GB2410454A

GB2410454A - Damper

Info

Publication number: GB2410454A
Application number: GB0500599A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Pekka Kyllonen
Original assignee: Halton Oy
Current assignee: Halton Oy
Priority date: 2004-01-27
Filing date: 2005-01-12
Publication date: 2005-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 2025-01-12
Also published as: GB0500599D0; ITMI20050088A1; GB2410454B; GB2410454B8; FI115666B; FR2865519A1; FR2865519B1; FI20040109A0

Abstract

The invention concerns a damper (10), which is a box structure and comprises oppositely located face sides, oppositely located top and bottom sides and oppositely located edge sides. According to the invention, the damper's (10) box structure is a structure formed of one integral sheet bar and comprising a weakening groove, whereby when forming the box structure folding is done along said weakening groove. The groove may be formed by a laser.

Description

Damper The invention concerns a damper.

Known in the art are damper structures, wherein the damper is formed of several different parts by welding, riveting etc. Such damper solu- tions are also known, wherein the box body of the damper structure is, for example, of an extruded material and is made as a wing-like pro- file. The state of the art knows such fire shutoff damper structures in particular, which are box structures and rectangular cross-sections, whereby the parts of the rectangular box structure are made of differ- ent structural components and they are connected with one another, for example, by riveting.

The present application presents an entirely novel type of damper solution having a rectangular cross-section. The damper according to the invention is made of one integral blank. A realization according to the invention is to use a metal-cutting laser in such a way that with the aid of the laser reliefs are burnt at the fold points of the blank, preferably grooves penetrating through the sheet thickness, and the blank is folded along these to form a box structure. In the solution according to the invention, a rectangular box structure is formed by folding the sides formed in the spread-out blank structure. Thus, according to the invention a new type of damper is formed, which comprises a rectan- gular cross-section and which is formed by one integral sheet bar. A realization of the invention is to use weakening grooves in the fold points. These are made by burning using a laser. In this manner it is possible to fold one integral blank along the grooves to form a box structure. All folding lines must not be provided with weakening grooves.

The top sides and the end surfaces located on the side are formed of one integral initial blank by forming already at the cutting stage in the concerned sheet bar, that is, the blank formed by a sheet, weakenings or reliefs at the folding points, which mean an exact groove burned into the material. Preferably it extends through the thickness of the sheet bar and is an intermittent groove. Preferably, the groove width is less than lmm and preferably within a range of O.O9mm-0.2mm.

By using weakening grooves according to the invention it is possible to perform the folding by hand. The weakening groove makes it pos- sible to make a precise fold and thus it allows forming of the damper's box structure from one integral blank.

The damper having a rectangular cross-section according to the inven- tion is especially suitable as a fire shutoff damper, whereby a space remains inside the structure, which may be filled with heat-insulating material. The damper also lends itself to airflow control.

The damper structure according to the invention for air-conditioning ducts or other such is characterized by the features presented in the claims.

In the following, the invention will be presented by referring to some advantageous embodiments of the invention, which are shown in the figures of the appended drawings, but the intention is not to limit the invention to these only.

Figure 1A shows a state-of-the-art damper structure, which is suitable, for example, for use as a fire shutoff damper.

Figure 1B is an axonometric view of the damper according to the invention in an air-conditioning duct.

Figure 2A is a spread-out view of the initial blank for the damper according to the invention.

Figure 2B shows the initial folds when forming the box structure.

Figure 2C shows the damper folded to form a box structure, whereby according to the invention the structure is formed by one integral initial blank.

Figure 2D is an axonometric view of a damper folded to its finished state.

Figure 3A shows a weakening groove made by a laser at a folding point. The groove is an intermittent groove and it extends through the thickness of the sheet bar.

Figure 3B shows another embodiment of the groove according to the invention, where the groove does not extend through the thickness of the sheet bar, but it is a cavity in the surface of the sheet bar.

Figure 1A shows a state-of-the-art damper structure, which comprises six dampers 10 turning in a frame K, whereby a duct joining the de- vice can be closed, for example, in a fire situation. Each damper 10 in the embodiment shown in Figure 1A is in accordance with the state of the art and comprises such a rectangular cross-section, whose box structure is formed by riveting.

Figure 1B is an illustrative and axonometric view of the damper 10 according to the invention. Damper 10 means a fire shutoff damper or a damper controlling the airflow in general. The damper 10 shown in the figure comprises a rectangular cross-section and it is a box struc- ture. As is shown in the figure, it is placed in a duct 11, preferably in an air-conditioning duct. It may comprise a frame K, such as is shown in Figure 1A. As shown in Figure 1B, the air-conditioning duct 11 is correspondingly a duct having a rectangular cross-section. However, the rectangular cross-sectional damper structure can also be used in circular ducts by using a separate connecting piece (not shown), which comprises a counter-surface shape fitting into the rectangular cross- section. Damper 10 is adapted to turn around a geometrical axis X supported by a shaft 12. Damper 10, which may be, for example, a fire shutoff damper, can be turned by an actuator 13. Hereby, for example, in a fire situation, damper 10 can be moved from the open position to a position closing the duct 11. The actuator 13 is used to turn the damper 10 through its shaft 12 and a set of levers not shown.

