A vacuum heat insulator according to the present disclosure includes a core material and an outer packaging material including an inner plate and an outer plate each of which includes a resin sheet. The core material is covered by the outer packaging material. The vacuum heat insulator further includes a heat welded part formed by welding a part of the inner plate and a part of the outer plate. The heat welded part has a recess having a thickness that is 50% or less of an average thickness of the heat welded part. As a result thereof, the adhesion and airtightness of the heat welded part can be maintained, and a highly reliable vacuum heat insulator can be provided.

A method of making a liner for an appliance is provided. The method includes mixing a polymeric capping layer precursor and a pigment additive to form a color capping layer. The method also includes extruding a polymeric base resin to form a polymeric base layer at a base layer formation temperature. The method further includes laminating the polymeric base layer and the color capping layer to form the liner at about the base layer formation temperature.

Embodiments provide a door body for opening and closing a front part of an article body, whereby the door body includes a front panel constituting a front of the door body, a frame supporting at least a part of an outside edge of the front panel, and a back panel constituting a back of the door body. According to at least one embodiment, the frame includes a support plate extending to an inside of the article body in a substantially vertical direction, the front panel is bonded to the support plate with a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive film, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive film extends from a leading edge of the support plate to an inside of the door body, and a radius of curvature of a front side corner of the leading edge of the support plate is 0.1 to 10 mm.

An insulating structure for an appliance includes an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein an insulating cavity is defined therebetween. A plurality of hollow nano-spheres are disposed within the insulating cavity, wherein each of the hollow nano-spheres includes a diameter in the range of from approximately 50 nanometers to approximately 1000 nanometers and has a wall that defines the internal space, and wherein the wall of each hollow nano-sphere has a thickness that is in a range of from approximately 0.5 nanometers to approximately 100 nanometers. A fill material is disposed in the insulating cavity and wherein the fill material is disposed in the space defined between the plurality of hollow nano-spheres, and wherein the fill material includes at least one of powdered silica, granulated silica, other silica material, aerogel and insulating gas.

Certain example embodiments relate to an insulating glass (IG) unit. A spacer system is interposed between first and second substrates. The spacer system helps to maintain the first and second substrates in substantially parallel spaced apart relation to one another, and to define a cavity between the first and second substrates. A desiccant material is located in a body of the spacer system, with the desiccant material comprising a desiccant matrix and a molecular sieve replacement material formed for adsorption at a relative humidity of 10-20%. The molecular sieve replacement material may be a salt or other material (such as, for example, MgCl.sub.2, CaCl.sub.2, CaO, MgSO.sub.4, and/or the like). The cavity may be primarily filled with an inert gas (such as Ar, Kr, Xe, or the like) or a reactive gas (such as CO.sub.2). An electrostatically-driven dynamic shade may be provided in the cavity.

An operable panel for an appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having a perimetrical wrapper edge that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, an inner liner and a plurality of corner brackets disposed proximate the perimetrical wrapper edge. Each corner bracket cooperates with the perimetrical wrapper edge to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is adhered to the metallic outer wrapper and the corner brackets at the perimetrical breaker channel and having a liner channel that receives a portion of the inner liner. The trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An insulation material is disposed within an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.

A method of forming an insulated door panel includes folding side flanges of a metallic sheet to define side edges of a structural outer panel that extend from a front panel. A gap is defined between each set of adjacent side edges. Interior blocks are secured to an interior of the structural outer panel proximate each gap to define adhesive cavities. Exterior blocks are positioned at an exterior surface of the structural outer panel at each gap to further define the adhesive cavities. An adhesive is disposed within each adhesive cavity and is contained therein by the interior and exterior blocks. The adhesive is cured to a solid sealing member that adheres the interior blocks to the interior surface of the structural outer panel to form a sealed structural panel. The exterior blocks are removed and each solid sealing member defines a hermetic seal at each gap.

Disclosed is a refrigerator including an ultrathin wall-type insulating wall of which the thickness is made to be thin so as to increase the capacity of a storage chamber, while maintaining heat-insulating performance. A vacuum insulating material, provided inside the insulating wall, is provided so as to come into contact with an outer chamber such that the length between the outer chamber and an inner chamber is reduced. In addition, a foam material, which is formed by being foamed between the inner chamber and the outer chamber and is provided between the vacuum insulating material and the inner chamber, is formed to have a thin thickness so as to reduce the total thickness of the insulating wall, thereby increasing the capacity of the storage chamber and enabling the refrigerator to have a slim design so as to improve the aesthetics of the refrigerator.

An operable panel for an appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having a perimetrical wrapper edge that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, an inner liner and a plurality of corner brackets disposed proximate the perimetrical wrapper edge. Each corner bracket cooperates with the perimetrical wrapper edge to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is adhered to the metallic outer wrapper and the corner brackets at the perimetrical breaker channel and having a liner channel that receives a portion of the inner liner. The trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An insulation material is disposed within an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.

A glass wool which has physical properties required for a heat insulation material, can be produced industrially, can have reduced hygroscopicity, and has a novel compounding composition. The glass wool having the following glass composition: SiO.sub.2: 60.0 to 65.0% by mass inclusive, Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.5 to 2.0% by mass inclusive, Na.sub.2O and K.sub.2O: 13.0 to 17.0% by mass inclusive, MgO and CaO: 8.0 to 12.0% by mass inclusive, B.sub.2O.sub.3: 5.0 to 12.0% by mass inclusive, and others: a remainder.