A damper arrangement

Abstract

A damper arrangement (100) is disclosed that comprises a frame (102), one or more blades (108a-f), each being rotatably attached to a first and a second inner side section (110, 112) of the frame (102), a blade operating mechanism (118) arranged to rotate the one or more blades (108a-f) between a closed state (C-S), in which air is prevented from passing an air flow opening (AFO) formed by the frame (102), and an open state (O-S), in which air is allowed to pass the air flow opening (AFO), wherein each of the one or more blades (108a-f) has a first longitudinal end section (204a-b,) formed by a fire resistant piece of material (300), wherein the fire resistant piece of material (300) is flexible and attached to a first and second side section (302, 304) of a main body (305) of the blade (108a-f) such that the piece of material (300) is formed into an arc-shaped form.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to fire sectioning and protection against the spread of fire in ventilation systems as well as effect of fire and smoke in ventilation systems within buildings and marine applications. More particularly, it is related to a damper arrangement, a system for preventing that fire smoke is spread and a method for closing the damper arrangement.Background Art

[0002] Today, it is known to use so-called fire dampers, sometimes referred to as fire damper arrangements, for fire sectioning and as protection against the spread of fire in ventilation systems. By having such dampers, in case of fire, these will be closed such that the risk of having fire spread from one fire cell to another can be reduced. In addition to preventing the risk of spreading the fire, the dampers may also provide for that the risk of having toxic smoke spread can be reduced.

[0003] The fire dampers can come in different forms. For instance, these may be rectangular-shaped with single or multiple blades or circular-shaped with a single blade. To assure that the dampers are securely closed in case of fire, end contacts may be provided, thereby making it possible to verify that the dampers are in a closed state. In addition, the dampers may be provided with thermal sensors for detecting heat increases caused by fire. To control the blades, an electrical actuator with spring return can be used.

[0004] It is also known to use so-called smoke control dampers, sometimes referred to as smoke control damper arrangements, that in case of fire can prevent fire from being spread and also prevent smoke from being spread via the ventilation systems. While fire dampers are made to be closed in case of fire, the smoke control dampers, or smoke dampers, are made to be controlled during fire, i.e. they may be both opened and closed in case of fire.

[0005] The smoke control dampers may form part of the ventilation system such that the fire and smoke is hindered from being spread in the ventilation system. Still an option is to have the smoke dampers, sometimes also referred to as smoke controllers, to be part of a smoke evacuation system separate from the ventilation system. Put differently, the smoke control dampers may form part of a system specifically made to be used in case of fire.

[0006] To provide for that there is adequate sealing between the blades and a frame of the smoke control damper or the fire damper, an intumescent strip may be provided in the frame. Upon activation, that is upon a heat increase caused by fire, the intumescent strip expands such that this is pressed against the blades and, as an effect, an improved sealing is achieved. Such solution is described in EP 3 984 602 B1.

[0007] Even though the smoke control dampers and fire dampers of today provide adequate fire sectioning and protection against the spread of fire in ventilation systems, there is still room for improvement.Summary

[0008] It is an object of the invention to at least partly overcome one or more of the above-identified limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to further provide for that the fire sectioning can be improved and the risk of having fire spread via ventilation systems can be reduced. In addition, it is also an object to provide for that this can be achieved for ventilation systems having large air flow openings. To improve the energy efficiency of ventilation systems it is namely common to increase the air flow opening, thereby being able to reduce the air flow.

[0009] Generally, it has been realized that by having one longitudinal end section of the blades formed by an arc-shaped fire resistant piece of material, such as a web of fabric material, adequate sealing with a neighboring blade can be achieved at the same time as a low torque is needed for rotating the blades. By using this approach and avoiding that rubber, or any other material, is to be compressed when entering into a closed state, it is made possible to use larger blades without the need for a more powerful actuator. This in turn provides for that larger damper arrangements can be made, which is beneficial in that air flow in ventilations systems can be reduced. This is advantageous in that more environmental friendly ventilation systems can be achieved. Since the actuator is often made to control all the blades, having the blades arranged as described above such that the torque is lowered also provides for that additional blades can be used instead of using larger blades.

