AU6560994A

AU6560994A - Air handler

Info

Publication number: AU6560994A
Application number: AU65609/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert William Scott
Original assignee: Email Ltd
Current assignee: Email Ltd
Priority date: 1993-04-22
Filing date: 1994-04-22
Publication date: 1994-11-08

Description

AIR HANDLER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to thermally insulated enclosures, and particularly to air handlers used in air conditioning applications, and seeks to provide an air handler housing which is simple to assemble from components which can be transported in knocked-down condition and which addresses the problems of thermal bridging and the effects of vibration at panel joints.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one form, the present invention provides a thermally insulated panel including a pair of thermally conductive skin members separated by thermal insulating material and joined by edge members each comprising a web section, side flanges extending from said web and engaging external edge regions of said pair of panels, the outer surface of said flanges lying outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent skin member.

In a further form, there is provided a thermally insulated enclosure including such wall panels, in which joints between adjacent panels include a frame member, the web member of a panel being abutted against said frame member, and pair of parallel joint cover members extending across said frame member and the adjacent side flanges of the panel end member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will be described herein by way of example with reference to a presently preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectioned view of a composite panel according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a cut-away perspective view of a portion of an air handler, showing a number of composite panels in place; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectioned elevation of a corner of the air handler showing the manner of assembly of panels in accordance with the invention; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectioned plan of the corner assembly; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectioned plan of a wall panel joint.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Air handlers according to the illustrated embodiment of the invention include walls, roof and floor constructed of panels 10 joined to form a box-like structure by the means shown in Figs. 2-5.

The panel 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises an outer skin 11 and an inner skin 12 which may be of galvanised steel sheet. Sandwiched between the skins 11 and 12 is insulation material 13, which is preferably an in situ foamable material such as a foamable polyurethane.

Each edge of the panel 10 is closed by an edge element 14, preferably of PVC and formed by extrusion, comprising a base 15 and side flanges 16 and 17. The edge element is dimensioned to provide an interference fit between the flanges 16 and 17 and the edges of the panel, which are inset as shown so that the flanges will lie only slightly proud of the outer surfaces of the panel.

The panels 10 may be manufactured by assembling the skins 11 and 12 with bottom and side edge elements 14 and introducing foaming material such as PVC into the space between the skins, then closing the panels with an upper edge element 14.

The edge elements 14 are securely retained by anchoring means in the form of a T-piece 18 which becomes embedded in the insulation 13 on in situ foaming thereof.

The edge elements 14 include an internal flange 19 which engages the inner wall of the skin 11 or 12 to assist in retaining the edge element in engagement with the skin prior to moulding. If desired, such a flange may be provided adjacent both flanges 16 and 17. The outer surfaces of the base 15 and flanges 16 and 17 are provided with ribs 20 which provide an airtight seal with other components of the assembly as described below, and which also assist in absorbing vibration.

Panels thus formed can be shipped flat and erected on site to form the air handler housing.

It will be appreciated that the floor, side walls and roof of the air handler housing will normally all be formed from panels constructed in the manner thus far described. The panels must be joined at the edges and corners of the housing, and the floor supported on a base frame or other structure, in a manner which avoids thermal bridging of the insulating panels by utilising the panel configuration so far described. Figs. 2-5 show how this is achieved.

The air handler housing is supported on the upper flanges 21 of a base frame 22, with the edge elements 114 of base panels 110 resting on the flange and abutting the juxtaposed edge of frame members 23. The frame members 23 are of extruded plastics, preferably PVC, and, as will be seen its cross-section, provide formations for bolting to the flange 21, and to corner fixtures 24. Frame members 23 and corner fixtures 24 form a bottom frame around the perimeter of the housing, and vertical frame members 23 fixed between upper and lower corner fixtures form corner posts of the housing frame which is of course completed by further frame members 23 (not shown) between the upper corner fixtures.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 (and omitted from Fig. 2 for purposes of clarity) , internal cover plates 25 are located between the corner fixtures and the frame members, these cover plates extending to overlap the edge regions of the panels, covering the abutment between the panel edge elements 14 and the frame member. Similarly, external cover plates 26 cover the frame members and extend across the exposed joints between the panels and the frame members. In this way, the panel edges are snugly retained in position, with a seal being formed by the engagement of the ribs 20 with the frame member and the cover plates, while allowing very simple and therefore rapid assembly.

Normally a number of panels will be required to form a given wall of the housing. Fig. 5 shows how adjacent panels are joined in this preferred embodiment. An extruded PVC mullion 27 is fixed between upper (not shown) and lower fixing plates 28 bolted to the upper an lower frame members 23, and the panel edge elements are abutted against the mullion, with external and internal mullion cover plates 29 completing the joint.

The external and internal cover plates may be of galvanised sheet and may be attached to the frame members at intervals by means of rivets 30 (Fig. 2) or other suitable fasteners.

The panels and the edge elements are dimensioned so that in the relaxed condition of the edge elements after manufacture of the panels, the width of the elements exceeds that of the frame members 23 and the mullions 27. In this way an interference fit is provided between the cover plates and the edge elements, compressing the ribs 20 and enhancing the seal at the joint, while the joint provides resilience to cope with the effects of vibration.

Consideration of the structure which results from the relationship between the panels, frame members, mullions and cover plates will reveal that the whole structure avoids any bridging by thermally conductive elements, with thermal insulation being provided at joints by the frame members and edge elements.

While the features of the invention have been described by way of example in the form in which they are presently understood to be most efficiently embodied, it will be appreciated that the principles thus disclosed are capable of realization in other forms, and many alternative embodiments of the invention will be possible.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A thermally insulated panel including a pair of thermally conductive skin members separated by thermal insulating material and joined by edge members each comprising a web section, side flanges extending from said web and engaging external edge regions of said pair of panels, the outer surface of said flanges lying outwardly of the plane of the outer surface of the adjacent skin member.

2. A panel according to claim 1 wherein said edge members are of elastomeric material.

3. A panel according to claim 2 wherein the outer surfaces of said flanges are provided with a plurality of rib means.

4. A panel according to claim 3 wherein said rib means include a plurality of continuous ribs lying parallel to the adjacent edge of the adjacent skin member.

5. A panel according to claim 1 wherein said insulating material is a foam plastics material formed in situ between said skin members.

6. A panel according to claim 5 wherein said edge members include at least one locking rib extending longitudinally of the edge member and projecting from the rear face of the web thereof, thereby to be embedded in said insulating material upon the forming thereof.

7. A panel according to claim 6 in which said locking rib is provided with a flange extending laterally from its end remote from the web of the edge member.

8. A panel according to claim 1 wherein said edge member further includes an inner edge rib extending rearwardly from the web of the edge member adjacent a side flange and positioned to receive the edge of a skin member between the edge rib and the adjacent side flange.

9. A thermally insulated enclosure including wall panels according to claim 1, in which joints between adjacent panels include a frame member, the web member of a panel being abutted against said frame member, and pair of parallel joint cover members extending across said frame member and the adjacent side flanges of the panel end member.

10. A panel according to claim 9 wherein the width of the frame member in the direction of the thickness of the panel is less than the width of the panel end member.