JP2015024749A - Wiper rubber and method of producing wirer rubber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper rubber improved in wiping properties.SOLUTION: A method of producing a wiper rubber including a long holding part 10 and a wiper part 20 extending in the longitudinal direction of the holding part 10 includes a step of obtaining a primary molding 1a formed by butting together tip surfaces 29 of wiper parts of two wiper rubbers and molding integrally and a step of applying a grease to the side surface 28 of a part where the tip surfaces 29 of the wiper parts of the wiper rubbers are butted together in the primary molding 1a and separating the wiper rubbers in the part where the tip surfaces 29 of the wiper parts are butted together.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper rubber and a method for manufacturing a wiper rubber.

2. Description of the Related Art Wiper devices are widely used as devices for wiping raindrops and the like attached to windows in transportation equipment such as automobiles, trains, ships, ships, and airplanes. The wiper device includes a wiper arm connected to the driving means, and a wiper blade attached to the wiper arm.
The wiper blade includes a rubber wiper rubber that contacts the window, and a metal or resin wiper frame that fixes the wiper rubber and is attached to the wiper arm.
The wiper rubber includes a holding unit that is held by the wiper frame, and a wiping unit that is provided on the holding unit and that wipes an object such as a window. In general, the wiping portion includes a lip portion that gradually decreases toward the tip, and a neck portion that connects the lip portion and the holding portion.

In order to achieve the function of the wiper device, the wiper rubber is required to have a wiping property to wipe off raindrops and the like well.
In response to such a requirement, for example, at least the wiping portion of the lip portion is made of a first material made of either a rubber elastic body or a silicone rubber, and a fluorosilicone rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer, or a mixture thereof. A base material layer composed of a second material, a surface layer composed of any one of silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber or a mixture thereof, and provided between the base material layer and the surface layer. There has been proposed a wiper blade rubber having an intermediate layer composed of any one of silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber or a mixture thereof and a solid lubricant (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3861646

However, the wiper rubber is required to further improve wiping properties.
Then, this invention aims at the wiper rubber whose wiping property was improved more.

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that the wiping property can be further improved by increasing the smoothness of the tip surface of the wiping portion, and the present invention has been achieved.

  The wiper rubber manufacturing method of the present invention is a wiper rubber manufacturing method comprising a long holding part and a wiping part extending in the longitudinal direction of the holding part, and the two wiper rubbers are located between the tip surfaces of the wiping part. A step of obtaining a primary molded body that is abutted and integrally molded, and a grease is applied to a side surface of the primary molded body where the front end surfaces of the wiping portions are abutted, and then the front end surface of the wiping portion And a step of separating the two wiper rubbers at a portion where the two are abutted with each other.

  The wiper rubber of the present invention is obtained by the above-described method for producing a wiper rubber of the present invention. It is preferable that fats and oils adhere to the side surface of the tip portion of the wiping portion.

  According to the method for manufacturing a wiper rubber of the present invention, a wiper rubber with higher wiping property can be obtained.

It is sectional drawing of the wiper rubber concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the primary molded object explaining the manufacturing method of the wiper rubber of this invention. It is III-III sectional drawing of FIG. 2 is an electron micrograph of the wiper rubber of Example 1. FIG. 3 is an electron micrograph of a wiper rubber of Comparative Example 1.

(Wiper rubber)
A wiper rubber according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the wiper rubber 1 cut along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The wiper rubber 1 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to a wiper device of a transportation device such as an automobile.

The wiper rubber 1 includes a long holding part 10 held by a wiper arm (not shown) and a wiping part 20 extending in the longitudinal direction of the holding part 10.
The holding part 10 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and a concave line 12 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on a side surface of the holding part 10. The wiper rubber 1 is held by the wiper frame by fitting the recess 12 with the wiper frame.

