WO2021195836A1

WO2021195836A1 - Applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener and applicator with the same

Info

Publication number: WO2021195836A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/082051
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chao Li; Hiroyuki Nagao; Yalong QI; Ting JIANG; Zhecheng DONG; Dejin PAN
Original assignee: Henkel Ag & Co. Kgaa; Henkel (China) Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2020-03-30
Filing date: 2020-03-30
Publication date: 2021-10-07

Abstract

An applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material and an applicator with the same are disclosed. The applicator tool comprises a connecting member (10) in fluid communication with a supply device for supplying the material; a body member (20) coupled with the connecting member and defining a first hollow chamber for the material passing through along a first direction; and a nozzle member (30) coupled with the body member and comprising a plurality of openings on outlet end for allowing the material to be extruded. The plurality of openings of the nozzle member are configured such that one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have different dimensional arrangement from the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber. The applicator tool can apply the uniform multi-bead texture of the liquid applied sound deadener material, which can perfectly replicate the original multi-bead texture of sound damping in the after-market.

Description

APPLICATOR TOOL FOR LIQUID APPLIED SOUND DEADENER AND APPLICATOR WITH THE SAME

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to an applicator and particularly to an applicator tool used for the applicator, and more particularly, relates to an applicator tool suitable for liquid applied sound deadener (LASD) .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For reducing the sound radiation and for damping structure-borne noise, in automobile construction appliances, it is well known that metal or plastic components for the interior panels are always provided with sound deadening board, for example, pressure sensitive sound deadening board, so as to reduce both oscillations and the resulting noise from the metal or plastic components. However, the board can only get the flat pad appearance. With the development of technology, in some cases, sound-damping coating is preferred to be applied on the surface of such component to obtain better sound damping effect and optimal cost-effectiveness. In particular, the sound-damping coating can be configured with multi-bead texture and thus the appearance can be more beautiful and diversified.

Currently, LASD materials are widely used by original equipment manufacturer (OEM) as sound damping materials and applied to interiors in vehicles to reduce the noise. In the after-market, to repair the sound-damping coating, the existing method for LASD application is to extrude the material with a wide stream nozzle; however, it can only get the flat texture which is different from the original multi-bead texture.

In some cases, the traditional modified silicone (MS) or polyurethane (PU) seam sealant is adopted to apply on the bead texture which is extruded one by one so as to recover the multi-bead texture. However, it is a low efficiency way and the multi-bead texture is not straight and uniformity and thus the appearance quality is unsatisfactory.

Therefore, there is no available solution to replicate the sound damping material with multi-bead texture in the after-market.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present disclosure provides an applicator tool for LASD material, which can repair or restore the original multi-bead texture of sound damping in the after-market, especially for the vehicle after-market body repair.

To this end, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, an applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material is provided. The applicator tool comprises a connecting member in fluid communication with a supply device for supplying the material; a body member coupled with the connecting member and defining a first hollow chamber for the material passing through along a first direction; and a nozzle member coupled with the body member and comprising a plurality of openings on outlet end for allowing the material to be extruded. The plurality of openings of the nozzle member is configured such that one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have different dimensional arrangement from the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.

In accordance with the foregoing technical concept, the present disclosure may further include any one or more of the following alternative embodiments.

In some alternative embodiments, the nozzle member is configured as wide stream nozzle and defines a second hollow chamber of which the cross-sectional dimension is gradually increased from the body member to the outlet end, and the plurality of openings are arranged on the outlet end and in fluid communication with the second hollow chamber.

In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of openings of the nozzle member are arranged in turn on the outlet end along a second direction and aligned linearly with each other, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

In some alternative embodiments, the first hollow chamber of the body member is configured as tapered chamber of which the cross-sectional dimension is gradually decreased from the connecting member to the nozzle member.

In some alternative embodiments, the tapered chamber of the body member is gradually decreased in cross section taken along a third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the second direction and not parallel to the first direction.

In some alternative embodiments, the second hollow chamber of the nozzle member comprises an unchanged dimension in cross section taken along a third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the second direction and not parallel to the first direction.

In some alternative embodiments, the third direction is a spraying direction of the nozzle member.

In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of openings of the nozzle member is configured such that one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have smaller size in section than the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.

In some alternative embodiments, the openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the same size in section.

In some alternative embodiments, the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the gradually increased size in section in a direction far away from the projected area.

In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of openings is configured as circular openings having the diameter of 1～5mm.

In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of openings of the nozzle member is configured such that the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is greater than the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.

