Double walled baffle

A noise-attenuated structural member comprising:

• a structural member defying a cavity;
• and
• a baffle positioned in said cavity, said baffle comprising:
• an expansible material support comprising:
• a pair of pliable, opposed spaced-apart walls having respective, adjacent first and second ends and defining a space therebetween, the first ends of the walls being remotely spaced from the second ends of the walls;
• a rod securing said walls to one another at a location adjacent said first ends and remote from the second ends of the walls;
• and
• a fastener for securing the baffle within the cavity, said fastener being adjacent and interconnecting said second ends, said support being substantially free of connection between said pair of walls intermediate said rod and said fastener;
• and
• an expanded, synthetic resin sealing material operably coupled with and supported by said support, said expanded material bowing said pair of walls in convex relationship to one another to increase the distance therebetween intermediate said rod and said fastener and contacting said structural member so as to substantially seal said cavity.

A baffle for sealing a cavity of a vehicle body, said baffle comprising:

• an expansible material support comprising:
• a pair of pliable, opposed spaced-apart walls defining a space therebetween and having respective, adjacent first and second ends, the first ends of the walls being remotely spaced from the second ends of the walls;
• a rod securing said spaced-apart walls to one another at a location adjacent said first ends and remote from the second ends of the walls;
• and
• an endwall joining said spaced-apart walls adjacent said second ends, said support being substantially free of connection between said pair of walls intermediate said rod and said endwall;
• and
• a thermally expanded sealing material operably coupled with and supported by said support, said thermally expanded material bowing said pair of walls in convex relationship to one another to increase the distance therebetween intermediate said rod and said fastener and contacting said structural member so as to substantially seal said cavity.
• said endwall and said rod having respective lengths L1 and L2 and being separated by a distance D, said material being sufficiently expanded so that at a distance of about ½D from said endwall, the thickness of the expanded material is greater than the shorter of L1 and L2.