The most commonly used rubber parts in cars are sealing systems. These are meant to prevent penetration of noise, air and water into the passenger compartment.
Sealing systems account for the large part of all rubber components (excluding tires) in cars. The total length of the sealing systems used in a typical passenger car ranges between 50 and 80 metres. Since 1950 the automotive industry's awareness of the importance of sealing systems has lead them to demand continuous improvement of sealing properties. In subsequent decades the design of sealing systems has grown more sophisticated (using more complex shapes) in response to increased demands for functionality.
One consequence is a venture to combine several rubber materials to create a sealing system with improved sealing capabilities.
Sealing systems are molded and extruded profiles used in cars under static and dynamic loads to seal against air, water and noise. Examples of static seals are window encapsulations and snap-on profiles. Examples of seals under dynamic load are door seals, which consists mostly of sponge parts.
Seals range from very simple structures such as strips to highly advanced, complex structures such as multiple-cavity bulbs. A door seal is a good example of a complex seal and is the most important seal used in a car, requiring perfect functionaliity. Various designs and materials are used for door seals and in the near future we expect even more complex sealing systems will be developed.
Sealing Systems Applications are:
