JP2013006136A - Exchangeable filter element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a novel exchangeable filter element which is excellent in versatility, does not need to use a specific filter frame when housed in a filter frame, wherein the pleats at both side end part are compressed and has a seal function to the filter frame in the exchangeable filter element in which a filtering area substantially is enlarged by forming a sheet-like filter material in a pleat shape and which is used by exchangeably housing the same in the filter frame.SOLUTION: The filter element which is used by exchangeably housing the same in the filter frame comprises: the filter material in which a large number of pleats are formed; and plate-like members for fixing the end parts of a zigzag-shape of the pleats and is characterized in that only the middle part of the pleats are fixed to the plate-like members.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exchangeable filter element having pleats, which is used by being mounted on an air conditioner in a building air conditioner, a factory air conditioner, a hospital air conditioner or the like.

  Air conditioners in building air conditioners, factory air conditioners, hospital air conditioners, etc. use filter elements with a large surface area by folding a sheet-shaped filter medium to remove dust, but when clogging occurs due to dust As a filter element of a type that can be easily exchanged with a new filter element, an exchangeable filter element that is used while being exchangeably stored in a filter frame is known.

  As such a filter element, for example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of resin beads are applied to both sides of a filter medium to form a resin layer with a certain thickness, and then the filter medium is folded in a zigzag shape to form a resin layer. In the solidified air filter, resin beads are applied to the upper end and lower end of the filter medium, leaving end portions of a predetermined width, and each end portion has a sealing function so that the filter frame can be easily replaced. An air-conditioning filter medium is disclosed. According to this filter element, since the end portion to which the resin bead is not applied is bent and the repulsive force (elasticity) is generated, it is shown that the end portion functions as an air seal packing material for the filter frame. Has been. However, this filter element has a problem in that the sealing function at both end portions is insufficient, and dust leakage occurs.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, on the front side or the back side of the filter element, a plurality of linear beads (interval holding members) are formed on both sides across a large number of pleats while connecting the tops of adjacent pleats. There is disclosed a filter element that is provided excluding the end portion and that has a sealing property between the end surface of the both end portions and the inner surface of the filter frame by the elastic force of the both end portions. Further, the filter frame for storing the filter element has a form shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 2, and the filter element is swung so that the upper portions of both side frame portions of the filter frame are spread outward. It is shown that the filter element mounting is completed by inserting the top and bottom sides and swinging so that the upper part of both side frame parts is narrowed inward, and then attaching the top frame part to the upper part of both side frame parts. . As described above, in the filter element of Patent Document 2, since the intermediate part of the filter medium is fixed with a rigid resin bead, the filter medium is rigid when the filter medium is inserted into the filter frame, so that it is difficult to insert the filter medium as it is. Therefore, a filter frame having a special structure that temporarily expands the upper part of the filter frame is required. As described above, there is a problem that the filter element of Patent Document 2 cannot be stored except for a specific filter frame, and there is a problem that the versatility is poor.

JP 2006-43669 A JP 2009-195842 A

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the filtration area is remarkably increased by pleating a sheet-shaped filter medium. In the exchangeable filter element that is exchangeably housed in the filter frame, the filter element is housed in the filter frame. In this case, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel exchangeable filter element excellent in versatility that has a sealing function with respect to the filter frame by compressing the pleats at both end portions and does not need to use a specific filter frame. .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the invention according to claim 1, a filter element that is exchangeably stored in a filter frame and used is a filter element in which a large number of pleats are formed, and a zigzag end portion of the pleats. An exchangeable filter element comprising a plate-like member to be fixed, wherein only the middle portion of the pleat is fixed to the plate-like member was used as the solution.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the exchangeable filter element according to claim 1, wherein only an intermediate portion of the pleat is fixed only to an intermediate portion of the plate-like member. Since only the portion is fixed only to the middle portion of the plate-like member, when the filter element is housed in the filter frame, the pleats on the both end portions are compressed and the lower portions of both end portions of the plate-like member or There is an advantage that the seal enters between the upper part and the zigzag end of the pleat and the filter frame is more reliable.

  According to the present invention, the filtration area is remarkably increased by pleating the sheet-like filter medium. In the exchangeable filter element used by being exchangeably housed in the filter frame, when being housed in the filter frame, It has become possible to provide a novel replaceable filter element that has a versatility that does not require the use of a specific filter frame while the pleat is compressed and has a sealing function for the filter frame.