In some alternative embodiments, the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is the same.

In some alternative embodiments, the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is gradually decreased in a direction far away from the projected area.

In some alternative embodiments, the distance between the opening positioned partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber and the adjacent opening substantially positioned inside of the projected area is the same or smaller than the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area.

In some alternative embodiments, the plurality of openings is spaced from each other of 3～6mm.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an applicator is also provided. The applicator comprises a container for accommodating a material to be dispensed, and an applicator tool coupled with outside port of the container for spraying the material to a surface, wherein the applicator tool is configured as an applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material as mentioned above.

In some alternative embodiments, the application pressure for spraying the material is 1～5 Bar, and/or the extrusion expansion ratio of the applicator tool is of 1.5～2.5.

The applicator tool of the present disclosure is provided with a nozzle member including plurality of openings arranged on the outlet end, and one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber of the body member have different dimensional arrangement from the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber, such specific structure can effectively balance distribution resistance of the material passing through the nozzle member, and can make the extruded texture with uniform shape. That is, the applicator tool of the present disclosure can apply the uniform multi-bead texture of the liquid applied sound deadener material, which can perfectly replicate the original multi-bead texture of sound damping in the after-market. The applicator tool has a simple structure with low manufacturing cost and is easy to operate.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of understanding the present disclosure, the present disclosure will be explained in detail by embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in the following in which similar reference numerals designate similar elements and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an applicator tool according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the applicator tool shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the applicator tool taken along the A-Aline in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the applicator tool from the side of the openings arranged on the outlet end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Although the present disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described hereinafter. Therefore, unless otherwise noted, features disclosed herein may be combined together to form additional combinations that were not otherwise shown for purposes of brevity.

As shown in Fig. 1, an applicator tool according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a connecting member 10, a body member 20 and a nozzle member 30. The connecting member 10 can be fluidly communicated with a supply device (not shown) for supplying the material to be applied. In some embodiments, the connecting member 10 can be provided with internal thread 11 as shown in Fig. 1 to be connected to the supply device. It would be noted that the connecting member 10 can also be provided with external thread or other connection structures, for example, clip structure or the like to fixedly connect with the supply device and allow the material to be connected to the body member 20 and then the nozzle member 30.

In some embodiments, the material can be liquid applied sound deadener (LASD) including, but not limited to, acrylate based LASD, PU based LASD, silicone based LASD or rubber based LASD. It should be noted that although the applicator tool according to the present disclosure is described herein with LASD material as an example, the applicator tool may also be suitable for various spraying applications of other suitable materials.

In combination with Figs. 2 to 3, the body member 20 can include a first end 21 to be coupled with the connecting member 10 and a second end 22 to be coupled with the nozzle member 30. A first hollow chamber C1 is defined within the body member 20 for the material passing therethrough along a first direction D1. As shown in Fig. 2, the first direction D1 substantially points to the flow direction of the material. In this way, the body member 20 provides a buffering channel which can reduce the fluid resistance of the material to a certain extent, and thus the material which would pass through the nozzle member 30 can flow with relatively stable fluid resistance and ensure the continuity and smoothness of the extruded texture. It is beneficial to extrude uniform texture from the nozzle member 30.

In some embodiments, the nozzle member 30 can include an inlet end 31 to be coupled with the second end 22 of the body member 20 and an outlet end 32 including a plurality of openings for allowing the material to be extruded therefrom and formed multi-bead texture. It can be seen from Figs. 1 to 2 that the nozzle member 30 is configured as wide stream nozzle having a sector portion 33 of which the cross-sectional dimension is gradually increased from the inlet end 31 to the outlet end 32. It would be noted that the dimension of the sector portion 33 can be variable as required and a second hollow chamber C2 can be defined within the sector portion 33 and fluidly communicated with the first hollow chamber C1. Preferably, the outlet end 32 is orientated along a second direction D2 which is perpendicular to the first direction D1.

In some embodiments, the second hollow chamber C2 can be fluidly communicated with the first hollow chamber C1 in the vertical direction as shown in the figures. Alternatively, the second hollow chamber C2 can also be fluidly communicated with the first hollow chamber C1 along a bending direction, for example, by bending portion provided on the body member 20 and/or the nozzle member 30 or a single bending member coupled with the body member 20 and the nozzle member 30.

