Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or... – Including a second component containing structurally defined...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-07
2004-02-24
Le, H. Thi (Department: 1773)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or...
Including a second component containing structurally defined...
C428S044000, C428S049000, C428S325000, C428S327000, C428S407000, C524S494000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06696147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to adhesively bonding at least two members and, more particularly, to joining at least two members with a mixture of an adhesive and non-compressible beads.
2. Discussion
FIGS. 1 through 4
show a method of making a hemmed joint for inner and outer sheet metal door panels.
FIG. 1
shows a first member
10
, a second member
12
, and an amount of adhesive
14
which has been applied to second member
12
. In
FIG. 2
, first member
10
has been placed into proximity with second member
12
, and first and second members
10
,
12
have been squeezed together. The area where first and second members
10
,
12
overlap defines an adhesive joint
15
. Adhesive
14
has spread throughout the area of joint
15
.
FIG. 2
further shows a hemming die
18
which is pressed downward to bend a portion of second member
12
into overlapping relationship with first member
10
. In
FIG. 3
, a second hemming die
20
is shown completing the hem by further folding down a portion of second member
12
to overlap first member
10
, such that a hemmed portion
22
of second member
12
is parallel with the portions of first and second members
10
,
12
in the area of joint
15
. Quite often, adhesive
23
is squeezed out of the area of joint
15
as a result of completion of the hemming operation. This squeezed-out adhesive
23
is unsightly and often requires removal in an additional manufacturing step where aesthetics is important, such as in the making of an automobile door where inner and outer panels are hemmed together.
Following formation of the hemmed joint
15
, the first and second members
10
,
12
tend to elastically relax and “spring back” toward their original positions.
FIG. 4
shows joint
15
subsequent to this “spring back” phenomenon, which tends to create an air-filled gap
26
between adhesive material
14
and first member
10
. Air-filled gap
26
results because adhesive
14
has been squeezed out of joint
15
and an insufficient amount remains to fill the void created by the “spring back” of first and second members
10
,
12
. This air-filled gap
26
reduces the area of joint
15
, resulting in a weakened joint.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for adhesively joining at least two members in which a plurality of non-compressible beads are mixed with the adhesive, and one of the members is folded into overlapping relationship with the other in a hemming operation. The beads may be added to the adhesive in a preselected substantially uniform concentration. The apparatus for performing this method includes a container for containing a mixture of an adhesive and a plurality of non-compressible beads. An application gun applies this mixture to at least one of the members to be joined. A pump is employed for pumping the bead and adhesive mixture from the container through the application gun onto at least one of the members. A hemmer then hems one member into overlapping relationship with another.
The present invention further provides a metering device having an improved displacement rod which includes a cooling means for cooling the rod and preventing the adhesive fluid from hardening, thus facilitating insertion of the displacement rod into the metering chamber.
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English translation of French Patent No. 2,100,142 (previously provided).
English translation of French Patent No. 1,540,878 (previously provided).
Clark, “Tapes and Structural Bonding Reduce Radar Unit Cost”,Adhesives Age, Jun. 1991, pp. 28-34.
Elber, “Putting adhesives in their place”,Plastics Design Forum, Sep./Oct. 1993, pp. 40-44.
Berins,SPI Plastics Engineering Handbook, Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., 18 pages, 1991.
“Metal to Metal Overlap Shear Strength Test for Automotive Type Adhesives”, SAE J1523, Jun. 1985.
Greve Bruce Norman
Herring, Jr. James Morton
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Le H. Thi
ThyssenKrupp Budd Company
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