JP2008006972A - Weather strip - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a weather strip capable of improving appearance quality while maintaining a sealing performance of a hollow sealing part. <P>SOLUTION: A weather strip 4 is mounted to a door opening peripheral edge for an automobile door. The weather strip 4 is provided with a trim part 5, and a hollow sealing part 6. A hair plantation part 29 is formed in the sealing part 6 by firmly fixing a multiple number of piles 29a via an adhesive layer 28. Curved piles 29a are used, and their plantation directions are random. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a weather strip.

  Generally, a weather strip is provided on the peripheral edge of a door of a vehicle such as an automobile or the peripheral edge of the door opening. As an example of a weather strip, for example, a trim portion having a substantially U-shaped cross-section that is fitted into a flange of a door periphery or a door opening periphery, and a hollow seal portion provided so as to protrude from the trim portion are provided. Things are known. When the door is closed, the seal between the door and the body is sealed by pressing the seal portion against the door opening periphery or the door periphery.

In recent years, the outer surface of the weather strip, that is, the appearance quality similar to that of the interior fabric or the like is also required at the portion visible in the weather strip mounting state such as the design surface and the sealing surface. Some are attached to improve the design (for example, see Patent Document 1). However, when the fabric is affixed to the weatherstrip, the seal is usually not applied to the outer surface of the seal portion in order to prevent the fabric from interfering with the deformation of the seal portion when the door is closed. This prevents the outer surface of the part from being bonded to the fabric.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-104343

  However, if the outer surface of the seal portion and the fabric are not bonded, when the weather strip is attached to the door opening periphery, the fabric does not follow the deformation of the seal portion at the corner portion, and the fabric is wrinkled. May occur.

  On the other hand, if the outer surface of the seal portion and the fabric are bonded, the seal portion is difficult to deform, and there is a concern about a decrease in sealing performance.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a weather strip that can improve the appearance quality while maintaining the sealing performance of the hollow seal portion. There is to do.

  In the following, each means suitable for solving the above problem will be described in terms of items. In addition, the effect etc. peculiar to the means to respond | correspond as needed are added.

Means 1. In a weather strip having a hollow seal portion attached to the peripheral edge of a vehicle door or the peripheral edge of a door opening and pressed against the peripheral edge of the door opening or the door when the door is closed,
A weather strip, wherein a flocked portion made of a plurality of piles is formed at least on the outer surface of the seal portion.

  According to the means 1, by forming the flocked portion on the outer surface of the seal portion, a fabric-like appearance can be obtained, and high design properties can be obtained with respect to the seal portion. In addition, unlike the case where an actual fabric is pasted, wrinkles are not generated in the corner portion or the like when the weather strip is attached, so that deterioration in appearance quality is suppressed. Furthermore, since the seal portion can be deformed without difficulty when the door is closed or the like, deterioration of the sealing performance is also suppressed. As a result, it is possible to improve the appearance quality while maintaining the sealing performance of the seal portion. The “outer surface of the seal portion” means a portion of the seal portion surface that is visible in the weather strip mounting state, and a portion or interior facing the trim portion that is the mounting base. This means that it does not include a part that is not visually recognized, such as a part that is covered with a product. Of course, even if a flocked portion is formed in the part that is not visually recognized, no problem is caused, and in order to improve the design, a flocked part is formed at least in a visible part (outer surface) of the seal part. Just do it.

  Mean 2. The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein the pile is curved.

  If a straight pile is planted perpendicularly to the surface of the seal, the surface of the seal will be the base even if the colored pile is planted densely, as well as an inexpensive transparent pile. May be seen and the appearance may deteriorate. In addition, since the rubber material generally used as the material of the weather strip contains carbon black as a reinforcing material, it is difficult to color the rubber material in a desired color, and the above-mentioned problem is more remarkable. May appear. Accordingly, the texture of the straight pile varies depending on the viewing angle, and it is extremely difficult to obtain a fabric-like appearance.

  On the other hand, when a curved (curved) pile is implanted, the piles are entangled with each other or the pile lies on the surface of the seal part, so that the concealing effect on the surface of the seal part is enhanced and closer to the fabric You can get a texture.

  Means 3. The weather strip according to means 1 or 2, wherein the direction of flocking of the plurality of piles is made random.

