GB1584525A - Sealing - Google Patents

Description

(54) SEALING (71) 1 GEORGE JOHN BAINES. a British Subject. of 76 Manfield. Ashurst.

Skelmersdale. do hereby declare the inven tion. for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me. and the method by which it is to be performed. to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to sealing and has particular application to the sealing to frames of doors. windows or the like.

Hitherto sealing of such frames has tended to be by way of resilient strips. such as tubing.

often of svnthetic rubber. foam strip or settable spring metal strip. attached bv tacking.

nailing or adhesive to the frame or even to a door. window or the like fitted therein. The efficacv of such strips is variable due to dif ferent titting tolerances or gaps and tends to be of limited duration due to non-uniformity of strip resilience in use and/or after exposure to air. water etc.

What I propose herein is a seal moulded in situ between the frame and the door. window or the like. Typically. this is implemented by way of a material that is initially. readily securable to the frame and deformable to shape bv closing of the door. window or the like.

and is curable or will otherwise harden or set to that shape. but preferably remain resilient.

The seal material may be of an initially flowable mastic form that is strongly selfadhesive to a suitably prepared frame but not to the door. window or the like. in general by reason of a layer. say of tape. placed thereon or some other relatively non-sticli or release agent coated or otherwise applied thereto.

Suitable seal materials are self-curing when exposed to atmosphere. such as polysul- phides. and silicone has been used with satis factory results.

To shorten the period of closure of the door. window or the like for the seal to take its desired shape. the tape or other agent may be coated. mixed with. or incorporate a curing. hardening or setting accelerator or even itself constitute the or an additional curing or hardening or setting agent.

One particular way of putting the invention into effect will now be described by way of example. with reference to the accompaning drawings. in which: Figures lA and IB show open and closed positions of a door or window at its free edge.

and Figures 2A and 2B similarly show the hinged edge.

In the drawings. a flowable mastic material 10 that will cure on exposure to the atmosphere to a resilient solid form. such as that at present available commercially as a silicone sealant from Expandite Limited is applied to a frame surface 12 previously prepared by thorough cleaning and usually priming with a recommended primer for the sealant material. The material application is conveniently from a squeezable tube-type applicator or gun of the grease-gun tvpe and onto at least surfaces of abutments 14 of the frame. often into corners made by the abutment surfaces and the adjacent frame parts 16 at least for the non-hinged frame parts (Figures IA and IB). For a hinged door. window or the like IS. abutting edge-parts 20 thereof will have been covered with a layer of relatively non adhering or release means. assumed for convenience to be tape 77. to a greater extent than the abutment to allow for spreading 24 of excess seal material on closing of the door window of the like (Figures 1 B and 2B).

After curing to an extent at least sufficient to ensure a non-tacky surface and general form sustaining nature of the seal material. excess seal material may be trimmed off by a knife (see arrows '6) and the door. window or the lilie opened. if necessary following striking with a mallet to loosen any weak adhesion that has occurred or counter the excellent fit.

Further trimming of the seal material mav then be effected as desired using a knife and straight-edge and the tape or other release means stripped from the door or window edges.

The result is a very close fitting seal having a maximum gap equivalent to the thickness of the tape or other release layer, and that may even be reduced if not substantially eliminated if the door, window or the like is not fully closed while the seal material cures, hardens or otherwise sets or even if the seal material partially sets and will expand slightly when allowed to on opening of the door, window or the like.

For a door, it is preferred that any lock is operated when forming the seal in order to avoid problems later if the seal will not readily compress to allow locking. For a window, incomplete closure is readily achieved for forming the seal by the usually camming closure mechanism and thus easily allows further closure after seal formation and tape removal.

Consolidation of the seal material is assisted if any excess material is tooled into the gap being sealed prior to curing, hardening or setting. Then, it is advantageous also to tape the frame at the part referenced 30 in Figure 1A and to remove that tape immediately after tooling in the excess seal material.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A method of sealing opening doors or windows, comprising the steps of applying to abutments of a frame therefor a seal material that is initially readily securable to the frame and deformable to shape in situ between the frame and the door or window on closure thereof and curable or otherwise settable to that shape; applying to the door, window or the like, at its edge parts to cooperate in deforming the seal material a layer to which the sealing material will not strongly adhere; closing the door, window or the like to deform the sealing material to shape; and leaving the door window or the like so closed until the sealing material is cured or otherwise hardened or set to form-sustaining seal shape.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the layer is applied to extend beyond the cooperating edge parts so as to accommodate excess seal material on deformation thereof.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sealing material is of an initially flowable mastic form and is strongly self-adhesive to the frame.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the frame is first prepared to provide or promote said self adhesion.

5. A method according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the sealing material is applied by expression from a tube.

6. A method according to any preceding claim. wherein the sealing material is selfcuring on exposure to the atmosphere.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the sealing material is, after application to the door or window frame, subjected to a curing, hardening or setting agent and/or an accelerating agent therefor.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the agent is on or part of the layer.

9. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the layer is tape.

10. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaped sealing material is trimmed after opening the door or window.

11. A method of sealing opening doors or windows substantially as herein described with reference to the drawing.

12. A door or window frame sealed by the method of any preceding claim.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (12)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. means stripped from the door or window edges. The result is a very close fitting seal having a maximum gap equivalent to the thickness of the tape or other release layer, and that may even be reduced if not substantially eliminated if the door, window or the like is not fully closed while the seal material cures, hardens or otherwise sets or even if the seal material partially sets and will expand slightly when allowed to on opening of the door, window or the like. For a door, it is preferred that any lock is operated when forming the seal in order to avoid problems later if the seal will not readily compress to allow locking. For a window, incomplete closure is readily achieved for forming the seal by the usually camming closure mechanism and thus easily allows further closure after seal formation and tape removal. Consolidation of the seal material is assisted if any excess material is tooled into the gap being sealed prior to curing, hardening or setting. Then, it is advantageous also to tape the frame at the part referenced 30 in Figure 1A and to remove that tape immediately after tooling in the excess seal material. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A method of sealing opening doors or windows, comprising the steps of applying to abutments of a frame therefor a seal material that is initially readily securable to the frame and deformable to shape in situ between the frame and the door or window on closure thereof and curable or otherwise settable to that shape; applying to the door, window or the like, at its edge parts to cooperate in deforming the seal material a layer to which the sealing material will not strongly adhere; closing the door, window or the like to deform the sealing material to shape; and leaving the door window or the like so closed until the sealing material is cured or otherwise hardened or set to form-sustaining seal shape.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the layer is applied to extend beyond the cooperating edge parts so as to accommodate excess seal material on deformation thereof.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sealing material is of an initially flowable mastic form and is strongly self-adhesive to the frame.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the frame is first prepared to provide or promote said self adhesion.

5. A method according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the sealing material is applied by expression from a tube.

6. A method according to any preceding claim. wherein the sealing material is selfcuring on exposure to the atmosphere.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the sealing material is, after application to the door or window frame, subjected to a curing, hardening or setting agent and/or an accelerating agent therefor.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the agent is on or part of the layer.

9. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the layer is tape.

10. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaped sealing material is trimmed after opening the door or window.

11. A method of sealing opening doors or windows substantially as herein described with reference to the drawing.

12. A door or window frame sealed by the method of any preceding claim.