US3049341A

US3049341A - Heat exchange structure

Info

Publication number: US3049341A
Application number: US674354A
Authority: US
Inventors: William G Kemp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-07-26
Filing date: 1957-07-26
Publication date: 1962-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1979-08-14

Description

Aug. 14, 1962 w. G. KEMP 3,049,341

HEAT EXCHANGE STRUCTURE Filed July 26, 195'? OOOO oooo|oo MIMI lu l

INVENTOR.

WILLIAM G. KEMP BYWWW A ORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,049,341 Patented Aug. 14, 1962 3,049,341 HEAT EXCHANGE STRUCTURE William G. Kemp, 2275 E. Hammond Lake Drive, Pontiac, Mich. Filed July 26, 1957, Ser. No. 674,354 1 Claim. (Cl. 257-124) This invention relates to ceiling or wall structure and refers more particularly to such a structure which incorporates a heat exchange system.

One object of the invention is to provide a ceiling or wall structure including heat exchange tubing which is exposed at the front side of the structure for direct heat exchange relationship with the air.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wall or ceiling structure as described in the preceding paragraph in which the heat exchange tubing extends between the ceiling or wall forming panels and cooperates with the latter to define the front surface of the structure. As a result of this construction, the tubing is in direct communication with the air at the front of the structure for maximum efiiciency, and the tubing is designed to cooperate in defining the front surface of the wall or ceiling.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a wall or ceiling structure comprising a plurality of panels and 'heat exchange tubing, having combined heat and sound insulating material extending continuously over the rear side of the panels and tubing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel connection between the panels and tubing and a novel adjustable suspension for the tubing.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of ceiling structure embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the Ceiling structure with parts removed for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the ceiling structure on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a modification.

While the invention is illustrated herein as applied to ceiling structure, it will be understood that it may also be applied to wall structure or conceivably to floor structure if desired.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the ceiling structure comprises a plurality of panels and heat exchange tubes 12. The panels 10 will be seen in the bottom plan view of FIG. 1 to be genera-11y rectangular and as seen more particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3 to be in the form of pans. The pans 10 may be formed of sheet metal or any other suitable material. In the present instance, the pans are formed of sheet metal having a multiplicity of small holes or perforations for acoustical purposes. The pans have the rectangular bottom walls 14, the upright side walls 16 and the upright end walls 18.

The tubes 12 are generally rectangular in cross section and more particularly have the cross sectional configuration shown in FIG. 3 throughout their entire lengths. The bottom surface 20 of each tube is flat and extends perpendicular to the opposite parallel sides 22 of the tubing. The closed central passage 24 through the tubing is adapted to carry a suitable fluid medium such as water for heating or cooling air in heat exchange relation with the tubes. The tubes are adapted to be connected to supply and return headers at opposite ends to afford a steady movement of the fluid medium through the tubes.

The panels are arranged in rows 26, and the panels of each row are arranged in sideby-side abutting relationship, that is, the upright sides 16 of the adjacent panels in the same row abut one another. The panels in each row are separated from those in adjacent rows by the tubes 12 and the finished ceiling structure, as will appear more fully hereinafter, is such that the bottom surfaces of the bottom walls 14 of the panels and the bottom surfaces 20 of the tubes lie in a common plane defining the front or bottom surface of the ceiling structure.

More in detail, it will be noted that the upright ends 18 of the panels terminate in laterally outwardly directed flanges 28 which extend throughout the lengths of these end walls. The flanges 28 extend into longitudinal grooves 39 which are formed in opposite sides of each tube and extend from one end to the other of the tubes. The flanges 28 are supported by and within these grooves. Preferably the material from which the panels are formed is sufficiently resilient to enable the end walls to be flexed for the removal of the flanges 28 from the grooves. It will be seen, particularly in FIG. 3, that the end and side walls of the panels are not connected to each other to facilitate flexing the end walls.

Each tube has a thickened top wall portion in which is formed a longitudinally extending groove 32 which extends from one end to the other of the tube. The groove 32 is undercut or of generally T shape to provide the latteral extension 34. A suspension plate 36 is provided having a T-shaped head, the wings 38 of which are adapted to extend into the extensions 34 of the groove to support the tubing. The plates 36 are of relatively small thickness compared with the width dimension illustrated so that by merely rotating the plates, they may be detached from the tubes. A second suspension plate 39 is also provided. The plate 39 is adapted to be rigidly and firmly secured to a permanent part of the primary ceiling structure indicated at 40 in FIGURE 1.

