METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE CURING BEHAVIOR OF AN ADHESIVE- OR SEALANT BEAD

Abstract

A method for determining the curing behavior of an adhesive- or sealant bead, the adhesive- or sealant bead being applied to a workpiece, places multiple test bodies on the adhesive- or sealant bead at different, pre-defined placement times, and deformations of the adhesive- or sealant bead, caused by the test bodies, are measured at a pre-defined end time.

Claims

1. Method for determination of the curing behavior of an adhesive bead or sealant bead (10), wherein the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) is applied to a workpiece (12), wherein multiple test bodies (26) are set onto the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) at different, predetermined set-down time points, and wherein deformations of the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) caused by the test bodies (26) are measured at a predetermined end time.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein multiple test bodies (26) and preferably all the test bodies (26) are configured identically.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein at the end time point, sink-in depths of the test bodies (26) into the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) are measured.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the test bodies (26) are set down onto the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) at constant time intervals.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein a holding device (22) is se't down onto the workpiece (12), which device has linear guides (24) for the test bodies (26), in which these can be linearly guided in the direction toward the workpiece (12), and that wherein the test bodies (26) are introduced into the linear guides (24) at the set-down time points to impact the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) with their weight, and are set down onto the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10).

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein metal pins are used as test bodies (26).

7. Apparatus for determination of the curing behavior of an adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) applied to a workpiece (12), having a holding device (22) for being set onto the workpiece (12), which device has linear guides (24) for displaceable guidance of test bodies (26) in a direction toward the workpiece (12), and having a plurality of identical test bodies (26) for insertion into the linear guides (24) and for impacting the adhesive bead or sealant bead (10) with their weight.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein multiple test bodies (26) and preferably all the test bodies (26) are configured to be identical.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the holding device (22) is a perforated plate and wherein the test bodies (26) are pins, particularly metal pins, guided in the holes (24) of the plate (22) with play.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of the pins (26) decreases toward an underside set-down surface (28).

Description

[0010] In the following, the invention will be explained in greater detail using an exemplary embodiment shown schematically in the drawing. The figures show:

[0011] FIG. 1 an adhesive bead applied to a workpiece, with an apparatus for determination of its curing behavior, in a side view, and

[0012] FIG. 2 a representation of a detail from FIG. 1 in a perspective view.

[0013] In the drawing, an adhesive bead 10 is shown, which was applied to a workpiece 12. Furthermore, in FIG. 1 an apparatus 20 is shown, which serves for a determination of the curing behavior of the adhesive. The apparatus 20 has a holding device 22 in the form of an elongated plate, which has holes 24 disposed in a row, at equal intervals from one another. The holes 24 form linear guides for a plurality of metal pins 26, which have a cylindrical outer contour and are configured to be at least similar in terms of shape, material, and weight, and are configured to be identical in the exemplary embodiment shown, which pins are set into the hole 24 with some play and are guided there in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece 12. The cross-section of each of the metal pins 26 decreases toward an underside set-down surface 28, so that its weight rests on a relatively small surface.

[0014] For a determination of the curing behavior of the adhesive that forms the bead 10, the bead 10 is first applied to the workpiece 12. Afterward, the plate 22 is set onto the surface of the workpiece 12 by means of support legs, not shown in any detail, and the metal pins 26 are introduced into the holes 24 at constant time intervals, at predetermined set-down time points, and set onto the adhesive bead 10 with their set-down surface 28. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, a first metal pin 26 is set onto the bead 10 one and a half minutes after application of the adhesive bead 10 to the workpiece 12, a second metal pin 26 is set down after three minutes, a third metal pin 26 after four and a half minutes, and so on. Since the adhesive cures over time, the metal pins 26 set onto the bead 10 first sink deeper into it than the metal pins 26 set onto the bead 10 last. This is illustrated in FIG. 1, in which a bar 32 that runs horizontally is laid onto the metal pin 26 set down last, which has practically not sunk into the bead 10 at all. The sink-in depth of the metal pins 26 at the predetermined set-down time points, which is illustrated in FIG. 1 by the distance from the bar 32, is then a characteristic measure of the curing behavior of the adhesive. In this regard, the sink-in depth is measured at a predetermined end time, which is preferably a point in time at which complete curing of the adhesive can be assumed.

[0015] In summary, the following should be stated: The invention relates to a method for determination of the curing behavior of an adhesive bead or sealant bead 10, wherein the adhesive bead or sealant bead 10 is applied to a workpiece 12, wherein multiple test bodies 26 are set onto the adhesive bead or sealant bead 10 at different, predetermined set-down time points, and wherein deformations of the adhesive bead or sealant bead 10 caused by the test bodies 26 are measured at a predetermined end time.