It is a figure which shows an example of the exchangeable filter element of this invention. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of an example of the exchangeable filter element of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the exchange type filter element of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the filter frame which accommodates the exchangeable filter element of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which accommodated the exchangeable filter element of this invention in the filter frame. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of another example of the exchangeable filter element of this invention. It is a figure explaining another example of the exchange type filter element of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the exchangeable filter element according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the exchangeable filter element 10 of the present invention is a filter element 10 that is used by being exchangeably accommodated in a filter frame 50, and includes a filter medium 20 in which a large number of pleats are formed, It comprises a plate-like member 30 for fixing the zigzag end (in FIG. 1, the upper end or the lower end) of the pleat, and only the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat is fixed to the plate-like member 30. And

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the filter medium 20 has a plurality of pleats formed on a breathable sheet-like base material, and these pleats are composed of an intermediate portion 25 a and side end portions 25 b. Further, the zigzag end portion of the pleat is fixed by the plate-like member 30, and the plate-like member 30 is fixed only to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat. Therefore, when the filter element 10 is housed in the filter frame 50, the pleats 25b at both end portions are compressed to have a sealing function with respect to the side plate 50s of the filter frame 50. In addition, since the zigzag end of the pleat is fixed by the plate-like member 30, the entire filter element has shape retaining properties, and the filter element can be temporarily deformed. When the filter element is stored, it is not necessary to use a specific filter frame such as a temporarily deformable filter frame, and the exchangeable filter element of the present invention is excellent in versatility.

  In the example of FIG. 1, the shape of the plate-like member 30 is the same as the shape of the flat surface 25 a </ i> A surrounding the entire zigzag end portion of the pleat intermediate portion 25 a. That is, the length in the width direction of the plate member 30 and the length in the width direction of the flat surface 25aA of the zigzag end of the intermediate portion 25a are the same length, and the length in the depth direction of the plate member 30 and the zigzag The length D in the depth direction of the flat surface 25aA at the end of the shape is the same. In FIG. 1, the length in the width direction of the flat surface 25aA of the zigzag end of the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat is equal to the length in the width direction of the intermediate portion 25a of the exchangeable filter element. It may be referred to as “width direction length of the portion 25a”. Similarly, the length in the width direction of the flat surface 25bA (or 25cA) of the zigzag-shaped end portion of the side end portion 25b (or 25c) of the pleat is the width direction of the side end portion 25b (or 25c) of the replaceable filter element. In the following description, it may be simply referred to as “the length in the width direction of the side end portion 25b (or 25c)”.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing process of the exchangeable filter element of FIG. 1, and a plate-like member 30 is fixed only to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat with respect to the filter medium 20 on which a large number of pleats are formed. It shows the state before After the hot melt resin 35 is applied to the entire surface of the plate-like member 30 on the plate-like member 30, the plate-like member 30 is arranged on the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat and the application surface is directed toward the intermediate portion 25a. The plate member 30 can be fixed to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat by applying a heating plate or hot air to the surface side of the plate member 30 where the hot melt resin is not applied.

  FIG. 3 shows a state before the exchangeable filter element of FIG. 1 is housed in the filter frame 50 illustrated in FIG. Alternatively, the state of the exchangeable filter element in the filter frame when the exchangeable filter element of FIG. 1 is housed in the filter frame 50 illustrated in FIG. 4 to form the filter unit 60 shown in FIG. 5 is shown. The zigzag end of the pleat intermediate portion 25a is fixed by the plate member 30, but the zigzag end of the pleat side end 25b is not fixed by the plate member 30. The end 25b is compressed and is in a state of 25c. As described above, since the exchangeable filter element is housed in the filter frame 50 in a compressed state, the pleats 25b at both ends have a repulsive force against the compression, and the repelling force causes a sealing function to the side plate 50s of the filter frame 50. Will have. In order to enhance such a sealing function, the number of pleats is preferably 1 to 7, more preferably 2 to 5, and further preferably 2 to 3 at the side end portion 25b of the pleat. . When the number of pleats is less than 1, a sufficient sealing function cannot be obtained. When the number of pleats is more than 7, the area contributing to the filtering action as the entire filter element is reduced, and the filtration life may be reduced. The degree of compression (25c width direction length / 25b width direction length) is preferably 0.2 to 0.8, more preferably 0.3 to 0.6. If the degree of compression is less than 0.2, the repulsive force may be reduced due to plastic deformation, and if the degree of compression exceeds 0.8, the repulsive force may be inferior. The leading edge in the direction of folding the pleats of the filter medium is counted as a half mountain (0.5 mountains).

