EXPANDABLE MATERIAL

• US 20070117874A1
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: L&L Products Inc.
• Original Assignee: L&L Products Inc.
• Inventors: Kassa, Abraham, Harthcock, Matthew, Apfel, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/627,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117874A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 521/92
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2201/026 Crosslinking before of after foaming
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2207/02 Adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2331/00 Characterised by the use of copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, or carbonic acid, or of a haloformic acid of hydrolysed polymers C08J2329/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2333/06 of esters containing only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, the oxygen atom being present only as part of the carboxyl radical
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2423/08 Copolymers of ethene C08J2423/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2431/00 Characterised by the use of copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, or carbonic acid, or of a haloformic acid of hydrolysed polymers C08J2429/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/0061 characterized by the use of several polymeric components
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/103 Azodicarbonamide

Abstract

An expandable material and articles incorporating the same are disclosed. The material includes a polymeric admixture; a blowing agent; a curing agent; a tackifier; and optionally, a filler or fiber.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method of providing baffling or sealing to an article of manufacture, comprising:

intermixing ingredients to form an expandable material, the ingredients including a curing, a blowing agent and an acetate, an acrylate or both;

applying the expandable material to a structure of the article of manufacture; and

activating the expandable material to expand and form a foam, the foam having a volume that is at least 1500% greater than the volume of the expandable material in an unexpanded state;

wherein the foam provides sealing, baffling or both to the structure of the article of manufacture.

26. A method as in claim 25 wherein the expandable material is activated upon exposure to an elevated temperature and the expandable material expands to a volume that is at least 2000% greater than the volume of the expandable material in an unexpanded state.

27. A method as in claim 25 wherein the curing agent includes a peroxide curing agent having an activation temperature between about 60°

C. and about 110°

C.

28. A method as in claim 25 wherein the expandable material include one or more fillers and the one or more fillers include a fibrous filler material.

29. A method as in claim 25 wherein the acrylate, the acetate or both are part of a polymeric admixture that is at least about 40% by weight of the expandable material and wherein the acrylate comprises about 20% to about 95% of the polymeric admixture and the acetate comprises about 5% to about 50% of the polymeric admixture.

30. A method as in claim 25 wherein the expandable material includes EVA and oxide and the blowing agent includes 4,4_i-oxy-bis-(benzenesulphonylhydrazide), azodicarbonamide or both.

31. A method as in claim 30 wherein the oxide includes a metal oxide.

32. A method as in claim 25 wherein the expandable material includes up to about 20% by weight epoxy resin.

33. A method as in claim 25 wherein the blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both are at least 5.5% by weight of the expandable material.

34. A method as in claim 25 wherein the blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both are at least 8.0% by weight of the expandable material.

35. A method of providing baffling to an automotive vehicle, comprising:

intermixing ingredients to form an expandable material, the ingredients including curing agent, blowing agent and an acetate, an acrylate or both;

applying the expandable material to a structure of the article of manufacture such that the material is within a cavity defined by the automotive vehicle; and

activating the expandable material to expand and form a foam, the foam having a volume that is at least 2000% greater than the volume of the expandable material in an unexpanded state;

wherein;

i. the foam provides baffling or both to the structure of the automotive vehicle;

ii. the expandable material is activated upon exposure to temperatures encountered in a coating operation of automotive assembly.

36. A method as in claim 35 wherein the expandable material expands to a volume that is at least 3000% greater than the volume of the expandable material in an unexpanded state.

37. A method as in claim 35 wherein the curing agent includes at least one curing agent having an activation temperature between about 60°

C. and about 110°

C.

38. A method as in claim 35 wherein the expandable material includes one or more fillers and the one or more fillers include a fibrous filler material.

39. A method as in claim 35 wherein the acrylate, the acetate or both are part of a polymeric admixture that is at least about 40% by weight of the expandable material and wherein the acrylate comprises about 20% to about 95% of the polymeric admixture and the acetate comprises about 5% to about 50% of the polymeric admixture.

40. A method as in claim 35 wherein the expandable material includes up to about 20% by weight epoxy resin.

41. A method as in claim 35 wherein the blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both are at least 5.5% by weight of the expandable material.

42. A method as in claim 35 wherein the blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both are at least 8.0% by weight of the expandable material.

43. A method of providing baffling to an automotive vehicle, comprising:

intermixing ingredients to form an expandable material, the ingredients including curing agent, blowing agent, fiber and EMA, EVA or both wherein the curing agent includes a peroxide wherein the blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both are at least 5.5% by weight of the expandable material;

applying the expandable material to a structure of the article of manufacture such that the material is within a cavity defined by the automotive vehicle; and

activating the expandable material to expand and form a foam, the foam having a volume that is at least 2000% greater than the volume of the expandable material in an unexpanded state;

wherein;

i. the foam provides baffling or both to the structure of the automotive vehicle;

ii. the expandable material is activated at temperatures encountered in a coating operation during automotive assembly; and

iii. the expandable material includes up to about 20% by weight epoxy resin.

44. A method as in claim 43 wherein the expandable material includes a fibrous filler material.