Sealing member

Abstract

 Sealing member (2), particularly for use in connection with constructional members (1) penetrating membranes, wherein the sealing member (2) is in one piece and has a general U-shape when seen in a first plane view, such that two legs (5,6) are integral with a bridge (7) forming the U, where the width of the legs (5,6) and the bridge (7) in the first plane is substantially larger than the thickness of the sealing member (2) in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, where the bridge (7) and legs (5,6) have an outside and an inside edge, and along said inside edge a resilient sealing section (8) is arranged.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing member as well as a method for using such sealing member in a building construction.

Background of the Invention

[0002] The building code requires that a substantially air and moisture tight barrier is placed in a construction between the exterior and the interior of a building. In Denmark the requirement is that the building as such, and thereby the barrier, may have a maximum pressure-loss corresponding to 1.5 1/s pr. m² at a pressure of 50 Pa in total.

[0003] Typically the membrane will be arranged on the warm side of the insulation, i.e. the side which is typically facing the interior of the building, such that any moisture generated inside the building will not travel through the construction part and condensate in the insulation. For these purposes the membrane needs to be air and moisture tight in order to effectively avoid moisture travelling from the inside of the construction into parts of the construction not accessible. The tightness of the membrane also helps to reduce the heat loss and thereby reduce the energy consumption as well as assure of the reduced pressure loss.

[0004] The type of constructional elements which typically need to penetrate the membrane in a building may be floor joints, struts, ridge beams, etc. from the roof and floor construction as well as various conduits and pipes for water, electricity, heating and ventilation and so on forth. As will be evident from the detailed description below and the appended claims, the present invention may be used with all types of members penetrating a membrane.

[0005] With the implementation of the latest building codes it has become compulsory to ensure that where constructional members penetrate membranes a substantially air and moisture tight seal be arranged between the construction member and the membrane.

[0006] In practise this is usually carried out by the construction workers applying an adhesive tape such that the membrane is taped onto the construction member. By pulling a little bit in the membrane and encircling the construction member a number of times with the adhesive tape it is believed that the connection between the membrane and the construction member is sufficiently sealed in order to adhere to the requirements of the building codes.

[0007] In theory of course, this solution appears to be straightforward and relatively reliable, but in practice experience shows that it has a number of shortcomings. In a number of constructions, constructional members penetrate the membranes in places where it is very difficult to gain access and thereby reliably create a seal as described above. In other instances the pulling of the membrane in order to create an overlap between the adhesive tape, the membrane and the constructional member creates tension in the membrane and the adhesive tape, which, after a relatively short time causes the adhesive connection between the membrane and the adhesive tape to lapse and thereby create an opening whereby the membrane loses its function.

[0008] An example of a prior art device is illustrated in US 6,161,589. This device is used to close the gab between pipes being guided through walls, floors and the like, for example in connection with a heating element. The device comprises two circular halves and means for connecting the two halves around a circular pipe. In order to fit around the pipe a resilient gasket is provided. The device is furthermore provided with an adhesive on one side in order to make the device stick to for example a wall.

[0009] Another similar device is known from DE 19854941 wherein a closure member specifically designed for use around oven exhaust pipes is disclosed. In order to allow for relative angular positioning of the exhaust pipe relative to the closure member, a longitudinal "hole" is provided for allowing passage of the exhaust pipe. The closure member is assembled around the exhaust pipe, by fitting two mirror image parts and connecting these for example by means of screws.

[0010] Common for both prior art devices mentioned above is that they only accommodate circular members. Furthermore none of the devices disclose a substantially airtight closure, or a closure suitable for use in a membrane, as both devices rely of a firm solid base for mounting. The assembly means for the two halves of both devices also requires that easy access is possible in order to mount the devices properly.

Object of the Invention

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sealing member which addresses these drawbacks and at the same time, in an easy and reliable way creates a high certainty that an effective seal has been provided with a minimum of effort even in places in the construction where it is very difficult to gain access.