  After the exchange type filter element of FIG. 1 is housed in the filter frame 50, the zigzag end of the side end 25b of the pleat is compressed into a state 25c as shown in FIG. The plate-like member 30 is not fixed to. Therefore, as the thickness of the plate member 30 increases, the seal between the filter plate 50 and the top plate 50u or the bottom plate 50d may be incomplete at the portion 25c. Therefore, for the purpose of improvement, an exchangeable filter element having an improved sealing function also in the portion 25c is illustrated in FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the improved type exchangeable filter element, and FIG. 7 shows a state before the improved type exchangeable filter element is housed in the filter frame 50 illustrated in FIG. Alternatively, the state of the replaceable filter element in the filter frame when the improved replaceable filter element is housed in the filter frame 50 illustrated in FIG. 4 to form the filter unit 60 illustrated in FIG. 5 is shown.

  6A shows an exchangeable filter element in a state where the side end pleats 25b are not compressed, and FIG. 6B shows an exchangeable type in a state of 25c in which the side end pleats 25b are compressed. The filter element is shown. The exchangeable filter element in FIG. 6 and the exchangeable filter element in FIG. 1 are the same in that only the middle part 25a of the pleat is fixed to the plate-like member 30, but only the middle part 25a of the pleat is shown in FIG. Is fixed only to the intermediate portion 30a of the plate-like member, and the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat is not fixed to the end portion 30b of the plate-like member. Therefore, when the pleat 25b at the side end portion is compressed as shown in FIG. 6B to be in the state of 25c, the portion of the pleat 25c is the end portion of the plate-like member 30 as shown in FIG. The portion of the pleat 25c enters the upper portion of the end portion 30b of the plate-like member 30 as shown in FIG. 6B. In this way, the pleat's 25c portion is inserted so as to be sandwiched between the end 30b shown in FIG. 6 (a) and the end 30b shown in FIG. 6 (b), so that the zigzag end of the pleat There is an effect that the seal between the top plate 50u and the bottom plate 50d of the filter frame becomes more reliable. In the example of FIG. 6, as a method of fixing the pleat intermediate portion 25a only to the intermediate portion 30a of the plate member, only the intermediate portion 30a is applied without applying the hot melt resin 35 to the end portion 30b of the plate member. The method of applying the hot melt resin 35 is used.

  The size of the flat surface 25cA of the zigzag-shaped end portion of the pleat 25c at the side end portion in the compressed state and the size of the end portion 30b of the plate-like member 30 are not necessarily the same, but the sealing function is more reliable. To achieve this, it is desirable that they be the same as shown in FIG. Further, the size of the end 30b of the plate-like member 30 is made larger than the size of the flat surface 25cA in the compressed state, and when accommodated in the replaceable filter element, it matches the size of the filter frame 50 at the site. It is also possible to cut and use the tip portion of the end 30b of the plate-like member 30.

  Details of each member constituting the exchangeable filter element of the present invention will be described below.

  The filter medium 20 has a large number of pleats formed on a sheet-like base material. As the sheet-like base material, for example, a fiber base material such as a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a net, a non-woven fabric, or paper (or filter paper) is applied. Can do. Among these, if it is a non-woven fabric, the total area of the fiber surface can be used widely and efficiently, and it has many small voids formed by the fibers, and the repulsion force against the compression at the side end 25b of the pleats, that is, the elasticity Since it is excellent in property, it is preferable.

  The nonwoven fabric (hereinafter referred to as the nonwoven fabric substrate) as the fiber substrate is not particularly limited, and the structure of the nonwoven fabric substrate is typically a fiber length of 15 to 100 mm and a crimp number of 5 to 30 / inch. Generally called a dry method, in which a fiber called a staple fiber is formed on a fiber web using a card machine or an air array device, and then the constituent fibers are bonded together using an adhesive fiber or an adhesive. There is a nonwoven fabric obtained by a manufacturing method. Note that a nonwoven fabric obtained by bonding constituent fibers using an adhesive fiber such as a composite fiber is a suitable material because it is a clean material that is friendly to the environment and has excellent thermoformability. In addition to the dry method, there is a nonwoven fabric obtained by a production method called a spun bond method, a melt blow method, a wet method or the like. Moreover, the nonwoven fabric which made the fiber web obtained by these manufacturing methods act on a needle | hook, a water flow, etc. and entangled a constituent fiber is also applicable.