[0010] In the context of this document, the term damper arrangement is to be understood to encompass all types of arrangements that are arranged to control smoke in ventilation systems, that is, both arrangements that are made to be closed in case of fire as well as arrangements that can be opened and closed in case of fire.

[0011] According to a first aspect it is provided a damper arrangement comprising a frame, one or more blades, each being rotatably attached to a first and a second inner side section of the frame, a blade operating mechanism arranged to rotate the one or more blades between a closed state, in which air is prevented from passing an air flow opening formed by the frame, and an open state, in which air is allowed to pass the air flow opening, wherein each of the one or more blades has a first longitudinal end section formed by a fire resistant piece of material, wherein the fire resistant piece of material is flexible and attached to a first and second side section of a main body of the blade such that the piece of material is formed into an arc-shaped form.

[0012] As described above, by having the arc-shaped fire resistant piece of material provided in the first longitudinal section, less torque is needed for moving the blade between an open state and the closed state. By pressing the piece of material, which may be a web of fabric material, against a neighboring blade or the frame, the flexibility of the piece of material provides for adequate sealing.

[0013] The blade operating mechanism may be embodied in various ways. By way of example, this may be an electrical actuator, a spring activated mechanism, a manual mechanism or a combination of one or more mechanisms, e.g. a spring return electrical actuator.

[0014] The damper arrangement may be a fire damper arrangement arranged to enter the closed state in case of fire or it may be a smoke control damper arrangement arranged to be in the closed state or the open state in case of fire such that smoke can be directed within the building. Further, the damper arrangement may form part of the ventilation system used both during fire and non-fire, or it may form part of a smoke evacuation system used in case of fire for having fire smoke removed from the building or similar.

[0015] The first and / or second longitudinal end section may be void of any piece of resilient material, such as rubber, that is compressed in the closed state, thereby requiring less torque for rotating the blades.

[0016] An advantage of having the fire resistant piece of material for achieving the sealing between the neighboring blade or the frame, instead of having rubber or the like, is that a more power efficient damper can be achieved. Put differently, since no compression of the rubber or the like is needed when entering into the closed state, a less powerful actuator is needed. Instead of switching to a less powerful actuator, it is possible to use larger blades. Larger blades in turn provides for that a size of the air flow opening can be increased. Put differently, larger damper arrangements can be used as an effect of that the power needed for closing the blades of the damper arrangements is reduced. Larger damper arrangements with larger air flow openings provide in turn for that the air flow can be reduced, which may result in that less energy consuming ventilation systems can achieved. Thus, by avoiding the rubber or other resilient material to be compressed in the damper arrangement, it is made possible to provide more energy efficient ventilation systems.

[0017] In addition to avoiding the need to compress the rubber or the like, using the fire resistant piece of material, such as the web of fabric material, may also provide for that the friction can be reduced.

[0018] Each of the one or more blades may have a second longitudinal end section formed by the main body, wherein the second longitudinal end section may be provided with a protrusion such that in the closed state, a first and a second longitudinal bulge of the fire resistant piece of material are formed on either side of the protrusion.

[0019] An advantage with this is that an increased contact surface between the first and second longitudinal end sections can be achieved, which provides for improved sealing in the closed state.

[0020] The first longitudinal end section may be provided with an intumescent strip arranged to expand in case of heat increase, wherein the intumescent strip may be placed under the fire resistant piece of material.

[0021] An advantage with this is that the sealing in the closed state can be improved, but also in that, in case of fire, the blades may be locked into position.

[0022] The intumescent strip may be placed under the fire resistant piece of material. An advantage with this is that the intumescent strip is protected from fire, but also from wear during non-fire conditions. Thus, by having the intumescent strip shielded from external factors in this way, the intumescent strip may be consumed at a slower pace, resulting in that adequate sealing between the blades and also between blades and the frame can be achieved for a longer period of time compared to if the intumescent strip is directly exposed to direct contact with a neighboring blade or the frame.

