Refrigerator Door End Strip Labyrinth for Foam Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household refrigeration appliance doors experience foam leakage at interfaces between structural components due to limited foam tightness, particularly at complex and hard-to-access areas, where traditional adhesive tapes are insufficient in preventing insulation foam escape.
Innovation Solution
A door design featuring an elongated end strip with a continuous, uninterrupted contact wall that extends vertically and includes a front, central, and rear wall area, forming a wall labyrinth to prevent foam escape, allowing for a small spacing between the contact wall and end profile for effective foam containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a simple U-shaped contact wall is used in the coupling structure, then the manufacturing is simple, but the foam tightness at the interface between the end cap and end profile is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The contact wall is divided into multiple wall sections (front wall section, central wall section, rear wall section) that are arranged sequentially along the longitudinal axis. Each wall section contributes to creating a labyrinthine path, segmenting the foam expansion space and preventing direct escape routes, thereby improving foam tightness while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The contact wall extends in multiple spatial dimensions rather than a simple planar U-shape. The wall sections are arranged to create a three-dimensional labyrinthine structure that foam must navigate, adding dimensional complexity to the path foam must traverse, which significantly reduces foam escape while keeping the overall structure manufacturable
2Reliability
If adhesive tapes are used to prevent foam leakage at complex joints, then foam escape is partially prevented, but the solution is insufficient at hard-to-access joints and complex joint shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The labyrinthine contact wall structure is pre-formed as an integral part of the coupling structure before assembly. This preliminary design of the foam containment path eliminates the need for additional adhesive tapes or sealing aids at complex joints, as the structure itself provides the necessary foam tightness from the outset
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple wall sections act as intermediary structures between the end cap and end profile, creating a series of intermediate barriers that foam must pass through. These wall sections serve as built-in mediators that prevent direct foam escape, replacing the need for external adhesive tapes especially at hard-to-access joints
3Quantity of substance
If the contact wall is made thin to reduce material usage, then manufacturing cost decreases, but the foam tightness and structural stability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single thick contact wall, the structure employs multiple thinner wall sections arranged in sequence. Each wall section is thin and uses minimal material, but collectively they create an effective foam barrier through their sequential arrangement, reducing total material usage while maintaining foam tightness
Solution Approach 2:
The foam containment function is achieved through spatial arrangement of thin wall sections rather than through the thickness of a single wall. The labyrinthine path created by arranging thin walls in multiple dimensions provides effective foam containment while minimizing material consumption, as the containment effect comes from the path geometry rather than wall thickness
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a door (4) for a household refrigeration appliance (1), comprising an outer wall (5), an edge-side end profile (10), and a separate end-side end strip (13, 14), wherein the end strip (13, 14) has a beam-shaped base part (15) with a longitudinal axis (A', A'), wherein a coupling structure (20, 22) is formed at at least one end (16, 17) for mechanical coupling with the edge-side end profile (10), wherein the coupling structure (20, 22) has a contact wall (21, 23) designed for at least partially positioning the end profile (10) in close proximity, wherein the contact wall (21, 23), viewed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (A', A'), has a front wall area (24), an adjoining middle wall area (25), and an adjoining rear wall area (26). where at at least one height level in a horizontal section the system wall (21,23) have been trained without interruption.