  According to the means 3, since the flocking direction of each pile with respect to the surface of the seal portion is random, even if the pile is linear, the same effect as the means 2 can be obtained. Alternatively, the effect can be enhanced by a synergistic effect with the means 2. In addition, when forming a hair transplant part on the outer surface of a seal part, after forming an adhesive bond layer on the outer surface of a seal part, it piles up a pile to the said adhesive bond layer (fixes one end of a pile). The “flocking direction” means a direction in which one end of a pile sticks into the adhesive layer, that is, a direction in which a fixed end of the pile faces. For this reason, the piles are intertwined and appear to be fabric-like, and even when the seal portion is deformed, the spaces between the piles are stretched and sparse, and the base (base) black is not seen. In addition, when the pile is straight and electrostatic flocking, each pile is flocked upright and does not look like a fabric, and when the seal portion is deformed, the piles are stretched and loosened. There is a risk of seeing the black color of the substrate. In addition, examples of the method for flocking a plurality of piles in a random direction include a method of filing piles using a pressure spray gun or an electrostatic spray gun.

  Means 4. 4. The weather strip according to any one of means 1 to 3, wherein the pile is colored.

  According to the above means 4, by using a colored pile, for example, it is possible to bring out a hue close to that of a fabric matched to an interior interior product or the like, and it is possible to improve the appearance quality. Furthermore, even when the seal portion is black due to, for example, carbon black, the black color can be hidden. In addition, when combined with the above means 2 or 3, or when the adhesive layer to which the pile is bonded is colored, the effect is further enhanced by a synergistic effect.

  Means 5. 5. The weather strip according to any one of means 1 to 4, wherein the adhesive for bonding the pile has a stretchability (elongation rate) of 100% or more after curing.

  According to the said means 5, since there exists a softness | flexibility, it can follow a deformation | transformation of a seal part and can suppress the fall of a sealing performance. The “elongation after curing” refers to the elongation at room temperature when the adhesive is formed into a film, which will be described in detail later.

  Means 6. The weather strip according to any one of means 1 to 5, wherein the adhesive for bonding the pile is an aqueous urethane resin adhesive.

  According to the means 6, the pile can be more firmly fixed to the weather strip made of the rubber material. Furthermore, since volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as formaldehyde are not released, it is environmentally friendly.

  Means 7. The weather strip according to means 6, wherein the urethane resin adhesive contains a carbodiimide curing agent or an epoxy curing agent.

  According to the means 7, the wear resistance can be improved.

  Means 8. The weather strip according to any one of means 1 to 7, wherein the seal portion is made of a sponge elastic material.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a door 2 is provided on the side of an automobile 1 as a vehicle so as to be openable and closable, and a weather strip 4 is attached to the periphery of a door opening 3 on the body side corresponding to the door 2. The weather strip 4 of the present embodiment is formed mainly by an extrusion method, and has an annular shape as a whole.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the weather strip 4 includes a trim portion 5 and a seal portion 6. The trim portion 5 includes a connecting portion 13 that connects the vehicle inner side wall portion 11, the vehicle outer side wall portion 12, and both side walls 11, 12, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section as a whole. The trim portion 5 is made of EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer) solid rubber, and a metal insert 14 is embedded therein. As described above, in this embodiment, EPDM rubber is adopted as the rubber material constituting the weather strip 4. This EPDM rubber contains carbon black as a reinforcing material, and its base color is black.

  A plurality of holding lip portions 15 extending toward the inner side (vehicle inner side) of the trim portion 5 are integrally formed on the inner surface (vehicle inner side surface) of the vehicle outer side wall portion 12, and the inner surface (vehicle outer surface) of the vehicle inner side wall portion 11 is integrally formed. A holding lip portion 16 that extends toward the inner side (vehicle outer side) of the trim portion 5 is integrally formed.

  Further, a flange 23 is formed on the periphery of the door opening 3 by joining the inner panel 21 and the outer panel 22 of the body. By fitting the trim portion 5 into the flange 23, the weather strip 4 is It is held at the periphery of the door opening 3.

  On the other hand, the seal portion 6 is provided so as to protrude to the vehicle outer side of the vehicle outer side wall portion 12, and is formed in a hollow shape by EPDM sponge rubber as a sponge elastic material. When the door 2 is closed, the seal portion 6 is pressed against the periphery of the door 2 to seal between the door 2 and the body of the automobile 1. A lip portion 18 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the door opening 3 of the seal portion 6 so as to cover the end portion of the interior product 25 such as garnish.