Description of the Invention

[0012] In order to address the object of the invention, a sealing member particularly for use in connection with constructional members penetrating membranes is provided wherein the member is in one piece and has a general U-shape when seen in a first plane view, such that two legs are integral with a bridge forming the U, where the width of the legs and the bridge in the first plane is substantially larger than the thickness of the member in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, where the bridge and legs has an outside and an inside edge, along said inside edge a resilient sealing section is arranged.

[0013] By pre-forming the sealing member such that the resilient sealing section provided inside the U is dimensioned such that when in use the resilient member will be slightly compressed by engagement with the constructional part, a relatively well-defined flat section with an adhesive is provided for engagement with the membrane. By simply cutting away a section of the membrane corresponding to the cross section of the constructional member penetrating the membrane, a free overlap, i.e. an overlap without any tensions, folds and the like is created between the sealing member and the membrane. Therefore, by forcing the membrane into adhesive contact with the sealing member and the sealing member at the same time inside the U being in sealing contact with the constructional member, an effective, easily installed and very reliable seal is created between a membrane and a constructional member.

[0014] This is particularly advantageous in embodiments where rafters from the roof construction meet horizontal struts at oblique angles where it may be difficult for workers to gain access and thereby reliably carry out the prior art sealing routines by encircling the membrane and constructional member with an adhesive tape. With the present invention the necessary action is to gain enough access to the membrane in order to cut an aperture substantially corresponding to the cross section of the constructional member and thereafter place the sealing member in its correct position and lightly push the membrane against the sealing member in order to create the adhesive contact. Due to the fact that the resilient sealing section is slightly compressed by engagement with the constructional member, the sealing member as such will be relatively firmly connected to the constructional member such that in most instances it is not necessary to provide a counterforce when pushing the membrane into contact with the sealing member.

[0015] This is further emphasised by shaping the sealing member in a general U-shape comprising two legs and a bridge portion connecting the two legs whereby a relatively large portion of the constructional member's circumference will be in biased contact with the sealing member which will maintain the sealing member in its correct position during installation.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment at least half the width of the legs and the bridge in the first plane is supplied with an adhesive, optionally covered with a removable foil. In order to provide a certain flexibility in use of the sealing member according to the invention the legs of the U may have a certain width such that the sealing member will be able to span the aperture cut by a worker in the membrane which may as this work is carried out in situ be cut with a relatively large inaccuracy. The inaccuracy may be covered/bridged by the width of the leg members and the bridge members and for this reason it is only necessary to provide part of the section with an adhesive.

[0017] In a still further advantageous embodiment of the invention the resilient sealing section is made from a thermoplastic elastomer based material, also known as TPE's and TPV's, where the material optionally may be a foam or substantially compact material, which sealing section is lip-shaped and extends both in the first and second planes, relative to the legs and bridge. The properties of the resilient sealing section should be selected such that they are suitable for the task, have a long life expectancy and have a relatively low price and at the same time connects well with the material from which the U-shaped member is made. For these purposes thermoplastic elastomer based materials provide very good material characteristics and at the same are well-known materials for use in the construction industry such that the workers carrying out the installation of the invention will beforehand be relatively familiar with the material characteristics, the strength and the inherent properties of the invention.

[0018] When the resilient section is made from a foam material, the compression may be larger than when the resilient section is made from a substantially compact material. The connection between the constructional member and the sealing member according to the invention should be slightly biased such that the sealing member will be firmly held in place. On the other hand, the connection should not be such that the stresses arising from the biasing forces will over time cause failure in the U-shaped sealing member.

[0019] An example of a suitable material is an EPDM rubber, a polyurethane or silicone based material.

[0020] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the legs are injection moulded in one piece, and the resilient sealing section is co-moulded onto the legs and bridge in the same injection moulding process.

[0021] The combined moulding of both the resilient sealing section and the U-shaped piece as such ensures that a good connection is achieved between the two parts. At the same time it is achieved that the sealing section is provided in the correct position relative to the U-shaped member. Furthermore, it is a very economic way of mass-producing the items such that the price does not make the use of sealing member according to the invention prohibitive.

