MXPA03009041A

MXPA03009041A - Method and assembly for covering holes in sheet panels.

Info

Publication number: MXPA03009041A
Application number: MXPA03009041A
Authority: MX
Inventors: D Earnest Robert
Original assignee: Twin Corp
Priority date: 2001-04-04
Filing date: 2002-04-04
Publication date: 2004-10-15
Also published as: WO2002081204A1

Abstract

An assembly for covering and sealing a hole in a sheet panel including a sheet of cotton cloth tape having a plastic coated first side and an opposing second side including an adhesive surface adapted for covering the hole and adhering to the panel adjacent the hole. A preformed piece of sealing compound is adhered to the adhesive surface of the second side of the cloth tape adapted for filing and sealing the hole in the sheet panel.

Description

METHOD AND ASSEMBLY TO PLACE HOLES IN LAMINAR PANELS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and assembly for covering holes in laminar panels. 2. Description of the Related Art Motor vehicles typically include sheet metal panels and substrate structures having drainage holes, mounting access holes, fastener holes, paint handling holes and the like, formed in various interior components and exteriors of the vehicle. Often, these holes must be covered and sealed to prevent dust, dirt, air, humidity, fumes and the like from entering the vehicle. It is generally known how to cover, seal, cover or seal these holes with pre-formed metal or rubber stamped stoppers. The plugs are pre-cut or stamped so that they correspond to the size and shape of the various holes in the vehicle panels and are then installed with various types of fasteners to cover the holes. It is also known to provide an adhesive patch, such as a hot melt adhesive, to close and seal a hole in a car body, panel or structure. The adhesive patch is typically held in position over the hole by a rigid reinforced magnetic reinforcement until the patch can be heated and attached to the panel covering the needle. An example of such a hot melt adhesive adhesive patch is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,985,435, issued November 16, 1999. However, these types of adhesive patches must still be preformed or pre-cut to the size and shape of the adhesive. corresponding shape of the holes in the panels and increase the weight of the vehicle, the assembly time and the cost due to the magnetic particles necessary to retain the patch against the laminar panel. Therefore, it is still desirable to provide a simple, cost-effective, lightweight, durable and non-resistive application of covering holes for use in covering and sealing holes in sheet panels. COMPENDIUM OF THE. INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly for covering and sealing a hole in a laminar panel including a sheet of cloth tape having a first side coated with plastic and a second opposite side including an adhesive surface adapted to cover the pierce and adhere to the laminar panel next to the hole. A pre-formed piece of sealing compound is adhered to the adhesive surface of the second side of the fabric tape adapted to fill and seal the hole in the sheet panel. According to another aspect of the invention a combined set of cover holes is provided to cover and seal a hole in a laminar panel, including a rigid laminar panel having a through hole and a surrounding surface portion surrounding the perimeter of the hole. A sheet of cloth tape having a first side coated with plastic and a second opposite side including an adhesive surface is provided to cover the hole and adhere to the surrounding surface portion of the sheet panel. A preformed piece of sealing compound is adhered to the adhesive surface of the second side of the fabric tape to fill and seal the hole in the sheet panel. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of covering a hole in a laminar panel including the steps of arranging a sealing compound on an adhesive side of a cloth tape; align the sealing compound with the hole in the laminar panel to cover the hole; applying and adhering the cloth tape to the surrounding surface portion around the perimeter of the hole in the sheet panel; and applying heat to the sealing compound so that the sealing compound can flow into the hole and against the perimeter of the hole providing a waterproof seal between the hole and the sealing compound. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as it is better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a laminar panel and assembly of covering holes according to an aspect of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cover-hole assembly applied to the laminar panel and sealing the hole-xo. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the laminar panel and set of cover holes. