Hinge-Forming Seal Lip for Swing Doors

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing seals for openings, particularly door seals, require excessive effort to maneuver, especially for disabled individuals using wheelchairs, and lack sufficient fire resistance and flexibility to maintain effective sealing without increasing the opening force.

Innovation Solution

A flexible polymer seal with a hinge-forming portion featuring a gutter shape, providing increased flexibility and fatigue strength, and a main portion with enhanced thickness for improved fire resistance, while maintaining a constant section and reduced opening force, incorporating intumescent material for enhanced sealing and heat resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the lip is made thicker to improve fire resistance, then fire resistance is improved, but the opening force increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefire resistanceVSAvoidopening force

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The seal is divided into distinct functional segments: a support portion for structural attachment, a hinge-forming portion for flexibility, and a main portion for sealing and fire resistance. This segmentation allows the main portion to be optimized for fire resistance while the hinge portion handles the mechanical flexibility requirements, preventing the need to increase overall thickness for fire resistance alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the seal have different thicknesses optimized for their specific functions. The main portion has sufficient thickness for fire resistance and sealing, while the hinge-forming portion has reduced thickness to minimize opening force. This local optimization allows fire resistance to be improved without proportionally increasing the opening force across the entire seal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If the lip is made more flexible to improve maneuverability, then ease of operation is improved, but the fire resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovemaneuverabilityVSAvoidfire resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The seal is divided into distinct functional segments: a support portion for structural attachment, a hinge-forming portion for flexibility, and a main portion for sealing and fire resistance. This segmentation allows the main portion to be optimized for fire resistance while the hinge portion handles the mechanical flexibility requirements, preventing the need to increase overall thickness for fire resistance alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the seal have different thicknesses optimized for their specific functions. The main portion has sufficient thickness for fire resistance and sealing, while the hinge-forming portion has reduced thickness to minimize opening force. This local optimization allows fire resistance to be improved without proportionally increasing the opening force across the entire seal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If a rigid seal is used to maintain sealing effectiveness, then sealing reliability is improved, but the effort to maneuver increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing effectivenessVSAvoidmaneuvering effort

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The seal is divided into distinct functional segments: a support portion for structural attachment, a hinge-forming portion for flexibility, and a main portion for sealing and fire resistance. This segmentation allows the main portion to be optimized for fire resistance while the hinge portion handles the mechanical flexibility requirements, preventing the need to increase overall thickness for fire resistance alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the seal have different thicknesses optimized for their specific functions. The main portion has sufficient thickness for fire resistance and sealing, while the hinge-forming portion has reduced thickness to minimize opening force. This local optimization allows fire resistance to be improved without proportionally increasing the opening force across the entire seal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2481875B1Seal for opening section and opening section provided with such a seal.

Publication Date: 2016.10.12 MARANTIER FREDERIC M

Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5

AI summary

The seal (5) has sealing rings (7, 8) comprising hinge portions (10, 17, 18) extending along longitudinal direction (Z) in vicinity of support portions (6, 22, 25) and main portions (9, 15, 16, 19), which extend along the longitudinal direction. The main portions are connected to the support portions via the hinge portions. The hinge portions have bending flexibility higher than that of the main portions. The hinge portions has gutter-shaped parts (11) having concave and convex faces. The gutter-shaped parts include a section whose shape is selected from circular arc and/or spiral. An independent claim is also included for an opening section comprising a rib having bending lines.