In order to obtain a medium-high performance filter element, it is desirable that high dust collection efficiency can be obtained while maintaining a low pressure loss. That is, it is preferable to use a nonwoven fabric that has a high dust collection efficiency and can extend the filtration life. As such a nonwoven fabric, for example, ultrafine fibers having an average fiber diameter of 0.1 to 10 μm formed by a melt blow method and heat-fusible fibers made of short fibers having an average fiber diameter of 10 to 50 μm are mixed, Moreover, a nonwoven fabric in which constituent fibers are bonded by the heat-fusible fiber can be exemplified. With such a nonwoven fabric, it is possible to have a high dust collection efficiency with ultrafine fibers and a bulky structure with heat-fusible fibers made of short fibers, and as a result, a state in which low pressure loss is maintained. It is possible to obtain high dust collection efficiency. Moreover, since it is excellent in elasticity in the side edge part 25b of a pleat, it is especially preferable. The filtration performance of the filter element is evaluated by the colorimetric method in the test method specified in JIS B 9908 type 2, and the test condition is that the air flow is 56 m ³ / min when the dimension of the air inflow surface is 610 mm square. Sometimes the average particle collection rate can be 80-98%, and for medium performance it can be 65-98%. Moreover, when the electret process is given to the said nonwoven fabric, it is possible to set it as 80% or more.

  As the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric and paper, for example, synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, modacrylic fibers, polypropylene fibers, polyethylene fibers, and polyurethane fibers, which are thermoplastic fibers, can be used. . In addition to these fibers, synthetic fibers such as polyclar fiber, polyvinylidene chloride fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber and polyvinyl alcohol fiber, regenerated fibers such as rayon and viscose, semi-synthetic fibers such as acetate, carbon Inorganic fibers such as fibers and glass fibers can be used alone or mixed with fibers having thermoplasticity.

  In addition, the constituent fibers are preferably composite fibers. Examples of combinations of resin components constituting the composite fibers include polypropylene / polyethylene, polyester / low-melting polyester, polypropylene / low-melting polypropylene, nylon 66 / nylon 6, nylon 6 / Low melting point nylon, polyester / nylon 6, nylon 6 / polyethylene, polyester / polypropylene, etc.

  In addition, when the low melting point resin component of the composite fiber has thermal adhesiveness, the web constituent fiber can be thermally bonded by the resin component during embossing. Thus, when the low melting point resin component of the composite fiber has thermal adhesiveness, the fiber form can be maintained by the high melting point resin component, so that there is an advantage that the strength is excellent. Therefore, there is an advantage that the side end portion 25b of the pleat is excellent in elasticity.

The surface density of the filter medium is preferably 30 to 300 g / m ² . If the areal density is less than 30 g / m ² , the density of the fibers may be too low and the elasticity at the side end portions 25b of the pleats may be inferior. On the other hand, if the area density exceeds 300 g / m ² , the density of the fibers If it becomes too high, it may become clogged immediately and become unusable for a long time. Surface density of the filter medium is more preferably 50 to 200 g / m ^2, and still more preferably from 70~150g / m ^2.

The thickness of the filter medium is preferably 0.3 to 3 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.3 mm, the elasticity of the side end portion 25b of the pleat may be inferior. On the other hand, if it exceeds 3 mm, the area of the peak portion of the pleat increases, resulting in a problem that the frontage area of the filter element decreases, and a problem that the area where the filter media come into contact with each other due to pleating increases and a dead space occurs. As a result, the pressure loss increases, and there is a possibility that it cannot be used for a long time. The thickness of the filter medium is more preferably 0.5 to 2 mm, and still more preferably 0.7 to 1.5 mm. In addition, this thickness says the value at the time of a 20g load per 1 cm < ² > unit area.

  The formation of the pleats is not particularly limited as long as it has a zigzag-shaped end, but the distance between the pleat peaks is preferably 4 to 15 mm, more preferably 5 to 12 mm. More preferably, it is 6 to 10 mm. If it is less than 4 mm, a lot of dead space that does not contribute to filtration may occur and the filtration performance may be reduced. If it exceeds 15 mm, the side end portion 25b of the pleat may be inferior in elasticity and the sealing function may be reduced. The depth D of the filter medium, which is the distance from the air inlet to the outlet of the filter medium on which the pleats are formed, is approximately equal to the height of the pleat peak indicated as the distance from the peak of the pleat peak to the bottom of the valley. However, the depth length D of the filter medium is preferably 30 to 250 mm, more preferably 50 to 200 mm, and still more preferably 90 to 150 mm. If it is less than 30 mm, the filtration area may be reduced and the filtration life may be shortened, and if it exceeds 250 mm, the elasticity at the side end portion 25b of the pleat may be inferior and the sealing function may be lowered.

