KR100255315B1 - Sealing and bonding process to join component together - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sealing and joining method for connecting components to each other, in particular to sealing and / or joining components made of metals such as engine blocks, oil pans, sealing flanges, etc. used in the vehicle and engine industries. It is about a method for making it. The present invention provides at least one groove having at least one filling opening formed in at least one adhesive surface. The two components are joined to each other in the required orientation on their adhesive side, where a seal or binder of fluid is injected into the groove through the filling opening until the groove is completely filled with the seal or binder.

Description

Sealing and bonding method for connecting components to each other

The present invention relates to a sealing and joining method for connecting components to each other, in particular to sealing and / or joining components made of metals such as engine blocks, oil pans, sealing flanges, etc. used in the vehicle and engine industries. It is about a method for making it.

Since bonding and sealing are required in most cases, the two concepts of bonding and sealing described below will be distinguished—if necessary, but not discussed. Sealing bonding also means joining together general components of metal along the adhesive surface by means of a fluid sealant. The sealing action is further increased when the components joined together are joined by other connecting means, such as screws, fastening or frictionally engaging means, welding seams and the like. It is also possible to connect the components by the joining method according to the invention with additional joining means.

It is known to bond metal components on their adhesive side, ie the sealing side. In the automotive industry, for example, different components of an engine are joined to each other by means of a joining seal, by means of a dosage robot, a flow of adhesive is applied to the adhesive side in the form of beads along a predetermined joining path. The pressing is then completed by pressing them towards each other on the adhesive side of the components. Adhesives used in various single and multiple components include binders such as silicone, oxide resin adhesives, molten metal, and the like. Then, the final strength is obtained after the adhesive is completely cured.

However, problems are inherent in the bonding and sealing processes of metal components. Firstly, it takes a certain waiting time to apply an adhesive or sealant in the form of beads before the two components are joined together and then to cure or pre-neutralize. Waiting periods occurring before this transition to the next assembly phase reduce the productivity that can be achieved in the production line. In addition, the pre-assembly of the components, regardless of the joining or sealing, cannot be done because the known joining and sealing process requires free access to the adhesive side.

In addition, since high quality processing components are required in most industries, the surface quality of light metal constructions has been continuously developed. Thus, the aluminum or magnesium surface formed on the individual components connected and sealed to the structure of the vehicle is flat with a surface roughness of RZ <2 μm so that the adhesive and sealant cannot be sufficiently adhered to this surface. Therefore, adhesives used as adhesives and sealants should be used at a surface roughness of at least 5 to 30 μm RZ. The engagement of the ball bearings causes the outer ring to be driven by slaving due to the more rapid expansion of the light metal bore generated by tapping and insufficient adhesion of the adhesive on the metal. In the case of temperature variations, loss of prestress of the screw or large distances between the attachment bores, screw connections with surface seals shall be made to separate the components. Sufficient adhesion of the sealant to the metal joint surface is ensured and a predetermined seal by the surface seal is maintained.

Therefore, the present invention was devised to solve the problems inherent in the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate the waiting time caused by the adhesive before joining the components and to improve the adhesion of the sealant on the adhesive surface. It is to provide a sealing and / or bonding method for coupling the components to each other. In particular, this method allows for the pre-assembly of the components, regardless of their mating or sealing.

The object is easily achieved by the present invention, and the present invention seals and / or bonds the bonding surfaces of two components, wherein a groove having at least one filling opening is formed in at least one of the bonding surfaces. The two components are joined to each other in the required orientation at their adhesive side, and the seal or binder of the fluid is injected into the groove through the filling opening until it is completely filled with the seal or binder in the groove. After the two components are joined to each other the filling opening is provided to communicate between the groove and its periphery.

The method according to the invention provides a number of advantages, according to the invention, the components are firmly joined to each other and the sealant is continuously injected through a filling opening in communication with the groove. According to the prior art, the waiting time that occurs after the sealant beads are applied until the two components are joined together is eliminated by the present invention. Thus, productivity along the production line is increased and components can be preliminarily bonded regardless of the use of seals and binders, thereby providing fluidity to the entire manufacturing process. The limitations of the conventional methods that have existed so far due to the simultaneous time of application and assembly of the adhesive seal as well as the curing time of the bonding and sealant are completely eliminated by the present invention.

