US5691037A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Damped laminates with improved fastener force retention, a method of making, and novel tools useful in making
Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Co
•
Filing: 1996-07-03
•
Granted: 1997-11-25
•
Expires: 2016-07-03
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a vibration damped laminate articles having improved force (torque and/or pressure and/or stress) retention, a method of making one article type and novel tools used to make the one article type. The first laminate comprises at least one layer of damping material between at least two substrate layers. At least one deformation area is present in the laminate wherein the substrate(s) are plastically deformed such that they are closer than non-deformed areas of the substrate and wherein the damping material has less mass than in a non-deformed area of the article; the deformation areas providing the areas of good force retention, for an attachment device attached thereto. The second laminate, which is not deformed, contains an additive of sufficient modulus, diameter and loading, in a vibration damping layer to provide improved force retention.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffrey W. McCutcheon
- 👤 Donald T. Landin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 17:28
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B3/00; B32B3/02; B32B3/06; B32B15/00; B32B15/04; B32B27/00; B32B27/06; B32B27/08; B32B3/26; B32B3/266; B32B3/30; B32B5/00; B32B5/02; B32B5/16; B32B7/00; B32B7/04; B32B7/12; F; F16; F16F; F16F1/00; F16F1/36; F16F7/00; F16F7/08; F16F9/00; F16F9/30; F16F9/306; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/50; B32B2307/56; B32B2311/00; B32B2439/00; B32B2607/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/913; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/23; Y10T428/233; Y10T428/237; Y10T428/238; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24008; Y10T428/24273; Y10T428/24322; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24612; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24851; Y10T428/25; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31678
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 43
Claim 1
Independent Claim
279 words
A laminate article comprising: a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer: at least one layer of vibration damping material comprising a viscoelastic material positioned between said first and second substrate layers; optionally one or more additional substrate layers positioned between said first and second substrate layers; optionally 1 or more bonding material layers bonded between a substrate layer and a vibration damping layer, wherein the storage modulus of each bonding material layer is higher than the storage modulus of the viscoelastic material contained in a vibration damping layer to which it is bonded; wherein the storage modulus of each substrate layer is greater than that of the viscoelastic material in any vibration damping material layer with which it is in contact; wherein at least one deformation area is present in said article, wherein a deformation area is an area of the article wherein at least one substrate layer is plastically deformed such that at least two substrate layers are touching or positioned closer to each other than in an area of the article in which none of the substrates are plastically deformed; wherein in at least 1 vibration damping material layer, within at least a 5% area of the deformation area, the vibration damping material is non-existent or, if present, has a mass that is 90% or less than the average mass of the vibration damping material layer of an equal area in an area of the article which is not in a deformation area; wherein at least one substrate has a variable thickness in a deformation area; and wherein at least one of the first and second substrates contains protrusion(s) and/or depression(s) in a deformation area.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
279 words
A laminate article comprising: a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer: at least one layer of vibration damping material comprising a viscoelastic material positioned between said first and second substrate layers; optionally one or more additional substrate layers positioned between said first and second substrate layers; optionally 1 or more bonding material layers bonded between a substrate layer and a vibration damping layer, wherein the storage modulus of each bonding material layer is higher than the storage modulus of the viscoelastic material contained in a vibration damping layer to which it is bonded; wherein the storage modulus of each substrate layer is greater than that of the viscoelastic material in any vibration damping material layer with which it is in contact; wherein at least one deformation area is present in said article, wherein a deformation area is an area of the article wherein at least one substrate layer is plastically deformed such that at least two substrate layers are touching or positioned closer to each other than in an area of the article in which none of the substrates are plastically deformed; wherein in at least 1 vibration damping material layer, within at least a 5% area of the deformation area, the vibration damping material is non-existent or, if present, has a mass that is 90% or less than the average mass of the vibration damping material layer of an equal area in an area of the article which is not in a deformation area; wherein at least one substrate has a variable thickness in a deformation area; and wherein at least one of the first and second substrates contains protrusion(s) and/or depression(s) in a deformation area.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The laminate article of claim 1 wherein at least one hole is present in a substrate layer, wherein at least one hole is surrounded by a deformation area.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The laminate article of claim 1 wherein at least one hole is present in a substrate selected from the group consisting of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, wherein at least one hole is surrounded by a deformation area.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The laminate article of claim 1 wherein at least one through hole is at least partially present in the article, wherein at least one hole is surrounded by a deformation area.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The article of claim 1 wherein at least one substrate layer selected from the group consisting of the first and second substrate layers has at least one protrusion in at least one deformation area.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the substrate layers are selected from the group consisting of metals and plastics.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the substrate layers are selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, copper, carbon steel, lead, polyethylenes, polyolefins, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyimides, polystyrenes, polyacetates, and vinyl copolymers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the bonding material layer is selected from the group consisting of epoxy resins and cyanoacrylates, polyamides, acrylics, phenoxies, and phenolics.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The article of claim 4 wherein each through hole has a diameter of about 0.01 to about 100 centimeters.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
The laminate article of claim 1 having at least one layer of vibration damping material contained therein, said vibration damping material comprising a viscoelastic material, said vibration damping material having a loss factor of at least about 0.01 and a storage modulus of at least about 6.9×10 3 Pascals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping material is a viscoelastic material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polymers, thermosetting polymers, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
12 words
The article of claim 11 wherein the thermosetting polymer is an acrylate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The article of claim 1 selected from the group consisting of covers, panels, casings, housings, baffles, pans, containers, and ducts.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
