Polymeric carriers for vehicle seals
Disclosed is a carrier component for use in a vehicle sealing assembly such as a weatherstrip assembly. The carrier is formed from a non-metallic material, and preferably from a polymeric material. Also disclosed are vehicular sealing assemblies utilizing such carriers, and related methods of forming such sealing assemblies.
1 . A sealing assembly adapted for installation on a vehicle, said sealing assembly comprising:
a non-metallic carrier; and
an elastomeric body disposed about said carrier, said body defining an outer region for sealing when said assembly is installed on a vehicle.
2 . The sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein said non-metallic carrier comprises a polymeric material.
3 . The sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein said polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyamide, polycarbonate, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polybutyleneterephthalate, polyphenyleneether, polyketone, polysulfone, polyimide, and combinations thereof.
4 . The sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein said non-metallic carrier further comprises at least one of talc and fibers.
5 . The sealing assembly of claim 4 wherein said fibers are selected from the group consisting of graphite fibers, asbestos fibers, glass fibers, nylon fibers, poly(p-phenyleneterephthalamide) fibers, polyetheretherketone fibers, and combinations thereof.
6 . The sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein said polymeric material is a nylon.
7 . The sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein said polymeric material is a polybutyleneterephthalate thermoplastic polyester.
8 . The sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein said polymeric material is a polycarbonate.
9 . The sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein said polymeric material is a polyacetal.
10 . The sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein said non-metallic carrier has a cross-sectional configuration selected from the group consisting of a U-shaped, triangular-shaped, oval-shaped, circular-shaped, V-shaped, polygonal-shaped, and arcuate-shaped.
11 . The sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein said non-metallic carrier has a corrugated configuration.
12 . The sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein said non-metallic carrier has a notched configuration.
13 . The sealing assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
an outer layer disposed on said body, said outer layer formed from a material different from the material forming said body.
14 . A sealing assembly comprising:
a carrier formed from a material including a polymer and a filler component; and
an elastomeric body disposed on said carrier.
15 . The sealing assembly of claim 14 wherein said polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyamide, polycarbonate, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polybutyleneterephthalate, polyphenyleneether, polyketone, polysulfone, polyimide, and combinations thereof.
16 . The sealing assembly of claim 14 wherein said filler component is selected from the group consisting of talc, fibers, and combinations thereof.
17 . The sealing assembly of claim 16 wherein said fibers are selected from the group consisting of graphite fibers, asbestos fibers, glass fibers, nylon fibers, poly(p-phenyleneterephthalamide) fibers, polyetheretherketone fibers, and combinations thereof.
18 . The sealing assembly of claim 14 wherein said filler component constitutes from about 0.10% to about 30% of the weight of said carrier.
19 . A process for forming a seal assembly adapted for use in a vehicle, said process comprising:
providing a polymeric material;
extruding said polymeric material into a desired configuration to form a carrier;
providing an elastomeric material suitable for use in said seal assembly; and
depositing said elastomeric material on said carrier to thereby form said seal assembly.
20 . The process of claim 19 wherein said step of providing said polymeric material is performed by selecting said polymeric material from the group consisting of polyamide, polycarbonate, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polybutyleneterephthalate, polyphenyleneether, polyketone, polysulfone, polyimide, and combinations thereof.