[0023] The fire resistant piece of material may be attached to the blade by being clamped between a clamping arrangement and the main body.

[0024] An advantage with having the piece of fire resistant material attached to the blade by being clamped is that point loads on the piece of material can be avoided, which occur if e.g. the piece of material is attached by means of screws. By avoiding the point loads, a risk of having the piece of material torn can be reduced. This may be particularly beneficial if having the intumescent strip placed under the piece of material since this has the effect that there is a pressure on the piece formed due to the expansion of the intumescent strip during fire.

[0025] The fire resistant piece of material may in a first end be clamped between a first main part and a clamping arrangement, wherein the clamping arrangement may be placed inside the first main part, and a second end of the fire resistant piece of material may be clamped between a second main part and the clamping arrangement, wherein the clamping arrangement may be placed inside the second main part, wherein a space may be formed between the clamping arrangement and the fire resistant piece of material.

[0026] The clamping arrangement may be a sheet such that a closed off space is formed, but the clamping arrangement may also be provided with one or several openings.

[0027] The first and second side section may be inclined towards a center axis of the blade.

[0028] An advantage with this is that the blades are made more aerodynamic, thereby requiring less power for moving these from the open state to the closed state. The improved aerodynamics also provides increased air flow and reduces air pressure drop.

[0029] The first and second inner side section of the frame may comprise attachment points for the one or more blades, wherein first and / or second stopper members may be provided such that the blades are held in position by the first and second stopper members in the closed state.

[0030] By having the stopper members, it can be prevented for that inaccuracies caused by the blade operating mechanism results in an inadequate sealing in the closed state.

[0031] In case both the first and second stopper members are used, these may be placed on either side of the attachment points such that in the closed state, one and the same blade may be held between one of the first stopper members and one of the second stopper members. In case only the first or the second stopper members are used, the blades may be held in place in one end by either one of the first stopper members or one of the second stopper members.

[0032] The first and second stopper member may be placed such that, during the closed state, the first longitudinal end section is inclined by a first offset angle and the second longitudinal end section is inclined by a second offset angle with respect to a vertical axis.

[0033] By having the blades inclined towards the first and / or second stopper members and having the intumescent strip provided, once this strip expands the inclination of the blades provides for that the sealing is improved and that the blades are locked into position. Due to the inclination, the expansion of the intumescent strip provides for that the blades are pushed towards the first and second stopper members.

[0034] The first and second offset angle may be in the range 1-10 degrees, preferably 2-5 degrees.

[0035] The main body may be made of metal, such as steel, or fireproof insulation boards. In addition to steel, the main body may also be made of Aluminum. If having the main body made of fireproof insulation boards, these may, by way of example, be made of Calcium silicate or compressed stone wool.

[0036] The fire resistant piece of material may comprise a web of fabric material, such as fiberglass fabric, or a film, such as a polyimide film.

[0037] The blades may be arranged in a first and a second set of blades, wherein the blades are arranged in an alternating pattern such that each blade has neighboring blades from the other set. The first set may be arranged to rotate from the open state to the close state in a first rotational direction and the second set may be arranged to rotate in a second rotational direction, wherein the first and second rotational directions are opposite directions.

[0038] An advantage of having two sets in this way is that these two sets may be arranged to rotate in different directions. This in turn provides for that when the damper arrangement is used during normal operation, i.e. non-fire conditions, the air flow passing the damper arrangement will be directed by the first set in one direction, e.g. upwards, and by the second set in an opposite direction, e.g. downwards. By not having the air flow directed upwards or downwards by all blades, improved ventilation can be achieved.

[0039] The damper arrangement may be a multiple blade arrangement comprising a plurality of blades.