In some embodiments, the body member 20 is preferably provided with an intended portion 23. That is, the first hollow chamber C1 is configured as tapered chamber of which the cross-sectional dimension is gradually decreased from the connecting member 10 to the nozzle member 30. Specifically, as can be seen from Fig. 3, the first hollow chamber C1 of the body member 20 is gradually decreased in cross section taken along a third direction D3, the third direction D3 is a spraying direction of the nozzle member 30 and is perpendicular to the second direction D2 but not parallel to the first direction D1. It should be understood that the intended portion 23 can also be configured as conical portion. In this way, on the premise of reducing flow resistance, the second end 22 of the body member 20 can be stably coupled to the inlet end 31 of the nozzle member 30 with relatively large contacting area, and such structure helps to ensure the smooth transition of the material from the first hollow chamber C1 to the second hollow chamber C2. Also, in some embodiments, it is beneficial to configure the second hollow chamber C2 to comprise an unchanged dimension in cross section taken along the third direction D3, as shown in Fig. 3. However, it should be understood that the second hollow chamber C2 can also be configured as tapered chamber.

In some embodiments, the connecting member, the body member and the nozzle member of the applicator tool are integrally formed. Optionally, the applicator tool is made of thermoplastic polymers, in particular, polypropylene (PP) , polyamide (PA) , polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyurethane (PU) . It would be noted that the above members of the applicator tool can also be formed separately and coupled together by at least one of welding, adhesion, and other mechanical connections well known to those skilled in the art. In this way, for example, the nozzle member can be replaced by other nozzle member having different dimensional arrangement to meet various actual requirements.

In order to obtain the uniform multi-bead texture to replicate the original texture of the sound damping in the after-market, according to the present disclosure, the plurality of openings of the nozzle member 30 is preferably configured to be arranged non-uniformly on the outlet end 32. In other words, due to the sectional construction of the nozzle member 30, the openings can be arranged in accordance with the fluid pressure distribution as required. Specifically, one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have different dimensional arrangement from the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.

It should be understood that the projected area of the first hollow chamber is a calculated area when the first hollow chamber is projected onto a specified surface. In the present disclosure, the projected area refers to an area when the first hollow chamber C1 is projected onto the outlet end 32 of the nozzle member 30 along the first direction D1.

It should be noted that the opening substantially positioned inside of the projected area described herein means that the opening is completely located in the projected area, while the opening substantially positioned outside of the projected area refers to the opening completely located outside of the projected area. As a special case, the opening located at the boundary between the interior and the exterior of the projected area can be considered as the opening positioned partly outside of the projected area, which has at least a potion located in the inside or outside of the projected area.

In some embodiments, the plurality of openings of the nozzle member 30 is arranged in turn on the outlet end 32 along the second direction D2 and aligned linearly with each other. Optionally, the openings can be shaped in section as circular, square, rectangle, triangle, polygon or other suitable forms. As shown in Fig. 4, in this embodiment, seven openings having circular section and arranged symmetrically are illustrated as an example, and the diameter of the circular openings can be ranged of 1～5mm, in particular, of 1～3mm, and more particularly, of 1～2mm.

Preferably, no matter what forms the body member and the nozzle member are constructed, the openings are configured such that one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have smaller size in section than the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber. In some embodiments, the openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber can have the same size in section. In some embodiments, the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the gradually increased size in section in a direction far away from the projected area.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the opening 34a and the opening 34b which are both positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber C1 can be configured with the same diameter, for example, 2.4mm, while the opening 34c positioned partly outside of the projection area and the opening 34d positioned outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber C1 can be configured with the same or different diameter larger than the

openings

34a, 34b. For example, the opening 34c may have a diameter of 2.5mm, and the opening 34d may have a diameter of 2.6mm.

Preferably, the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is greater than the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber. Optionally, the openings can be spaced from each other of 3～6mm, in particular, of 4～5mm. In some embodiments, the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is the same. In some embodiments, the distance between any two adjacent openings positioned outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is gradually decreased in a direction far away from the projected area. In some alternative embodiments, the distance between the opening positioned partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber and the adjacent opening substantially positioned inside of the projected area is the same or smaller than the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the distance d1 between the opening 34a and the opening 34b which are both positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber C1 can be 5mm, while the distance d2 between the opening 34b positioned outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber C1 and the opening 34c positioned partly outside of the projection area can be the same as or different from the distance d1, for example, the distance d2 can also be 5mm. Further, the distance d3 between the opening 34c and the opening 34d can be smaller than the distance d2. For example, the distance d3 may be 4.6mm.

With the above construction, the applicator tool can effectively apply the multi-bead texture to the surface of the vehicle components in uniform manner when used on an applicator, for example, a spray gun. In some embodiments, the applicator includes a container for accommodating the material to be dispensed, and the applicator tool is coupled with outside port of the container.

