GB2124918A - Improvements relating to the containment and mixing of multi-component fluid preparations, and to fixing sockets - Google Patents

Abstract

A fixing socket (12) for receiving an insert and securable blind in a thin base element is integrally moulded in polyethylene with a neck (20) and conical chamber (14) housing a spindle (30) and two vanes (34) dividing the chamber into two compartments each containing a component of a polyurethane foam adhesive. The top of the chamber is closed by a lid (24) juxtaposed with an annular sealing flange (36). For use, a sealing strip (26) is removed and the spindle portion (40) pulled upwardly and then rotated to mix the two components. The foaming mixture is forced out by the generated gas and sets to the plug (12) in position the mixture being appropriately directed by a collapsible canopy (66). The neck (20) is then severed at (52). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to the containment and mixing of multi-component fluid preparations, and to fixing sockets This invention relates to containers for the separate containment and in situ mixing of multi-component fluid preparations; to such containers in combination with fixing sockets such as wall plugs; and to fixing sockets independently.

An increasing number of materials such as paints, varnishes, adhesives, sealants, coatings and foams are sold in the form of multi-component preparations which require the components to be mixed for use. Often such mixing requires accurate measurement of the components; and the provision of suitable containers, and of mixing implements and applicators, all of which have to be thrown away or carefully cleaned after use.

Atypical example of an application of a multicomponent preparation is the use of a two-component adhesive to secure a fixing device in a prepared hole in brickwork, masonry or concrete by injecting the mixed adhesive into the hole and inserting the fixing device into the adhesive before the latter has set. For injecting adhesive into such a prepared hole, UK Specification No. 1,322,753 (Rawlplug) discloses a preferably manually-operated pressure gun or tool which is adapted to contain the components of the adhesive, for example in separate compartments or capsules, or in a compartmented capsule or cartridge, and which is equipped with means for positively mixing the components during or before ejection thereof through a detachable nozzle of the tool.The barrel of the gun may be divided into two compartments by a central partition, one compartment being for reception of a cartridge of, say, epoxy resin, and the other being for reception of a cartridge of hardener; the empty cartridges, which may be formed of flexible foil such as a plastics foil, are removed before the gun is re-loaded. In a second form of gun a rotatable paddle is provided in a barrel portion of a removable nozzle, the barrel communicating via conduits provided with control valves with separate reservoirs for the adhesive components. A trigger-operated plunger ejects the components through the nozzle as they are mixed by the rotation of the paddle.In a third form of gun the barrel portion of the nozzle is adapted to receive a tearable or frangible compartmented cartridge holding the components of the two- or more- part adhesive, the contents of the cartridge being extruded under pressure through the nozzle orifice which is ribbed or fluted to ensure mixing of the components.

Despite having an expendable nozzle such a gun still requires cleaning and is moreover, expensive to make and cumbersome to use. The cost of having to acquire a separate tool, as well as to buy the adhesive, is a deterrent to the small user who may wish to fit only a few fixing sockets.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for the separate containment and in situ mixing of a multicomponent fluid preparation, comprising a chamber having a removable or displaceable wall portion and a partition member which is displaceable between a first position, in which it is in sealing engagement with the inner surface of the chamber and divides the chamber into two or more separate compartments, each for containing one of the components, and a second position which allows interchange of fluid between the compartments.

The components of the preparations are normally liquids but may be gases, vapours or finely-divided solids of a fluent nature.

Although in some cases the components may be mixed by shaking, the partition member is preferably in the form of a paddle which in said second position can be rotated, oscillated or otherwise moved to mix the components. Desirably the chamber has a circular internal cross-section and converges towards its bottom, for example has a U- or V-shaped axial section, so that displacement of the partition member to the second position leaves a gap between its edges and the inner surface of the bottom of the chamber through which the mixing of the components can occur.

If the device can be maintained upright and stationary during the mixing process, and the components are such as not to suffer from being exposed to the atmosphere, the wall portion may be removable, taking the form of, for example a removable cap or lid. It is preferred however that the wall portion should be arranged to be displaceable such that the displacement of the partition member to said second position is accommodated yet the contents of the chamber remain sealed therein. In such a case the paddle should have a handle or spindle slideably projecting through the wall of the chamber.

