Fire Protection Insert for Roof Drains Using Gravity Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire protection inserts for surface water drains, such as roof and parking deck drains, are complex in construction and lack reliability in preventing smoke and fire penetration during fires.
Innovation Solution
A simplified fire protection insert design featuring a thermally stable closure part and a less stable holding element, where the holding element fails at elevated temperatures, allowing the closure part to detach and close the passage opening via gravity, eliminating the need for tension springs and safety wires, and ensuring the intumescent material is encapsulated to maintain effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional fire protection insert with plastic housing, metal plate, spring, and safety wire is used, then fire and smoke protection is achieved, but the construction becomes complex and reliability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the spring and safety wire components from the fire protection insert, extracting the problematic elements that caused complexity and reliability issues. The closure part is directly attached to the housing without additional fastening mechanisms, eliminating the need for springs and safety wires while maintaining the fire protection function through the thermal expansion of the closure part itself
Solution Approach 2:
The closure part and housing are merged into a single integrated component made of thermally expandable material. Instead of separate parts connected by springs and wires, the closure part forms an integral part of the housing structure, with the thermal expansion property providing both the structural integrity and the fire protection mechanism in one unified component
2Ease of manufacture
If the closure part is made of the same material as the holding element, then manufacturing is simplified, but the closure part cannot detach reliably at elevated temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different thermal expansion properties to different parts of the same component. The closure part and housing are made of the same thermally expandable material, but the closure part has a larger cross-sectional area, causing it to expand more at elevated temperatures. This local difference in geometric properties creates the differential thermal expansion effect needed for reliable detachment while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
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 a reliable and simplified mechanism to prevent smoke and fire penetration by using gravity to close the passage opening, enhancing functional reliability and reducing component complexity, while ensuring the intumescent material remains effective by preventing moisture contact.
Implementation Method 1
The closure part (13) is more thermally stable than the retaining element (14). The retaining element (14) fails in a targeted manner above a certain temperature, which is tailored to the event of fire, and releases the closure part (13)
Implementation Method 2
The closure part (13) then moves down due to gravity and closes the passage opening
Implementation Method 3
If the fire continues and the temperature increases, the intumescent material foams up and completely closes the drain socket and the drain body, preventing fire and smoke from penetrating
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a fire protection insert for a drain for surface water drainage, in particular a roof drain or parking deck drain, wherein the fire protection insert comprises a housing (10) with a passage opening (11) for the liquid to be drained, a cover (12) arranged at a distance from the passage opening (11), and a closing element (13) for closing the passage opening (11) in the event of a fire, wherein a retaining element (14) attaches the closing element (13) to the cover (12), and the closing element (13) is more heat-resistant than the retaining element (14). The invention also relates to a drain for surface drainage, in particular a roof drain or parking deck drain, with a fire protection insert.