  The filter medium may be provided with a separator 21 for keeping the pleat interval constant. As a form for providing the separator, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a form in which the linear resin solids 21 are in contact with each other using a linear resin solid substance 21, or an unevenness is provided on the surface of the sheet-like substrate. There is a form of contact with each other. As the linear resin solid material, for example, foamed or non-foamed hot melt resin, urethane resin, or the like can be used. The separator made of the resin solid material also has an effect of reinforcing the entire filter medium, and as shown in FIG. 1, the resin is continuous in parallel in the direction intersecting the ridge line direction of the pleats of the base sheet. It can be provided on at least one of the inflow side or the outflow side of air by applying it either discontinuously or discontinuously.

  When the separator made of hot melt resin is adhered to the base sheet, the hot melt resin used preferably has a softening point of 100 to 200 ° C, more preferably 120 to 160 ° C. Also, a foam type separator obtained by foaming a hot melt resin with nitrogen gas can be used. In this case, in addition to the elasticity of the pleats, the elasticity of the separator can be used.

  The interval between the linear resin solids is preferably 10 to 150 mm, more preferably 15 to 100 mm on the air inflow side, although it depends on the stiffness of the sheet-like substrate. More preferably, it is -75 mm. On the air outflow side, it is preferably 8 to 100 mm, more preferably 10 to 80 mm, and still more preferably 15 to 40 mm.

  In the present invention, at the side end portion 25b of the pleat, it is possible to improve the elasticity by increasing the compressible width of the filter medium without providing the separator, but unless the elasticity by the pleat is excluded, the separator It is also possible to provide. For example, it is desirable to avoid providing linear resin solids at the same positions on the front and back sides of the base sheet. Specifically, it is preferable that the linear resin solid is discontinuous, and it is desirable that the length is less than one time the pleat height. In addition, the pleat intermediate portion 25a has a linear resin solid length of one or more times the height of the pleat peak, and the pleat interval is reliably maintained, while the pleat side end portion 25b is linear. It is also preferable that the length of the resin solid material is less than 1 times the height of the pleats, and not only the elasticity of the sheet-like base material but also the elasticity of the linear resin solid material is used.

  The material of the plate-like member 30 is not particularly limited as long as the zigzag end of the pleat can be fixed. For example, a nonwoven fabric, a woven or knitted fabric, a film, a foamed resin plate, a resin thin plate, a metal thin plate, a paperboard, etc. It is possible to apply a material obtained by forming a sheet material into a flat shape. Among these materials, as a material suitable for preventing air leak between the top plate 50u or bottom plate 50d of the filter frame 50 and the zigzag end of the pleat, a nonwoven fabric, a foamed resin plate, and the like can be exemplified. . When the plate-like member 30 is produced using such a sheet material, the plate-like member 30 maintains a certain level of strength, and also has a bulky and cushioning property. Therefore, the pleated zigzag shape The airtightness between the end portion and the filter frame 50 is excellent. Furthermore, there is a merit that adhesion is easy because it is elastic when it is fixed to the zigzag end of the pleat.

In particular, when it is necessary to obtain a filter medium on which strong pleats are formed, it is preferable to use a hard nonwoven fabric as the plate-like member 30. A hard nonwoven fabric (preferably with an area density of 150 to 350 g / m ² and a thickness of 1.5 to 4.0 mm) is made of, for example, a heat-bonding synthetic fiber (a sheath portion of a low-melting polyester fiber and a core portion of a high-melting polyester fiber). Core-sheath type composite fiber etc.) and high melting point synthetic fiber (polyethylene terephthalate fiber etc.) are mixed, and a fiber web (preferably 100-300 g / m ² ) is formed by a card machine etc. The entanglement (preferably entanglement by needle punch) is performed, and then the entangled web is passed between a pair of rolls heated and pressed (preferably a roll having irregularities and a smooth roll), and the thermal adhesiveness An entangled fiber sheet in which synthetic fibers are partially bonded or fused is formed, and then the entangled fiber sheet contains an emulsified acrylic binder. It can be formed by a method of dipping, drying, or crosslinking.

