Insulated covering structure of ducts

Abstract

To provide a duct insulation covering structure that ensures excellent thermal insulation performance. [Solution] The thermal insulation covering structure 10 includes a thermal insulation material 18 attached to a duct 11 and having a space 30 inside that accommodates the joint between the ducts 11, and an air vent valve 40 provided in the thermal insulation material 18. The air vent valve 40 is a flexible cylindrical body that connects the space 30 to the outside of the thermal insulation material 18. The thermal insulation material 16 is made up of multiple thermal insulation members 31 to 33 that constitute the thermal insulation material 18, stacked on top of each other. The air vent valve 40 is provided between the thermal insulation members 32 and 33.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , , ,

[0005] , , , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat insulation coating structure for a duct.

Background Art

[0002] For ducts connected to air conditioners or the like in buildings, a heat insulating material is attached because cold air or warm air flows through them. As this heat insulating material, there is one provided with a decorative outer covering material made of aluminum foil or the like on its surface in order to enhance the flame retardant or non-combustible performance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] FIG. 7(a) is a diagram schematically showing an example of a conventional heat insulation coating structure of a duct in which a heat insulating material is attached to the duct. The heat insulation coating structure 100 shown in FIG. 7(a) is formed by joining two ducts 11 together. Each duct 11 includes a pipe portion 14. And a flange 12 is provided at the end of the duct 11, and the flanges 12 are joined together by a pressing metal fitting 13. The joint portion 15 of the ducts 11 including the pressing metal fitting 13 is surrounded by heat insulating materials 16 and 17. The heat insulating materials 16 and 17 are each composed of a foam 20 and an exterior material 21 adhered to the foam 20. The exterior material 21 is usually composed of a material with low air permeability such as a metal foil.

[0005] In such an insulating coating structure 100, if the secondary side of a fan (not shown) that sends air into the duct 11 becomes positive pressure, air may unexpectedly leak from the joint 15 between the ducts 11. As shown in Figure 7(b), the leaked air may cause the insulating materials 16 and 17 to peel off from the duct 11, potentially reducing the insulating performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This disclosure provides a duct insulation covering structure that solves the above problems. The duct insulation covering structure comprises an insulating material attached to a duct and having a space inside that accommodates the joint between the ducts, and an air vent valve provided in the insulating material, wherein the air vent valve is a flexible cylindrical body that connects the space to the outside of the insulating material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, in a duct insulation coating structure, air leaking from the joints between ducts is discharged to the outside of the insulation coating structure via an air vent valve. Therefore, even if air unexpectedly leaks from the joints between ducts, it is possible to prevent the insulation material from peeling off the duct and ensure excellent insulation performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a duct insulation covering structure according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a partial cross-sectional view along line II shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a magnified view of a portion of the partial cross-sectional view shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of the air vent valve in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows the operation of the air vent valve in the first embodiment, where (a) shows the heat insulating coating structure with the air vent valve in the closed state, and (b) shows the heat insulating coating structure with the air vent valve in the open state. [Figure 6]This is a cross-sectional view of a duct insulation covering structure according to a second embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7] The images show cross-sectional views of conventional duct insulation coating structures, where (a) shows the insulation coating structure with the insulation material still attached, and (b) shows the insulation coating structure after the insulation material has been removed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes a first embodiment of the duct insulation coating structure of this disclosure.

[0010] [Thermal insulation coating structure] (First Embodiment) First, with reference to Figures 1 to 3, the thermal insulation covering structure in the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described. The thermal insulation covering structure 10 comprises ducts 11 joined together, a thermal insulation material 18 attached to the ducts 11 so as to cover the outside of the ducts 11, and an air vent valve 40 provided in the thermal insulation material 18.

[0011] The duct 11 has a pipe section 14 made of a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum, zinc, or steel, and a flange 12 connected to the end of the pipe section 14. In Figure 1, the cross-sectional shape of the pipe section 14 is rectangular, but it is not limited to this and may have other shapes such as circular. The ducts 11 are joined together at joints 15.

[0012] The joint 15 includes a fitting 23 that clamps the flanges 12 of the duct 11 together, a retaining fitting 13 that fixes the fitting 23 and the flanges 12, and a gasket 24 located between the flanges 12.

[0013] The thermal insulation material 18 is composed of thermal insulation material 16 and thermal insulation material 17. The thermal insulation material 16 has a laminated structure in which a first thermal insulation member 31, a second thermal insulation member 32, and a third thermal insulation member 33 are stacked in order, and has a space 30 that accommodates the joint 15. The thermal insulation material 16 is attached to the duct 11 so as to cover the joint 15. The thermal insulation material 17 is attached to the duct 11 so as to cover the duct 11 that is not covered by thermal insulation material 16. The first heat insulation member 31 covers the outer surface 11A of the pipe portion 14 of the duct 11 except in the space portion 30.