[0040] According to a second aspect it is provided a system for controlling a spread of smoke in a building. The system may comprise one or more damper arrangements, according to the first aspect, placed in the ventilation system, one or more monitoring devices arranged to detect fire smoke and / or temperature increases, and upon detection generate fire detection data, wherein said one or more monitoring devices are placed in different fire cells in the building, a controller, comprising a processor and a memory, communicatively connected to the one or more damper arrangements and the one or more monitoring devices, wherein the controller is configured to upon reception of the fire detection data from one of the monitoring devices, determine one or more damper arrangements associated with the one or more monitoring devices transmitting the fire detection data, and transmit control data to the one more damper arrangement associated to the monitoring device, wherein the control data comprises instructions to enter the closed state or the open state.

[0041] According to a third aspect it is provided a method for closing a damper arrangement according to the first aspect is provided. The blades may be arranged in a first and a second set of blades, wherein the blades are arranged in an alternating pattern such that each blade has neighboring blades from the other set. The first and second stopper member may be placed such that, during the closed state, the first longitudinal end section is inclined by the first offset angle and the second longitudinal end section is inclined by the second offset angle with respect to the vertical axis. The first longitudinal end section may be provided with the intumescent strip arranged to expand in case of heat increase. The method may comprise rotating the first set of the blades in a first rotational direction up until and the first longitudinal end sections of the blades are stopped by the first stopper members and the second longitudinal end sections of the blades are stopped by the second stopper members, and rotating the second set of the blades in a second rotational direction up until and the second longitudinal end sections of the blades are stopped by the first stopper members and the first longitudinal end sections of the blades are stopped by the second stopper members, such that, in case of fire, once the strip expands, the inclination of the blades provides for that sealing is improved and that the blades are locked into position.

[0042] Due to the inclination, the expansion of the intumescent strip provides for that the blades are pushed towards the first and second stopper members.

[0043] Still other objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description as well as from the drawings.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0044] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a damper arrangement. Fig. 2 is a front view of two blades of the damper arrangement. Fig. 3A and 3B are a side view of the two blades. Fig. 4 illustrates a side view of the two blades and how these may interact with first and second stopper members. Fig. 5A illustrates a detailed view of the two blades in a closed state, wherein an intumescent strip has not expanded. Fig. 5B illustrates the detailed view of the two blades in the closed state, wherein an intumescent strip has expanded. Fig. 6 generally illustrates a system comprising a plurality of damper arrangements. Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for closing the damper arrangement. Detailed Description

[0045] Fig. 1 illustrates a damper arrangement 100 mounted on a horizontal ventilation duct 104 by way example. The mounting may be achieved by having a frame 102 of the arrangement 100 made to form part of the duct 104. An air flow can be hindered through an air flow opening AFO when the arrangement 100 is in a closed state C-S and be allowed when the arrangement is in an open state O-S, as illustrated. By having the duct 104 extending through a wall 106, as illustrated, when having the arrangement 100 in the closed state C-S, the air flow between fire cells of different sides of the wall 106 can be prevented, thereby reducing the risk of spreading the fire as well as reducing toxic fire smoke from being spread. As an alternative to having the arrangement 100 forming part of the ventilation duct 104, as illustrated, the arrangement may also be directly mounted into or onto the wall 106. Other options is to have the arrangement 100 mounted in or on a floor or a ceiling or on a vertical duct.

[0046] The arrangement according to the illustrated example comprises six blades 108a-f. These can be rotatably attached to a first and a second side section 110, 112 of the frame 102 such that these can be rotated along horizontal rotation axes. By having every second blade arranged to rotate in the same rotational direction, it is made possible in the open state O-S to avoid having the air fed through the air flow opening AFO directed upwards or downwards. Since directing the air in this way may have a negative impact on the ventilation system, avoiding to have the air entering into the room without being directed upwards or downwards is beneficial. By way of example, by having the blades semi-opened, that is, angled about 45 degrees, and having the air fed along the feeding direction FD, half of the blades will provide for that the air is directed upwards and the other half of the blades will provide for that the air is directed downwards. In total, this provides for that the air will not leave the arrangement 100 with one and the same vertical direction component. On the contrary, if having all blades being arranged to rotate in the same direction, having the blades semi-opened with such set-up results in that the air is leaving the arrangement 100 either directed upwards or downwards depending on how the blades are arranged. Having the air entering into a room steered upwards or downwards may negatively affect the performance of the ventilation system.