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the set of covering holes adhered and covering the hole in the laminar panel. And Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the hole-covering assembly creating an impervious seal in the hole of the laminar panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the figures where analogous numbers indicate analogous or corresponding parts in all views, a rigid sheet or substrate, generally flat at 10, is illustrated in Figure 1. The sheet panel 10 is typically a panel solid metal; however, it may include plastic or other rigid substrate material. The laminar panel 10 shown in the figures is flat; however, it can form any shape or configuration. The laminar panel 10 of the preferred embodiment may include a bottom plate of a motor vehicle, a door panel, interior or exterior side panel or the like. It should be appreciated that the laminar panel and the present invention are not limited to panels for motor vehicles, and may include any type of laminar panel, substrate, or structure with a gap, hole, or perforation that is or is desired to be covered. and / or seal. The laminar panel 10 has a through hole 12 therethrough which can be of any shape, size or configuration. A surrounding surface portion 14 surrounds and defines the perimeter of the hole 12 on each opposite side of the laminar panel 10. The present invention relates to a set 20 for covering and sealing the hole 12 in the laminar panel 10. The assembly 20 includes a sheet of cloth tape 22 having a first coated side of plastic 24 and a second opposing side including an adhesive surface 26. The fabric tape 22 is preferably a cotton cloth tape with a plastic coated reinforcement 24 and a crosslinked adhesive surface of natural rubber adherent 26 for resistant connection with several different substrates and with long-term resistance to high temperatures and environmental hazards, such as fuel, oil and automobile antifreeze. The preferred thickness of the cloth tape is about 0.29 mm and is temperature resistant to about 160 degrees C for 2 hours and more than 180 degrees C for half an hour. Fabric tape 22 is referred to as product number 4657 and can be purchased from Tesa. The assembly 20 further includes a preformed piece of sealing compound 28 which adheres to the adhesive surface 26 of the second side of the fabric tape 22 to fill and seal the hole 12 in the sheet panel 10. The bonding compound 28 is preferably a high strength thermoplastic compound supplied in a dry, non-tacky form. The sealing compound 28 can be supplied in the form of a pellet for injection molding, extruded into sheet material for die cutting operations, or extruded in the shape of a strand to the desired shape, size, thickness and configuration to fill the hole 12 in the laminar panel 10. The sealing compound is referred to as the product number ND500-Sealer and can be purchased from ND Industries. The cloth tape sheet 22 has a predetermined size and shape to cover the hole 12 in the sheet panel 10 and adhere to the surrounding surface portion 14 adjacent the perimeter of the hole 12. The sealing compound 28 also has a predetermined size and shape below to the predetermined size of the fabric belt 22 to expose at least a portion of the adhesive surface 26 for adhesion of the fabric belt 22 to the surrounding surface portion 14 of the laminar panel 10. As depicted in Figures 1 and 2, the sealing compound in the preferred embodiment is generally centered on the second side of the fabric belt 22, so that the perimeter of the fabric belt 22 and the side edges of the adhesive surface 26 are exposed for adhesion to the surrounding surface portion 14 around the perimeter of the hole 12 in the sheet panel 10. In operation, the sealing compound 28 is preformed to the desired size, thickness, and dimensions in dry, non-tacky form. The preformed sealing compound 28 is then aligned and adhered to the adhesive surface 26 in the central portion of the predetermined size of the fabric tape 22. The bonding compound 28 is sized to completely cover the hole 12 and the perimeter of the hole 12 and the fabric belt 22 is dimensioned so as to extend outwardly beyond the perimeter of the sealing compound 28 covering the hole 12 and adhering to the surrounding surface portion 14 of the sheet panel 10. With the sealing compound 28 held in place over the hole 12 by the adhesion of the cloth tape 22, the laminar panel is then subjected to heat, for example, by passing it through a chamber or oven at high temperature and boiling, or heating, for 20-30 minutes at a temperature between 121 and 163 ° C (250-325 ° F). In this temperature band, the sealing compound begins to melt and flows into the hole 12 to the opposite side of the laminar panel 10 and then expands into the hole 12 and against the peripheral edge defining the hole 12 in the panel 10. Once that the panel 10 is removed from the heat and allowed to cool, the sealing compound 28 cures and hardens in the hole 12 to create a waterproof seal or barrier to dust, air, moisture, fluid and fumes. Therefore, the present invention also includes a method of covering the hole 12 in the laminar panel 10 including the steps of arranging the sealing compound 28 on the adhesive surface side 26 of the fabric tape 22; aligning the sealing compound 28 with the hole 12 in the laminar panel 10 to cover the hole 12; applying and adhering the fabric tape 22 to the surrounding surface portion 14 around the perimeter of the hole 12 in the sheet panel 10; and applying heat to the sealing compound 28 so that the sealing compound 28 can flow into the hole 12 and against the perimeter of the hole 12 providing an impermeable seal between the hole 12 and the sealing compound 28. The method further includes the step of applying heat to the sealing compound 28 at a predetermined temperature, in particular between 121 and 163 ° C (250 and 325 ° F), for a predetermined period of time, in particular between 20-30 minutes. Finally, as shown in Figure 2, the fabric tape 22 is heat resistant and retains its adhesion to the surrounding surface 26 of the sheet panel 10. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the sealing compound 28 flows to the opening of the needle 12, against the perimetric edge forming the hole 12 and between the opposite side surfaces of the sheet panel 10 to cure and harden in the hole 12 to provide the impermeable seal or stopper in the needle 12. The invention is has described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology used is intended to be descriptive rather than limiting in nature. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the foregoing ideas. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be carried out in a manner other than that specifically described.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A set for covering and sealing a hole in a laminar panel including: a sheet of cloth tape having a first side covered with plastic and a second opposite side including an adhesive surface adapted to cover the hole and adhere to the laminar panel next to the hole; and a preformed piece of sealing compound adhered to said adhesive surface of said second side of said fabric tape adapted to fill and seal the hole in the sheet panel.
2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sealing compound includes a thermoplastic applied to said adhesive surface of said fabric tape in dry, non-tacky form.
3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said adhesive surface of said fabric belt includes a cross-linked adhesive of natural rubber with high temperature resistance.
4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said fabric belt is a cotton cloth belt.
5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4, wherein said sheet of cloth tape has a predetermined size adapted to cover the hole in the sheet panel and ad-wound to the adjacent sheet panel at the edges of the hole.
6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5, wherein said sealing compound has a predetermined size smaller than said predetermined size of said cloth tape, thereby exposing at least a portion of said adhesive surface for adhesion to the sheet panel, covering said compound sealing the hole.
7. An assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said sealing compound is generally centered on said second side of said fabric belt, whereby the perimeter of said fabric belt and the adhesive surface are exposed for adhesion. around the perimeter of the hole in the laminar panel.
8. A combined set of covering holes to cover and seal a hole in a laminar panel including: a rigid laminar panel having a through hole and a surrounding surface portion surrounding the perimeter of said hole, - a sheet of fabric tape which has a first side coated with plastic and a second opposite side including an adhesive surface to cover said hole and adhere to said surrounding surface portion of said sheet panel; and a preformed piece of sealing compound adhered to said adhesive surface of said second side of said fabric tape for filling and sealing said hole in said sheet panel.
9. A combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein said laminar panel is rigid and generally planar.
10. A combination as stated in the claim 9, wherein said sealing compound conforms to the shape of said hole to create a waterproof sealed hole.
11. A combination as stated in the claim 10, wherein said sealing compound includes a thermoplastic applied to said adhesive surface of said fabric tape in dry, non-tacky form.
12. A combination as stated in the claim 11, wherein said adhesive surface of said fabric belt includes a crosslinked adhesive of natural rubber with high temperature resistance.
13. A combination as stated in the claim 12, wherein said cloth tape is a ribbon of cotton fabric.
14. A combination as stated in the claim 13, wherein said web ribbon sheet has a predetermined size to cover said hole in said sheet panel and adhere to the surrounding surface portion adjacent to the perimeter of said hole.
15. A combination as set forth in claim 14, wherein said sealing compound has a predetermined size smaller than said predetermined size of said fabric belt, thereby exposing at least a portion of said adhesive surface for adhesion to said surrounding surface portion., covering and filling said sealing compound with said hole.
16. A combination as set forth in claim 15, wherein said sealing compound is generally centered on said second side of said fabric belt, whereby the perimeter of said fabric belt and the adhesive surface are exposed for adhesion to said fabric. surrounding surface portion around the perimeter of said hole in said laminar panel.
17. A method of covering a hole in a laminar panel including the steps of: arranging a sealing compound on an adhesive side of a cloth tape; align the sealing compound with the hole in the laminar panel to cover the hole; applying and adhering the cloth tape to the surrounding surface portion around the perimeter of the hole in the sheet panel; and applying heat to the sealing compound so that the sealing compound can flow into the hole and against the perimeter of the hole providing a waterproof seal between the hole and the sealing compound.
18. A method as set forth in claim 17, further including applying heat to the sealing compound at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time so that the sealing compound can flow into the hole and expand against the perimeter of the hole providing a seal hermetic waterproof
19. A method as set forth in claim 18, further including applying heat to the sealing compound at a temperature range of 121-163 ° C (250-325 ° F) for a period of time between 20-30 minutes.
20. A method as set forth in claim 19, further including allowing the sealing compound to cure and harden in the hole of the sheet panel while maintaining adhesion of the fabric tape against the sheet panel.