The wiping unit 20 protrudes from the holding unit 10 and wipes an object such as a window of a transport device. The lip unit 24 contacts the object, and the neck unit connects the lip unit 24 to the holding unit 10. 22.
The neck portion 22 is a plate-like member that extends in the longitudinal direction of the holding portion 10 and protrudes from the holding portion 10.
The lip portion 24 includes a plate-like member 25, a base 26, and a tip portion 27. The plate-like member 25 is provided at the tip of the neck portion 22 and has a plate shape wider than the neck portion 22. On the opposite side of the neck portion 22 in the plate-like member 25, a base 26 that is reduced in width as the distance from the plate-like member 25 is provided. Is protruding.
The distal end portion 27 is a flat plate-like member, and has a substantially rectangular shape with the protruding direction as a longitudinal direction when viewed in cross section. The covering layer 4 is formed on both side surfaces of the front end portion 27 in the width direction. The covering layer 4 slides on the object and wipes the object when the wiper device is operated.
The holding portion 10 and the portion of the wiping portion 20 excluding the coating layer 4 are an integrally formed base 2. The coating layer 4 is not formed on the distal end surface 29 of the distal end portion 27, and the base body 2 is exposed. The tip surface 29 is a flat surface.

The material of the substrate 2 may be any material conventionally used for a wiper rubber substrate. For example, rubber substrates such as silicone rubber, natural rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene / propylene / conjugated diene copolymer rubber are mainly used. Examples thereof include a rubber material contained as a component. Among these, ethylene / propylene / conjugated diene copolymer rubber, silicone rubber, because the coating layer 4 can be easily formed, has excellent light resistance and chemical stability, and does not easily cause discoloration or breakage (cracking, etc.). Is preferable, and silicone rubber is more preferable in that it is more excellent in wiping property. These rubber materials may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type. The rubber material is generally crosslinked with a vulcanizing agent.
For example, examples of the silicone rubber include dialkyl silicone rubber, alkyl vinyl silicone rubber, alkylphenyl silicone rubber, alkylphenyl vinyl silicone rubber, and fluorosilicone rubber. The alkyl group in these silicone rubbers is preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and examples thereof include a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, and a butyl group. These silicone rubbers may be used alone or in a combination of two or more.

  The rubber material constituting the base 2 may contain various additives (sometimes referred to as base additives). Examples of the additive for the substrate include platinum catalysts; vulcanizing agents such as poly (alkyl vinyl siloxane) and poly (alkyl hydrogen siloxane); condensed azo, isoindolinone, quinacridone, diketopyrrolopyrrole, anthraquinone, dioxazine, Organic pigments such as copper phthalocyanine and allylamide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, iron oxide (red bengara, black bengara), ultramarine, cobalt blue, carbon, inorganic pigments such as bismuth vanadate, azo, chromium complex, cobalt complex, anthra Colorants such as dyes such as quinone and phthalocyanine; fillers such as silica, calcium carbonate, talc, mica, graphite, carbon black, boron nitride; dispersants; foaming agents; anti-aging agents; antioxidants; Examples include plasticizers; flame retardants; mold release agents and the like.

The hardness of the rubber material constituting the substrate 2 is preferably 50 to 90 °, more preferably 55 to 70 °, according to JIS K 6253 A type durometer.
The hardness of the rubber material is adjusted by the type of rubber base material, the type and amount of vulcanizing agent, the type and amount of additive, and the like.

The material of the covering layer 4 is appropriately determined in consideration of the material of the base 2 and the function required for the covering layer 4.
When the material of the base 2 is mainly composed of silicone rubber, examples of the material of the covering layer 4 include those containing a silicone polymer, silicone oil, and a lubricant. With such a material, the wiping property, the slidability and the durability of the coating layer 4 are enhanced, and the adhesion of the coating layer 4 to the base 2 is enhanced.

