Sound-absorbing composites and shield devices employing same

1. A sound-absorbing shield device for use in a vehicle door, comprising:

a sheet of sound-absorbing material;

a thin sheet of polymer film having a first face attached to a first face of the sound absorbing material and having a second face of said sound absorbing material;

a plurality of projections extending through the polymer film from the first face thereof to said second lace thereof;

each of said projections having an opening extending therethrough from said first face, of said sound absorbing material the projections and openings cooperating to form a barrier against environmental contamination while admitting acoustic energy therethrough.

2. The shield device of claim 1 , wherein the sound-absorbing material is a foam material.

3. The shield device of claim 1 , wherein the sound-absorbing material is an open-cell foam material.

4. The shield device of claim 1 , wherein the sound absorbing material is a polyurethane foam material.

5. The shield device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer film is a polyethylene film.

6. The shield device of claim 1 , further comprising an imperforate polymer film attached to a second side of said sound-absorbing sheet opposite the first side thereof.

7. The shield device of claim 6 , further comprising a polymer film sealing a peripheral edge of said sound-absorbing sheet, said peripheral edge transverse to the first and second faces of the sound-absorbing sheet.

8. The shield device of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive attached to a second side of said sound-absorbing sheet opposite said first side.

9. The shield device of claim 8 , further comprising a protective sheet removably engaging said adhesive.

10. The shield device of claim 1 , wherein said sheet of sound-absorbing material has a variable thickness.

11. The shield device of claim 1 , wherein said sheet of sound absorbing material comprises a sheet of foam having a region of reduced foam thickness.

12. The shield device of claim 11 , wherein said region of reduced foam thickness is located at a peripheral edge of the shield device.

13. The shield device of claim 11 , wherein the region of reduced foam thickness overlies an opening formed in the polymer film.

14. The shield device of claim 11 , wherein the region of reduced foam thickness overlies a laterally deflectable pocket formed in the polymer film.

15. The shield device of claim 11 , wherein the region of reduced foam thickness is formed by cutting.

16. The shield device of claim 15 , wherein the region of reduced foam thickness is sufficiently thin to allow the passage of light.

17. In a vehicle door construction having an outer door panel and an inner door panel with a trim panel joined to the inner door panel, and a shield device positioned between the trim panel and the inner door panel, the improvement wherein the shield device comprises:

a sheet of sound-absorbing material;

a thin sheet of polymer film having an inboard facing surface and an outboard facing surface, said inboard facing surface being attached to an outboard facing surface of the sound absorbing material;

a plurality of openings extending through the polymer film from the inboard facing surface thereof to said outboard facing surface of the film;

each opening extending through each of a plurality of projection extending from said outboard facing surface, the openings and projections cooperating to form a barrier against environmental contamination while admitting acoustic energy therethrough.

18. In the vehicle door construction as defined in claim 17 , the improvement further wherein said projections extend outwardly from said outboard facing film surface at an angle which is less than or equal to horizontal when said shield device is installed in a vertical operating position.