For most of LASD material, during the spraying process, the material could be heated under the temperature range of 40～80℃ for a time range of 5-60min, then the spray gun equipped with the applicator tool can perfectly recover or replicate the multi-bead texture. Particularly, the heat temperature of the LASD material can be ranged of 50～70℃, and the heating time can be ranged of 5～30min.

In view of various LASD material performance, the application pressure for spraying the material is 1～5 Bar, in particular, 1～2 Bar. Accordingly, the extrusion expansion ratio of the applicator tool is of 1.5～2.5. For example, regarding the

openings

34a, 34b, the extrusion expansion ratio may be 2.025, the extrusion expansion ratio regarding the opening 34c may be 1.944, and the extrusion expansion ratio regarding the opening 34c may be 1.869. Therefore, in most cases, it would be expected that the LASD material extruded from the applicator tool according to the present disclosure can form tight rows of multi-bead texture which is same as the original texture appearance.

The specific embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative of the present disclosure. It would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications could be made according to the teachings of the present disclosure and the present disclosure could be practiced in various equivalent ways. Thus, the particular embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed above are illustrative only, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited by the details of the structures or designs disclosed herein. Accordingly, various substitutions, combinations or modifications could be made to the particular exemplary embodiments disclosed above, and all variations thereof fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

All values and ranges disclosed above may also be varied. Whenever a range of values with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any value falling within the range and any included range are specifically disclosed. Specifically, any range of values disclosed herein could be considered to list any value and any range included within the broader range of values. Likewise, the terms in the claims have their clear and ordinary meaning unless otherwise defined unambiguously and clearly by the applicant.

Claims

An applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material, comprising:

a connecting member in fluid communication with a supply device for supplying the material;

a body member coupled with the connecting member and defining a first hollow chamber for the material passing through along a first direction; and

a nozzle member coupled with the body member and comprising a plurality of openings on outlet end for allowing the material to be extruded;

wherein the plurality of openings of the nozzle member is configured such that one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have different dimensional arrangement from the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle member is configured as wide stream nozzle and defines a second hollow chamber of which the cross-sectional dimension is gradually increased from the body member to the outlet end, and the plurality of openings are arranged on the outlet end and in fluid communication with the second hollow chamber.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of openings of the nozzle member are arranged in turn on the outlet end along a second direction and aligned linearly with each other, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 3, wherein the first hollow chamber of the body member is configured as tapered chamber of which the cross-sectional dimension is gradually decreased from the connecting member to the nozzle member.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 4, wherein the tapered chamber of the body member is gradually decreased in cross section taken along a third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the second direction and not parallel to the first direction.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 3, wherein the second hollow chamber of the nozzle member comprises an unchanged dimension in cross section taken along a third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the second direction and not parallel to the first direction.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the third direction is a spraying direction of the nozzle member.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of openings of the nozzle member are configured such that one or more openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have smaller size in section than the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 8, wherein the openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the same size in section.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 8, wherein the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the gradually increased size in section in a direction far away from the projected area.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of openings are configured as circular openings having the diameter of 1～5mm.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of openings of the nozzle member is configured such that the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is greater than the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 12, wherein the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is the same.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 12, wherein the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is gradually decreased in a direction far away from the projected area.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 12, wherein the distance between the opening positioned partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber and the adjacent opening substantially positioned inside of the projected area is the same or smaller than the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of openings of the nozzle member is configured such that the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is greater than the distance between two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 16, wherein the openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the same size in section.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 16, wherein the openings substantially positioned outside or partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber have the gradually increased size in section in a direction far away from the projected area.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 16, wherein the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is the same.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 16, wherein the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber is gradually decreased in a direction far away from the projected area.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to claim 16, wherein the distance between the opening positioned partly outside of the projected area of the first hollow chamber and the adjacent opening substantially positioned inside of the projected area is the same or smaller than the distance between any two adjacent openings substantially positioned inside of the projected area.
The applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of openings is spaced from each other of 3～6mm.
An applicator, comprising a container for accommodating a material to be dispensed, and an applicator tool coupled with outside port of the container for spraying the material to a surface, wherein the applicator tool is configured as an applicator tool for liquid applied sound deadener material according to anyone of the preceding claims.
The applicator according to claim 16, wherein the application pressure for spraying the material is 1～5 Bar, and/or the extrusion expansion ratio of the applicator tool is of 1.5～2.5.