[0014] The second heat insulation member 32 covers the upper surface of the first heat insulation member 31 except in the space portion 30. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the second heat insulation member 32 is trapezoidal as shown in FIG. 2, but the cross-sectional shape can be appropriately changed according to the configuration and shape of the joint portion 15 and the like. An air vent valve 40 is provided on the upper surface of the second heat insulation member 32. Details of the air vent valve 40 will be described later.

[0015] The third heat insulation member 33 is provided so as to cover the space portion 30 and the second heat insulation member 32 via the air vent valve 40. Thus, by providing the first to third heat insulation members 31 to 33 and the air vent valve 40, the heat insulating material 16 has a configuration in which the air vent valve 40 is inserted therethrough. The heat insulating material 16 and the heat insulating material 17 each have a foam 20 and an exterior material 21. The foam 20 is preferably a foam of a synthetic resin. Examples of the synthetic resin include, but are not limited to, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene. The exterior material 21 is preferably made of a flame-retardant or non-combustible material. Examples of the exterior material 21 include metal foils such as aluminum foil and stainless steel foil, or sheets combining a metal layer such as an aluminum glass cloth and other materials. The heat insulating material 16 and the heat insulating material 17 are joined by an adhesive or the like and integrally formed. The heat insulating materials 16 and 17 and the outer surface 11A of the duct 11 are joined by an adhesive or the like.

[0016] Next, referring to FIG. , the air vent valve 40 will be specifically described. The air vent valve 40 is a flexible cylindrical body that communicates the space portion 30 with the outside of the heat insulating material 18, discharges the air in the space portion 30 to the outside in an open state, and suppresses the inflow of air, water, etc. from the outside of the heat insulating covering structure in a closed state.

[0017] In this embodiment, the air vent valve 40 is composed of a flexible sheet. Examples of the flexible sheet include sheets made of flexible materials such as polyvinyl chloride and silicone rubber. One opening end portion 42 of the air vent valve 40 protrudes from the heat insulating material 18. Further, a folded-back portion 43 formed by folding back a part of the circumferential direction of the air vent valve 40 is provided at the other opening end portion 41 of the air vent valve 40. The folded-back portion 43 is locked to the end portion 32A (see FIG. 3) of the second heat insulating member 32 on the space portion 30 side.

[0018] [Operation] Next, referring to FIG. 5, the operation of the heat insulating coating structure 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the heat insulating coating structure 10 (see FIG. 2), when the pressure inside the space portion 30 is equal to the pressure outside the duct 11 (see FIG. 2), the air vent valve 40 is in a closed state because the inner surfaces of the air vent valve 40 abut against each other at the opening end portions 41 and 42, respectively.

[0019] When the positive-pressure air in the duct 11 suddenly leaks from the joint portion 15 into the space portion 30, the pressure inside the space portion 30 becomes higher than the pressure outside the duct 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the opening end portions 41 and 42 of the air vent valve 40 are pushed open by the pressure inside the space portion 30, and the air vent valve 40 is in an open state. At this time, the positive-pressure air in the space portion 30 flows in from the opening end portion 41 of the air vent valve 40 as shown by the arrow direction in FIG. 5(b), passes through the inside of the air vent valve 40, and is discharged to the outside of the heat insulating material 18 (see FIG. 2) from the opening end portion 42. Therefore, according to the heat insulating coating structure 10, even when air leaks from the joint portion 15, the heat insulating material 18 (see FIG. 2) does not peel off from the duct 11 (see FIG. 2), and good heat insulating performance can be obtained.

[0020] Furthermore, as described above, since the air vent valve 40 is made of a flexible sheet, the air vent valve 40 has a shape that makes it easy for the open end 42 protruding from the insulation material 18 to hang down. As it hangs down, the inner surfaces of the open end 42 come into contact more easily, making it easier for the air vent valve 40 to close, thus further suppressing the unexpected inflow of water or air into the air vent valve 40 from outside the insulation coating structure 10. Furthermore, in the space 30, the air vent valve 40 has a return portion 43 of the opening end 41 that is locked to the end 32A. Therefore, when in the open state, the opening end 41 can be easily opened, allowing the air inside the space 30 to be effectively discharged to the outside of the heat insulating material 18.

[0021] [Construction method for insulated coating structures] Next, an example of a construction method for the thermal insulation coating structure 10 will be explained again with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Note that the construction method for the thermal insulation coating structure described herein is not limited to the following example. First, the first insulation member 31, cut to the desired size, is attached to the outer surface 11A of the duct 11. Then, the second insulation member 32 is attached to the upper surface of the first insulation member 31 in a stacked manner.

[0022] Next, the air vent valve 40 is placed on the upper surface of the second heat insulating member 32. At this time, the open end 42 of the air vent valve 40 is positioned to protrude from the second heat insulating member 32, and the return portion 43 is positioned on the side that will become the space 30 so as to engage with the end portion 32A of the second heat insulating member 32. In this case, the outer surface of the air vent valve 40 and the upper surface of the second heat insulating member 32 may be joined together with an adhesive or the like.