  A method for fixing the plate member 30 to the zigzag end of the pleat is not particularly limited. For example, an ethylene vinyl acetate resin, a thermoplastic polyurethane resin, a polyamide resin, styrene is provided on the fixing surface of the plate member. A hot melt resin made of a thermoplastic rubber such as a block polymer is applied in a spot shape with a hot melt gun, temporarily adhered to the zigzag end of the pleat, and then heated and pressed to attach the plate member. It can be fixed to the zigzag end of the pleat.

  Moreover, the composite material which adhered the adhesive agent or the adhesive sheet to the fixed surface of a plate-shaped member can also be used. As an adhesive sheet, for example, a hot melt resin sheet using a hot melt resin made of thermoplastic rubber such as ethylene vinyl acetate resin, thermoplastic polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, styrene block polymer is laminated, A composite material that is heat-bonded to the plate-like member can be used. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2 or FIG. 6, a hot surface made of thermoplastic rubber such as ethylene vinyl acetate resin, thermoplastic polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, styrene block polymer or the like is provided on the fixed surface of the plate-like member. A composite material coated with the melt resin 35 can also be used.

The coating weight of the hot melt resin, such as hard nonwoven (preferably surface density 150 to 350 g / ^{m 2,} thickness 1.5 to 4.0 mm) with respect to, preferably 300~1200g / ^{m 2,} 150~ 900 g / m ² is more preferable. By making it a large coating amount having a surface density of 2 to 3 times that of a base material sheet such as a nonwoven fabric, the plate-like member 30 is more reliably fixed and the shape retention of the entire filter element is secured. There are advantages.

  The size of the replaceable filter element according to the present invention is such that the size of the width W (150) is used when the symbol shown in FIG. ˜800 mm), an exchangeable filter element having a size combining a vertical H dimension (150 to 800 mm) and a depth D dimension (45 to 280 mm). In general, for example, dimensions 300 and 605 mm in width W, dimensions 300 and 605 mm in length H, and dimensions 60 and 125 mm in depth D can be applied in combination.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the filter frame for storing the exchangeable filter element of the present invention includes a rectangular filter frame 50 surrounded by a top plate 50u, a bottom plate 50d, and two side plates 50s each having a U-shaped cross section. Can be used. In FIG. 4, each end of the top plate 50u, the bottom plate 50d, and the side plate 50s is bent, and filter material fixing portions 50ut, 50dt, and 50st are formed, respectively. In order to store the exchangeable filter element 10 in the filter frame 50 of FIG. 4, the both sides of the exchangeable filter element 10 are inserted slightly inclined from the upstream side of the filter frame 50 so as to be slightly crushed. In addition, as a simpler filter frame, it is surrounded by a top plate 50u, a bottom plate 50d, and two side plates 50s having an L-shaped cross section in which the upstream filter medium fixing portions 50ut, 50dt, and 50st are not formed in FIG. It is also possible to use a rectangular filter frame. Thus, when the exchangeable filter element of the present invention is housed in the filter frame, it is not necessary to use a specific filter frame such as a temporarily deformable filter frame, and a simple structure as illustrated in FIG. Therefore, it can be said that the exchangeable filter element of the present invention is excellent in versatility.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but these are only suitable examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the contents of these examples.

Example 1
The melt-blown nozzle die was heated to 350 ° C., and the polypropylene fiber was discharged in a state where the polypropylene resin was melted. A heated air stream at a temperature of 360 ° C. is applied to the discharged polypropylene fiber to form a flow of ultrafine fibers having a fiber diameter of 0.3 to 5 μm (average fiber diameter of 1.0 μm) in the same direction as the direction of gravity. did. Next, a core-sheath type composite fiber (fineness: 17 μm, fiber length: 38 mm, the core resin component is polypropylene resin, and the sheath resin component is polyethylene fiber) is opened as a heat-fusible fiber by a spreader. They were supplied to the fiber flow, mixed together, and collected on a moving wire mesh conveyor to form a fiber web having a surface density of 105 g / m ² (surface density of ultrafine fibers 7 g / m ² ).
Next, this fiber web is moved into a dryer at 136 ° C., and the constituent fibers are bonded by heat-fusible fibers to obtain a nonwoven fabric substrate having a surface density of 105 g / m ² and a thickness of 1.1 mm. It was.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1, hot melt resin (softening point 145 ° C.) made of polyolefin resin is linearly spaced on the front surface (air inflow side) and back surface (air outflow side) of this nonwoven fabric substrate. The separator 21 was applied in parallel. The air inflow side was applied at intervals of 50 mm, and the air outflow side was applied at intervals of 25 mm. Further, the coating length is 210 mm, and the portion corresponding to the four air inflow sides and the five air outflow sides of the side end portion 25b of the pleat is not applied, and the portion corresponding to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat is skipped. The coating was performed. (However, it differs from FIG. 1 in that the separator 21 is not provided on the air inflow side and the air outflow side of the side end portion 25b of the pleats.)
Next, the nonwoven fabric substrate is subjected to pleating, the pleat height D is 125 mm, the ridge spacing is 8 mm, and the center of the portion corresponding to the four air inflow sides and the five air outflow sides of the side end 25b of the pleats. The nonwoven fabric base material was cut with a pleat crest of 79.

Next, heat-bonding synthetic fiber (core-sheath type composite fiber having a sheath part of low-melting polyester fiber and a core part of high-melting polyester fiber), high-melting synthetic fiber (polyethylene terephthalate fiber), and rayon fiber are mixed. The fiber web is formed by a card machine, and then the fiber web is entangled by a needle punch, and then the entangled web is passed between a pair of heated and pressed rolls to form the thermoadhesive synthetic fiber. Is formed by partially adhering or fusing the entangled fiber sheet (surface density 155 g / m ² ), and then impregnating the entangled fiber sheet with an emulsified acrylic binder, followed by drying and crosslinking. As a result, a hard nonwoven fabric substrate (surface density 200 g / m ² ) was obtained. Next, a hot-melt resin (surface density 600 g / m ² ) made of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin is applied to the entire surface of the hard nonwoven fabric substrate to apply a plate-like member 30 (surface density 800 g / m ² , pressure 20 g / m). A thickness of 1.9 mm under cm ² ) was obtained. Next, the plate-like member 30 is placed on the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat with the application surface facing the intermediate portion 25a, and then hot air is applied to the surface side of the plate-like member 30 where the hot melt resin is not applied. Thus, the plate-like member 30 was fixed to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleats.
Thus, the both ends of the pleat intermediate part 25a of the nonwoven fabric base material which gave the pleating process were fixed to the said plate-shaped member 30, and the exchangeable filter element was obtained. The plate-like member 30 has a length in the depth direction of 125 mm which is the same as the height D of the pleats, a length in the width direction is the same as the length in the width direction of the intermediate portion 25a of the pleats, and is 592 mm. The width direction length of the side end portion 25b is 16 mm at both side end portions. As a result, the dimension in the width direction W of the exchangeable filter element is 624 mm, and the dimension of the vertical H is 605 mm.

Next, in FIG. 4, a rectangular filter frame surrounded by an L-shaped top plate 50u, a bottom plate 50d, and two side plates 50s in which the upstream filter medium fastening portions 50ut, 50dt, and 50st are not formed is prepared. did. And the obtained exchangeable filter element 10 was accommodated in this filter frame, and the filter unit 60 shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. The inner dimensions of the filter frame 50 were 605 mm in width, 605 mm in height, and 150 mm in depth. Further, at the time of storage, the both sides of the replaceable filter element 10 were slightly squeezed and inserted with being slightly inclined from the upstream side of the filter frame.
In the obtained filter unit 60, the pleats 25b (width direction length 16 mm) at both ends are compressed into a state 25c (width direction length 6.5 mm) (compression degree 0.41). In addition to having a sealing function for the side plate 50s of the filter frame, the plate member 30 also has a sealing function for the top plate 50u and the bottom plate 50d of the filter frame. As a result, when the filter unit 60 is evaluated by the colorimetric method in the test method defined in JIS B 9908 format 2, the average particle collection rate is 92% when the test condition is an air volume of 56 m ³ / min. It proved to be a suitable exchangeable filter element for performance. In this test, it was confirmed that no seal leakage occurred.