  When the weather strip 4 is attached, the outer surface of the seal portion 6 in the range from the root portion of the seal portion 6 on the outer periphery side of the door opening 3 to the tip portion of the lip portion 18 is a portion that is visible when the door 2 is opened. Become. Therefore, a flocked portion 29 is formed in the predetermined range D including the outer surface of the seal portion 6 through the adhesive layer 28 as can be seen from the partially enlarged sectional view of FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a water-based urethane resin adhesive is used as the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 28. The adhesive is opaque and beige colored by mixing a colorant. Of course, the color type to be colored on the adhesive layer 28 is not limited to beige color, and may be any color according to the interior product 25 as long as it is a color type other than black based on carbon black (for example, Red, blue, gray (gray), brown (dark brown), etc.). In addition, when the interior goods 25 are black type | system | groups, in order to match the color and glossiness with the black of the interior goods 25, you may adjust by adding a black pigment.

  Here, Table 1 shows the evaluation results of various adhesives that were used in selecting a water-based urethane resin adhesive as the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 28. In Table 1, the evaluation result of the styrene-modified acrylic resin adhesive, acrylic copolymer resin adhesive, urethane resin adhesive, and an adhesive obtained by adding a carbodiimide curing agent or an epoxy curing agent to the urethane resin is shown. .

なお、シール部６に塗布される接着剤は、少なくともシール部６の変形に追従できるものであるとともに、耐久性に優れ、なおかつ環境に配慮したものでなければならない。そのため、今回は各種接着剤に関して（１）接着剤の伸び性、（２）接着剤の塗布されたシール部６の耐磨耗性、（３）環境対応性について検証した。

Note that the adhesive applied to the seal portion 6 must be capable of following at least the deformation of the seal portion 6, excellent in durability, and environmentally friendly. Therefore, this time, various adhesives were examined for (1) the elongation of the adhesive, (2) the wear resistance of the seal portion 6 to which the adhesive was applied, and (3) the environmental compatibility.

  In verification of extensibility, in accordance with JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) test method (JIS K6251), the adhesive is made into a film and punched into a dumbbell shape, and a tensile test is performed with the dumbbell-shaped test piece. The growth rate was verified. In addition, in the verification of the wear resistance, a predetermined wear test in which the surface of the seal portion 6 is rubbed with each adhesive applied to the seal portion 6 was performed, and the degree of wear was verified. In the verification of environmental compatibility, the presence or absence of generation of volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as formaldehyde was verified.

  As can be seen from the evaluation results in Table 1, the styrene-modified acrylic resin adhesive has an elongation of 50% or less, and is generally used for hard parts, so it is suitable for use in the seal portion 6. Not. If this is used for the seal portion 6, the surface of the seal portion 6 becomes hard, so that it is difficult to properly deform the seal portion 6, and the sealing performance may be lowered. On the other hand, other adhesives have an elongation rate of 100% or more, and such a problem hardly occurs.

  Moreover, regarding the wear resistance, the styrene-modified acrylic resin adhesive and the acrylic copolymer resin adhesive had a high degree of wear and did not satisfy a predetermined standard, and thus were evaluated as defective (x). On the other hand, all of the urethane resin adhesives satisfied the standard and were evaluated as good (◯). Especially, what added the carbodiimide hardening | curing agent or the epoxy hardening | curing agent had the small abrasion degree, and obtained the best ((double-circle)) evaluation result.

  Moreover, since the acrylic copolymer resin adhesive generates formaldehyde, the evaluation of environmental compatibility is poor (x). On the other hand, since the other adhesives are all water-based, no volatile organic compound was generated, and a good (◯) evaluation result was obtained.

  Judging comprehensively from the above results, a water-based urethane resin adhesive was selected as an adhesive suitable for the seal portion 6. Among these, in consideration of wear resistance, a carbodiimide curing agent or an epoxy curing agent added is suitable.

