Sealing arrangements

Abstract

A sealing arrangement, such as for a vehicle door opening, comprises a channel-shaped mounting or gripping portion (10) for embracingly gripping a mounting flange (40) extending around the door opening. The mounting portion (10) integrally includes an outwardly inclined support member or lip (34) on which is supportingly mounted a tubular seal (38) so as to be presented to and to be sealingly compressed by the closing door. The tubular seal (38) is advantageously made of open-cellular thermoplastic elastomer material, and is covered by a skin-like covering (42) of closed-cellular thermoplastic elastomer material. The skin-like covering (42) extends from the mounting portion (10), over the outside of the tubular seal (38) and partially over the surface of the support member (34) facing the outside of the one of the channel side walls (14) of the mounting portion (10). The support member (34) may incorporate a longitudinally compressible metal reinforcement (36), which is relatively stiff in the perpendicular direction (arrow C) for preventing wrinkling of the tubular seal (38) at bends or corners in the surround. In order to hold the sealing portion (12) in the correct attitude relative to the mounting portion (10), the sealing arrangement incorporates a web (46) made of textile or similar fabric material which is longitudinally stretchable but resistant to width-wise stretching—but is readily compressible so as not adversely to effect compressibility of the sealing portion (12).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.