Segmented Fire Damper Flange with Intumescent Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of single-part fire barrier flanges is complicated and time-consuming due to lengthy drying periods in casting, and they often fail to provide adequate leakproofness during fires.
Innovation Solution
A fire barrier flange comprising two or more circumferentially adjoining members with intumescent seal material at the joints, protected by a planar, rectangular protective plate, which is secured using a tightening band to maintain the seal under heat expansion and contraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single-part fire barrier flange is used, then the structure is simple, but the installation is complicated and time-consuming due to lengthy drying periods in casting
Solution Approach 1:
The fire barrier flange is divided into multiple segments that can be assembled around the duct sleeve. This segmentation allows each segment to be pre-fabricated and then quickly installed on-site without lengthy drying periods, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functional elements into the segmented flange design: the flange segments themselves, the intumescent seal material, and the protective plates are integrated into a coordinated system. This merging of functions into modular components enables faster installation compared to a monolithic structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single-part fire barrier flange is used, then the manufacturing process is straightforward, but casting is clumsy and time-consuming due to lengthy drying periods
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the flange into multiple smaller segments, each segment can be manufactured independently using simpler, faster processes. This eliminates the need for large-scale casting operations with lengthy drying periods, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining ease of fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange segments are pre-fabricated and prepared in advance with sealing surfaces and attachment features already in place. This preliminary preparation allows for quicker assembly during installation and eliminates time-consuming on-site casting or fabrication operations.
3Device complexity
If conventional fire barrier flange construction is used, then the structure is simple, but leakproofness is inadequate during fires due to thermal expansion and contraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates intumescent seal material that undergoes parameter change under fire conditions. When exposed to heat, the intumescent material expands significantly, filling gaps and cracks that may form due to thermal expansion and contraction of the flange segments, thereby maintaining sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The intumescent seal material is positioned in advance at the joints between flange segments to provide pre-positioned sealing capability. When fire occurs and gaps form, this pre-positioned material expands to fill the gaps, providing beforehand cushioning against potential leaks.
Solution Approach 3:
The intumescent seal material acts as an intermediary substance between the flange segments. It mediates the sealing function by expanding to fill gaps created by thermal movement, while the protective plates serve as intermediaries to shield the intumescent material from direct flame exposure and maintain its effectiveness.
4Reliability
If intumescent seal material is placed at joints, then leakproofness is improved, but the seal material may be damaged under fire without protection
Solution Approach 1:
Protective plates are pre-installed over the intumescent seal material at each joint to provide beforehand protection. These plates serve as a shield that protects the intumescent material from direct flame exposure and mechanical damage, allowing the seal material to function effectively throughout the fire event.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective plates serve as intermediary protective elements between the fire environment and the intumescent seal material. They absorb and deflect harmful thermal and mechanical effects, thereby protecting the seal material from damage while allowing it to perform its sealing function.
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 enhances leakproofness by ensuring the intumescent seal material remains effective, filling expanding gaps and maintaining compressive force to prevent cracks, thereby improving the fire damper's sealing performance during fires.
Implementation Method 1
The calcium silicate plate used as the material of the fire barrier flange undergoes dimensional deformations under heat whereby it contracts. Then, the intumescent material fills the expanding gap and also develops a compressive force that closes any cracks possibly occurring at other parts of the plate.
Implementation Method 2
The calcium silicate plate used as the material of the fire barrier flange undergoes dimensional deformations under heat whereby it contracts.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A circular fire barrier flange (3) which is mountable close to the pass-through point of a fire damper on a wall or ceiling structure, where it is adapted about the duct sleeve element (2) of the fire barrier to receive heat conducted along the duct element and further conduct the heat to the wall structure wherein or whereon it is mounted, and which flange (3) has placed thereon a tightening band (4) with a width substantially equal to the thickness of the barrier flange and a length extending substantially about the perimeter of the barrier flange. The invention is implemented such that the fire barrier flange (3) comprises two or more circumferentially adjoining members having an intumescent seal material placed at the joints thereof and that a protective plate (6) is placed over each joint to protect the intumescent seal material under fire.