  Examples of the silicone polymer include a silicone resin having a three-dimensional network structure mainly composed of a trifunctional siloxane unit (T unit) or a tetrafunctional siloxane unit (Q unit). Examples of the silicone resin include dialkyl silicone resins, alkyl vinyl silicone resins, alkylphenyl silicone resins, alkylphenyl vinyl silicone resins, and fluorosilicone resins. The alkyl group in the structural unit of these silicone resins is preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. As the silicone resin, dimethyl silicone resin, methyl vinyl silicone resin, methyl phenyl silicone resin, methyl phenyl vinyl silicone resin, diethyl silicone resin, ethyl vinyl silicone resin, ethyl phenyl silicone resin, and ethyl phenyl vinyl silicone resin are suitable. These silicone resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  As the lubricant, conventionally known ones are used, for example, fluorine resin such as spherical silica, porous spherical silica, mica, tetrafluoroethylene resin, graphite, carbon black, calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, molybdenum disulfide, boron nitride, etc. Is mentioned.

  The coating layer 4 can contain various additives (sometimes referred to as coating layer additives) as necessary. Examples of the coating layer additive include the same additives as those described above for the substrate.

  The thickness T of the coating layer 4 is determined in consideration of the material of the coating layer 4 and the like, and is appropriately determined in the range of 3 to 50 μm, for example.

It is preferable that oils and fats adhere to the side surface 28 of the tip portion 27. By attaching the fats and oils to the side surface 28, a water repellent film can be formed on the object and water repellency can be imparted to the object.
Examples of the fats and oils include silicone oil, spindle oil, castor oil, olive oil, refined mineral oil, liquid paraffin, and the like, among which silicone oil is preferable.
Examples of silicone oils include fluoroalkyl-modified silicone oils, long-chain alkyl-modified silicone oils, phenyl-modified silicone oils, polyether-modified silicone oils, higher fatty acid ester-modified silicone oils, among others, fluoroalkyl-modified silicone oils, long-chains Alkyl-modified silicone oil is preferable, and fluoroalkyl-modified silicone oil is more preferable. If these silicone oils are used, it is easy to impart good water repellency to the object. For example, when silicone oil is transferred to a windshield or the like, the windshield or the like becomes easy to repel water, and the visibility during driving is improved.

Examples of the fluoroalkyl-modified silicone oil include FL-5 (trade name, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.).
Examples of the long chain alkyl-modified silicone oil include KF412 (trade name, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.).

  The amount of oil and fat attached to the side surface 28 is determined in consideration of the type of oil and fat.

(Production method)
The method for producing a wiper rubber of the present invention includes a step of obtaining a primary molded body obtained by integrally molding two wiper rubbers (molding step), a step of cutting the primary molded body to obtain two wiper rubbers (cutting step), and Is provided.

The molding step is a step of obtaining a primary molded body.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the primary molded body 1 a is formed by integrally molding two wiper rubbers 1 with each other at the front end surfaces 29 of the wiping unit 20. That is, the primary molded body 1a is connected by the front end surface 29 so that the two wiper rubbers 1 face each other.
First, a rubber material constituting the substrate 2 is molded by extrusion molding or the like to obtain a molded body 2a. This molded body 2a is formed by integrally molding two base bodies 2 connected at the front end surfaces 29.
Next, the coating layer 4 is formed on the side surface of the tip portion 27 in the molded body 2a. The method for forming the coating layer 4 is appropriately selected according to the material of the coating layer 4 and the like. For example, when forming the coating layer 4 with a silicone polymer, silicone oil and a lubricant, a coating layer composition in which each raw material is dispersed in a dispersion medium such as an organic solvent is prepared, and this coating layer composition is molded. The method of apply | coating to the side surface of the front-end | tip part 27 in the body 2a, and hardening | curing a coating layer composition is mentioned.
As a method of hardening a coating layer composition, it determines suitably according to the component of a coating layer composition, etc., for example, the method of heating and hardening, etc. are mentioned.

