint, which is still relatively semi-fluid and has not set, the fir-tree-like web of these profiles entering into an adhering bond with the adhering joint or having an undercut in the joint- filling profile, a firm adhering fit thereby being ensured.

The weatherstrip rail or joint-filling profiled rail anchored by its web in the PU adhering 3oint, thereby obtains a firm fit on the open butt joint. In a known manner, the weatherstrip rail or joint-filling profiled rail each has legs which lie opposite one another, are formed mirror-symmetrically with respect of the web and cover over the open butt joint on both sides.

However, a disadvantage of these known sealing methods concerned the risk of water accumulating via capillary action on the weatherstrip rail or jointfilling profiled rail infiltrating into the gap between the outer edges of the legs and the surface of the composite panel or of the mouldings and passing into the region of the adhering joint.

This water situated in the region of the adhering joint then undesirably passed through the composite structure of the composite panel into the interior of the vehicle. These processes were further assisted by correspondingly high dynamic movements of the body and superstructure when driving and by corresponding temperature effects and other similar factors.

The invention is therefore based on the object of substantially improving the sealing of an open butt joint on composite panels of a mobile home or caravan and of making it more operationally reliable and more long-lasting.

In order to achieve the object set, the invention is characterized by the technical teaching of

Claims

Claim 1.

An essential feature of the invention is that an additional sealing compound is placed in the clearance between the legs of the weatherstrip rail or joint-filling profiled rail and the respective outer skin of the composite panel or mouldings.

The technical teaching which is given results in the substantial advantage that through this additional measure a substantial improvement in the sealing action is obtained, since the placing of this sealing compound into the upper region of the adhering joint, i.e. directly below the joint filling profiled rail or the weatherstrip rail, means that from the outset the adhering joint is sealed to the outside and upwards.

A sealing compound of this type has to have certain physical properties in order to maintain the sealing action even over a relatively long time. In this connection, it has to be a permanently adhesive compound, i.e. which does not set at the surface or even form a skin, since only in this manner is a suitable bond of adhesion to the insides of the joint-filling profiled rail or weatherstrip rail obtained. For another thing, this adhesive bond is also important for the adhesion to the surface of the 3 adhering joint itself, and so a permanently adhesive property is therefore necessary.

The sealing compound should therefore be designed to be permanently elastic and so that it does 5 not subsequently cross-link.

It also has a greatly reduced cold flow, i.e. once it has been sprayed in place and correspondingly cooled, there is only a slight cold flow and so the sealing compound is prevented from emerging from the clearance below the joint-filling profiled rail and above the outer skin.

It is preferred here if the sealing compound is introduced via a heated cartridge gun, a temperature of approximately 140 16CC being used in order to bring the sealing compound into a slightly liquid state. The cartridge gun operates with compressed-air feed of the cartridge piston, so that corresponding squirting forces may also be produced, even if small squirting-nozzle openings are used.

In order to subsequently place the sealing compound below the respective fitted joint-filling profiled rail or weatherstrip rail (more simply called rail in the following), provision is made for one leg in each case of the respective rail to be bent up mechanically and for the slightly liquid sealing compound to be injected into the resultant clearance below this rail (and below the leg). When heated up, the said compound has a viscosity which is approximately comparable to honey30 After the appropriate injection of the sealing compound below the bent-up leg of the respective rail, the leg is again relieved of load, and a cooling phase of the rail of a few minutes takes place until the sealing compound is semi-fluid, adhesive and highly viscous, it approximately having, when cold, the viscosity of chewing-gum.

This type of sealing which is given produces excellent sealing results because the permanently elastic and permanently adhesive sealing compound means that it is now possible for the first time to seal the cavity below the rail and above the adhering joint reliably and permanently against the penetration of water.

On account of the properties being permanently adhesive and on account of the permanent elasticity of this sealing compound, the latter can also contain corresponding connections of the profiled joint without the sealing compound shearing off or even becoming detached from the adherent,' surrounding surfaces.

A retro-fittable sealing system for mobile homes and caravans of this type is therefore described, the said sealing system now being able to seal the sensitive open butt joints for the entire working life of the vehicle.

It is irrelevant here as to where the abovementioned open butt joints are arranged in the region of the composite panels and mouldings. It is possible to seal open butt joints in the region of walls which run vertically, just the same as open butt joints in the roof-rear region or in the transitional region between the roof, rear and wall surface. In this case, the sealing compound has a volumetric weight of, for example, 1.3 kg/dM3. 25 The subject matter of the present invention arises not only from the subject matter of the individual patent claims, but also from the combination of the individual patent claims with one another. All details and features disclosed in the documents, including the abstract, and in particular the three-dimensional design illustrated in the drawings, are claimed as essential to the invention in so far as they are novel, on their own or in combination, by comparison With the prior art.

