Fire Collar Shutter Closure for Faster Conduit Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire collars fail to efficiently seal service conduit penetrations in fire compartments, leading to delayed activation due to insulation effects from surrounding materials, which can allow fire to spread through conduits.
Innovation Solution
A fire collar design featuring pivotally coupled shutters with a tension spring bias, an activation chamber that exposes the service conduit to heat, and intumescent material pads to enhance activation, ensuring rapid degradation and sealing of conduits upon heat exposure, while preventing material insulation and convection issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the service conduit is insulated by surrounding building material or fire collar, then heat transfer is reduced and fire spread is slowed, but activation of the fire collar is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The fire collar is divided into distinct functional zones: an activation chamber that exposes the conduit to heat for rapid degradation, and an installation chamber that provides structural support. This segmentation allows the conduit to be intentionally exposed to heat where needed while maintaining overall fire containment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The activation chamber is specifically designed with an open-ended entrance that provides spacing around the periphery of the service conduit, creating a localized zone of high heat exposure. This local quality change ensures rapid conduit degradation at the critical activation point while other portions of the system maintain their insulating properties.
2Speed
If the service conduit is exposed to heat through an open-ended activation chamber, then activation speed is improved, but heat insulation effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent intentionally exposes the service conduit to harmful heat in the activation chamber, converting the harmful effect into a beneficial activation mechanism. The heat causes the conduit to soften and degrade, which triggers the shutter closure mechanism. This controlled harmful exposure is the intended activation path that overcomes the usual insulation protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The open-ended activation chamber design changes the thermal parameters at the conduit surface, creating a localized high heat flux zone. The spacing around the conduit periphery ensures substantial portion of the conduit is exposed to heat, fundamentally changing the thermal conditions from insulated to actively heated, enabling rapid activation.
3Force
If shutters are biased together using a tension spring, then shutter closure force is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tension spring provides a self-service mechanism that automatically generates the closure force needed to crimp the conduit. Once the conduit degrades and releases the shutters from their held position, the pre-loaded tension spring automatically drives the shutters together without requiring external actuation or complex control systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The fire collar effectively seals service conduits by crimping heat-softened materials, preventing fire spread and ensuring timely activation, even when surrounded by insulating materials, thus maintaining fire compartment integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the opposing shutters are biased together using a tension spring
Implementation Method 2
a substantial portion of the periphery of the service conduit located within the activation chamber between the leading edges of the shutters is exposed to the heat such that the service conduit softens and is crimped by the leading edges of the shutters
Implementation Method 3
the fire collar may further comprise intumescent material located within the activation chamber, such that, when the fire collar may be exposed to heat on the activation side, the intumescent material forms activated intumescent material
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a fire collar comprising a casing defining a service conduit passage therethrough, the casing having an activation side and an installation side, wherein the casing defines an activation side located activation chamber. The fire collar has an opposing pair of shutters located within the activation chamber defining operative leading edges. In use, the shutters are configurable in a non-activated configuration wherein the leading edges are spaced apart so as to make allowance for the service conduit therebetween; and when the fire collar is exposed to heat on the activation side in use, the shutters transition to an activated configuration wherein the respective leading edges of the shutters close in to close the passage