  Next, the flocked portion 29 will be described in detail. The flocked portion 29 in the present embodiment is formed by spraying a large number of piles 29a on the adhesive layer 28 using a pressurized spray gun (pressurized flocking). Accordingly, one end of each pile 29a is fixed to the adhesive layer 28, and the angle (flocking direction) with respect to the surface of the seal portion 6 is in a random (random) state. As each pile 29a, for example, a polyamide fiber having a length of about 1.0 mm and a thickness of 3.3 T (decitex) and a crimped bending type is used. Further, the pile 29a is colored in the same color as the adhesive layer 28. Needless to say, the color is not limited to beige, and any color that matches the interior product 25 may be used in the same manner as the adhesive layer 28. With the above configuration, among the multiple piles 29a constituting the hair transplanted portion 29, there are some piles that are entangled with each other or are planted obliquely with respect to the surface of the seal portion 6, so the hair transplanted portion 29 is closer to the fabric. It has a texture (fabric-like).

  Next, a method for manufacturing the weather strip 4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a part of a production line for the weather strip 4, in which the weather strip 4 is produced while proceeding from the left to the right.

  First, in the extrusion molding process, the insert 14 is continuously supplied to the rubber extruder 31 together with the EPDM unvulcanized rubber. And the intermediate molded body 32 used as the weather strip 4 is extrusion-molded from the die | dye of the rubber extruder 31 in the state in which the insert 14 was coat | covered with the EPDM unvulcanized rubber. At this stage, the insert 14 corresponding to the trim portion 5 is extruded in a substantially flat plate shape with the portion embedded therein being opened.

  In the subsequent vulcanization step, the extruded intermediate molded body 32 is guided to a high frequency vulcanization tank (UHF) 33 and subjected to primary vulcanization. Then, it guides to a hot air vulcanization tank (HAV) 34, secondary vulcanization is performed, and vulcanization is completed.

  In the subsequent surface treatment step, the surface treatment device 37 subjects the intermediate molded body 32 to a surface treatment so that an adhesive layer 28 described later can be easily formed. Examples of the surface treatment include plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment, and primer treatment such as primer application.

  Thereafter, in the adhesive application step, the adhesive is applied to the surface of the intermediate molded body 32 by the adhesive application device 38 to form the adhesive layer 28.

  In the subsequent flocking process, first, in the flocking device 39, a large number of piles 29a are sprayed onto the site to which the adhesive has been applied using a pressure spray gun. The pressurized spray gun is capable of conveying the pile 29a to the inside of the coating booth with a predetermined air pressure, and spraying the pile 29a from the outlet to the site where the adhesive is applied with a predetermined air pressure. At this time, the sprayed pile 29a is implanted in the adhesive layer 28 in various directions. Then, after the adhesive is heated and cured in the dryer 40 and the pile 29a is fixed so that it cannot be removed, the excess pile 29a is blown off in the blower 41. The flocked portion 29 is completed through these steps.

  The intermediate molded body 32 that has undergone the flocking process is bent by a bending machine 42 to form a trim portion 5 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Then, the weather strip 4 is obtained by cutting into a predetermined size by the cutter 43.

  The bending by the bending machine 42 may be performed after the vulcanization process and before the adhesive application process. In this case, the flocked surface can be prevented from being damaged by the roller of the bending machine 42. Furthermore, the insert 14 may be preformed into a letter C shape and supplied to the rubber extruder 31 for ease of bending and rubber coating.

  Moreover, although the said manufacturing method showed what was manufactured with a continuous line, once the long body of the vulcanized weather strip was manufactured, the flocking was carried out with respect to the long body with another line. You may manufacture as it gives.

  As described above in detail, by forming the flocked portion 29 on the outer surface of the seal portion 6, a fabric-like appearance can be obtained, and high design properties can be obtained for the seal portion 6. In addition, unlike the case where an actual fabric is pasted, wrinkles are not generated at the corners or the like when the weather strip 4 is attached, so that deterioration in appearance quality is suppressed. Furthermore, since the seal portion 6 can be deformed without difficulty when the door 2 is closed or the like, a decrease in sealing performance is also suppressed. As a result, it is possible to improve the appearance quality while maintaining the sealing performance of the seal portion 6.

  In the present embodiment, a water-based urethane resin adhesive having an elongation after curing of 100% or more is employed as the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 28. For this reason, it is possible to follow the deformation of the seal portion 6 associated with the opening and closing of the door 2 and to suppress a decrease in sealing performance, and the implanted pile 29a does not lose hair.

  In addition, a bending type pile is adopted as the pile 29a that constitutes the flocked portion 29, and the flocking direction of each pile 29a with respect to the surface of the seal portion 6 is random. Compared to the case where the hair is vertically implanted, the surface concealing effect on the surface of the seal portion 6 can be enhanced and a texture closer to the fabric can be obtained.