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to drawings illustrating a number of ways of implementing it. In this connection, further features which are essential to the invention and advantages of the invention emerge from the drawings and the description thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1: shows a diagram of a section through an open butt joint in a first embodiment; Figure 2: shows a diagram of a section through an open butt joint in a second embodiment; Figure 3: shows a diagram of a section through a third open butt joint; Figure 4: shows a diagram of a section through a fourth open butt joint.

Figure 1 generally illustrates an open butt joint in the horizontal region between two abutting composite panels and mouldings 1, 2, the mouldings 1 being designed as a glass fibre reinforced plastic front mask or glass fibre reinforced plastic roof panel or glass fibre reinforced plastic rear mask, while it is possible for the composite panel 2 to be designed as a composite panel of sandwich-type construction for use as a rear wall, roof wall or side wall.

The moulding 1 has an inner polystyrene internal lining shell 3 on which is placed a foam panel 7 which forms the interior of the mouldings 1 and is of appropriately heatinsulating design. This foam panel 7 -25 is preferably formed from a polystyrene foam or as a PV foam.

The outer surface of the mouldings is formed by a glass fibre reinforced plastic outer shell 4.

In the region of the open butt joint, this outer shell forms an inwardly directed, first leg 5 which merges into a second leg 6 protruding perpendicularly therefrom.

This produces a receiving space into which the other composite panel 2 enters, the said composite panel 2 comprising an inner decorative panel 9 covered in a sandwich-type construction by a PV foam 10 which forms an outer surface of an aluminium outer skin 8.

A reinforcing strip 16 is then embedded in the region of the open butt joint, the said reinforcing strip 16 being embedded into the foam 10 by a number of teeth, and consisting of plastic material and having a milled side which subsequently constitutes the one wall of the adhering joint. 5 The second wall of the subsequent adhering joint, which wall lies opposite this first wall of the reinforcing strip 16, is formed by the inside of the leg 5. A PU or MS adhesive is now inserted into the adhering joint 15, which is defined between these two walls, and while still plastic and not set, the weatherstrip profiled rail 11 is then pressed in afterwards.

In this case, this weatherstrip profiled rail 11 has legs 12, 13 which are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to a central web 14 and respectively overlap the open butt joint on the left and right.

The web 14 is furthermore designed in the manner of a fir tree and is provided with a plurality of projections and undercuts so as to obtain sufficient anchorage in the region of the adhering joint 15.

It is important that in the case of this connection which is already present and is in the form of an open butt joint and in the case of sealing with the aid of the weatherstrip profiled rail 11, subsequent sealing in accordance with the technical teaching of the invention can be undertaken.

For this purpose, provision is made for in each case one leg 13 or 12 to be brought into the position 131, i.e. to be mechanically bent up. The tip 22 of a heated cartridge gun 17 is inserted into the resultant space, and the corresponding sealing compound 20 is injected via the tip 22 of the cartridge gun 17 into the resultant cavity, so that the sealing compound 20 comes to lie below the respective leg 12, 13 and is then arranged above the adhering joint 15.

The heated cartridge gun 17 has a cartridge with the sealing compound 20 contained therein, and is heated by an external heating coil 21.

The feeding takes place by direct application of compressed air 19 in the arrow direction shown onto the sealing compound 20, which is therefore directly squirted out of the tip 22.

After appropriate cooling of the sealing compound 20 below the weatherstrip profiled rail 11, a permanently elastic and permanently adhesive sealing compound is formed which reliably protects even against water penetrating - and even against capillary action because a permanently adhesive bond is entered into both with the legs 12, 13 and with the surfaces of the materials 4, 8 used.

This sealing compound 20 is also connected adhesively to the PU adhering joint 15.

Figure 2 illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of the invention where it can be seen that a transitional region between a roof and a rear or side wall is sealed, composite panels 2 being used in each case here. The same description as given with reference to Figure 1 applies to the same parts. 25 One difference from Figure 1 is that a respective reinforcing strip 16 is arranged on each of the composite panels 2, and that the PU adhering joint is now correspondingly formed by a plurality of conical side arms (only formed on one side in Fig. 1) in order to obtain a good adhesive bond in the region of these two opposite reinforcing strips 16 or peripherally around the outer skin 4.

A joint-filling profiled rail 24 consisting of aluminium material is again pressed in here by its web 14 into the not yet set PU adhering joint 15 and then allowed to cure, so that in this state the legs 26, 27 are then placed in a sealing manner against the surface of the respective composite panel 2.