The

plates

36 and 39 are each formed with two registering rows of spaced apertures 42. The

plates

36 and 39 are connected together by the nut and bolt assemblies 44 which extend through aligned holes 42 in the plates. It will be apparent that the height of the ceiling structure may be changed by removing the nut and bolt assemblies 44 to vary the overlap between the plates and hence change the combined eifective length of the plates, and then again applying the nut and bolt assemblies 44 in a new set of aligned apertures.

Mats 46 of combined sound and heat insulating material are provided which extend across the pans 14 and continuously over the rear sides of the tubes. The width of the mats may aproximate the width of the pans between the side Walls 16. Wire grids 46 supported on the bottoms of the pans support the mats above the bottom of the pans and prevent them from sagging between the tubes. The

suspension plates

36 and 39 may be disposed at intervals along the length of each tube between adjacent mats.

The tubing is formed of any suitable heat conductive material and the heat and sound insulating material 46 may be in the form of rock Wool or fibrous glass, for example. In any event, along the bottom of each pad is secured a vapor barrier and heat reflector sheet 50 which may be formed of aluminum foil, for example.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modification. In place of the

suspension plates

36 and 39, wire clips 60 may be provided. Each wire clip is generally U-shaped and is adapted to extend over a channel 62 of the permanent or primary ceiling structure. The depending legs of the clip have laterally extending terminal portions 64 which are adapted to extend into the extensions 34 of the undercut groove 32 in the tubing. The wire is preferably of a resilient material to facilitate removing the terminal portions 64 from the undercut grooves of the tubing. Otherwise, the structure may be exactly the same as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

Referring again to FIGURE 3, it will be noted that the heat insulating material, or more specifically the barrier sheet 50, cooperates with the tubing and with the rear sides of the panels to provide a plurality of substantially closed air pockets 60'. The adjacent edges of the mats of insulating material, which meet in a line which extends along the joint between the side walls 16 of the panels, engage each other to close the pockets from one end of the tubing to the other. In other words, each pocket 60' extends between a pair of adjacent tubes from one end of the tubes to the other.

In accordance with this construction, the panels are heated or cooled by the air in the pockets which communicates both with the rear side of the panels and with the tubing at the rear sides of the panels. The panels are also heated by direct contact of the end walls thereof with the tubes. The bottoms of the panels are thus heated or cooled by the tubing both by direct contact therewith and through the air pocket, and the bottom or front sides of the panels are in direct heat exchange relation with the air at the front side of the ceiling structure, as are the tubes, to heat or cool the air at the front side.

What I claim as my invention is:

A wall or ceiling structure comprising a plurality of parallel spaced apart generally rectangular heat exchange tubes adapted to be secured to the structural portion of a building or the like with the surface on one side of each of the tubes being exposed, said surface being substantially flat, that side of each tube opposite said one side having a longitudinally extending groove adapted to cooperate with suspension means therefor, the other sides of each tube being angularly disposed to and integrally connected to said one side and said opposite side, said other sides of each tube having inwardly directed grooves extending longitudinally thereof intermediate said one side and said opposite side, a plurality of panels of heat conductive material extending between said heat exchange tubes, each of said panels being generally U-shaped and having a substantially flat bottom portion, the ends of each of said panels being angularly disposed to said bottom, said ends having tongue portions extending outwardly from said U-shaped panels adapted to fit within the grooves in said other sides of adjacent tubes to support the panels on said tubes, said U-shaped panels being of such size that the bottoms of said panels supported by said tubes by said tongue and groove structure are level with said surface of said tubes producing with said tubes a continuous flat surface of flush panels and tubes, each of said ends being in parallel abutting relation to one of said tubes, heat insulating material extending continuously over said panels and tubes, said insulating material resting on said tubes and in spaced relation to said bottom. portions, and means acting between said insulating material and panels to maintain them in spaced relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,101,952 Olsen Dec. 14, 1937 2,161,185 Mills June 6, 1939 2,221,001 Lucius Nov. 12, 1940 2,339,565 Goldberg et al. Jan. 18, 1944 2,382,340 Smith Aug. 14, 1945 2,469,963 Gros Jean et al May 10, 1949 2,480,427 Stanton Aug. 30, 1949 2,598,279 McKibbin May 27, 1952 2,660,409 Pittenger et al Nov. 24, 1953 2,662,743 Frenger Dec. 15, 1953 2,721,731 Rapp Oct. 25, 1955 2,729,411 Cahill Jan. 3, 1956 2,729,431 Little Jan. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 293,380 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1953 486,034 Italy Oct. 27, 1953