[0047] As will be further elaborated below, the arrangement 100 may be provided with first and second stopper members 116, 118 on the frame 102. By having the first and second stopper members 116, 118, the blades 108a-f can be held in place in the closed state C-S in an efficient manner such that the risk of having the fire smoke let through the air flow opening AFO can be reduced. As illustrated in fig. 5B, by having the blades 108a-f and the first and second stopper members 114, 116 arranged such that the blades are leaning against the first and second stoppers 114, 116 in combination with having an intumescent strip of material provided in one longitudinal end of each blades, once the intumescent strip is exposed to heat and expands, the blades will be pushed towards the stoppers. In this way, the intumescent strip will not only reduce the risk of having fire smoke, or other gas not to be spread, spread, but also provide for that the blades are locked into position, that is, reducing the risk that the blades are opened by mistake during a fire.

[0048] A blade operating mechanism 118, which may be an electrical actuator with spring return, can be provided for controlling operation of the blades 108a-f based on control data. The control data may be transferred to the blade operating mechanism via cable or wireless.

[0049] The blades 108a-f may come in different forms. By way of example, as illustrated in fig. 2, the blades 108a-f, herein represented by the two uppermost blades 108a-b, may comprise a first mounting pin 200a,b and a second mounting pin 202a,b, respectively, such that the blades 108a-f can be rotatably attached to the first and second side section 110, 112. Each of the blades 108a-b may have a first longitudinal end section 204a,b and a second longitudinal end section 206a,b. As illustrated, the blades may be arranged such that the first longitudinal end section of one blade is arranged to meet the second longitudinal end section of a neighboring blade in the closed state C-S.

[0050] Fig. 3A illustrates the two blades 108a-b from a side view in the closed state C-S. As illustrated in further detail in fig. 3B, to provide for that the first longitudinal end section 204b can provide a snug fit with the second longitudinal end section 206a, the first longitudinal end section 204a-b may be provided with a fire resistant piece of material 300, such as a strip of fire resistant web of fabric material. To provide for that the piece 300 is tensioned into an arc-shaped form, the piece may on one side be attached to a first side section 302 of a main body 305 of the blade, and on another side be attached to a second side section 304 of the main body 305 as illustrated. By having the piece 300 tensioned into the arc-shaped form and having the piece made of a flexible material, this can be made to follow the outline of the second longitudinal end section 206 of the neighboring blade 108a as illustrated in fig. 5A.

[0051] As illustrated in fig. 3B, the first side section 302 may form part of the first main part 306 and the second side section 304 may form part of a second main part 308. By having the piece of fire resistant material 300 clamped between an inner clamping part 310 and the first main part 306 and the second main part 308, respectively, the piece 300 can be safely secured to the blade. With this set up, an end section 310 of the main body 305 may be formed by the clamping arrangement 310. In a space 312 formed between this end section 310 and the piece 300, an intumescent strip 314, also referred to as intumescent piece of material, can be provided. As illustrated in fig. 5B and described more in detail below, when this strip 314 expands due to increased heat, an improved sealing between the two blades can be achieved and also, in case the first and second stopper members 114, 116 are provided, provide for that the two blades are locked into position.

[0052] The first and second main part 306, 308 may be attached to one another in the second longitudinal end section 206a-b by a first overlapping section 316 and a second overlapping section 318. By having the first and second overlapping section 316, 318 placed on either side of the central axis CA, the first and second main part 306, 308 between the first and second overlapping sections 316, 318 may be placed at a distance from each other such that a space 320 is formed as illustrated. By using this approach, the first and second main part 306, 308 may be produced from sheets of steel or other suitable material of the same width. In addition, this approach allows for that a protrusion 322 can be provided on the second longitudinal end section 206a-b and yet provide for secure attachment between the first and second main part 306, 308.