The cutting step is a step of obtaining two wiper rubbers 1 by cutting along the center line L (see FIG. 2) at the position of the tip surface 29 in the primary molded body 1a.
First, oil is applied to the side surface of the portion where the end surfaces 29 are abutted, that is, the region including the center line L on the side surface 28 (oil application operation).
The oil to be applied is the same as the oil to be attached to the side surface 28. In particular, if the oil or fat is silicone oil, the tip surface 29 can be made smoother and the wiping property of the wiper rubber 1 can be further improved.
The amount of oil applied to the side surface 28 is appropriately determined in consideration of the type of oil and the like.

  After applying oil and fat to the side surface 28, the primary molded body 1a is moved in the X direction (see FIG. 2), and the leading surface 9 is pressed against the cutting blade. Further, the primary molded body 1a is moved in the X direction, the primary molded body 1a is cut along the center line L, and the two wiper rubbers 1 are separated. At this time, since the oil and fat are attached to the side surface 28, the cutting blade smoothly moves relative to the primary molded body 1a, and the cut surface (that is, the tip surface 29) becomes smooth.

  The cutting blade is not particularly limited, and may be a fixed blade or a rotary blade, and a fixed blade is preferable. If it is a fixed blade, the distortion of a cut surface can be reduced more.

  The wiper rubber 1 thus obtained has a smoother tip surface 29 than the conventional wiper rubber, and the wiping property can be further improved.

  In addition, after the cutting step, the oil / fat applied to the side surface 28 may be removed or may not be removed, and is preferably not removed. Water and repellency can be imparted to the object by the fact that the oils and fats adhere to the side surface 28.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the coating layer 4 is formed only on the side surface 28 of the distal end portion 27, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a coating layer may be formed on the side surface 28 and the tip surface 29 of the tip portion 27, a coating layer may be formed on the entire surface of the wiping unit 20, or a coating layer may be formed on the entire surface of the substrate 2. It may be formed or the coating layer may not be formed. However, from the viewpoint of improving slidability, the coating layer is preferably formed on at least the side surface of the tip portion 27.

  In the above-described embodiment, for example, a wiper rubber used for a wiper device of a transportation device has been described as an example. It may be used for draining wipers. In this case, examples of the material of the object include glass, plastic, ceramics, and concrete.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lip portion 24 includes the plate-like member 25, the base 26, and the tip portion 27. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the lip portion 24 is the plate-like member 25. May not be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the distal end portion 27 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape in cross-sectional view. It may be a pentagon or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cutting step is performed by pressing the primary molded body 1a against the cutting blade to separate the two wiper rubbers 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the primary molded body 1a is cut into the cutting blade. The two wiper rubbers 1 may be separated by pressing. However, from the viewpoint of making the cut surface smoother and smoother, it is preferable that in the cutting step, the two wiper rubbers 1 are separated by pressing the primary molded body 1a against the cutting blade.

(Oil used)
-FL-5 (trade name), fluoroalkyl-modified silicone oil, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. In the table, described as “FL-5”.
-KF412 (trade name), long chain alkyl-modified silicone oil, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. In the table, described as “KF412”.
* KF96-1000cs (trade name), dimethyl-modified silicone oil, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. In the table, described as “KF96-1000cs”.
-KF50 (trade name), phenyl-modified silicone oil, phenyl group content = 15 mol%, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. In the table, described as “KF50”.
-KF54 (trade name), phenyl-modified silicone oil, phenyl group content = 30 to 35 mol%, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. In the table, described as “KF54”.
・ New Pole PP-400 (trade name), polypropylene glycol, manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd. In the table, described as “PP-400”.
・ High call E-7 (trade name), liquid paraffin, manufactured by Kaneda Corporation. In the table, described as “E-7”.

