Stock material or miscellaneous articles – All metal or with adjacent metals – Nonplanar – uniform-thickness material having symmetrical...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-10-23
Thomas, Alexander S. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
All metal or with adjacent metals
Nonplanar, uniform-thickness material having symmetrical...
C428S496000, C428S600000, C428S122000, C072S378000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306522
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a metallic lamella strip as an intermediate product for further processing into a framework band with a U-shaped or V-shaped cross-section, which serves as a reinforcement insert for sealing profiles, edge protection profiles, or the like, with the following characteristics: Lamellae with two lamella shanks that stand opposite one another in pairs extend crosswise to the longitudinal axis of the lamella strip; each lamella shank is separated from the two adjacent lamella shanks by a separating cut; each lamella is connected with the two adjacent lamellae via a bridge, in each instance; a center cut extends crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the lamella strip, over one lamella in each instance, from one lamella shank over the center of the lamella strip into the opposite lamella shank. The present invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of such a lamella strip, as well as of a metallic framework band with a U-shaped or V-shaped cross-section, produced from the lamella strip stated initially, by means of profiling. The present invention finally relates to a process for the production of such a framework band from the lamella strip stated initially.
A lamella strip of the type stated initially, as well as a framework band produced from it, are known from the French patent application 2650648. In this case, the lamella strip is made of steel. After the separating cuts and the center cuts are made, the lamella strip is straightened by compression, at the edges as well as in the region of the center bridges, and hardened. In a third step, the lamella strip is stretched in its longitudinal direction, causing the separating cuts and the center cuts to open. Alternatively, a lamella strip made of aluminum is described, where in this case, instead of the separating cuts and the center cuts, corresponding cut-outs are punched into the aluminum strip, and the second step of compression is eliminated.
German Offenlegungsschrift 2717837 discloses a framework band with a U-shaped cross-section, which proceeded from a lamella strip, in which two adjacent lamellae were connected with one another, one below the other, via two bridges, in each instance. The lamellae have bead-like stamp marks, which extend from one end of the lamella in question to the opposite end, in each instance. The depth of the bead-like stamp marks decreases in the region of the lamella shanks to the edges of the lamella strip. This reference also explains the use of the framework band as a reinforcement insert, i.e. skeleton insert in a sealing profile or edge protection profile, so that detailed explanations in this regard are not necessary here.
Various other framework bands, i.e. lamella strips that serve to produce them, are known from German offenlegungsschrift 3708889, European patent 0416433, and German utility model 8607576. These references also deal with the use of the framework band as a reinforcement insert or skeleton insert in various sealing profiles and edge protection profiles.
In motor vehicles, sealing profiles that have metallic framework bands as reinforcement inserts are used, particularly in the region of door openings as well as the trunk opening. To install the sealing profile, either a sealing profile whose reinforcement insert has its final cross-sectional shape is clamped onto an edge of the car body; in this case a sealing profile with a metallic framework band with a U-shaped cross-section is generally used. Or a sealing profile whose reinforcement insert has a V-shaped cross-section is set onto the corresponding edge of the car body, and immediately afterwards, the framework band is deformed into an essentially U-shaped cross-section, using a suitable tool, in order to produce a firm connection with the car body. In both cases, it is important that a sufficient clamping force is provided by the reinforcement insert, in order to ensure a permanent bond between the sealing profile and the car body.
The conventional design of the framework band makes it possible, more or less well, for the corresponding sealing profile to follow the three-dimensional contour of the opening in each instance, even at relatively small gradients of curvature. It is obvious that the two requirements (great clamping strength, on the one hand, and good deformability, on the other hand) are in a competitive relationship with one another. In addition, car manufacturers have another wish: if possible, the sealing profile should also be compressible, in order to be able to equalize production and assembly tolerances and make it superfluous to cut the sealing profile or edge protection profile with a precision of a tenth of a millimeter.
Here again, with regard to compressibility, there is generally competition with the required clamping strength. Finally, there is also a competitive relationship between the clamping strength, on the one hand, and the weight of the corresponding profile, on the other hand. The latter can be quite significant. This is because in conventional passenger cars, many meters of the sealing profile, as stated, are used. This results in a significant weight for the conventional sealing profiles, since their framework band is generally made of sheet steel with a thickness of 0.5 mm, in order to ensure sufficient clamping strength.
The present invention is based on the task of creating a framework band of the type stated in the preamble of claim
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, as well as a lamella strip serving for its production, according to the preamble of claim
1
, in which the ratio of the clamping strength to the weight is increased as compared to the state of the art which forms the basic type, without any disadvantageous effects on the deformability of the corresponding sealing profile or edge protection profile, and in addition, the corresponding sealing profile or edge protection profile is supposed to be compressible.
In accordance with the present invention, this task is accomplished, for a lamella strip of the type stated initially, in that each lamella has two bead-like oblong stamp marks, which are arranged on both sides of the center cuts, and extend from one lamella shank over the center of the lamella strip into the opposite lamella shank, where the bead-like stamp marks end at a distance from the edges of the lamella strip, in such a way that the lamella shanks have a non-stamped, smooth end region. The present invention therefore concentrates on the combination of a specific type of cut, on the one hand, and specifically shaped bead-like stamp marks, on the other hand, where this combination has a definite positive synergistic effect in view of the present statement of tasks. This is because the bead-like stamp marks arranged on both sides of the center cut of each lamella have the result that the center cuts and the separating cuts open slightly in those regions in which they and the stamp marks overlap. The slight opening of the separating cuts and the center cuts which results from making these stamp marks in the pre-cut sheet-metal strips is sufficient to guarantee a minimum of compressibility and deformability of the finished profile, without additional measures being required. Furthermore, the slight opening of the separating cuts and the center cuts results in sufficiently good adhesion between the framework band, on the one hand, and the material (elastomer or rubber) with which it is surrounded by injection molding, as part of the production of the sealing profile or edge protection profile, on the other hand, even without an adhesive or the like, if necessary. At the same time, the bead-like stamp marks result in a clear increase in the clamping strength, and at the same time, they can have a positive influence on the deformability of the lamella strip both around the up-and-down axis and the crosswise axis. Increasing the clamping strength permits a reduction in the material thickness and/or the selection of a lighter material (e.g. aluminum), so that a profile produced using the lamella strip according to the invention, i.e. the f
Seissler Norbert
Strutz Gerd
Geissler Stanztechnik GmbH
Helfgott & Karas P.C.
Thomas Alexander S.
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