[0053] Fig. 4 illustrates the two blades 108a-b from a side view together with the first and second stopper members 114, 116. As illustrated, the first and second stopper members 114, 116 may be provided on either side of the attachment points of the blades. Put differently, the first and second stopper members 114, 116 may be placed on either side of the rotation axes of the blades 108a-b. By having these stopper members and also having the blades arranged such that neighboring blades are rotating in opposite directions, it is made possible to provide for that a risk that fire smoke or other gas is let through in the closed state C-S can be reduced. One reason for this is that the damper arrangement is less dependent on the blade operating mechanism 118. Put differently, by having the blade operating mechanism 118 arranged to rotate the blades up until these are stopped by the first and second stopper members, the operation of the damper arrangement 100 is less affected by wear of the blade operating mechanism 118.

[0054] As illustrated, the first blade 108a may be arranged to rotate according to a first rotational direction R-1, in this particular example clockwise, while the second blade 108b is arranged to rotate in a second rotational direction R-2, in this particular example, counter-clockwise. The first blade 108a may be arranged to meet the frame 102 in its upper end.

[0055] As described above, by having the first and second stopper members 114, 116, it is made possible to provide an improved reliability in terms of preventing the fire smoke or other gases from being spread. By combining the use of the first and second stopper members 114, 116 with the use of the intumescent strip 314, this can be even further improved.

[0056] As illustrated in fig. 5A and 5B by way of example, by having the blades slightly tilted in the closed state C-S such that these are leaning towards the first and second stopper members 114, 116, the intumescent strip 314 will once this is expanded provide for that the first and second blade 108a,b is pushed towards the stopper members 114, 116. As illustrated in fig. 5B, depicting a situation in which that intumescent strip 314 has been expanded, the second longitudinal end section 206a of the first blade 108a and the first longitudinal end section 204b of the second blade 108b are pushed towards the second stopper member 116. Fig. 5A depicts a situation in which that intumescent strip 314 has not been expanded.

[0057] By having the fire resistant piece of material 300 covering the intumescent piece of material 314, the intumescent piece of material 314 is protected from e.g. fire, friction caused due to interaction with the protrusion 322 of the neighboring blade etc. In this way, the intumescent material 300 is consumed less quickly compared to having the intumescent piece 300 directly exposed without any protection. An effect of extending the life time of the intumescent strip is that the fire smoke and other gases can be prevented from passing the air flow opening AFO for a longer period of time.

[0058] As illustrated in fig. 5A, the first blade 108a may be inclined with a first offset angle OFF-A-1 with respect to a vertical axis V-A. This first offset angle OFF-A-1 may be in the range 1-10 degrees, preferably 2-5 degrees. The second blade 108b may be inclined with a second offset angle OFF-A-2 with respect to the vertical axis V-A. This may also be in the range 1-10 degrees, preferably 2-5 degrees. As illustrated in fig. 5A, by having the first and second blade 108a-b being inclined towards the second stopper member 116, a first central axis CA-1 of the first blade 108a and a second central axis CA-2 of the second blade 108b may be offset by an angle herein referred to as closed state angle C-S A. Even though herein exemplified with reference to the first and second blade 108a-b, this holds true for any neighboring pairs of blades.

[0059] Further, as illustrated in fig. 5A, when having the protrusion 322, the fire resistant piece of material 300 may be formed in the closed state C-S such that a first and a second longitudinal bulge 500, 502 of the fire resistant piece of material 300 are formed on either side of the protrusion 322. A positive effect of this is that a contact area between the first and second longitudinal end section 204a-b, 206a-b can be made bigger compared to for instance having a flat surface of the second longitudinal end section 206a,b. By having a large contact area, improved sealing between the neighboring blades in the closed state C-S can be achieved.