  Furthermore, since the adhesive layer 28 and the pile 29a are colored, it is possible to obtain a color close to that of the fabric and to hide the base color (black) of the seal portion 6 based on carbon black.

  In addition, it is not limited to the description content of the said embodiment, For example, you may implement as follows. Of course, other application examples and modification examples not illustrated below are also possible.

  (A) In the above embodiment, the weather strip 4 provided at the periphery of the door opening 3 on the body side corresponding to the (side front) door 2 is embodied, but the periphery of the door 2 or the rear door, back door It is also possible to apply to weather strips provided on the peripheral edge of other doors such as luggage doors (trunk lids) and roof doors (sliding roof panels) or on the opening peripheral edges of the doors facing the doors.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the weather strip 4 is attached over the perimeter of the door opening 3 periphery, it may not necessarily be a perimeter, for example, the weather strip attached partially may be sufficient. Moreover, you may equip partly with the shaping | molding part.

  (B) In the above embodiment, EPDM is exemplified as a material constituting the weather strip 4, but other rubber materials such as IR (isoprene rubber) and CR (chloroprene rubber) may be used. Further, instead of sponge rubber, the seal portion 6 may be formed of solid rubber.

  (C) In the above embodiment, a water-based urethane resin adhesive is used as the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 28, but acrylic, vinyl acetate, EVA, PVA, epoxy, and vinyl chloride are used. Other adhesives such as silicone-based and phenol-based adhesives may also be used. However, it is preferable that the adhesive has an elongation of 100% or more in consideration of followability to deformation of the seal portion 6 and does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOC) in consideration of the environment. . Further, the color of the adhesive is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, a transparent (colorless) color may be adopted.

  (D) In the above embodiment, as the pile 29a constituting the flocked portion 29, a polyamide fiber having a length of about 1.0 mm and a thickness of 3.3 T and a crimped bending type is adopted. However, the configuration of the pile 29a is not limited to this. For example, a pile made of polyethylene or the like may be employed, or a linear pile may be employed. Of course, the length, color, and the like of the pile are not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, a transparent (colorless) pile may be employed. The bending type pile is also called a curl type pile. The upper limit of the length of the pile is about 3.0 mm, and if the length is longer than that, the piles are entangled with each other first and the nozzles are clogged, and pressure spray coating cannot be performed. Furthermore, when using an electrostatic spraying gun, which will be described later, piles are easily entangled under the influence of static electricity, so that only piles having a length of about 0.6 to 0.8 mm can be used.

  (E) In the above embodiment, the flocked portion 29 is formed by spraying a large number of piles 29a on the adhesive layer 28 using a pressure spray gun (pressure flocking). It is not limited, and other hair transplantation methods such as using an electrostatic spray gun may be used.

  (F) The range in which the flocked portion 29 is formed is not limited to the range D in the above embodiment, and may be formed at least on the outer surface of the seal portion 6. Moreover, when the trim part 5 grade | etc., Becomes the design surface which appears in an external appearance, you may give a flock to the said design surface.

It is a perspective view which shows a motor vehicle. It is sectional drawing which shows the weather strip in one Embodiment. It is a partial expanded sectional view for demonstrating an adhesive bond layer and a flocked part. It is a schematic diagram which shows a part of production line of a weather strip.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automobile, 2 ... Door, 3 ... Door opening, 4 ... Weather strip, 5 ... Trim part, 6 ... Seal part, 28 ... Adhesive layer, 29 ... Flocking part, 29a ... Pile.

Claims (8)

In a weather strip having a hollow seal portion attached to the peripheral edge of a vehicle door or the peripheral edge of a door opening and pressed against the peripheral edge of the door opening or the door when the door is closed,
A weather strip, wherein a flocked portion made of a plurality of piles is formed at least on the outer surface of the seal portion.   The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein the pile is curved.   The weather strip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a direction of flocking the plurality of piles is random.   The weather strip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pile is colored.   The weatherstrip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the adhesive that bonds the pile has an elongation after curing of 100% or more.   6. The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive for bonding the pile is a water-based urethane resin adhesive.   The weather strip according to claim 6, wherein the urethane resin adhesive contains a carbodiimide curing agent or an epoxy curing agent. The weather strip according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the seal portion is formed of a sponge elastic material.

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