As the bonding or sealant is fixed in the groove, better adhesion is achieved. Adhesiveness is further improved by widening the inlet of the groove and having a rougher surface than the remaining adhesive surface except for this groove. The seal nut provided on the adhesive surface according to the present invention may be generally in the shape required. The grooves are formed to have the most different shape and the most different volume.

The groove configuration on the adhesive surface can be appropriately changed depending on the required stress and position. For example, the thickness and / or depth of the grooves can be changed in the path as needed. Preferred groove configurations, ie groove paths, are L-shaped, U-shaped grooves or grooves in the form of round, oval or square closed loops. This groove extends in one plane. The grooves are three-dimensional because they are coated with a predetermined seal and binder upward or downward in the groove branches extending in the plane. While the easy configuration of the sealing grooves is used for various couplings, the above described groove sealing process is well suited for symmetrically rotatable connections.

The groove can be machined on the adhesive side of the component or already formed during casting of the component if a casting element is included. In the case where the groove is processed, the diameter of the groove is the same as the diameter of the milling head used, and the shape of the groove is semi-circular. It is advantageous if the groove has a trapezoidal cross section when the groove is cast, but the pitch of the downwardly converging surface of the trapezoid is preferably 5 to 30%.

The depth of the sealing or engaging groove is preferably 1.0 to 1.5 mm, and is generally determined by the effective width of the adhesive surface. When the adhesive surface is relatively narrow, it is preferable that the groove portion extends to the center, and when the bore is formed on the groove portion, the groove portion preferably extends along the inner circumference of the bore. In addition, in the present embodiment, the ratio of the sealing surfaces is preferably 2: 1. Typical groove widths are 1.0 to 2.5 mm, but may be wider. Thus, the strength of a component with grooves of the size described above is greater than that of a conventional connection identified when combined with a symmetrically rotatable component applied and applied in the form of a bead on the adhesive surface. The groove portion may be formed on one adhesive surface or both adhesive surfaces that are bonded to each other. When the grooves are formed on both sides, the grooves are formed on the bonding surfaces corresponding to each other, so that the two groove portions having the semicircular cross section when the components are joined to each other are formed as one groove portion having a circular cross section. When an opening is provided at the periphery of the groove, which is connected to the groove, the opening simultaneously serves as a vent for allowing air to pass through the groove. Thus, the opening is formed at that size, for example, the opening is a bore extending perpendicular to the groove. In addition, the groove portion communicates with the outer circumferential edge of the contact surface.

The two components are joined to each other by screws, clamps or other connecting means before the seal and / or binder is injected into the groove. In this case the joining seal consists of a single connection, so that other connections, such as clamps or screws, are later removed.

In addition to the filling opening, each of the grooves is preferably provided with a vent which is an opening communicating with the outer periphery. The formation of these two openings facilitates the injection of the sealant through the vents of the grooves, and solves the problem of undesirable air mixing and uneven distribution of the sealant.

Preferably, the sealant is injected into the groove at a predetermined pressure, thereby increasing the adhesion of the sealant adhered to the adhesive surface. The pressure is selected by the flow state of the sealant, which is adjusted according to the sealant injected into the groove. Filling of the grooves is optimized when a regulated pressure is applied to the vent bore.

In order to optimize the flow and hardening of the sealant, the sealant and / or the component to which it is bonded is tempered before the sealant is filled in the groove, and a heating or cooling method is used depending on the desired effect.

It is preferable to fill the nut by injection of a sealant in order to prevent the air which is the cause of the leak phenomenon in the groove portion and bubbles are formed. For most combined opaque components, continuous dose adjustment is not practical, but can be controlled using expensive ultrasound methods. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the filling of the groove portion in which the injection amount is controlled is ensured by monitoring the bubble according to the free filling of the nut.

An injection valve unit equipped with an electrostatic resistance pressure sensor is used to control the injection amount of the sealant. An injection system of this type is known from German Patent No. 31 43 169.0. The nozzle of this injection system may be provided with an external shape according to the shape of the filling opening or the nozzle may be conical so that the nozzle is connected in close contact with the filling opening. The injection system is attached to the Robert arm which activates the filling opening of the component in accordance with a programmed control action and the nozzle is inserted or screwed into the opening. Thus, the present invention can achieve automation of the manufacturing process.