74 words
The article of claim 1 selected from the group consisting of vehicle oil pan covers, disk drive covers, engine covers, vehicle valve covers, appliance panels, vehicle panels, acoustical panels, laminated sheeting panels, building panels, aerospace panels, heating panels, ventilation panels, air conditioning panels, motor housings, appliance housing, equipment housings, fluid baffles, acoustical baffles, vehicle oil pans, shipping containers, holding containers, storage containers, transportation containers, heating ducts, ventilation ducts, air conditioning ducts and cooling ducts.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The article of claim 1 wherein said article contains at least two layers of vibration damping material and at least three substrate layers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
125 words
The article of claim 1 wherein at least one vibration damping material layer further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of fibers, particulates, and mixtures thereof; wherein the total amount of additive is about 1 to about 90 weight percent based upon the total weight of the vibration damping material; wherein the particulate size ranges from about 0.02 to about 125% of the average thickness of the vibration damping material layer, in which the particulate is present, and in an area which is not a deformation area; and wherein the fiber diameter ranges from about 0.02 to about 125% of the average thickness of the vibration damping layer, in which the fiber is present, in an area which is not a deformation area.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
124 words
The article of claim 1 wherein at least one vibration damping material layer further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of fibers, particulates, and mixtures thereof; wherein the total amount of additive is about 20 to about 90 weight percent based upon the total weight of the vibration damping material; wherein the particulate size ranges from about 10 to about 125% of the average thickness of the vibration damping material layer in which the particulate is present in an area which is not a deformation area; and wherein the fiber diameter ranges from about 10 to about 125% of the average thickness of the vibration damping layer in which the fiber is present, in an area which is not a deformation area.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping is improved by at least about 10% in at least 1 vibrational mode.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
14 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping layer is a continuous layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping layer is a continuous layer made up of adjacent sections of different vibration damping materials.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the article contains at least 2 layers of vibration damping material, wherein at least 2 of the layers comprise different damping materials.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping layer is a discontinuous layer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The article of claim 22 wherein the discontinuous layer comprises sections of damping material separated by non-damping material or spaces.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
57 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping material layer within at least a 5% area of the deformation area, is nonexistent or, if present, has a mass that is 50% or less than the average mass of the vibration damping material layer in an equal area of the article which is not a deformation area.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
58 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping material layer within at least a 5% area of the deformation area is nonexistent or, if present, has a mass that is about 10% or less than the average mass of the vibration damping material layer in an equal area of the article which is not a deformation area.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
58 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the vibration damping material layer within at least a 5% area of the deformation area is nonexistent or, if present, has a mass that is about 2% or less than the average mass of the vibration damping material layer in an equal area of the article which is not a deformation area.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
29 words
The article of claim 4 wherein the area of each deformation area surrounding at least one hole is about 0.05 to about 100 times the area of each hole.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
29 words
The article of claim 4 wherein the area of each deformation area surrounding at least one hole is about 0.05 to about 10 times the area of each hole.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
14 words
The article of claim 1 having at least one integral attachment device projecting therefrom.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The article of claim 29 wherein said integral attachment device(s) projects from the first substrate layer, the second substrate layer, or both the first and second substrate layers.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
17 words
A fastening assembly comprising the article of claim 1 and at least one attachment device positioned thereon.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
35 words
A fastening assembly comprising the article of claim 1 and at least one attachment device positioned thereon, wherein at least one attachment device at least partially contacts at least one deformation area of the article.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
23 words
The fastening assembly of claim 31 wherein the attachment device is selected from the group consisting of screws, bolts, clamps, nails and rivets.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
35 words
A fastening assembly comprising the article of claim 1 and at least one attachment device positioned thereon, wherein at least one attachment device at least partially contacts at least one deformation area of the article.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
35 words
A fastening assembly comprising the article of claim 24 and at least one attachment device positioned thereon, wherein at least one attachment device at least partially contacts at least one deformation area of the article.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
35 words
A fastening assembly comprising the article of claim 25 and at least one attachment device positioned thereon, wherein at least one attachment device at least partially contacts at least one deformation area of the article.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
A fastening assembly comprising the article of claim 26 and at least one attachment device positioned thereon, wherein at least one attachment device at least partially contacts at least one deformation area of the article.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
36 words
A fastened assembly comprising the article of claim 1 fastened to a second article via an attachment device, wherein at least one attachment device at least partially contacts at least one deformation area of the article.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
22 words
The article of claim 1 wherein at least 1 vibration damping layer is thermally conductive, electrically conductive, or thermally and electrically conductive.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
34 words
The article of claim 1 wherein at least one vibration damping material layer has a thickness of about 0.002 mm to about 1.5 mm prior to the formation of at least one deformation area.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
11 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the protrusion is a ledge.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
11 words
The article of claim 1 wherein the depression is a notch.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-11-24 | 2001-05-26 | 2001-11-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-11-24 | 2005-05-26 | 2005-11-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-11-24 | 2009-05-26 | 2009-11-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |