Device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building. Said device comprises a sleeve-like housing that has an axial passage channel that is open at its opposite ends; bristles that are mounted on the walls of the passage channel in such a way that they are opposite each other and that are extended inwards in such a way that they mesh with one another in order to close the passage channel; and flexible strips of material that are mounted in the passage channel and that are coated with an intumescent material.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: a housing comprising a channel with open ends; a curtain extending into the channel at a first location; and a fire-retardant material extending into the channel at a second location, wherein the curtain moves within the channel in an installed state, the curtain moving to accommodate passage of an object through the channel, and wherein the fire-retardant material curves in an axial direction within the channel and at least partially surrounds the object in the channel in the installed state, the housing coupled to an opening in a barrier.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the curtain extends at least partially into the channel.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the curtain includes one or more portions that move in the installed state to accommodate passage of the object through the channel.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein: the curtain includes a plurality of said portions; and the plurality of said portions have substantially a same length.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the curtain moves and the fire-retardant material deflects at a same time to allow passage of the object through the channel in the installed state.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the curtain is adjacent to one of the ends of the channel.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the fire-retardant material curves in the axial direction within the channel in the uninstalled state.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the fire-retardant material comprises: a first curved portion extending from a first surface of the housing; a second curved portion extending from a second surface of the housing; and the first surface is in opposing relation to the second surface.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the fire-retardant material is between the ends of the channel.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the fire-retardant material comprises an intumescent material.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the intumescent material is oriented to expand and block the channel under heat.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein: the object is a pipe or cable; and the barrier is a wall or ceiling of a building.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing has a rectangular shape.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the curtain extends from at least one surface of the housing.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the curtain includes a plurality of portions extending toward a central axis of the channel and wherein each of the plurality of portions is flexible to move in at least two directions.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the fire-retardant material extends in a direction toward the channel and deflects to accommodate the object in the installed state.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the inventive device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building.

(2) FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) The device 10 that is shown in FIG. 1 and that is intended for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building comprises a sleeve-like housing 12, which is designed more or less like a box and, as a result, has a rectangular cross section, which is much better illustrated in the plan view in FIG. 2. In the center of the housing 12 there is an axial passage channel 14, which is open at its upper end 16 and its lower end 18 and is defined by the four vertical walls 20, 22, 24, 26 of the housing. In this embodiment and throughout the entire specification as well as in the claims the terms “upper” and “lower” as well as the terms “horizontal” and “vertical” refer to the illustrated installation position of the device 12 in a ceiling of a building that is not depicted in greater detail. However, this manner of installation is not to be considered as limiting the present invention. Instead, it is also conceivable to incorporate a corresponding device in an opening in a wall, so that the housing 12 is tilted to one side in relation to the position, shown in FIG. 1; and the passage channel 14 runs horizontally.

(4) At its upper end, the housing 12 has a radially outwards extending flange 28 that completely surrounds the upper opening 16. A corresponding radial flange 30 is also provided at the lower end of the housing 12. In the installation position shown in FIG. 1 the circumferential flanges 28, 30 are provided to terminate flush with the corresponding surfaces on the top side and the bottom side of the ceiling of a building, into which the device 10 is inserted. The device 10 is installed by casting the homing 12 with the concrete during the construction of the ceiling.

(5) Inside the housing 12 there is a vertical pipe 32, which is surrounded with a sheath 34 made of an insulating material. This pipe 32 is shown merely for illustrative purposes as an example of a pipe or cable that is to be passed through the opening in the ceiling. As can be clearly seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pipe 32 has a much smaller cross section than the free opening cross section of the axial passage channel 14 so that the pipe 32 can be moved laterally during its installation therein.

(6) At the upper end of the passage channel 14, there are two brushes 36, 38 in the upper opening 16 of the passage channel. These two brushes are mounted on the opposite longer walls 20, 22 of the passage channel 14, and the bristles 40 of the brushes extend more or less horizontally towards the center of the passage channel 14. The bristles 40 are flexible, and their length is dimensioned in such a way that they can mesh with each other in the center of the channel in order to close the passage channel 14. This situation is shown next to the pipe 32 in FIG. 2. In the middle of the passage channel 14 where the pipe 32 is inserted into the channel, the bristles 40 deflect laterally, i.e., in the plane of the flange 28, and downwards and nestle, due to their flexibility, against the outer periphery of the insulating sheath 34 of the pipe 32. As a result, the two brushes 36, 38 form a kind of curtain that closes the free cross section of the passage channel 14 in such a way that it appears opaque. In addition, said brushes form a convection barrier. The bristles 40 may be made of any suitable material, for example, an organic fibrous material or also an inorganic fibrous material. The bristles 40 are provided along the respective brush 36, 38 horizontally next to one another over the entire width of the corresponding wall 20, 22.

(7) Prior to the insertion of the pipe 32, the two brushes 36, 38, which mesh with one another, completely close the free cross section of the passage channel 14. If the pipe 32 passes through the upper opening 16, for example, from above, then the bristles 40 endeavor to move, in the manner described above, laterally and downwards away from each other and release the cross section that is only large enough for the insertion of the pipe 32.

(8) Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention comprises flexible strips 42 of material that are mounted on the same walls 20, 22 of the housing on a level below the brushes 36, 38. Each of the strips 42 is attached with one of its ends to one of the walls 20, 22, while its free end protrudes into the passage channel 14. In this case the strip 42 can sag slightly downwards, but should have sufficient stiffness to ensure that the strips 42 of the opposite walls 20, 22 touch each other or at least come very close to each other approximately in the middle of the passage channel 14. The strips 42 rest laterally against the inserted pipe 32. In each case, a series of strips 42 extend over the entire width of the respective wall 20, 22 beneath a brush 36, 38.

(9) The strips 42 are made of a non-flammable fabric, in particular, a woven glass fiber fabric, as a base material and are coaled with an intumescent material, which expands subject to exposure to heat and forms a fireproof, rigid body. In the present case, the intumescent coating material foams on the flexible strip 42 of woven fabric in the event of a fire, so that the intumescent material completely seals the remaining free space between the outer periphery of the pipe 32 and the walls 20, 22, 24, 26 of the housing 12. In this way, a fire barrier is formed that prevents a fire from leaping over and beyond the ceiling into the respective adjoining space. Furthermore, this approach provides a thermal insulation between the spaces.

(10) The block of foamed intumescent material, which is generated in the event of a fire, is held in the passage channel 14 by means of the glass fiber reinforcement of the flexible strips 42 of woven fabric and is prevented from falling out of the opening. Even ash can no longer fall out through the passage channel 14.

(11) Furthermore, the brushes 36, 38 with their bristles 40 are used as a base for a self-levelling silicone sealant that is distributed among the brushes in the upper opening 16 at the upper end of the device 10. This measure allows the passage channel 14 to be sealed off against the ingress of water.

(12) The device 10 that is depicted is easy to install and allows for a good positioning of the pipe or cable, which is to be passed through, inside the passage channel 14 because the flexible bristles 40 of the brushes 36, 38 and the flexible strips 42 of woven fabric conform readily to the outer surface of the pipe or cable and reliably close the remaining free opening cross section.