Receptacles – Closures – Removable closure retained by ductile in situ deformation
Patent
1986-08-15
1988-08-02
Hall, George T.
Receptacles
Closures
Removable closure retained by ductile in situ deformation
220DIG19, B65D 3906
Patent
active
047609354
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a plastics closure member, more particularly for closing an opening in motor vehicle bodywork. The closure member may have a main body portion, a sealing lip and, disposed opposite the same, retaining means.
In a prior art closure member of this kind, the main body portion is drawn in after the fashion of a U so that a peripheral groove is left in the top of the closure member (DE-PS No. 1 555 007). Production and material costs are therefore considerable, nor can the closure member always be guaranteed to provide satisfactory sealing of the opening in motor vehicle bodywork. However, water-tight closure or sealing of openings in motor vehicle bodywork is precisely what is needed to prevent damage occurring, even after heat treatment, should the vehicle be repainted.
The prior art also includes a closure plug for drain holes in motor vehicle floors, again with a U-shaped main zone, the same co-operating with the opening in the bodywork to form a kind of snap fastening (DE-GM No. 1 840 793). This known construction too is expensive and cannot guarantee satisfactory sealing of openings in motor vehicle bodywork.
However, it is the object of this invention to provide a closure member of the kind hereinbefore set out and capable of providing simple, economic and satisfactory sealing, more particularly of an opening in motor vehicle bodywork, and which will withstand heavy loads.
According to the invention we provide a plastics closure member for closing an aperture in a panel, the closure member having a main body portion, a sealing lip and means for retaining the closure in the panel aperture, characterised in that the closure member is unitary so that the main body portion merges directly into the sealing lip and the retaining means.
The closure member may be made from polyester-ester-urethane. This feature provides the following advantages:
Ability to withstand temperatures in a range from -40.degree. to more than 170.degree. C.;
Waterproof characteristic after heat stressing;
Ready assembly;
Good paintability--i.e., no substantial alterations caused by industrial paints;
Resistance to greases, oils and other grease products;
Resistance to UV light;
Abrasion and wear resistance;
Resilience as a function of temperature;
Chemical resistance.
The special construction of the closure member also ensures a satisfactory sealing closure of an opening, more particularly in motor vehicle bodywork.
According to another feature of the invention, the main body portion can be corrugated; in this case the corrugations can extend concentrically. The corrugations are an advantageous way of ensuring satisfactory compensation for tolerances in respect of temperature-induced shrinkage.
According to another feature of the invention, the sealing lip, which may be contiguous with the outermost corrugation of the main body portion, can be thin-walled and taper conically. This conical thin-walled sealing lip provides satisfactory sealing-tightness in respect of water and compensation for differences in metal thickness, unevennesses in the metal being taken up. In this event the sealing lip can have a bead to improve engagement with a metal panel.
According to another feature of the invention, the retaining means may comprise a peripheral retaining ring disposed opposite the thin-walled sealing lip and having walls disposed at an obtuse angle to one another. The walls co-operate with the resilient sealing lip to ensure that the closure member according to the invention is so secured satisfactorily to the metal of motor vehicle bodywork or of some other support as to provide a watertight connection.
According to another feature of the invention, the retaining means may comprise an annular lip defined by walls disposed at an actute angle to one another. This feature too helps to provide a watertight connection between the closure member according to the invention and the support or carrier member--i.e., for example, motor vehicle bodywork.
The sealing lip can have a roughened region on the underside thereof ne
REFERENCES:
patent: 3814279 (1974-06-01), Rayzal
patent: 4334632 (1982-06-01), Watanabe
patent: 4401225 (1983-08-01), Schwaikert
patent: 4646932 (1987-03-01), Mosler
Greulich Bodo
Kettenring Gerhard
Schmitz Gunther
van den Beld Paul Christiaan H.
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