The versions of the container having a displaceable wall portion in which the chamber remains sealed when the partition member is in the second position serve to prevent contamination of the contents or their reaction with the air, but in the case of components which react with generation of a gas or heat, the pressure so generated may be utilised to cause the mixed components to issue from the chamber through an outlet or nozzle thus dispensing with the need for piston or plunger which adds to the complication of prior art devices.

The outlet may be in the form of an orifice in the wall of chamber which is closed by the partition member or a projection therefrom when in its first position but which is opened when the member is moved to its second position.

The container according to the first aspect of the present invention may be moulded from a suitable plastics material at a cost not much more than that of providing a separate conventional container for each component and enables the components to be mixed, and in some cases to be dispensed either under the generated pressure or by the incorporation of a piston or plunger. There is no need for the user to acquire a special tool orto have to clean it afterwards.

Clearly, the container according to the first aspect of the present invention has innumerable uses where the mixing and dispensing or application of any multi-component preparation is required, for example to replace the above-described prior art gun. Again, fixing sockets for insertion into a cavity in a brick-work, masonry or plaster wall, or through a relatively thin base element such as an outer panel of a cavity door or partition wall, are commonly secured by the injection of a hardenable plastics material, usually through an aperture in the socket.

For injection an injection device is used having a nozzle which is inserted into the bore of the socket; the use of such a tool is attended with the abovementioned disadvantages. Such a tool may be replaced by a container according to the present invention. However, according to an important feature of the first aspect of the present invention a container in accordance therewith is actually combined with a fixing socket. The container is then disconnected from the socket after its contents have been mixed and injected into the socket. Preferably, the container is integrally moulded with the socket so that it may be snapped or cut off after use.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a fixing socket for receiving a threaded or bonded insert and which is particularly suitable for use in conjunction with a container according to the first aspect of the present invention. Such a fixing socket, which may be secured blind in a relatively thin base element, comprises a generally tubular body open at one end for reception of the insert and, at the other, leading end, a flexible canopy which in a closed condition lies flat against the outside of the body to allow insertion thereof into a hole formed in said element until the canopy is clear of said element, the body being apertured at said other end to allow adhesive to be injected through the body and into the canopy to form a body of adhesive securing the socket to said element.

The canopy, which is opened by the injection of adhesive rather in the manner of an umbrella, may be of any suitable concave, cup or mushroom shape that prevents its mouth to the reverse face of said element, and thus allows the body of the socket to be directly secured to the element by a mass of adhesive. This is in contrast to previous proposals which involve the use of a closed bag or sac surrounding the insert in order to contain the adhesive. However, the canopy is most conveniently conical, with the apical portion of the cone overlying a corresponding end portion of the tubular body. To protect the canopy when the socket is being inserted and to facilitate securing it to the end of the tubular body it may be clamped thereagainst by a cap which is secured to the end of the body by an internal pin or stud which, if desired, may be anchored by welding for additional security.

The canopy may be formed of any suitably tough and flexible plastics sheet material.

The end of the body to which the canopy is secured may be apertured around its circumference to ensure that injected adhesive is evenly distributed around the canopy. The body of the socket may be internally threaded if intended to receive a machine screw; provided with internal longitudinal ribs if intended to receive a self-tapping or wood screw; and have any suitable plain, ribbed or otherwise configured cavity if intended for reception of a bonded insert. The material of the body will naturally depend on the type of insert, metal or nylon being suitable if the body is internally threaded; polyethylene or other suitably resilient plastics material for tapered screws; and any material to which the adhesive employed will bond, where a bonded insert is being used.

The outside of the body at said one, i.e., the mouth or open, end may be externally ribbed or provided with other projections to wedge the socket in the aperture so that it resists any force tending to withdraw it or to turn it.

To use the socket according to the invention a hole is drilled through the base element and the socket inserted thereinto such that the open end of the tubular body is flush with or just below the front face of the base element and the canopy is clear of the rear face. Adhesive, for example polyurethane foam, is then injected through the tubular body and passes into the canopy. The canopy is thus filled ensuring that adhesive is forced into contact with the rear face of the element. When the adhesive sets the tubular body is firmly secured to the element and the appropriate type of insert may then be inserted.

