Patent Application
20080092475
The details of the invention, both as to its structure and operation, may be obtained by a review of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the door 2 is mounted to a rectilinear frame 4 that is mounted to the stopping 8. The door 2 may be pivotably mounted to the frame 4 by one or more hinges so the door 4 can be swung open and closed in a conventional manner to either enable or block passage through the opening in the stopping. The seal member 6 may be positioned between opposing sealing surfaces 12, 14 (see
It is noted that although the frame 4 is illustrated as being mounted to the stoppage 8, it could also be free standing or engaged with the roof and/or floor of the passageway 10. The frame may be mounted to the stopping 8 by bolting, welding, or other appropriate fastening arrangement. Additionally, in some embodiments, the frame 4 could be eliminated and the seal member 6 could seal directly against the stopping 8. The stopping 8 may be made from masonry materials, or it may be of metal construction.
Referring to
As previously noted, the door 2 may be pivotably mounted to the frame 4 so that the door can be swung open or closed in a conventional manner. Thus, one or more hinges 16 may be attached to one of the structural members 4A-D. The hinges 16 may be provided with springs (not shown) to bias the door 2 in the closed position against the frame 4. On a side of the frame 4 opposite to the hinge(s), a latch recess 18 may be provided to engage a latch 20 (
Referring to
The door 2 may have one or more latches 20 to engage the latch recess 18 of the frame 4 to lock the door 2 in the closed position. In one embodiment, the latch and latch recess are configured to lock together after a predetermined compressive force has been applied to the seal member 6, thus ensuring that an airtight seal is formed between the seal member 6 and the opposing sealing surfaces 12, 14 of the door 2 and frame 4.
Referring to
The inner elastomer layers 24B, 24C may be made from the same material used to form the outer elastomer layers 24A, B, or they may be made from a different material. The inner layers also may have a different hardness than the outer layers. Since the inner layers serve to hold the reinforcing layers 26A-C together, they may be made from an elastomer composition that is well suited for forming a high integrity bond with the material used to form the reinforcing layers.
In one embodiment, the first elastomer layer 24A may have a thickness of about 0.188-inches, the fourth elastomer layer 24D may have a thickness of about 0.063-inches, and the second and third elastomer layers 24B, C may each have a thickness of about 0.024-inches.
Any of a variety of natural or synthetic elastomeric materials may be used to form the inner and outer elastomer layers 24A-D. A non-limiting list of exemplary materials includes polychloroprene (e.g., compound sold under the trade name Neoprene), chlorosulfonyl-polyetheylene, natural rubber, nitrile-butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene, styrene-butadiene, modified polysiloxanes, polyester urethane, polyether urethane, polyvinyl chloride, fluorocarbon polymers, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the elastomeric material comprises polychloroprene.
The elastomeric material may also comprise additives for enhancing flame retardance, wear and chunk resistance, aging resistance (e.g., ozone and UV resistance), and the like. Vulcanization aids, cross-linking agents, oils, accelerators, or other formation aids may also be used.
Specifically, at least one of the elastomer layers 24A-C may incorporate a flame resistance additive. Preferably, all of the elastomer layers 24A-C will incorporate a flame resistance additive. Such an arrangement is advantageous because it ensures the flame resistance of the seal even in the event that one or more layers are damaged (e.g., penetrated or abraded) during repeated door openings/closings use over an extended period of time.
Examples of appropriate flame retardant additives include alumina trihydrate, zinc borate, ammonium polyphosphate, chlorinated paraffin, decabromdiphenyl oxide, antimony oxide, and the like. Such additives may protect the seal by promoting heat shield char formation, and they also may retard the evolution of flammable gases and inhibit flame spread in the vapor phase.
Similarly, the reinforcing layers 26A-C may be formed from any of a variety of materials, either woven or non-woven, and in any desirable weight and orientation. Such materials may include a wide variety of synthetic and manmade fibers, including polyester, nylon, aramid (e.g., Kevlar), glass, polypropylene, cellulose, wool, or others. The fibers may be multi-filament, monofilament, or staple fibers. Additionally, the reinforcing layers 26A-C can be comprised of a single ply of reinforcing material, or they each may comprise multiple individual plies separated by appropriate elastomeric or adhesive layers.
The reinforcing layers 26A-C may be made from the same material and weave type, or they may be made from different materials and/or weaves to produce a seal member 6 having a desired set of physical characteristics. Further, the reinforcing layers 26A-C each may be treated with a compound that enhances bonding of the layers to the material(s) used to form the elastomer layers 24A-D. In one embodiment, the reinforcing layers 26A-C may be coated with an elastomeric latex treatment such as Resorcinol Formaldehyde Latex (RFL). The composition of the elastomeric latex treatment may be selected to enhance adhesion between the reinforcing layers and the elastomer layers, and will depend in part upon the composition of the elastomer used to form the elastomer layers.
At least one of the reinforcing layers 26A-D may also incorporate a flame resistance additive in the form of the elastomeric latex treatment, which may also incorporate a flame retardant compound.
Referring now to
It will be appreciated that where fewer or greater numbers of layers are desired, reinforcement layers 40, 42 are used, additional pressing and/or calendaring steps may be used to apply the requisite additional layers of elastomer 44, 46, 50 and reinforcement.
The preceding series of steps may be used to form a wide sheet of sealing material from which individual seal members 6 may then be cut. Alternatively, the above process could be used to produce seal “strips” which could be cut to length and adhered or otherwise fixed together to form a seal member 6 having a desired shape.
An example seal for use in the novel fire resistant mine door sealing system was constructed according to the following configuration:
The overall gauge of the belt was approximately 461 mil. Between-ply elastomer was disposed between each reinforcement layer. The sample was subjected to flame spread testing in accordance with ASTM-E162. Test results are presented below:
It will be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent an embodiment of the invention, and are therefore merely representative of the subject matter that is broadly contemplated by the invention. It will be further understood that the scope of the present invention encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the invention is accordingly limited by nothing other than the appended claims.
