NL1035466C2 - Device and method for liquid-tight and / or gas-tight closing of an opening in a wall. - Google Patents

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR LIQUID OR GAS TIGHT CLOSING AN OPENING IN A WALL

The present invention relates to a device and a method for at least partially liquid-tight and / or gas-tight closing an opening in a wall. More in particular, the invention relates to the liquid-tight and / or gas-tight closing of an opening in a wall of a space, such as for instance a hole in a hull part of a vessel or a hole in a hull part of a tank truck or container.

It is noted that in the following the terminology liquid-tight should also be read as gas-tight. An opening according to this patent application can be both a hole and a crack.

When in a vessel, such as a sailboat, water enters the hull of the sailboat via the propeller shaft or overflowing water, the bilge pump present in the sailboat, more specifically the bilge pump, can be used for pumping this water out of the hull part. Such a bilge pump can of course also be used when water penetrates through an opening present in an outer wall of the hull. Although the incoming water can thereby be discharged and in many cases a nearby port can be safely reached, it is preferable to close the leak already en route, at least for the most part, in order to minimize the water inflow.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for closing an opening in a wall in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner, wherein the problems of the prior art have been avoided and which, in particular, a user in the opportunity to close a gap within the foreseeable future.

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This object has been achieved with the device for closing an opening in a wall at least partially in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner, comprising: a housing comprising a compressed filling medium, a tubular lance member connectable to an opening of the housing and adapted for guiding the filling medium therethrough therethrough to a closing member, wherein the closing member is mountable on a side of the lance member remote from the housing, and can be positioned with the lance member in the at least partially liquid-tight and / or gas-tight closing opening, the closing member is elastically deformable and inflatable by filling with filling medium in order to close the opening in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner, and wherein the tubular lance member is hinged to the housing.

Because the closing member elastically deforms and inflates during filling with the filling medium, the closing member will substantially constrain the contours of the opening to be sealed liquid and / or gas tight, thereby at least partially closing the passage of the opening. The use of the device is simple and possible from both sides of the wall. The device does not necessarily have to be applied from the side where an overpressure prevails, such as for example from the outside of a ship, but can also be applied from the inside. The elastic deformability makes the device suitable for closing openings with an irregular shape and the inflatableability of the closing member makes the closing member suitable for openings with different dimensions. The elastically deformable and inflatable closing member therefore provides a flexible system that is suitable for openings with different shapes and dimensions. The tubular lance member is hinged to the housing, which provides the option of compactly storing the device when the lance member is in a collapsed rest position.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device is portable. This means that the device has such dimensions and a mass that it can be easily picked up, taken along and used elsewhere by a user to close an opening. The dimensions are preferably comparable to a fire extinguisher and more particularly a height of about 40 cm. The mass of the device is preferably a maximum of five kilos, so that manageability is not compromised.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the filling medium is a foamy substance which hardens after a short expansion. When the substance expands briefly, the closure member will deform elastically and it will inflate and thereby at least partially assume the contours of the opening. After this short-term expansion a curing takes place which ensures that the closing member retains the contours of the opening and at least partially closes the opening until permanent repair work can be carried out, such as for example in a harbor when it is an opening in a wall of a vessel includes.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the filling medium is a foamy substance that is a composition of a resin, hardener and any necessary additives to obtain the desired sealing effect.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the foamy medium comprises polyurethane foam or pyranyl foam and / or a chemical derivative of these foam types. The advantage of pyranyl foam is that the period in which the pyranyl behaves as a creamy thick liquid or 4 viscous substance (English: cream time) is only around 18 seconds, while the period in which the pyranyl foam expands, or the rising time ( English: rise time), approximately 35 seconds. In addition, the 5 period in which the foam is non-sticky is approximately 38 seconds. The 'cream time' and the 'rise time' are particularly important. By changing the ratio of the components in the pyranyl foam, these times can also be accelerated or delayed. A further additional advantage of pyranyl foam is that it is also resistant to acids, bases and oily substances, whereby holes in tankers (both on land and on the water) can also be at least partially sealed.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the closing member is at least partially made of a porous material for discharging gases released during filling with filling medium. When a filling medium is used where propellant gases are needed and are released during the expansion of the medium, the shut-off member 20 must allow these gases to escape. To that end, the closing member can be made of a porous material.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the closing member comprises one or more openings for discharging therethrough of gases released during filling with the filling medium. Instead of using a porous material, or in addition thereto, the closing member can also be provided with one or more openings.

According to a further preferred embodiment, after the curing of the filling medium, the closing member is detachable from the tubular lance member and / or from the housing. A new closing member can be provided on the device, which can again be filled with filling medium for sealing a further opening. It is also conceivable that an opening has dimensions such that it cannot be closed with a single closing member. In that case the device with a first closing member can be used to close the opening, at least partially, after which one or more further closing members are used for further filling of the remaining opening in the wall, in order to combine in combination to close the opening in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner.