Figure 2A shows an initial blank 10 for the damper 10 according to the invention having a box-like rectangular cross-section when assem- bled and folded. The blank is a sheet bar. Sheet bar 100 is preferably formed by cutting with a laser from a larger sheet, and in the initial blank are formed all sides of the damper 10 having a rectangular cross- section and preferably also a visor part 14 protruding from it to support the damper's 10 seal M. In the structure shown in Figure 2A reference numbers 15a and l5a2 indicate face sides, which support against the flow when the damper 10 is closed. Narrower top and bot- tom sides of the damper 10 are indicated by reference numbers 16a and 16a2. Narrower edge sides of the damper are indicated by refer- ence numbers 17a and 17a2. As shown in the figure, the side edge parts 1 7a i, 1 7a 2 and 1 7a2 I, 1 7a2 2 will be on top of each other in the structure. Their end edges are located against each other. Passage openings U for the shaft are thus formed by the side edge parts 17a I, 17a 2 and the side edge parts 17a2 I, 17a22. In Figure 2A, weakening grooves made by a laser are indicated by reference numbers 18a and 18a2. In the structure according to the invention there are at least weakening grooves 18a and 18a2. Sides 15a and 15a2 are against one another. Sides 16a and 16a2 are against one another and sides fad, 17a2 are against one another. In the figure, other folding lines are indicated by reference numbers 18a2, 18a3, 18a4... According to the invention, these may also be formed by weakening grooves. Accord- ing to the invention, at least both longitudinal folds of the damper's 10 side 16a are thus made along weakening grooves 18a and 18a2. The visor part is indicated by reference number 14 and the seal is indicated by the letter M. Figure 2B shows folding of the blank 100 at a stage where the side edges 17a I, 17a 2; 1 7a2 i, 1 7a2 2, comprising the passage openings U for the shaft 12 have been folded up. The side edge 17a also com- prises a fold 17a i; side edge 17a 2 comprises a fold 17a 2 and side edge 17a2 comprises a fold 17a and side edge 17a22 comprises a fold 17a22. Said folds 17a I, 17a 2, 17a2 I, 17a22 are 90 folds and with their aid side edges are formed in the direction of the planes of sides 15a and 15a2 on line X ofthe damper 10. Fold-points to and t2 comprising weakening grooves fan, 18a2 are indicated in the figure.

The visor part is indicated by reference number 14 and the attached sealing tape is indicated by the letter M. The folding direction is indicated by an arrow So.

Figure 2C shows a stage where the damper 10 is formed as a box structure by folding the opposite face sides in parallel, whereby the side edge parts 17a I, 17ai 2 are located on top of one another and the side edge parts 17a2 i, 17a2 2 are also located on top of one another.

Figure 2C shows the formed box structure completed.

Figure 2D is an axonometric view of the damper folded to form a box structure before the sealing tape M is attached.

Figure 3A shows a weakening groove 18a/18a2 made by a laser and extending through the sheet thickness d. Owing to the groove 18a/18a2 it is possible to fold the box structure to a precise shape as the fold will follow the relief groove 18a/18a2 made by the laser.

Groove fad, 18a2 is a linear-extending longitudinal and intermittent opening/gap extending through the thickness d of the sheet bar. Its width e is preferably less than 1 mm and preferably within a range of 0.09 mm 0.2 mm and most preferably it is 0.1 mm. It is advanta- geous for the groove Dam, 18a2 to have a small width. Hereby when folding the sheet, the gaps will close and the box structure will be- come closed.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3B, the groove 18a/18a2 is formed in the blank's 100 surface To by a cavity made by a laser.

Groove 1 gal, 1 8a2 does not extend through the thickness d of sheet bar 100. The width l of groove Dam, 18a2 is preferably within a range of 0.09 mm-0.2 mm.

In the embodiments of both figures 3A and 3B the weakening groove 1 gal, 1 8a2 may be an intermittent or a continuous groove.

In the embodiments shown, the damper 10 is preferably a fire shutoff damper, whereby in a fire situation it is turned into a position closing the air duct. However, damper 10 may in general be a damper control- ling the airflow, which is used to control the airflow rate.

Claims

Claims 1. A damper (10), which is a box structure and comprises oppositely

located face sides (fad, 15a2), oppositely located top and bottom sides (16a, 16a2) and oppositely located edge sides (17a, 17a2), characterized in that the damper's (10) box structure is a structure formed by one integral sheet bar (100) and comprising a weakening groove (dam, 18a2...), whereby when forming the box structure fold- ing is done along said weakening groove (18ai, 18a2...).
2. Damper (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the weakening groove (18a, 18a2...) of the sheet bar (100) is a longitudinal opening/gap extending through the thickness (d) of the sheet bar (100).
3. Damper (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the width (e) of the weakening groove (18a, 18a2...) is less than 1 mm.
4. Damper (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the width (e) ofthe weakening groove (18a', 18a2...) is within a range of 0.09 mm - 0.2 mm.
5. Damper (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the weak- ening groove (1 gal, 1 8a2. . .) is a cavity made in the surface (To) of the sheet bar (100) and not extending through the thickness (d) of the sheet bar (100).
6. Damper (10) according to any preceding claim 1-5, characterized in that the weakening groove (18a, 18a2. ..) is intermittent.
7. Damper (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the weakening groove (fad, 18a2...) is a cavity in the surface (To) of the sheet bar (100) made by a metal-cutting laser.
8. Damper (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the damper's (10) edge sides (fad, 17a2) comprise a passage opening (U) for the damper's (10) shaft (12).
9. Damper (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the side edge parts (fad I, 17a 2) joining the face side (15a) in the damper (10) and the side edge parts (17a., 17a2 2) joining the face side (15a2) are folded against each other from the end edges when forming the box structure.
10. Damper (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that the shaft passage opening (U) for the shaft (12) is formed in the side edge parts (1 7a I, 1 7a 2; 1 7a2 I, 1 7a2 2).
11. Damper (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the damper (10) is a fire shutoff damper, which in a fire situation can be turned into a position closing the air duct.
12. Damper (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the damper (10) is a structure controlling the airflow rate and it is a rectangular cross-section.