Foam-Inserted Incombustible Fabric Gasket for Fire Door Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fire door gaskets face issues with deformation and weakened fire resistance due to repeated door openings and closings, and synthetic resin gaskets with temperature-expandable foam fail to withstand high temperatures effectively.

Innovation Solution

A foam member-inserted, non-combustible fabric gasket with a tubular fiberglass fabric coated in flame-retardant silicone, featuring a foaming sponge core that expands at a second foaming temperature to seal gaps between the door and frame, enhancing heat insulation and flame blocking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a cylindrical gasket is made of fabric and coated with silicone, then it provides fire resistance and flexibility, but it deforms and loses fire resistance due to repeated door opening and closing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefire resistanceVSAvoidshape stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The gasket combines fabric (for flexibility and fire resistance) with a foam core (for shape retention and structural support). This composite structure allows the gasket to maintain its cylindrical shape while remaining flexible enough for door operation, resolving the contradiction between fire resistance and shape stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The fabric outer layer acts as a flexible shell that can deform during door operation but returns to its original shape, while the foam core provides internal structural support. This combination allows the gasket to withstand repeated deformation without permanent shape change, maintaining both flexibility and shape stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Adaptability or versatility

If synthetic resin gasket with temperature-expandable foam is used, then it can fill door gaps with foam, but the synthetic resin and foam lose function due to poor non-combustibility at high temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegap sealing capabilityVSAvoidnon-combustibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The foam core is designed to change its physical state (expand) in response to temperature changes. At normal temperatures, the foam remains compressed to maintain a tight seal. When temperature increases during a fire, the foam expands to fill gaps between the door and frame, providing both gap sealing and fire resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The temperature-expandable foam core expands when exposed to high temperatures, increasing its volume to seal gaps between the door and frame. This thermal expansion mechanism allows the gasket to adapt to thermal conditions while maintaining non-combustibility, resolving the contradiction between gap sealing capability and fire resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #37Thermal expansion

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 gasket maintains shape and functionality during normal conditions, allowing smooth door operation and providing enhanced heat insulation and flame blocking capabilities during fires by expanding to fill gaps and prevent smoke exposure.

Implementation Method 1

a core body inserted into a hollow of the tubular body. The core body is foamed at a second foaming temperature when a fire occurs

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal expansion: Thermal Expansion

Implementation Method 2

a temperature-expandable foam is inserted into the hole of a synthetic resin gasket to fill the door gap with foam, thereby suppressing the passage of flame when a fire occurs

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFoam expansion: Foam

Implementation Method 3

coating a fibrous fabric woven with non-combustible fibers with a flame-retardant or non-combustible coating material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFlame retardancy:

Implementation Method 4

the core body inserted in the tubular body may be formed to radially press-fit an inner wall of the tubular body in at least two opposite directions to elastically keep the tubular body in shape

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS11473365B2Tube-shaped incombustible fabric fire door gasket having foamed member inserted therein

Publication Date: 2022.10.18 JUKYUNG TEX CO

AI summary

A gasket comprises a tube body which is inserted into a groove of a fire door frame so as to block the movement of flames between a door and the door frame if a fire breaks out, and which has a joint part formed by rolling, in a tube shape, and adhering a ductile gasket cloth produced by coating, with flame-retardant or incombustible silicon, a fiber cloth manufactured by weaving the glass fibers, and a core body inserted into a hollow portion of the tube body so as to be foamed in a second foaming temperature condition if a fire breaks out, wherein the core body is formed so as to be expanded toward the outer side of the tube body while separating the joint part of the tube body by means of expansion pressure generated by foaming.