According to a further preferred embodiment 10, the compressed filling medium is located in an exchangeable container that can be fitted in the housing. After the container has been used, it can be replaced with a completely filled one, so that the device can be used to close further openings.

The present invention furthermore relates to a method for closing an opening in a wall, at least in part, in a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight manner, comprising the following steps: positioning a tube in the opening to be closed with a tubular lance member Closing member, wherein the tubular lance member is coupled to a housing comprising a compressed filling medium, guiding the compressed filling medium from the housing through the tubular lance member to the closing member, filling the closing member 25 with the filling medium, the filling medium expanding and the filling medium expanding. closing member is inflated and elastically deformed to fill the opening and curing the expanded filling medium in the inflated closing member, whereby the opening is closed at least partially in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner, and wherein the tubular lance member is collapsible and the method becomes collapsible preceded by the step of collapsing ru hinge position to a folded out active position of the lance member.

In the collapsed rest position, the lance member is positioned substantially 6 flat along the housing, so that the storage space of the device is compact. The lance member is locked with respect to the housing in the folded-out position, whereafter it is suitable for guiding the filling medium through it to the closing member.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the steps of the method are repeated when the opening to be closed in a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight manner is not yet sufficiently tightly sealed. A first closing member 10 is disconnected from the device after expansion and curing of the filling medium and reduces the opening to be closed. The remaining opening can be further filled with further closing members which are used in a similar manner.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the step of uncoupling the closing member from the tubular lance member and / or from the housing after the filling medium has hardened. In this way a new closing member can be provided on the device, whereby the device is ready for use for further use.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the method, the compressed filling medium is located in an exchangeable container that can be fitted in the housing 25 and the method further comprises the following steps: - removing the used container from the housing after use; and - subsequently placing a new container filled with filling medium in the housing.

In the following description, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is explained with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1: a perspective view of a boat with an opening in a wall of the hull; 7

Figure 2: a perspective detailed view of the opening in the wall in the hull of the boat shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3: a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device for at least partially liquid and / or gas-tight closure of an opening in a wall according to the present invention;

Figure 4: a side view of the device shown in Figure 3, wherein the lance member is positioned;

Figure 5: a side view in which the device shown in Figure 3 is brought in front of an opening to be closed;

Figure 6: a further view in which the device 15 is used for sealing the liquid-tight and / or gas-tight seal;

Figure 7: a view in which the opening to be closed in the wall comprises a crack-shaped opening; and

Figure 8: a detailed view of the surface of the closing member already arranged in the tear-shaped opening in Figure 7.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a boat 10 in which an opening 2 is located in a wall 4.

Water 12 penetrates through this wall 4 from the outside 6 of the boat 10 into the inside 8 of the boat 10 (Figure 2).

The device 1 for closing an opening 2 in a wall 4 at least partially in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner comprises a housing 14 of hardened PVC or aluminum in which a compressed filling medium is located. In a preferred embodiment, this compressed filling medium is accommodated in an exchangeable container 42. The housing 14 has a cover 16 through which the exchangeable container 42 can be fitted in the housing 14.

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The lance member 20 is hinged to the housing 14 with a tubular passage 22 via a hinge connection 24. The tubular lance member 20 has at its end a coupling piece 28 which can be engaged with a coupling piece 30 of an elastically deformable and inflatable sealing bag 32. This sealing bag is made of rubber / latex. The device 1 further comprises a handle 38, a handle 34 for hinging the lance member 20, and a handle 36 for activating the device. In order to prevent undesired activation of the device 1, the handle 36 is provided with a locking pin 40. As can be seen in Figure 3, the housing 14 has an unround shape in order to prevent confusion with a fire extinguisher. By the touch, and therefore also in the darkness, it can be recognized by the shape of the housing 14 that it concerns the device 1 according to the invention and not a fire extinguisher.

After the locking pin 40 has been removed, the handle 34 is moved in the direction of the arrow L1, whereby the lock 26 is temporarily released. The lance member 20 is pivoted manually during the relaxed state of the lock 26 according to arrow L2 from a first collapsed rest position (shown in broken lines in Figure 4) to a second, active position (solid lines in Figure 4). The tubular passage 22 in the lance member 20 connects in the folded out active position to the opening 18 shown in Figure 3. In the folded-out, active position, the lance member 20 is locked relative to the housing 14 by means of the lock 26.

After the lance member 20 has been pivoted to its operative, folded-out position and locked therein, the device 1 is moved in the direction of the opening to be closed, according to the arrow P in Figure 5, until the closing bag 32 is in the opening 2.

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The handle 36 is then moved towards the handle 38 in the direction of arrow A, whereby the device 1 is activated. From the exchangeable container 42 located in the housing 14, the compressed filling medium then moves via the tubular lance member 20 to the closing bag 32 which is positioned with the tubular lance member 20 in the opening 2 to be closed. The closing bag 32 is filled with the filling medium, the filling medium expanding and the closing bag 32 being inflated and elastically deformed, thereby narrowly limiting the opening 2. The expanded filling medium then hardens in the inflated sealing bag 32, whereby the opening 2 is closed, at least partially, in a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight manner (Figure 6). The closing bag 32 is provided with openings 44 or made of a porous material to allow the propellant gas 46 released during the expansion of the filling medium to escape from the closing bag 32. If desired, instead of a filling medium comprising a propellant gas, a separate gas container with CO2, N2, or another suitable gas (not shown) can also be used for moving the filling medium from the housing 14 to the sealing bag 32.

