Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...
Patent
1996-09-20
1998-09-08
Cooney, Jr., John M.
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...
428413, 4284231, 428492, 428500, 521148, 521149, 521150, 521155, 521178, C08L 6300
Patent
active
058046089
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a heat-foamable filling reinforcement and also to a reinforced closed-section structural-member structure making use of the same.
BACKGROUND ART
Foamed materials are now used in pillars, roof header panels and the like of vehicle bodies, centering around high-grade vehicles, with a view to achieving improvements in noise insulation and improvements in energy absorption characteristics. It is FIG. 21 that illustrates sites with a foamed material applied therein. As is shown in FIG. 21, an foamed material 100 is filled in pillars (front pillars 11, center pillars 12 and rear pillars 13) of a vehicle body 10.
For the foamed material 100, a formed sheet material of a synthetic rubber such as a SBR rubber (butadiene-base rubber) or an SBR rubber (styrene-butadiene-base rubber) or polyethylene or a polyurethane-base liquid material is used. Their characteristics are shown in FIG. 22. In essence, a formed sheet material is easy in application work and compared with a liquid material, is also advantageous in total cost.
However, the use of the conventional foamed material 100 made of such a synthetic rubber or urethane-base material (whose expansion ratio ranges from 200 to 2,000 percent) in pillars, a roof header panel and the like is accompanied by the problem that no contribution is made to improvements in their structural strength and rigidity, because the objective of its use is to improve the noise insulation and the energy absorption characteristics.
Incidentally, a closed-section structure is often used in connecting members of a vehicle so that rigidification of a foamed material, if feasible, is expected to improve the rigidity of such connecting members and/or to achieve their integration. However, the conventional foamed material 100 does not have a rigidity-improving function because its primary objective is to improve noise insulation or energy absorption as described above.
With the foregoing problem in view, the present invention has as its object the provision of a heat-foamble filling reinforcement of such a light weight and low price as not available to date and also of a reinforced closed-section structural-member structure making use of the heat-foamable filling reinforcement.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A heat-foamable filling reinforcement according to the present invention is characterized in that said heat-foamable filling reinforcement comprises at least an epoxy resin material, a synthetic rubber material and a thermoplastic resin material as components, and said epoxy resin material amounts to 30-45 wt. %, said synthetic rubber material amounts to 5-15 wt. % and said thermoplastic resin material amounts to 5-15 wt. %, with the total of the weight percentages of the individual components being in a range not exceeding 100 wt. %. Owing to these characteristic features, the heat-foamable filling reinforcement according to the present invention bring about substantial improvements in flexural rigidity and twisting rigidity and also an improvement in energy absorption characteristics.
Preferably, the heat-foamable filling reinforcement further comprises a filler as a component, and the filler amounts to 40-50 wt. % with the total of the weight percentages of the individual components including the filler being in a range not exceeding 100 wt. %. These features can reduce the cost.
Further, a reinforced closed-section structural-member structure according to the present invention, said structure making use of a heat-foamable filling reinforcement and being formed of plural closed-section structural members connected together, is characterized in that the closed-section structural members are internally filled with a heat-foamable filling reinforcement which comprises an epoxy resin material, a synthetic rubber material and a thermoplastic resin material as components. These features can bring about improved rigidity, thereby making it possible to achieve a weight reduction through a reduction in the thickness of panels and also to attain obviat
Fukudome Hideki
Nakazato Kazuyuki
Cooney Jr. John M.
Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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