The Function Of Weatherstripping
A weatherstrip has a trim portion and a seal portion
. The trim portion has a vehicle interior side wall, a vehicle exterior side wall, and a connecting portion. A metal insert is embedded in the trim portion. The insert has piece portions and a center bond portion which connects the piece portions to one another.The thickness of each of parts of the insert, which are other than both curved parts, is set to be thinner than the thickness of each of both the curved parts. Thus, the thickness of the insert, except for the curved parts, is small. Consequently, the entire insert, thus, the entire weather strip can be lightened. On the other hand, both the curved parts are relatively thick. Accordingly, the weather strip can assure predetermined strength and stiffness and can easily maintain an initial shape.
Generally, a weather strip having a trim portion is provided on a flange formed along the peripheral part of a door opening of a vehicle, such as an automobile. The weather strip has a trim portion, which has a holding lip held by being fit intothe flange formed along the peripheral part of the door opening, and also has a hollow seal portion provided to protrude from the trim portion. The trim portion has a connecting portion, which connects a vehicle interior side wall, a vehicle exteriorside wall, and both side walls, and is substantially-U-shaped in cross section.
Also, a metal insert is embedded in the trim portion. As illustrated in FIG. 8, an insert 90 has a plurality of strip-like piece portions 91 disposed substantially parallel to one another and bond portions 92 (e.g., a center bond portion placedin the connecting portion) that connect the piece portions 91 to one another. Incidentally, FIG. 8 illustrates the insert 90 that is in a state before each of the piece portions 91 is subjected to bending-work and is formed into a substantially U-shape.
When a weather strip is mounted on the flange, the trim portion is fit thereinto. A mounted state, in which the weather strip is mounted thereon, is maintained basically by an elastic force of the holding lip portion or a bonding force of theinsert. Additionally, when a door is closed, an edge portion of the door abuts against the seal portion. Thus, the seal portion is crush-deformed to seal between the door and a body of the vehicle.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for lightening the weather strip. Because the ratio in weight of the metal insert to the weather strip is high, the weight of the insert is reduced to thereby lighten the weather strip. Atechnique of lightening the insert is to form the center bond portion to be thin, as compared with the piece portions (see, for example, JP-A-11-48879).
However, according to the above technique, only the center bond portion is formed to be thin. Thus, the weather strip cannot always sufficiently be lightened. On the other hand, when even the piece portions are formed to be thin to fit to thecenter bond portion, a desired strength (or shape holding performance) cannot be assured. Consequently, the bonding force is insufficient.
The invention is accomplished to solve the aforementioned problems. An object of the invention is to provide a weather strip enabled to suppress reduction of the strength and the bonding force, while reducing the weight thereof.
Here in after, some aspects of the invention suitable for solving the above problems are described by itemizing. Incidentally, if necessary, characteristic operations and advantages are described in addition to the description of an associated oneof such aspects of the invention.
In a case where a weatherstrip is configured like so that the thickness of the remaining parts thereof other than both the curved parts is thinner by 0.05 mm or more than the thickness of both of the curved parts, the weather strip canobtain two opposite advantages at a time, that is, the weather strip can be lightened, while the weather strip can have the predetermined strength. Incidentally, the weather strip can be configured so that the thickness of the remaining parts thereofother than both the curved parts is thinner by 0.08 mm or more than the thickness of each of the curved parts.
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