SEALING STRIP The present invention relates to sealing strips intended to be arranged on wings, i.e. swingable, slidable or otherwise movable members such as doors or windows, for closing an opening, or parts co-operating with such wings. The sealing strips are primarily intend for the purpose of sealing or insulating against cold, heat, draught, wind, airborne pollutants, vermin, but may also be used for vibration dampening or sound insulation. Although the sealing strips are primarily intend to be used in connection with wings in buildings, such as doors or windows, it may also be used in vehicles, machines, white goods, fan installations etc. In particular, the present invention relates to an elongate elastomeric sealing strip comprising an essentially planar base section, the cross-section width of which has a first and a second edge, and a longitudinally extending sealing member, the cross-section of which is essentially planar or curved towards said base section, which sealing member is integrally associated with and forms an acute angle with said base section, said angle having its vertex proximate to said first edge.
Sealing strips of this general kind are previously known to quite some extent in the art. For instance, sealing strips with cross-sections or profiles generally resembling to a capital "V" is presently used as draught or wind excluders for windows and doors. One leg of the V profile serves to anchor the sealing strip to the wing or the frame, while the other leg provides the main part of the actual sealing function.
It would be desirable to be able to provide an elongate elastomeric sealing strip of said general kind, which sealing strip provides for improved sealing properties while not requiring increased elastomeric raw material per produced length unit of the sealing strip. It would in particular be desirable to provide an elongate elastomeric sealing strip that provides such sealing properties regarding draught and/or wind exclusion in relation to door and windows in buildings.
The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide such an elongate elastomeric sealing strip. This problem is solved by an elongate elastomeric sealing strip, one general embodiment of which is defined by appended claim 1. More particularly, this general embodiment comprises an elongate elastomeric sealing strip comprising an
essentially planar base section, the cross-section width of which has a first and a second edge, and a longitudinally extending sealing member, the cross-section of which is essentially planar or curved towards said base section, which sealing member is integrally associated with at an acute angle with said base section, said angle having its vertex proximate to said first edge, where said base section and said sealing member are bridged by, and integrally associated with, a longitudinally extending crossbar member, the cross-section of which is curved with at least one extreme point located between said base section and said sealing member, which extreme point faces onto said angle vertex. The cross-section of the crossbar member is preferably concavo-convex with the convex side facing onto said angle vertex.
An insulating air duct is defined between the base section, the sealing member, and the crossbar member. Thereby, a hollow but non-circular sealing profile is formed. The angle vertex may be located at the actual connection between the base section and the sealing member or at a virtual point where the extensions of the base section and the sealing member intercept each other.
Preferably, the base section has a substantially even bottom surface. The cross-section wall thickness of said longitudinally extending sealing member preferably decreases in the direction away from said angle vertex.
The inventive sealing strip is preferably made of EPDM (Ethylene- Propylene-Diene terpolymer), EPM (Ethylene-Propylene copolymer), SBR (Styrene- Butadiene Rubber), PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate co- polymer), or thermoplastic elastomer. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing strip is made of EPDM.
The inventive sealing strip is preferably made of cellular rubber, such as expanded, foamed, or sponge rubber, preferably expanded rubber as the closed cellular structure of expanded rubber makes it impervious to water. The inventive sealing strips may be provided with a self-adhesive layer for mounting. They may also be tacked or glued into place by means of separately
provided adhesive. Alternatively, they may also be stapled or pinned to the substrate surface.
Preferably, the sealing member has a width of from about 4 to 25 mm, preferably from about 5 to 15 mm, in particular from about 8 to 10 mm. The wall thickness of the sealing member may be from about 1 to 4 mm, preferably from about 1 to 2 mm, in particular from about 1 to 1.5 mm.
The inclination of the acute angle between the sealing member and the planar base section may be from about 10 to, but not including, 90 degrees, preferably from about 20 to 80 degrees, in particular from about 20 to 60 degrees. The planar base section may have a width of from about 4 to 25 mm, preferably from about 5 to 15 mm, in particular from about 8 to 10 mm.
The sealing strip according to the present invention provides numerous advantages, in particular regarding sealing properties, but also regarding the production of the sealing strip. The hollow sealing member provide for improved flexibility of the sealing strip in relation to unevenness in the confronting surfaces between which it is applied. The sealing strip of the invention provides better sealing characteristics at lower compressions than do the prior art sealing strips, which facilitates closing. This means that the sealing properties of the present sealing strip in relation to varying clearances between confronting surfaces is improved in relation to prior art sealing strips. The present sealing strip is universal in the sense that it can be used to seal a broad range of confronting surface clearances that would otherwise, i.e. by means of prior art sealing strips, require a set of different sealing strip profiles, namely profiles resembling capital "K", "P", and "D". The sealing strip may be manufactured by extruding a continuous length of elastomeric material from a conventional extruder, which includes a die formed in the shape of the cross-section of the sealing strip. Uncured polymer is fed into the extruder, which forces the material out from the extruder in the desired configuration. The uncured, extruded sealing strip is drawn through a vulcanizer in a conventional manner. The sealing strip will cure due to the temperature of the vulcanizer. As the sealing strip proceeds from the vulcanizer, it will be cut into desired lengths and then processed as appropriate for each application.
Multiple sealing strips may be extruded simultaneously and in parallel through one die; this is because the width of the cross-section of the present sealing strip is well defined, without any parts protruding in lateral direction.
Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is side elevational view of one embodiment of the sealing strip of the inven- tion mounted on a first surface and prior to contacting a second confronting surface; and
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the operative position in which the second confronting surface has contacted the sealing strip.
Referring to FIG. 1, sealing strip 10 has a base 20 that extends the full length of the sealing strip. The width of base 20 is adapted to receive separately provided adhesive strips for bonding sealing strip 10 to the first 90 of two confronting surfaces. The sealing strip could also be stapled or pinned to the substrate surface near edge 40 of base section 20. Alternatively, base 20 can be provided with means to be received within a mounting track of one of the confronting surfaces. Sealing strip 10 has a sealing member 50, which protrudes from one edge 30 of base section 20 for sealing contact with the second of the confronting surfaces (100 in FIG. 2). The extensions of base section 20 and sealing member 50 intercept each other with the ver- tex designated 60. A concavo-convex crossbar member 70 bridges the base section 20 and sealing member 50, with the convex side facing vertex 60. Crossbar member 70, base section 20, and sealing member 50 together define a closed air duct 80.
As seen in Fig. 2, sealing member 50 is deformed inwardly toward the first 90 of the confronting surfaces when the second confronting surface 100 is brought into contact with and pressed against sealing strip 10. In this situation crossbar member 70 folds; due to the curved shape of crossbar member 70, the resistance
against folding is reasonably low, and thus the pressure required to compress sealing strip 10 is also reasonably low.