In addition, instead of adjusting the injection amount, the injection amount of the sealant may be determined by the volume. In this case, however, the adjustment of the pure volume is not achieved if air is included. Normally the amount of sealant injected is in the range of 5 to 20 kg.

The filling of the sealant injected into the groove is terminated when the groove is filled by the volume of the sealant equal to the volume of the groove. The filled sealant volume is determined by adjusting the dosage or adjusting the volume.

In addition, the filling in the groove is completed when the sealant discharged from the vent is sensed by the sensor. The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor or an optical sensor for detecting a change in reflection at the vent. In addition, when a fluorescent optical marker is added to the sealant, discharge of the sealant is sensed by a fluorescent optical method, and an infrared sensor may be used when a high temperature sealant is filled in the groove portion.

A groove area suitably formed to facilitate the engagement or easy filling of the sealant to the sealing groove does not play a particular role in the mutual coupling between the components but is connected in the coupling and sealing groove. This groove area is formed to a size such that the sealing groove is shielded by the reception of the sealing agent discharged after the sealing groove is completely filled. Thereafter, the amount of sealant is selected such that the groove area fills about half the sealant. Since the remaining sealant acts as a practical stopper, additional shielding of the vent and / or filling opening is not necessary.

The viscosity of the sealant is preferably in the range of 5,000 to 10,000 mPa / s. Since the seal or binder is kneaded or thixotropic, the optimization of the sealant flow according to the size of the grooves is ensured.

The advantage of the bonding system lies in the inorganic cured seal or binder. The system according to the invention consists of two or more coupling elements. The binding system according to the present invention uses methyl (di) acrylate preliminarily promoted with hydro-peroxide, which may contain benzene acid as accelerator. Metal ions act as catalysts in most inorganic bonding systems, making them particularly suitable for bonding and sealing components made of metal.

In addition, although the silicon or another material may be used as the solvent in the bonding system, problems may occur in the curing state caused by the diffusion of the solvent.

The inorganic sealant used in accordance with the invention is stable at temperatures of 200 ° C. and has a combined tensile and shear resistance up to 30 Nmm ² .

1 is a schematic plan view of an adhesive surface of a first component with a groove portion filled with a seal or binder in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 prior to engagement with a second component;

3 is a cross-sectional view of a first component connected to a second component by screw connection in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

4 schematically illustrates the sealing or binder being injected into the filling opening of the coupling groove;

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: first component, 11,21: adhesive surface,

12,22: groove portion, 13: filling opening,

14: vent, 16: bore,

17: sleeve, 20: second component,

30: sealant

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a plan view of a joining surface of a lid, which is indicated by reference numeral 10 and the joining surface is indicated by reference numeral 11. A plurality of bores 16 are formed at equal intervals on the outer circumferential edge of the lid 10. This bore is a screw connection hole formed such that the lead is screwed into the connecting pipe 20 (see FIG. 2). The groove part 12 is formed in the joining surface 11 of the lead 10. The groove portion 12 is formed with a charging opening 13 whose one end is connected to the groove and the other end communicates with the outside. The first component 10 shown in FIG. 1 is symmetrically rotated, and an air vent 14 is formed in the groove 12 in the radially opposite position to the filling opening 13.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the first component 10 and the second component 20 before coupling, and the cross section of the lead 10 shown is taken along line II-II of FIG. 1. Section. A bore 16 is formed in the connecting flange of the connecting pipe 20 so that the lead 10 is connected to the connecting pipe 20 by a screw. As shown in the figure, grooves 22 are formed in the second component 20. After the two components are combined, the groove portion 12 of the lead 10 and the groove portion 22 of the connecting pipe 20 are interlocked so that one groove portion having a circular cross section is formed (see FIG. 3). . However, the groove portion 12 and the groove portion 22 can take different paths, and thus can be separated and filled with a seal or a binder. In addition, the groove can be formed in only one component (see FIG. 4). The leads 10 and the connecting pipes 20 are joined to each other on their joint surfaces 11 and 21.

