Draftex Development A.g.

Draftex Industries Limited

Other

Robert G Bright

Norbert Heller

Werner Kruschwitz

Heinz Andrzejewski

Erich Weimar

Heinz J Hennen

Helmut Theisen

A reinforcing channel-shaped carrier for a sealing, trimming or guiding strip is made of metal and provided with slots of several different types. Slots of a first type extend across the base of the carrier and for short distances into the side walls and facilitate bending about an axis parallel to the base and perpendicular to the length of the channel. Slots of a second type are positioned in the side walls and facilitate bending about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the base. The latter slots are of two different forms. Slots of one form are shorter than those of the other form. This increases the stiffness of the carrier. The carrier is produced by slitting a flat metal blank and then rolling it along stretch paths to cause it to be thinned-down and expanded lengthwise to convert the slits into slots. The carrier is advantageously used in a sealing, trimming or guiding strip in closed loop form ready for fitting to a vehicle door opening.

Reinforcement for sealing, guiding and trimming strips

A tool is described for assembling a length of sealing strip onto a mounting flange around a door opening in a motor vehicle. The strip has a channel-shaped gripping part whose walls are initially splayed apart so that it is an easy fit onto the flange. It carries a tubular sealing part. The tool comprises a roller which engages the outside of the base of the channel of the gripping part and a perpendicularly mounted roller which engages the outside of the tubular sealing part of the strip and, via this sealing part which it compresses, exerts a side force on the corresponding wide wall of the channel of the gripping part. A flange rigid with the roller engaging the gripping part itself engages the opposite side wall of the gripping part. The two rollers may or may not be geared together and are driven via a flexible drive shaft by a motor. The tool thus travels along the length of the sealing strip which is drawn off a coil or other supply. As the tool travels, it closes the splayed apart walls of the gripping part towards each other so as to press them firmly into gripping and sealing contact with the surfaces of the flange, in which position they subsequently hold themselves.

Apparatus for fitting sealing and trimming strips

A sealing strip for a vehicle door opening has a generally channel-shaped gripping part supporting a tubular sealing part. Initially, the side walls of the channel of the gripping part are splayed apart so as to enlarge the mouth of the channel. This eases the application of the gripping part to the normal mounting flange surrounding the vehicle door opening. The flange can pass freely between gripping lips on the opposite inside walls of the gripping part. A suitable tool is then employed to press the side walls of the channel towards each other so as to render them substantially parallel, thus pressing the lips into gripping and sealing contact with the flange surfaces, this configuration being therefore resiliently maintained by a metal carrier embedded in the gripping part. One of the sealing lips is particularly advantageous for secondary sealing purposes because it is directed outwardly of the mouth of the channel, unlike the other lips. The initial outward direction of this lip is maintained after fitment of the strip of the flange, because of the initial splaying apart of the side walls of the channel.

Sealing and trimming strips

A door seal is mounted to run around the periphery of the door in a vehicle body and is mounted relatively adjacent to the outer surface of the door so as not only to perform the normal sealing action between the door and door frame but also to ensure that soiling of the door aperture itself by ingress of dirt and moisture is prevented or reduced and to reduce wind noise. The door seal has a sealing part integrally extruded with a mounting part. The latter defines a hollow interior of triangular cross-section in which is mounted a metal carrier. The base of the hollow interior is closed off by a web which supports an adhesive strip for mounting the seal on the door. The metal carrier has an extrusion which is slightly longitudinally compressible so as to permit controlled compression of the adjacent part of the seal where it is curved to follow a curve in the door. A non-stretchable tape may be incorporated to prevent unsightly stretching of the outside of the door seal at such a bend. The metal carrier provides a support against which the sealing part is partially compressed when the door closes.

Seals

A metal carrier for a channel-shaped sealing strip is disclosed. The carrier is of continuous construction but is formed with assymetrically arranged slots. The slots are of a first type and a second type, each slot of the first type extending from a particular one of the distal edges of the channel, through the entire corresponding side of the channel, through the entire base of the channel and through part of the opposite side of the channel but stopping short of the distal edge of the opposite side. Each slot of the second type extends from the distal edge of the said opposite side, entirely through that side and through part only of the base. The slots of the first and second types alternate along the length of the carrier. The slots permit the carrier to be easily curved about an axis or axes extending vertically. This makes the carrier particularly suitable for use in a sealing strip for an engine compartment or luggage trunk opening in a motor vehicle body. The slots also permit the carrier to be compressed slightly lengthwise, thus enabling its overall length to be adjusted to suit the length of the mounting flange to which it is to be fitted. The assymmetric arrangement of the slots results in one side of the carrier being relatively more stretchable and compressible than the other.