Although the invention may be carried out in a great variety of ways, one particular embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation in partial section of a combined foam component container and fixing plug according to the invention in the storage condition; Figure 2 is a section on the line Il-Il of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detail of Figure 1 but with the container in the mixing condition; Figure 4 is a detail of the fixing plug, the section being taken at right angles to that of Figure 1; Figures 5, 6 and 7 are sections on the lines V-V, VI-VI and VII-VII, respectively, of Figure 1; and Figures 8, 9 and 10 are elevations illustrating successive stages in the use of the combined container and plug.

As shown in Figures 1 to 7 the container-plug combination comprises a generally funnel-shaped containment and mixing portion 10 integrally moulded from polyethylene with a fixing plug 12.

The portion 10 comprises a conical body formed by a flared wall 14 provided with an annular rim 16 having an inturned lip 18, and a neck 20. Two diametrically opposed channels 22 are formed on the inner surface of the wall 14. A lid 24 is slidably mounted within the rim 16 and is retained, in the storage condition, by a removable annular strip 26; at its centre the lid 24 is formed with an upstanding collar 28.

The body wall 14 and lid 24 together define a chamber within which is housed a paddle 30 comprising a spindle 32 from which extend two triangular vanes 34 and, at the junction between the tops of the vanes 34 and spindle 32, an integral flange 46. At its upper end the spindle 32 is formed with a reduced diameter portion 38 which passes through the collar 28, the projecting portion 40 being ribbed to facilitate rolling it between finger and thumb in use. To ensure sealing between the integral flange 36, and the top of the flared wall 14, the latter is formed with an upwardly projecting annular ridge 42 which is accommodated within a corresponding recess in the flange 36. At its lower end the spindle 32 is formed with another reduced diameter portion 44 which extends into the neck 20.At the base of the portion 44 the spindle 32 has an axial recess which receives an integral annular ridge 46 projecting from the base of the flared wall 20 to form a seal.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 4 - 7, the fixing plug 12 has a generally tubular body 50 which extends integrally from the base of the neck 20, the junction being marked by an annular groove 52 and an adjacent annular flange 54. The tubular body 50 comprises a basal shoulder portion 56 having four longitudinally-extending ribs 58 and a leading end portion 60 which is notched at 62. The bore of the body 50 is tapered and formed with two internal channels the floors of which are constituted by thin membranes 64. A small flexible deflection cone 66 is fixed to the pointed tip of the leading end portion 60 which is pierced by two small apertures 68.

It will be appreciated that the two vanes 34 of the paddle 30 divide the conical chamber formed by the wall 16 into two compartments; for use one compartment is filled with one component of a twocomponent polyurethane water-based foam and the other compartment with an equal portion of the other component. Leakage at the junction between the paddle 30 and the wall 14 is prevented by the reception of the marginal edge portions of the vanes 36 in the respective channels 22: leakage around the ends of the spindle 32 is prevented by the ridges 42 and 46 in the previously-described manner. With the lid 24 maintained in the position shown in Figure 1, i.e., held in abutment with the flange 36 by the strip 26, the container-plug combination may be transported, stored and sold in a ready-to-use condition.

To secure a screw 70 (Figure 10) in a thin sheet 72 of wood or hardboard shown in Figures 8 to 10, a hole is first drilled therethrough in the conventional manner and the plug 12 inserted until the small flange 54 is flush with the face of the sheet 72 (Figure 8). The strip 26 is then removed and the projecting spindle portion 40 pulled until further upward movement of the paddle 30 and annular flange 36 is prevented by the engagement of the lid 24 with inturned lip 18. With the paddle 30 thus in the position shown in Figures 3 and 9 the two components of the polyurethane foam are allowed to mix.

By rotating the projecting end 40 of the spindle 32 between the finger and thumb as indicated by the arrow 74 in Figure 9, the complete mixing of the foam components is ensured, causing the foaming mixture to exude down through the tubular body 50 of the plug 12 (as shown by the small arrows 76 in Figure 9) and out through the apertures 68 (arrows 78). The cone 66 causes upward deflection of the foam mixture so that when set it forms a solid mass 80 around the tubular body 50 extending between the undersurface of the sheet 72 and the cone 66.