After the components are joined together, ie, the leads 10 are screwed into the connecting pipe 20, the seals and / or binders are extruded into the grooves at a predetermined pressure. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1 the flow of sealant is divided into two branches at the filling openings, each extending into a semicircle of the groove 12. As the sealant is injected, air remaining in the groove portion is discharged through the vent 14. The position of the vent 14 can be selected at a position where two streams of sealant are reached at the same time, thereby avoiding the risk of inclusion of air in the groove.

3 shows assembled components 10 and 20 with adhesive seals. The lead 10 is coupled to the connecting pipe 20 by screws 16 passing through the bore 16. An enlarged detail view of the components shown in FIG. 2 after they are coupled to each other is shown in FIG. 3, where lead 10 of FIG. 3 is another embodiment of the lead shown in FIG. 2. 1 to 3, the sleeve 17 is inserted into the lid 10. This sleeve is an additional connecting component by the method according to the invention. While there is no additional fixation when the sleeve 17 is inserted into the lid 10 as in FIGS. 1 and 2, the annular groove 18 is adapted to receive the sleeve 17 as in the other embodiment of FIG. 3. 10) is provided in the recess. The sleeve 17 is mounted to the cover 10 in a tapping manner, and the annular groove 18 is filled with an adhesive 30. After the adhesive has cured, the seating of the sleeve in the lid 10 is ensured. In this case, by using the groove joining method having one or several grooves according to the present invention, the bonding strength of the components is increased by 3 to 6 or so. The grooves 12, 22 are arranged and sized so that good sealing and / or solid bonding is achieved between the joining surfaces 11, 21 of the first and second components 10, 20.

4 shows the injecting of the sealant into the groove 12 provided in the component 10 in detail. The component 10 is coupled to the component 20 before the sealant is injected. As shown in the figure, the component 20 does not have a groove portion corresponding to the groove portion formed in the bonding surface 21. The sealant is extruded into the groove portion through an injection nozzle 19 for adjusting the injection amount by controlling the piezoelectric resistance pressure. The injection nozzle is mounted on the conical outer end of the filling opening 13, and the injection amount can be injected into the groove without generating bubbles by adjusting the injection amount.

When the groove is completely filled, the sealant is discharged from the vent 14, at which time it is sensed by a sensor (not shown) and the injection of the sealant 30 is completed.

Components provided with adhesive seals may be joined together in a final configuration prior to the actual sealing or joining process, wherein the above sealing or joining process is made according to the timing required in the continuous manufacturing process.

According to the present invention as described above, the components are firmly bonded to each other, and according to the prior art, the waiting time generated after the sealant beads are applied until the two components are bonded to each other is eliminated by the present invention. do. Thus, productivity along the production line is increased and components can be preliminarily bonded regardless of the use of seals and binders, thereby providing fluidity to the entire manufacturing process. The limitations of the conventional methods that have existed so far due to the simultaneous time of application and assembly of the adhesive seal as well as the curing time of the bonding and sealant are completely eliminated by the present invention.

Claims (12)

CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A method of sealing or bonding their adhesive surfaces to each other such that two components are connected, comprising the steps of: (a) providing at least one filling opening to provide a groove formed in at least one of the adhesive surfaces; (B) the two components are joined to each other in the required orientation on their adhesive side; And (c) injecting a seal or adhesive of the fluid into the groove through the filling opening until the groove is completely filled with the seal or adhesive. . The method of claim 1, wherein at least one vent is further formed in the groove provided in step (a). The method of claim 1, wherein a sealant flows into the groove at the pressure of step (c). 4. A method as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein in step (c) a sealant is applied on the outside of the vent at an adjustable pressure. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the components to be joined with the sealant are tempered prior to step (c). The method of claim 1, wherein in step (c), the filling amount of the sealant is filled in the groove part while being controlled. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the injection amount of the sealant is controlled by a nozzle having a piezo-resistive pressure sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the filling of the grooves is completed when a sealant of the same sealant volume as the groove volume is injected. The method of claim 1, wherein the filling of the grooves is completed at the same time that the discharge of the sealant at the (vent) opening is sensed by a sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the sealant has a viscosity of 50,000 to 100,000 mPa / s. The method of claim 1, wherein the seal or binder is kneaded or thixotropic. The method of claim 1, wherein an inorganic cured seal or binder is used as the seal or binder.

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