Cooper Technology Services, LLC

The Standard Products Company

Zuoxing Yu

Hans-Joachim Graf

David Harold Berry

Tim Pauli

Jonathan William Edward Stanley

Methods for forming a composite extrusion for use as a vehicle weather strip and the products formed thereby are disclosed in which a main body member is formed from an elastomeric thermoset rubber and an abrasion resistant decorative layer comprised of a crosslinkable thermoplastic is extruded thereon. The crosslinkable thermoplastic may be an ethylene-octene copolymer or a copolymerized ethylene-styrene interpolymer. The thermoplastic contains grafted silane functional groups to allow the thermoplastic to be crosslinked in the presence of moisture. The abrasion resistant decorative layer may be extruded onto the thermoset either prior to or after the thermoset is cured and either prior to or after the abrasion resistant decorative layer is crosslinked. The material of the abrasion resistant decorative layer may be extruded into sheet form and laminated onto the main body member.

Moisture crosslinkable thermoplastics in the manufacture of vehicle weather strips

A weatherseal employing a magnetic appendage for enhancing the sealing with a mounting surface. The weatherseal includes an elastomeric base that conforms to and engages the mounting surface. The seal portion extends from the base for selective engagement with a second surface, such as a door of a vehicle. An appendage is fabricated from a magnetic elastomer that is sufficiently flexible to conform to irregularities in the mounting surface. Preferably, only the appendage is formed of the magnetic elastomer to achieve an effective seal with only a small amount of the expensive magnetic elastomer to enhance the seal with the mounting surface and avoid, for example, the use of more expensive welded mounting channels that add undesired weight to the vehicle.

Seal with compliant magnetic appendage

A thin layer of a magnetizable coating is extruded or coextruded onto a external surface portion of a tubular sponge bulb seal for an automotive door or hatch. The coating is of a thickness, location on the seal and formulation to be selectively magnetized to provide a desired magnetic force level to optimize the balance between effective sealing and ease of door opening.

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Stratford, Canada

Zuoxing Yu