[0023] Furthermore, the third insulation member 33 is laminated and attached to the upper surface of the second insulation member 32. In this case, the outer surface of the air vent valve 40 and the bottom surface of the third insulation member 33 may be joined together with an adhesive or the like.

[0024] [effect] As described above, the following effects can be obtained according to this embodiment. (1) Air leaking unexpectedly from the joint 15 between the ducts 11 can cause the insulation material 18 to swell, thus preventing the insulation material 18 from peeling off the duct 11.

[0025] (2) The air vent valve 40 is positioned between the insulating members that make up the insulating material 16. Therefore, the installation of the air vent valve 40 is easy. (3) One open end 41 of the air vent valve 40 has a return portion 43 that engages with the end portion 32A of the second heat insulating member 32 on the side of the space 30. Therefore, when the air vent valve 40 is in the open state, the air vent valve 40 can be opened well, and the air in the space 30 can be well discharged to the outside of the heat insulating material 18, thereby more reliably preventing the heat insulating material 18 from peeling off from the duct 11.

[0026] (4) The open end 42 of the air vent valve 40 protrudes from the insulation material 18. This allows air that unexpectedly leaks from the joints between the ducts 11 to be discharged to the outside of the insulation material 18 more reliably.

[0027] (Second Embodiment) Next, the thermal insulation coating structure of the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 6.Hereinafter, parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions will be omitted. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the thermal insulation coating structure 10A of this embodiment. The thermal insulation coating structure 10A has a thermal insulation material 16A instead of the thermal insulation material 16 (see Figure 1, etc.) described in the first embodiment. The thermal insulation material 16A has a notch 39 that opens on its bottom surface. The notch 39 constitutes part of the space 30A, and part of the joint 15 is housed in the notch 39. The air vent valve 40 is positioned between the thermal insulation material 16A and the thermal insulation material 17. The return portion 43 of the air vent valve 40 is locked to the thermal insulation material 16A. Even with such a heat insulating coating structure 10A, the same effects as the heat insulating coating structure 10 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0028] [Example of changes] Each of the above embodiments can be implemented with the following modifications. Each embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0029] In the embodiments described above, the thermal insulation materials 16, 16A, and 17 consist of a foam 20 and an exterior material 21. However, the configuration of the thermal insulation material is not limited to this, and may include other components besides the foam 20 and exterior material 21.

[0030] In each of the above embodiments, the air vent valve 40 is made of a flexible sheet, but the air vent valve 40 may be made of a material other than a flexible sheet, as long as it is a flexible cylindrical shape that connects at least the spaces 30, 30A with the outside of the heat insulating material 18.

[0031] The joint 15 is not limited to the configuration including the metal fitting 23 and retaining fitting 13 described in the above embodiment, as long as it is formed by joining two ducts 11 together.

[0032] In each of the above embodiments, the air vent valve 40 is provided at a specific location, but it is not limited to this. The air vent valve 40 may be provided at any other location as long as it can discharge air that unexpectedly leaks from the joint 15 between the ducts 11 to the outside of the insulation material 18. Also, in each of the above embodiments, two air vent valves 40 are provided, but the number of air vent valves 40 is not limited to two; there may be one or three or more.

[0033] • In the embodiments described above, the thermal insulation material 18 was described as having a specific shape, but it is not limited to this, and other shapes are acceptable as long as the air in the spaces 30, 30A where the joint portion 15 is housed can be discharged to the outside of the thermal insulation material 18 via the air vent valve 40.

[0034] In the embodiments described above, the open end 42 of the air vent valve 40 is shown to protrude from the insulation material 16. However, the open end 42 does not need to protrude from the insulation material 18 as long as air can be discharged to the outside of the insulation material 18 via the air vent valve 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10...Insulated covering structure, 11...Duct, 15...Joint, 30,30A...Space, 16,16A,17,18...Insulation material, 31...First insulation member, 32...Second insulation member, 33...Third insulation member, 32A...End, 40...Air vent valve, 41,42...Open end, 43...Return part.

Claims

1. An insulating material attached to a duct and having a space inside that accommodates the joints between the ducts, A duct insulation covering structure comprising an air vent valve provided in the aforementioned insulation material, The aforementioned air vent valve is a flexible cylindrical body that connects the space with the outside of the insulating material. Insulated covering structure for ducts.

2. The duct insulation covering structure according to claim 1, wherein the air vent valve is made of a flexible sheet.

3. The aforementioned thermal insulation material is made up of multiple thermal insulation members stacked together. The aforementioned air vent valve is provided between the heat insulating members in the heat insulating covering structure of the duct according to claim 1.

4. The duct insulation covering structure according to claim 1, wherein one open end of the air vent valve protrudes from the insulation material.

5. The duct insulation covering structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the other open end of the air vent valve has a return portion that engages with the insulation material on the space side.

Images