GB2206840A

GB2206840A - Custom-molded doors

Info

Publication number: GB2206840A
Application number: GB08814969A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vernon Curtis Krueger
Original assignee: FMC Corp
Current assignee: FMC Corp
Priority date: 1987-07-06
Filing date: 1988-06-23
Publication date: 1989-01-18
Also published as: DE3822390A1; JPH01158189A; GB8814969D0; GR880100444A; IT8821261A0

Description

1 220684P METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CUSTOM FABRICATION OF DOORS The present

invention relates to method and apparatus for making doors, and more particularly, to method and apparatus for fabricating doors to custom fit a variety of doorways using a single adjustable tool for forming the doors.

In a variety of applications, such as gun turrets on shipboard, doors must be custom made to fit doorways that vary somewhat in size and shape. Gun turrets may be formed from a plurality of metal pieces welded together and having one or more door openings to allow the ship's crew access to a gun. The door openings in the welded turret are each a slightly different size and shape so that individual doors must be custom made to fit the door openings. In order to build metal doors to fit the openings, the doors have been cast in a general shape and size, then the individual doors have been bent, ground and machined to each fit a corresponding opening. This is a slow, costly, time consuming process.

The adjustable tool of the present invention can be used to form a fabricated composite door to custom fit a predetermined one of the door openings. A template is formed to the shape and size of the door opening and the template used to adjust the contour of the adjustable tool. The template can be formed on the door jam of the opening by 2 spraying a foam material on the door jam and letting the foam harden. The template is then moved to a position adjacent to a base member of the adjustable tool. A plurality of bracing members mounted between the base member and a rigid f rame member are adjusted to - conf orm the base member to the shape of the template. The template is temporarily fixed to the base member and a mold is formed around the template using the template and base member to determined the shape of the mold. When the mold hardens, the template is removed and the mold secured to the base member. Composite material is placed inside the mold and on top of the base member to f orm a door having the same size and shape as the corresponding door opening.

Figure 1 shows a ship having a gun turret with a door which can be fabricated on apparatus in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 shows an isometric drawing of a mold used in fabricating a door using the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a template-formed inside the door opening of Fig-ure 1.

Figure 4 shows a composite door fabricated using the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a door opening in a gun turret of Figure Figure 6 shows a plan view of apparatus in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 7 is a side view of apparatus in accordance with 2 3 the present invention taken along line 7 - 7 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side view of apparatus in accordance with the present invention taken along line 8 - 8 of Figure 7.

A ship 10 having a plurality of gun turrets 11 and a plurality of guns 12 is shown in Figure 1. A door or hatch 16 provides a means for entering and leaving turret 11. The door 16 (Figs. 1, 4) may include one or more: openings 17 for mounting latches and other hardware needed to secure door 16 to a portion of turret 11 adjacent a door opening 18 (Fig. 5). A door jam 22 around door opening 18 provides a weather seal between door 16 and turret 11.

An adjustable tool 23 (Figs. 6 - 8) for forming a door includes a flexible base member 24, e.g. of springy material, connected to a frame member 28 by a plurality of adjustablelength bracing members 29. Frame member 28 includes a plurality of rectangular hollow tubings 30a - 30h arranged in horizontal rows and a single rectangular tubing 31 connected at right angles to tubings 30a - 30h. Base member 24 is connected to tubing 31 and the curvature of base member 24 is determined by the length of- each of the bracing members 29.

Bracing members 29 (Figs. 6 - 8) each include a threaded rod 34 having a rod bearing 35 at the upper end and a threaded knob 36 and inner -nut 40 at the lower end.

bracket 41 is locked between knob 36 A and nut 40 and bracket 41 is secured to one of the tubings 30a - 30h by a bolt 42 and nut 43. Rod bearing 35 is connected to base member 24 4 by a shaft 47 and a connecting member 48. It should be understood that there are four bracing members 29 between each of the tubings 30a - 30h and connecting members 48 as shown at tubing 30h. To reduce clutter on Figure 6 several of the bracing members have been omitted.

The method of custom fabrication of a door to fit a predetermined door opening will now be described. A template 49 (Pigs. 3, 7) is made by coating a door jam 22 (Fig. 5) with a filled polyester paste. A foam material is then sprayed on the polyester paste to form the template 49 having an outer edge 54 which is a reverse image of door jam 22. When the foam has hardened template 49 is removed from door jam 22 and placed adjacent to base member 24 of tool 23 (Fig. 7). Bracing members 29 are adjusted by rotating knobs 36 and nuts 40 until the contour of base member 24 matches the contour of template 49. A dam 55 (Fig. 7) is temporarily secured around the edge of base member 24. Liquid plaster is poured into the space between dam 55 and template 49 to form a mold 59.

When the plaster in mold 59 hardens, dam 55 and template 49 are removed from tool 23 (Fig. 7) and mold 59 isclamped to base member 24. An area 60 inside mold 59 is filled with composite material to form a door having the same contour as base member 24 and having an outer edge which is a reverse image of 'an edge 61 of mold 59. Thus, the outer edge of door 16 formed in area 60 fits door jam 22 (Fig. 5) of opening 18 and the contour of the door matches 1 the contour of turret 11 where the door is to be mounted.

The same tool 23 can be used with a variety of templates from different sizes and shapes of door opening to build doors to custom fit the door openings. The templates can be formed at a door opening and the templates shipped to another location for making the individual doors to exact size and shape on the adjustable tool.

Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention.

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Claims

1. A method of molding a door to custom fit a door opening, said method including the steps of: forming a template inside said door opening with the outside of said template fitting the inside of said door opening, moving said template adjacent to a base member of an adjustable tool, adjusting the shape of said base member to correspond to the shape of said template, f orming a mold to the shape of the outside of a door using said template and said base member to shape said mold, mounting said mold on said base member, and placing material inside said mold to form a door corresponding to the shape of said mold and of said base member.

2. A method of molding a door as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of forming a mold includes the further steps of positioning a dam a round said template with said dam spaced apart from said template, and filling a space between said dam and said template with a material to form said mold.

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3. A method of molding a door as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the step of forming a template includes the steps of coating an inside portion of said door opening with a filled polyester paste, spraying a foam material on said paste, and allowing said foam material to harden.

4. An adjustable tool for fabrication of doors in accordance with any of claims 1 to 3, said tool comprising:

base member; frame member; plurality of bracing members, each of said bracing members being connected between a portion of said base member and a corresponding portion of said frame member; and means for adjusting each of said bracing members to conform said base member to a shape such that a door formed on said base member custom fits a corresponding door opening.

5. An adjustable tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said base member is made from a springy material.

6. A template for use in the method of any of claims 1 to 3.

7. A mold formed by the method of any of claims 1 to 3.

8 8. A door made by the method of any of claims 1 to 3.

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9. A method of molding a door as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as described 7ith reference to Figs. 1 - 8.

10. An adjustable tool substantially as described with reference to Figs. 6 - 8.

11. A template substantially as described with reference to Fig. 3.

12. A mold substantially as described with reference to Figs. 2 - 8.

13. A door made by the method of any of claims 1 to 3 and substantially as described with reference to Fig. 4.

C Published 1988 at The Patent Ot, ice, State House. 66 71 High Holborn. London WC1R 4TP- Furt-her copies maybe obtained from The Patent QMce Sales Branch, St Mary Cray. Orpingwr- Kent. BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex tech-ques ltd St Mary Cray. Xent Con. l,'87.