[0022] In a still further advantageous embodiment of the invention the inside edge of the bridge in the first plane has a half-circle shape and the legs extend in parallel from said half-circle.

[0023] In this embodiment the shape of the inside edge of the bridge will correspond to for example the outer diameter of a ventilation pipe or other pipes which have to penetrate the membrane. Therefore, by simply producing the sealing members in standard sizes it is possible to juxtapose two sealing members such that their legs will be in overlapping relationship and in this manner create a circular seal around a penetrating pipe member. Furthermore, in most embodiments of the invention the sealing member will be made from a material which may easily be cut on site such that the legs which extend past the opposite sealing member may be cut off in order to create a neat finish. If it is possible the legs may advantageously be kept in position in that the adhesive connection with the membrane will further ensure a good contact between the membrane and the seal surrounding the penetrating constructional member. The fact that the leg extends parallelly from said half-circle ensures that it is possible to place the sealing member over a circular pipe member simply by sliding the sealing member inside the U.

[0024] In a further advantageous embodiment the dimensions between the inside edges of the legs and bridge correspond to standard dimensions of constructional members, and where series of sealing members in different sizes are provided. In the construction industry most components have standard sizes such that only a very limited number of sealing members having different dimensions need to be stocked. This is a further advantage in that mass production of such members may help cut the price whereby a widespread use may be achieved. In this connection it may be advantageous to colour-code or otherwise indicate on the members the exact dimensions for which the sealing member is suitable, i.e. for example indicate on the half-circular members that they are suitable for being fitted around pipes having an outer diameter of 125 mm, 150 mm or the like. For the same reasons the length of the legs should be sufficient such that when it is desirable to for example juxtapose two sealing members according to the invention around the rafter it is ensure that the legs will overlap, and due to the provision of the adhesives will be adhesively connected in order to create a firm, rectangular seal around the outer periphery of a rafter. The legs may better be made too long than too short in that as already mentioned above it is usually possible to cut the legs to size due to the characteristics of the material from which the sealing member is made. Typically, when mass-producing the sealing members according to the present invention the injection moulding material is a modified plastic having a thickness of a few millimetres which makes it relatively easy to cut either with a knife or with scissors on site.

[0025] The invention also relates to a method for installing a sealing member as already mentioned above wherein an aperture in a membrane corresponding in size to the cross section of a constructional member penetrating said membrane is cut, and where after a sealing member wherein the member is in one piece and has a general U-shape when seen in a first plane view, such that two legs are integral with a bridge forming the U, where the width of the legs and the bridge in the first plane is substantially larger than the thickness of the member in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, where the bridge and legs has an outside and an inside edge, along said inside edge a resilient sealing section is arranged is positioned over said constructional member such that the resilient section is biased against the constructional member, and the legs and bridge overlap the membrane, and that the membrane is brought into contact with an adhesive arranged on the sealing member.

[0026] As is evident it is very simple to install the member and due to the adhesives placed on the legs a safe and reliable contact between the sealing member and the membrane is achieved such that a reliable connection with very little risk of error is provided. By furthermore providing the resilient seal on the inside of the U and pre-manufactured to that particular constructional element's sizes the overall seal provides a high-quality sealing.

Description of the Drawing

[0027] 

Figure 1 is illustrates a cut-out of a construction;

Figure 2 illustrates a side elevation of the sealing member;

Figure 3 illustrates details of an embodiment of the invention;

Detailed description of an embodiment

[0028] I figure 1 is illustrated a cut-out of the construction where a rafter 1 penetrates a membrane by means of a sealing member 2 according to the invention in order to be connected to an upstanding strut 3.