[0060] In addition to protecting the intumescent strip 314 and also providing for that the large contact area is provided, the fire resistant piece of material 300 may provide for that less friction is formed when moving between the open state O-S and the closed state C-S. By way of example, by having the intumescent strip 314 directly exposed, that is, not having the fire resistant piece of material 300 protecting this, there may be more friction formed.

[0061] As illustrated in fig. 6, several damper arrangements 100a-h may form part of a system 600. The system 600 may be a combined ventilation system and damper system. As illustrated by way of example, the damper arrangements 100a-h of the system 600 may be placed between different fire cells 602a-g of a building 601. In the different fire cells 602a-g, which may a space in the building that can be closed off from other spaces within the building 601, monitoring devices 604a-g may be provided. The monitoring devices 604a-g may be gas sensors arranged to detect fire smoke, optical sensors arranged to detect fire smoke, heat sensors arranged to detect fire or any other suitable sensor or sensor combination serving the purpose of detecting fire smoke directly or indirectly. As illustrated, it is not required to have monitoring devices in all fire cells. In addition, one and the same fire cell may have more than one monitoring device.

[0062] A controller 606, herein illustrated as a server external to the building 601, may be arranged to receive fire detection data 608 from one or more of the monitoring devices 604a-g. Based on this data, the controller 606 may generate control data 610 that is transmitted to one or more damper arrangements 100a-h such that these can be closed, i.e. entering the closed state C-S. Another option is to have the control data generated such that the one or more damper arrangements can be closed or opened. This may be relevant in case there is a smoke evacuation system provided to which the smoke is to be directed. Since the damper arrangements 100a-h may be arranged to efficiently and reliably prevent that the fire smoke is spread, an improved fire protection can be achieved. Further, even though not illustrated, the monitoring devices may be integrated into the damper arrangements.

[0063] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for preventing that fire smoke is spread via a ventilation system in the building 601. In line with the description above, the blades may be are arranged in a first and a second set of frames 108a,c,e; 108b,d,f, wherein the blades are arranged in an alternating pattern such that each blade has neighboring blades from the other set. The method 700 may comprise rotating 702 the first set 108a,c,e of the blades in the first rotational direction R-1 up until and the first longitudinal end sections 204a of the blades are stopped by the first stopper members 114 and the second longitudinal end sections 206a of the blades are stopped by the second stopper members 116, and rotating 704 the second set 108b,d,f of the blades in the second rotational direction R-2 up until and the second longitudinal end sections 206b of the blades are stopped by the first stopper members 114 and the first longitudinal end sections 204b of the blades are stopped by the second stopper members 116.

[0064] From the description above follows that, although various embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, the invention is not restricted thereto, but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject-matter defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A damper arrangement (100) comprising a frame (102), one or more blades (108a-f), each being rotatably attached to a first and a second inner side section (110, 112) of the frame (102), a blade operating mechanism (118) arranged to rotate the one or more blades (108a-f) between a closed state (C-S), in which air is prevented from passing an air flow opening (AFO) formed by the frame (102), and an open state (O-S), in which air is allowed to pass the air flow opening (AFO), wherein each of the one or more blades (108a-f) has a first longitudinal end section (204a-b,) formed by a fire resistant piece of material (300), wherein the fire resistant piece of material (300) is flexible and attached to a first and second side section (302, 304) of a main body (305) of the blade (108a-f) such that the piece of material (300) is formed into an arc-shaped form.

2. The damper arrangement (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first and / or second longitudinal end section (204a-b, 206a-b) is void of any piece of resilient material, such as rubber, that is compressed in the closed state (C-S), thereby requiring less torque for rotating the blades (108a-f).

3. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the one or more blades (108a-f) has a second longitudinal end section (206a-b) formed by the main body (305), wherein the second longitudinal end section (206a-b) is provided with a protrusion (322) such that in the closed state (C-S), a first and a second longitudinal bulge (500, 502) of the fire resistant piece of material (300) are formed on either side of the protrusion (322).

4. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first longitudinal end section (204a-b) is provided with an intumescent strip (314) arranged to expand in case of heat increase, wherein the intumescent strip (314) is placed under the fire resistant piece of material (300).

5. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fire resistant piece of material (300) is attached to the blade (108a-f) by being clamped between a clamping arrangement (310) and the main body (305).

6. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second side section (302, 304) are inclined towards a center axis (CA, CA-1, CA-2) of the blade (108a-f).

7. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second inner side section (110, 112) of the frame (100) comprises attachment points for the one or more blades (108a-f), wherein first and / or second stopper members (114, 116) are provided such that the blades (108a-f) are held in position by the first and second stopper members (114, 116) in the closed state (C-S).

8. The damper arrangement (100) according to claim 7, wherein the first and second stopper member (108a-f) are placed such that, during the closed state (C-S), the first longitudinal end section (204a-b) is inclined by a first offset angle (OFF-A-1) and the second longitudinal end section (206a-b) is inclined by a second offset angle (OFF-A-2) with respect to a vertical axis (V-A).

9. The damper arrangement (100) according to claim 8, wherein the first and second offset angle (OFF-A-1, OFF-A-2) are in the range 1-10 degrees, preferably 2-5 degrees.

10. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the main body (105) is made of metal, such as steel, or fireproof insulation boards.

11. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fire resistant piece of material (300) comprises a web of fabric material, such as fiberglass fabric, or a film, such as a polyimide film.

12. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blades are arranged in a first and a second set of blades (108a,c,e; 108b,d,f), wherein the blades are arranged in an alternating pattern such that each blade has neighboring blades from the other set, wherein the first set (108a, c, e) is arranged to rotate from the open state to the close state in a first rotational direction (R-1) and the second set (108b,d,f) is arranged to rotate in a second rotational direction (R-2), wherein the first and second rotational directions are opposite directions.

13. The damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the damper arrangement is a multiple blade arrangement comprising a plurality of blades (108a-f).

14. A system (600) for controlling spread of fire smoke in in a building (601), said system comprising one or more damper arrangements (100a-h), according to any one of the preceding claims, placed in the ventilation system, one or more monitoring devices (604a-g) arranged to detect fire smoke and / or temperature increases, and upon detection generate fire detection data (608), wherein said one or more monitoring devices are placed in different fire cells (602a-g) in the building (601), a controller (606), comprising a processor and a memory, communicatively connected to the one or more damper arrangements (100a-h) and the one or more monitoring devices (604a-g), wherein the controller is configured to upon reception of the fire detection data (608) from one of the monitoring devices (604a-g), determine one or more damper arrangements (100a-h) associated with the one or more monitoring devices transmitting the fire detection data (608), and transmit control data (610) to the one more damper arrangement (100a-h) associated to the monitoring device, wherein the control data comprises instructions to enter an open state (O-S) or a closed state (C-S).

15. A method (700) for closing a damper arrangement (100) according to any one of the claims 7 to 9, wherein the blades are arranged in a first and a second set of frames (108a,c,e; 108b,d,f), wherein the blades are arranged in an alternating pattern such that each blade has neighboring blades from the other set, wherein the first longitudinal end section is provided with the intumescent strip arranged to expand in case of heat increase, said method comprising rotating (702) the first set (108a,c,e) of the blades in a first rotational direction (R-1) up until and the first longitudinal end sections (204a) of the blades are stopped by the first stopper members (114) and the second longitudinal end sections (206a) of the blades are stopped by the second stopper members (116), and rotating (704) the second set (108b,d,f) of the blades in a second rotational direction (R-2) up until and the second longitudinal end sections (206b) of the blades are stopped by the first stopper members (114) and the first longitudinal end sections (204b) of the blades are stopped by the second stopper members (116), such that, in case of fire, once the strip expands, the inclination of the blades provides for that sealing is improved and that the blades are locked into position.

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