Reinforcing carriers for trimming and sealing strips and the like

A carrier for a channel-shaped trimming or sealing strip is manufactured by leading a main wire between meshing teeth so as to give the wire a zig-zag configuration. The emerging wire is pushed between guide walls. Simultaneously, looped edge wires are fed in, along the walls, and mesh with the ends of the loops of the main wire. The meshed wires are fed into the mouth of a cross-head extruder. This extrudes plastics or rubber material around the meshed wires so as to hold them in meshing engagement. The resultant generally flat strip can then be bent into channel-shape.

Sealing or finishing strips and carriers therefor

Apparatus for fitting a sealing strip to a mounting flange running around a motor vehicle door opening is disclosed. The sealing strip is preferably in the form of a closed ring and is longitudinally resilient having a channel-shaped gripping section and a soft sealing section. A jig is in the form of an outer plate which is larger in area than the door opening defined by the flange. The strip in ring form is placed on this outer plate and then pulled inwardly by gripping fingers so as to distort it into a shape limited by arm ends and to take up a peripheral size less than the size of the door opening. The jig then positions the seal, which is partially compressed between the outer plate and an inner plate, within the door opening. The gripping fingers are then released and the arm ends move outwardly so as to press the gripping section of the sealing strip onto the flange.

Apparatus for assembling finishing and sealing strips

Sealing strips, such as for sealing around door openings in vehicle bodies, for example. The sealing strip comprises a hollow tubular soft sealing section which is supported around the door opening by means of a channel-shaped gripping section. In order to support the sealing section at positions around the opening where the sealing strip has to be curved or bent, lengths of soft flexible material of generally rectangular cross-section are positioned within the hollow interior of the sealing section at the appropriate positions. Each such length is a relatively loose fit within the hollow interior of the sealing section and is held in position by means of adhesive. The lengths of the soft flexible material prevent partial 'collapse' or distortion of the sealing section at the bends or curves, but because they do not fill the hollow interior of the sealing section, they do not impair its compressibility in the sealing direction.

Hollow reinforced sealing strips

A sealing, trimming or finishing strip has a metal carrier advantageously made up of U-shaped side-by-side metal elements interconnected by integral connecting links. The carrier is completely embedded in flexible material, such as rubber or plastics material, which defines inner gripping and sealing lips. A sealing portion is also provided. Substantially all of the material on the inside of the carrier (including the material of the lips) is sufficiently transparent or translucent to enable the carrier, or at least the connecting links thereof, to be visible through it. This facilitates cutting of the strip into lengths, because it enables the cutter to be located so as to cut through the connecting links of the carrier, rather than through the U-shaped elements thereof. The channel-shaped material externally of the carrier is visually opaque.

Channel-shaped strips

Channel-shaped strip structures are disclosed for use, for example, in vehicle body construction, such as for fitting onto door surround flanges or for use for mounting or sealing window glass. The strip structure comprises a channel-form metal carrier embedded in extruded or plastics or rubber material. The design of the metal carrier may be such as to resist lengthwise compression of the strip. In addition, the carrier has secured to it and running along one surface, and under the extruded plastics or rubber material, a flexible substantially inextensible member, such as polyester tape, which substantially prevents stretching of the strip.

Channel-shaped strip structures

A channel-shaped sealing, trimming or finishing, or guiding strip comprises a carrier covered with flexible covering material, and is characterized in that relatively stiff or semi-rigid lengths of the carrier alternate along the length of the strip with relatively flexible lengths of the carrier, the relatively flexible lengths of the carrier being positioned at predetermined places where bends in the strip are required in use. The strip may be in the form of a closed loop.

Channel-shaped sealing, trimming and guiding strips

There is disclosed a channel-shaped sealing strip incorporating a metal carrier covered with flexible material, the metal carrier comprising a series of side-by-side U-shaped elements each of which is connected to the next element by at least one connecting link. At least during the manufacturing process for the strip, adjacent elements are also connected by at least one other connection whose thickness is reduced compared with the connecting link and with the remainder of the metal; these other connections may, and advantageously do, break during the manufacturing process so that, in the finished strip, each U-shaped element is connected to the next element by the connecting link but is also spaced therefrom by distance pieces formed from the broken-off connections.

Channel-shaped sealing, guiding or finishing strips

A channel-shaped structure is shown in which a channel-shaped metal carrier has a covering of flexible material which is arranged to define a gripping rib running along and protruding from one inside wall of the channel. Metal reinforcement at least partly extends into the gripping rib. Also disclosed is a metal carrier comprising a series of U-shaped metal elements which are spaced from each other and are each provided with a corrugation which runs around the U from the end of one leg of the U to the end of the other leg thereof.

Channel-shaped sealing, guiding or finishing strips and the like

A channel-shaped guiding, sealing or finishing strip, such as for use in vehicle bodies for sealing door flanges or windows, comprises a channel-shaped metal carrier covered with plastics or rubber material. The metal carrier is made up of a series of side-by-side generally U-shaped elements which are interconnected by short connecting links. The connecting links are each kinked or corrguated so as to enable the sealing strip to be stretched or compressed slightly.

Growing community of inventors

Viersen, Germany

Robert G Bright