A baffle for sealing a vehicle structure, comprising a carrier with an interior body portion characterized by a plurality of spaced-apart members, providing voids, and an expandable material, that may also have openings, disposed on the carrier which, upon expansion, fills a vehicle cavity and covers the interior body portion and each of the voids.

The disclosed acoustic insulator mat includes a first absorber layer made of a non-woven fibrous material. The non-woven fibrous material comprises a mesh of intertwined fibers that defines a plurality of cavities. The first absorber layer has a first side and a second side. Peripheral cavities are arranged along the second side of the first absorber layer between peripheral fibers. A coating is disposed on the second side of the first absorber layer. The coating is adhered to the peripheral fibers and thus includes a plurality of discontinuities at the peripheral cavities such that the coating provides a partial barrier to noise at the second side of the first absorber layer. The acoustic insulator mat may optionally include a second absorber layer that is retained on the first absorber layer by the coating. A method of manufacturing the acoustic insulator mat is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for selecting a viscoelastic plastic interlayer including two outer layers and a central layer that can be incorporated between two glass sheets of a glazing unit, the method includes providing first and second components that constitute respectively the central layer and the outer layers, measuring the shear modulus G′ of the first and second components, selecting the material of the second component only if G′≧3×10.sup.7 Pa at 20° C. and between 100 Hz and 240 Hz, and setting the thickness h of the first component so that h is between 0.31 mm and 1.20 mm and so that g=G′/h is between 5.58×10.sup.8 Pa/m and 2.37×10.sup.9 Pa/m at 20° C. and between 100 Hz and 240 Hz.

A sound- and heat-insulating enclosure of a pedal mount of a motor vehicle has at least one pedal mounted pivotably thereon. The enclosure has retaining contours, by which fixing on the pedal mount is possible. A pedal-independent high-quality sealing concept can be implemented by shifting a sealing plane between an interior of a cockpit and a footwell from the pedals toward the pedal mount.

An acoustic air flow resistive article and a method of making same. The acoustic air flow resistive article can include melt blown fibers having a fiber diameter of no greater than 10 μm and binder fibers dispersed amongst the melt blown fibers and at least partially melt-adhered to the melt blown fibers. The melt blown fibers can be formed of a resin having a first melting point, and the surface of the binder fibers can be at least partially formed of a resin having a second melting point that is less than the first melting point. The method can include mixing the melt blown fibers and the binder fibers to form a web, and pressing the web at a temperature that is less than the first melting point and greater than the second melting point.

The present invention is directed to an acoustical baffle that has use in vehicle interiors, such as an interior headliner. In particular, the baffle can provide improved acoustics while maintaining a desired airflow resistance and can be configured to provide for different sound attenuation characteristics at selected locations of the baffle construction.

A multilayer damping material for damping a vibrating surface comprising: at least one constraining layer; at least one dissipating layer; and at least one kinetic spacer layer comprising multiple spacer elements. The kinetic spacer layer is arranged between the constraining layer and the vibrating surface, when used for damping the vibrating surface. Each spacer element has opposite ends. At least one end of each of the multiple spacer elements is embedded in, bonded to, in contact with, or in close proximity to the dissipating layer, such that energy is dissipated within the multilayer damping material, through movement of the at least one end of each of the multiple spacer elements.

An apparatus for shielding hot regions, in particular of an internal combustion engine, includes a heat shield with a through hole. The apparatus has a component, in particular a heat source, with a fastening region which has a receptacle and a shoulder which surrounds the receptacle at least partially. The shoulder extends through the through hole of the heat shield. The apparatus has a fastening element, in particular a screw, which fastens the heat shield to the fastening region, the fastening element being supported on the shoulder, extending through the through hole of the heat shield, and being fastened in the receptacle.

A rocker molding includes a vertical wall portion provided under a rocker in a vehicle upper-lower direction, a bottom wall portion extending from a lower end portion of the vertical wall portion to an outer side in a vehicle width direction, and a side wall portion extending upwardly in the vehicle upper-lower direction from an outer end portion of the bottom wall portion in the vehicle width direction. A sound absorbing material is provided in a penetrating portion that is provided in a grange from a portion of the vertical wall portion to an inner portion of the bottom wall portion in the vehicle width direction.

The present invention encompasses systems and methods for mounting speakers in the front of a vehicle to address multiple issues that exist with audio systems currently on the market. More specifically, the present invention improves and optimizes the phase correct and time correct aspects of existing technologies.