After the expanded filling medium in the sealing bag 32 has hardened, the coupling pieces 28, 30 are disconnected from each other. In the embodiment shown, this is a bayonet closure. The device 1 is then removed according to arrow V, whereafter a new sealing bag 32 can be fitted on the lance member 20 and, if the exchangeable container 42 is already due for replacement, it can be replaced for a new one filled with filling medium.

With the device according to the present invention it is possible to fill openings with a surface of up to 0.2 m2 (which corresponds approximately to a round hole with a diameter of 50 cm) in one go. The time period for expanding and curing of the filling medium is approximately 30 seconds when pyranyl foam is used. It is further noted that it is also possible to fill a tear-shaped opening with a larger surface area by successively placing a closing bag 32 in the opening and allowing it to expand and cure. The already cured sealing bag 32 thereby acts as a contact surface for the following sealing bag 32 (Figure 7) and already slightly reduces the opening. In this way, for example, cracks with a width of about 20 cm at a length of 3 m, and cracks with a width of 50 cm at a length of about 1.5 m can be effectively sealed.

As already mentioned, in a preferred embodiment the closing bag 32 is provided with openings 44 for allowing the propellant gas 46 released during the expansion of the filling medium to escape from the closing bag 32. A small amount of filling medium 48 will also flow out of the closing bag 32 through these openings before the filling medium is fully cured (Figure 8). This filling medium 48, which is locally flowed through the sealing bag 32 and cured, provides a tight contact surface with a subsequent sealing bag 32 to be arranged.

The embodiments described above, although showing preferred embodiments of the invention, are only intended to illustrate the present invention and not to limit the description of the invention in any way. In particular, it is noted that, although the invention has been specifically shown on the basis of closing a leak in a boat, the invention can also be applied for closing a leak in, for example, a tank truck or a container. When used for a tank truck, a foam and a material for the closing member are preferably used that is insensitive to a chemical reaction with, for example, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc. The scope of the invention is therefore exclusively determined by the following conclusions.

Claims (14)

A device for at least partially liquid-tight and / or gas-tight closing an opening in a wall, comprising: - a housing comprising a compressed filling medium; - a tubular lance member connectable to an opening of the housing and adapted to guide the filling medium therethrough to a closing member; 10. wherein the closing member can be fitted on a side of the lance member remote from the housing, and can be positioned with the lance member in the opening to be closed at least partially in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner; - wherein the closing member is elastically deformable and can be welded-on by filling with filling medium in order to close the opening in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner; and - wherein the tubular lance member is hinged to the housing. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device is portable. 3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the filling medium comprises a foamy substance that hardens after a short expansion. 4. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the filling medium comprises a foamy substance which is a composition of at least one resin, a hardener and possibly additional additives. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the foamy medium comprises polyurethane foam or pyranyl foam and / or a chemical derivative of these foams. 5 6. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the closing member is at least partially made of a porous material for discharging gases released during filling with filling medium. 7. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the closing member comprises one or more openings for discharging therethrough of gases released during filling with the filling medium. 8. Device as claimed in any of the claims 2-7, wherein after curing of the filling medium the closing member can be detached from the tubular lance member and / or from the housing. 9. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the compressed filling medium is located in an exchangeable container that can be applied in the housing. 10. Method for closing an opening in a wall at least partially in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner, comprising the following steps: 30. positioning a closing member with a tubular lance member in the opening to be closed, the tubular lance member being coupled to a housing comprising a compressed filling medium; - guiding the compressed filling medium from the housing through the tubular lance member to the closing member; - filling the closing member with the filling medium, wherein the filling medium expands and the closing member is inflated and elastically deformed to fill the opening; curing the expanded filling medium in the inflated closing member, whereby the opening is closed at least partially in a liquid and / or gas-tight manner; and - wherein the tubular lance member is collapsible, and the method is preceded by the step of hinging the lance member from a collapsed rest position to an unfolded active position. 15 A method according to claim 10, wherein the steps are repeated when the opening to be closed in a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight manner is not yet sufficiently tightly sealed. 20 A method according to any of claims 10 or 11, further comprising the step of uncoupling the closure member from the tubular lance member and / or the housing after the filling medium has cured. 25 A method according to any of claims 10-12, wherein the compressed filling medium is located in an exchangeable container that can be applied to the housing, and the method further comprises the following steps: 30. removing the used materials from the housing after use container; and - subsequently placing a new container filled with filling medium in the housing. A method according to any of claims 10-13, wherein a device according to any of claims 1-9 is used.