(Example 2)
(1) Regarding the attachment of the separator 21, the hot melt resin is not applied in the portion corresponding to the four air inflow sides of the pleat side end portion 25 b, and the portion is skipped to the portion corresponding to the intermediate portion 25 a of the pleat. Having applied,
And (2) as shown in FIG. 6, the width in the width direction of the hard nonwoven fabric substrate is set to 605 mm, the length in the width direction of the intermediate portion 30a is set to 592 mm, which is the same as the length in the width direction of the intermediate portion 25a of the pleats, A hot-melt resin (surface density 600 g / m ² ) made of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin is applied to the intermediate portion 30 a to form a plate-like member 30 (surface density of the intermediate portion 30 a 800 g / m ² , press 20 g / cm ² under After obtaining the thickness 1.9 mm), the exchangeable filter element shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the plate member 30 was fixed to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat. It was. (However, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 differ in that the separator 21 is not provided in the portion corresponding to the air inflow side of the side end portion 25b of the pleats.)
The obtained exchangeable filter element 10 was housed in the same filter frame as in Example 1 in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a filter unit 60 shown in FIG.
In the obtained filter unit 60, the pleats 25b (width direction length 16 mm) at both ends are compressed into a state 25c (width direction length 6.5 mm) (compression degree 0.41). In addition to having a sealing function for the side plate 50s of the filter frame, the plate member 30 also has a sealing function for the top plate 50u and the bottom plate 50d of the filter frame. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the pleat 25b at the side end is compressed into a state of 25c, and the portion of the pleat 25c corresponds to the end 30b shown in FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 6 (b). ) So that the seal between the zigzag end of the pleat and the top plate 50u or the bottom plate 50d of the filter frame is better than that of the first embodiment. It was certain. Further, the linear application of hot melt resin is not performed on the portion corresponding to the air inflow side of the side end portion 25b of the pleat, and the linear application is performed on the portion corresponding to the air outflow side of the side end portion 25b of the pleat. As a result, the repulsive force due to the compression of the side end portion 25b of the pleat was excellent, and the sealing function for the side plate 50s of the filter frame was more excellent as compared with Example 1.

(Example 3)
(1) Regarding the attachment of the separator 21, as shown in FIG. 6, the application length of the hot melt resin is set to 100 mm at the portions corresponding to the four air inflow sides and the five air outflow sides of the side end portion 25b of the pleat. Reduced the function as a separator,
And (2) as shown in FIG. 6, the width in the width direction of the hard nonwoven fabric substrate is set to 605 mm, the length in the width direction of the intermediate portion 30a is set to 592 mm, which is the same as the length in the width direction of the intermediate portion 25a of the pleats, A hot-melt resin (surface density 600 g / m ² ) made of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin is applied to the intermediate portion 30 a to form a plate-like member 30 (surface density of the intermediate portion 30 a 800 g / m ² , press 20 g / cm ² under After obtaining the thickness 1.9 mm), the exchangeable filter element shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the plate member 30 was fixed to the intermediate portion 25a of the pleat. It was.
The obtained exchangeable filter element 10 was housed in the same filter frame as in Example 1 in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a filter unit 60 shown in FIG.
In the obtained filter unit 60, the pleats 25b (width direction length 16 mm) at both ends are compressed into a state 25c (width direction length 6.5 mm) (compression degree 0.41). In addition to having a sealing function for the side plate 50s of the filter frame, the plate member 30 also has a sealing function for the top plate 50u and the bottom plate 50d of the filter frame. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the pleat 25b at the side end is compressed into a state of 25c, and the portion of the pleat 25c corresponds to the end 30b shown in FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 6 (b). ) So that the seal between the zigzag end of the pleat and the top plate 50u or the bottom plate 50d of the filter frame is better than that of the first embodiment. It was certain. Further, since the linear application of the hot melt resin is performed in a state where the function of the separator is deteriorated in the portion corresponding to the air inflow side and the portion corresponding to the air outflow side of the side end portion 25b of the pleat, the function of the separator is reduced. The repulsive force due to compression of the side end portion 25b was excellent, and the sealing function for the side plate 50s of the filter frame was more excellent as compared with Example 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Interchangeable filter element 20 Filter medium 21 Separator, linear resin solid 25a Pleated middle part 25b Pleated side edge part 25c pleated side edge part 30 Plate-like member 30a Plate-like member middle part 30b Plate member end 35 Hot melt resin 50 Filter frame 50s Filter frame side plate 50st Filter medium fixing part 50u Filter frame top plate 50ut Filter medium fixing part 50d Filter frame bottom plate 50dt Filter medium fixing part 60 Filter unit

Claims (2)

  A filter element that is exchangeably stored in a filter frame and includes a filter medium on which a large number of pleats are formed and a plate-like member that fixes a zigzag-shaped end of the pleat, and only an intermediate portion of the pleat Is fixed to the plate-like member.   2. The exchangeable filter element according to claim 1, wherein only an intermediate portion of the pleat is fixed only to an intermediate portion of the plate-like member.

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