It will be noted that the clearance between the end portion 44 of the spindle 32 and the mouth of the neck 20 is very small. This restricts flow and causes a build up of pressure in the chamber during the early stages of mixing. Foaming continues in the bore of the neck 20 and in the tubular body 50 and after the foaming mixture has been forced out through the apertures 68, thus creating an aerosol effect.

After the foam has set the upper portion 10 is snapped or cut off immediately above the flange 54 and thrown away to leave the plug 12 as shown in Figure 10. The screw 70 is then screwed into the plug 12 in the normal way.

In alternative versions the number of vanes 34 can be increased to allow for the reception of more than two components orto intersperse the components so as to facilitate mixing.

It will be noted that the cone 66 can be quite short compared with the overall length of the fixing plug 12 and can be housed against the portion where it does not extend beyond the ribs 50. The overall diameter of the plug 12 does not therefore have to be increased to accommodate the cone 54 and a snug fit of the plug 12 within the drilled aperture can be achieved. Moreover, danger of damage to the cone 54 during insertion is minimised.

Claims (25)

1. A container for the separate containment and in situ mixing of a multi-component fluid preparation, comprising a chamber having a removeable or displaceable wall portion and a partition member which is displaceable between a first position, in which it is in sealing engagement with the inner surface of the chamber and divides the chamber into two or more separate compartments, each for containing one of the components, and a second position which allows interchange of fluid between the compartments.

2. A container as claimed in Claim 1, in which the partition member is a paddle which is moveable to promote mixing of the components.

3. A container as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the chamber has a circular internal crosssection.

4. A container as claimed in Claim 1,2 or 3, in which the cross-section of the chamber converges towards its bottom.

5. A container as claimed in Claim 4, in which the chamber has a U- or V-shaped axial section.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the wall portion is removable and comprises a cap or lid.

7. A container as claimed in Claims 1 to 5, in which the wall portion is displaceable to a displaced position in which the contents of the chamber remain sealed therein.

8. A container as claimed in Claim 7 and additionally comprising sealing means positioned between the chamber wall and the displaceable wall portion and arranged to be displaceable therewith.

9. A container as claimed in Claim 2, or any one of Claims 3 to 8 as appendant thereto, in which the paddle is provided with a member extending therefrom and through a wall of the chamber to facilitate movement of the paddle.

10. A container as claimed in Claim 7,8 or 9 and additionally comprising an outlet.

11. A container as claimed in Claim 10, in which the partition member constitutes, or is provided with, closure means which are arranged to close the outlet when the partition member is in its first position.

12. A container as claimed in Claim 11 and additionally comprising sealing means positioned between said outlet and partition member.

13. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the wall of the chamber is recessed to receive the marginal edge portions of the partition member when in said first position.

14. A container as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

15. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A fixing socket for receiving a threaded or bonded insert and which may be secured blind in a relatively thin base element, the socket comprising a generally tubular body open at one end for reception of the insert and, at the other, leading end, a flexible canopy which in a closed condition lies flat against the outside of the body to allow insertion thereof into a hole formed in said element until the canopy is clear of said element, the body being apertured at said other end to allow adhesive to be injected through the body and into the canopy to form a body of adhesive securing the socket to said element.

17. Afixing socket as claimed in Claim 16, in which the canopy when in said open condition has a conical shape.

18. Afixing socket as claimed in Claim 16 or 17, in which said tubular body is provided with longitudinal external ribs.

19. Afixing socket as claimed in Claim 16, 17 or 18, in which the leading end portion of the tubular body is transversely notched.

20. A fixing socket as claimed in any one of Claims 16 to 19, in which the leading end portion of the tubular body is provided with at least one longitudinally-extending line of weakness along which the body can split to accommodate an insert.

21. Afixing socket as claimed in Claim 16 and substantially as herein described.

22. A fixing socket substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

23. A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 15 containing components of an adhesive and in combination with a fixing socket apertured to permit passage of adhesive therethrough.

24. A container as claimed in Claim 23, in which the socket is as claimed in any one of Claims 16 to 22.

25. The features as herein disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.