Expandable barrier

摘要

Disclosed are various embodiments of expandable barriers. Expandable barriers are typically barriers made from an expandable material and formed to fit within a cavity. After being placed inside a cavity, expandable barriers generally undergo an activation process, where the expandable barrier expands to fill the cavity and create a physical barrier. Using various extrusion processes to form an expandable barrier allows for a reduction in tooling costs, while also allowing more flexible barrier designs. Such designs can be specifically tailored for a particular cavity or cavities to ensure that the barrier fills the cavity after expansion.

主权项

1. An expandable barrier for sealing a cavity, comprising:
a body portion and a tab portion integrally formed from an expandable material; said tab portion positioned substantially parallel to a surface of said body portion and resiliently deformable in a direction away from said surface of said body portion; said body portion and said tab portion being configured to receive a portion of a wall of said cavity between said body portion and said tab portion and to create a friction fit with the wall of the cavity to releasably secure said body portion to the cavity wall; and wherein said tab portion has a first end integral with said body portion and a second end distal from said first end, said second end having a bent portion that extends away from said surface of said body portion so as to direct the work piece between said body portion and said tab portion.