Fire Curtain Bottom Bar Hinged Egress Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current egress openings in fire and smoke curtains often fail to ensure complete closure, leading to misalignment and reduced integrity, and require additional sealing mechanisms, which can cause damage and operational issues during deployment and testing.
Innovation Solution
A fire and smoke curtain assembly with a bottom bar assembly featuring a hinged section that allows egress without additional seals, ensuring the curtains return to their original position and maintain fire and smoke proof integrity through overlap pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sealing edges with hook and loop fastenings are provided on each edge to create a resealable overlap, then the opening can be easily opened for egress, but the curtain becomes unbalanced causing difficulties in rolling and unrolling, and the sealing may fail due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the sealing edges (hook and loop fastenings) from the curtain structure entirely. Instead of adding sealing mechanisms to the curtain edges, the invention uses the overlap of curtain layers themselves to provide sealing, eliminating the problematic sealing edges that caused imbalance and alignment issues.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using active sealing mechanisms (hook and loop fastenings) to create the seal, the invention uses the passive pressure from fire and smoke to press the overlapping curtain layers together, creating the seal through the overlap itself rather than through dedicated sealing components.
2Reliability
If sealing edges are provided to ensure closure, then the opening can be resealed after use, but misalignment or pushing past each other prevents complete sealing, allowing fire and smoke to pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful pressure from fire and smoke into a beneficial sealing force. Instead of relying on mechanical sealing edges that can fail, the invention uses the fire and smoke pressure itself to press the overlapping curtain layers together, ensuring the seal closes tightly when needed most.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism transitions from a static mechanical connection (hook and loop fastenings) to a dynamic pressure-based seal where the overlapping layers are pressed together by the fire and smoke pressure, allowing the seal to adapt and maintain closure under varying pressure conditions.
3Ease of operation
If additional sealing mechanisms are provided, then the curtain can be resealed after egress, but it causes damage and operational issues during deployment and testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes additional sealing mechanisms from the curtain design. The resealing capability is achieved through the overlap of curtain layers themselves, which naturally seal when pressed together by fire and smoke pressure, eliminating the need for separate sealing components that cause damage during deployment and testing.
4Strength
If the opening does not extend the entire height of the curtain, then the curtain maintains better structural integrity, but the egress opening is limited in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides an egress opening that extends partially up the curtain height (not the entire height), which is sufficient for person egress while maintaining structural integrity of the upper curtain portions. This partial opening approach balances egress needs with structural strength requirements.
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 solution provides reliable egress openings that maintain curtain integrity, reduce misalignment, and simplify deployment and testing, eliminating the need for additional sealing mechanisms and minimizing damage.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure from the fire urging the curtains together, forming a closure
Implementation Method 2
the weight of the hinged section ensuring that the curtain returns to its original position after egress
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 6~8
AI summary
A fire and/or smoke curtain assembly comprising first and second fire and/or smoke curtain elements, the curtain elements sized to cover a span between them with an overlap of at least 100 mm. A bottom bar assembly connects both curtains, with the bottom bar comprising a first section connected to the first curtain element, a second section connected to the second curtain element, with at least one of the first or second sections having a hinged portion extending from the overlap. In addition, the bottom bar assembly has a lower bar connected to the first and second sections, but not the hinged portion(s). In use, the hinged section of the bottom bar allows partial opening of a curtain to enable passage of a person, the weight of the hinged section ensuring that the curtain returns to its original position after egress and the overlap ensures the curtains form a seal.