[0029] The sealing member 2 comprises a U-shaped injection moulded plastic member 4 having two legs 5, 6 integrally connected by a bridge 7. Along the inner edge of the U a resilient sealing section 8 is provided in sealing relationship with the outer periphery of the rafter 1. The legs 5, 6 and bridge 7 has an extent in a first plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rafter which is sufficient in order to provide an adhesive such that a reliable connection may be achieved between a membrane (not illustrated) and the sealing member 2. During installation an aperture substantially corresponding in size to the cross-section of the rafter 1 is cut in the membrane approximately in a position such that when the membrane is superposed the rafter the aperture will be provided where the rafter has to penetrate the membrane. The edges of the aperture provided in the membrane will be overlaying the sealing member 2 and due to the provision of the adhesive will be sealingly engaged with the sealing member thereby creating a reliable seal.

[0030] Turning to figure 2 a side elevation of the sealing member 2 is illustrated. From this it may be deducted that the resilient sealing section 8, see detail in figure 3, is elevated relative to the plane of the sealing member 2. This is done in order to create more flexibility due to tolerances in the outer dimensions of the constructional members around which the sealing member 2 is to be arranged.

[0031] I figure 3 is illustrated an embodiment of the invention where the sealing section 8 has a U-shape such that it may be arranged around the plastic part 10 of the sealing member whereby an easy and reliable fastening of the sealing section is achieved relatively to the plastic member.

[0032] The sealing section 8 may also be co-injection moulded together with the plastic member 10 such that a firm connection is created between the plastic section 10 and the sealing section 8. Alternatively, the sealing section 8 may be arranged after the plastic section 10 has been shaped, but this requires extra manhandling and thereby increased cost. The sealing section 8 may be provided with a comb-like structure (not illustrated). The comb like structure are extensions provided in the resilient material towards the U-shaped opening in the sealing member 2, such that as the member 2 is brought into its mounted position the comb serves to ensure a good connection between the constructional member and the sealing member 2.

Claims

1. Sealing member, particularly for use in connection with constructional members penetrating membranes, wherein the member is in one piece and has a general U-shape when seen in a first plane view, such that two legs are integral with a bridge forming the U, where the width of the legs and the bridge in the first plane is substantially larger than the thickness of the member in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, where the bridge and legs has an outside and an inside edge, along said inside edge a resilient sealing section is arranged.

2. Sealing member according to claim 1 wherein at least half the width of the legs and the bridge in the first plane is supplied with an adhesive, optionally covered with a removable foil.

3. Sealing member according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the resilient sealing section is made from a thermoplastic elastomeric material, where the material optionally may be a foam or substantially compact material, which sealing section is lip-shaped and extends both in the first and second planes, relative to the legs and bridge.

4. Sealing member according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the legs and bridge are injection moulded in one piece, and the resilient sealing section is co-moulded onto the legs and bridge in the same injection moulding process.

5. Sealing member according to claim 1 wherein the inside edge of the bridge in the first plane has a half circle shape, and the legs extend parallel from said half circle.

6. Sealing member according to claim 1 or 5 wherein the dimensions between the inside edges of the legs and bridge correspond to standard dimensions of constructional members, and where series of sealing members in different sizes are provided.

7. Method for installing a sealing member according to any of claims 1 to 6 wherein an aperture in a membrane corresponding in size to the cross section of a constructional member penetrating said membrane is cut, and where after a sealing member wherein the member is in one piece and has a general U-shape when seen in a first plane view, such that two legs are integral with a bridge forming the U, where the width of the legs and the bridge in the first plane is substantially larger than the thickness of the member in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, where the bridge and legs has an outside and an inside edge, along said inside edge a resilient sealing section is arranged, is positioned over said constructional member such that the resilient section is biased against the constructional member, and the legs and bridge overlap the membrane, and that the membrane is brought into contact with an adhesive arranged on the sealing member.

8. Method according to claim 7 wherein a sealing member is arranged on either side of a constructional member, such that at least a part of the leg portions of the sealing members overlap, whereby the two sealing members completely surround the constructional member, and where the resilient sections are in sealing contact with the constructional member.

Drawing