(Examples 1-7)
According to the following specifications, a primary molded body similar to the primary molded body 1a in FIG. 2 was obtained. The fats and oils shown in Table 1 were applied to a region including the center line L on the side surface of the tip portion of the obtained primary molded body. The amount of oil applied was 1.5 g on each side. Next, the two wiper rubbers were separated by pressing the primary molded body against the cutting blade. The wiper rubber for automobiles obtained was evaluated for wiping property and water repellency, and the results are shown in Table 1. In addition, an electron micrograph (× 150 magnification) of the tip of the wiper rubber of Example 1 is shown in FIG.

<Specifications>
Length: 525mm.
Base material: Silicone rubber.
Covering layer material: Silicone resin in which graphite is dispersed.

(Comparative Example 1)
A wiper rubber was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the oil and fat were not applied. About the obtained wiper rubber, wiping property and water repellency were evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1. In addition, FIG. 5 shows an electron micrograph (× 150) of the tip of the wiper rubber of this example.

(Evaluation method)
<Removability>
The wiper rubber of each example was mounted on a wiper device on the driver side of a small car (March (trade name), manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.). The windshield as a wiping surface was washed with “Strong Oil Film Otoshi” manufactured by PITWORK. Water sprayed over the entire windshield with a spray bottle. The wiper device was activated and the wiper was moved from the lowest position to the highest position and stopped. The amount of water remaining on the windshield was visually observed, and 5 points were given when no water remained in the area where the wiper rubber slid, and was scored in increments of 0.5 according to the following evaluation criteria. If the evaluation score is 3 or more, it can be said that the wiping property is good.
In evaluating the wiping property, the pressing force of the wiper rubber against the windshield was set to 14 g / cm.

≪Evaluation criteria≫
5 points: No wiping left.
4 points: partially wiped off, but not bothered.
3 points: There is a leftover wipe, which is a little worrisome.
2 points: There is much wiping left, and I am worried.
1 point: There is wiping residue on the whole, which is very worrisome.

<Water repellency>
The wiper rubber of each example was mounted on a wiper device on the driver's seat side of a small car. The windshield as a wiping surface was washed with “Strong Oil Film Otoshi” manufactured by PITWORK. The wiper device was stopped 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, and 30 minutes after the wiper device was activated. After stopping the wiper device, water was sprayed on the windshield and the state of water droplets on the windshield was visually observed. The time when water repellency was recognized is shown in the table. For Comparative Example 1, water repellency was not observed even after 30 minutes.

4 is an electron micrograph of the vicinity of the boundary between the tip surface 29 and the side surface 28 of Example 1, and FIG. 5 is a photograph of the vicinity of the boundary between the tip surface 129 and the side surface 128 of Comparative Example 1. It is an electron micrograph.
As shown in FIG. 4, in Example 1 to which the present invention was applied, the tip surface was smooth. On the other hand, the comparative example 1 cut | disconnected without apply | coating fats and oils showed the unevenness | corrugation in the front end surface.
As shown in Table 1, all of Examples 1 to 7 to which the present invention was applied had a wiping property of 3.5 points or more. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, the wiping property was 3 points.
From these results, it was found that by applying the present invention, the tip surface was smoothed and the wiping property was further improved.

  In Examples 1 to 7, good water repellency could be imparted to the windshield. Among them, Example 2 was able to impart water repellency to the windshield in 5 minutes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wiper rubber 1a Primary molded object 10 Holding part 20 Wiping part 28 Side surface 29 Tip surface

Claims (3)

In a method for manufacturing a wiper rubber comprising a long holding part and a wiping part extending in the longitudinal direction of the holding part,
A step of obtaining a primary molded body in which the two wiper rubbers are butted together at the front end surfaces of the wiping portion; and
Applying oil to the side surface of the portion where the tip surfaces of the wiping portion are abutted in the primary molded body, and then separating the two wiper rubbers at the portion where the tip surfaces of the wiping portion are abutted with each other. A method for producing a wiper rubber, comprising:   A wiper rubber obtained by the method for producing a wiper rubber according to claim 1.   The wiper rubber according to claim 2, wherein fats and oils adhere to a side surface of a tip portion of the wiping portion.