Also in this joint-filling connection produced in this manner the respective leg 26, 27 is then subsequently mechanically bent up and the sealing compound 20 is injected into the resultant clearance, 5 as has been explained with reference to Figure 1.

For the sake of completeness, it should also be mentioned that a preliminary rail 25 is arranged below the joint-filling profiled rail 24.

Figure 3 shows the other refinement of such a connecting joint of two composite panels 2, 2, the heated cartridge gun 17, which is clearly illustrated in a diagram in Figure 1, being illustrated in its mechanical form.

By means of the handle and the release lever arranged thereon, the rear wall of the cartridge gun 17 can be released in a snap connection, and a new cartridge can be inserted.

It can furthermore be seen that a finer spray nozzle 29 is also placed in front of the nozzle 28, this finer spray nozzle making it possible to place the sealing compound 20 satisfactorily behind the bentup leg 31'.

The same also applies to the leg 32, which is then likewise bent up and the sealing compound is also inserted from this side.

The material of the weatherstrip profiled rail 30 shown here is also a PVC material (as for the weatherstrip profiled rail 11).

Figure 4 shows, in a further refinement, the vertically abutting connecting joint between two composite panels 2, 2 where it can be seen that an edge strip 34 covers over the corner region, the said edge strip having two legs 38, 39 at right angles to each other.

In this case, there is arranged below the edge strip 34 a supporting profiled rail 35, forexample made of rubber, which is latched into the leg of the edge strip 38, 39.

The supporting profiled rail 35 therefore forms the inside for the sealing compound 20 which has again been inserted in the same manner, namely by the entire arrangement having been lifted mechanically in the arrow direction 36 or 37 in each case and the sealing compound having been injected into the resultant clearance.

All in all, the technical teaching according to the invention results in the substantial advantage that it is now possible to use a simple sealing compound to subsequently seal connecting Joints found on mobile homes and caravans, even if the said connecting joints have been already damaged by water penetrating.

Key to the drawings 1. Composite panel 2. Composite panel (sandwich) 3. Polystyrene inner lining shell 4. Outer shell (glass fibre reinforced plastic) 5. Leg 6. Leg 7. Foam panel 8. Aluminium outer skin 9. Decorative panel 10. Foam 11. Weatherstrip profiled rail (PVC) 12. Leg 13. Leg 13' 14. Web 15. PU adhering joint 16. Reinforcing strip (PU high-resistance foam 300 400 kg/m3) 17. Heated cartridge gun 18. Cartridge together with sealing compound 19. Compressed air 20. Sealing compound 21. Heating coil 22. Tip 23.

24. Joint-filling profiled rail (aluminium) 25. Preliminary rail 26. Leg 27. Leg 28. Nozzle 29. Spray nozzle 30. Weatherstrip profiled rail having a "rain channel" (PVC) 31. Leg 31' 32. Leg 33.

34. Edge strip 35. Supporting profiled rail 36. Arrow direction 37. Arrow direction 38. Leg 39. Leg 12 - Patent clalms Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles, in particular on caravans and mobile homes, essentially comprising a first connecting and sealing adhering joint (15) in the open butt joint, which adhering joint (15) connects together two vehicle parts (1, 2) which are to be connected to each other and sealed with respect to each other, and comprising a profiled rail (11, 24, 30, 34) having at least two legs (12, 13; 26, 27; 31, 32; 38, 39), which profiled rail essentially covers over the adhering joint (15) to the outside, characterized in that an additional sealing compound (20) is placed in the clearance between the legs (12, 13; 26, 27; 31, 32; 38, 39) of the profiled rail (11, 24, 31, 34) and the respective outer skin of the composite panel (1, 2; 2, 2).
2. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to Claim 1, characterized in that the additional sealing compound (20) is permanently adhesive and does not set at its surface or form a skin, is permanently elastic and does not subsequently cross-link, and has a low cold flow.
3. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the additional sealing compound (20) can be processed at a temperature of approximately 1400C - 1600C.
4. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the additional sealing compound (20) has a 3 volumetric weight of approximately 1.3 kg/dm
5. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the profiled rail (11, 24, 30) is secured in the adhering joint (15) via a web (14).
6. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a supporting profiled rail (35) is inserted between the profiled rail (34) and the additional sealing compound (20), the said supporting profiled rail having an essentially unprofiled surface, at least on the side of the additional sealing compound (20).
7. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to Claim 6, characterized in that the supporting profiled rail (35) is latched into the legs (38, 39) of the profiled rail (34) via latching arrangements.
8. Sealing of open butt joints on vehicles according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the additional sealing compound (20) is placed under the legs (12, 13; 26, 27; 31, 32; 38, 39) of the profiled rail (11, 24, 3001 34) by means of a heatable cartridge gun (17).