Sealing element for sealing a flute of a fluted metal deck

Abstract

A sealing element is useful for sealing a flute of a fluted metal deck. The sealing element includes a body and a coating surrounding the body. The body has a predefined geometry adapted to seal the flute, wherein the body is flexible and the cross sectional area of the body in a direction perpendicular to the flute axis is larger than the cross sectional area of the flute the sealing element is designed to seal.

Claims

1: A sealing element for sealing a flute of a fluted metal deck, comprising: a body, and a coating surrounding the body, wherein the body has a predefined geometry adapted to seal the flute, wherein the body is flexible and a cross sectional area of the body in a direction perpendicular to g flute axis is larger than g cross sectional area of the flute which the sealing element is designed to seal.

2: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the cross section of the body corresponds to a shape of the cross section of the flute.

3: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises mineral wool.

4: The sealing element according to claim 3, wherein the body comprises multiple layers of mineral wool.

5: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the coating comprises a thin plastic film.

6: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the coating is stretchable.

7: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein rigidity of the coating is lower than rigidity of the body.

8: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the body is tightly enveloped by the coating.

9: The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the coating is provided in a form of a bag, wherein the volume of the bag is larger than the volume of the body.

10: The sealing element according to claim 9, wherein the coating is not air-tight.

11: The sealing element according to claim 3, wherein the body comprises a formaldehyde-free mineral wool.

12: The sealing element according to claim 4, wherein the multiple layers are oriented parallel to the cross sectional area of the body.

Description

[0022] Different embodiments of the invention are shown in the attached drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a sealing element according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the sealing element of FIG. 1,

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the sealing element of FIG. 1 with a cutaway section showing the internal structure,

[0026] FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a fluted metal deck section with a sealing element according to FIG. 1,

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross sectional view of a sealing element according to another embodiment of the invention,

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a perspective of the sealing element of FIG. 5, and

[0029] FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of a wall configuration with a sealing element according to FIG. 5.

[0030] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a sealing element 10 with a flexible body 12 surrounded by a coating 14.

[0031] The body 12 has a trapezoid cross section with a height H and a width W as well as a length L the body 12 extends in, perpendicular to its cross section along the horizontal axis A.

[0032] The thickness of the coating 14 is only a small fraction of the dimensions of the body 12, i.e. the coating 14 is so thin that for all intends and purposes the height H and width W of the body 12 correspond to the height H and width W of the sealing element 10.

[0033] The sealing element 10 is designed to seal a flute 16 of a fluted metal deck 18 (see FIG. 4) extending along the horizontal axis A (see also FIG. 7) that is perpendicular to the drawing plane in FIG. 4. The cross section 20 of the flute 16 perpendicular to the horizontal axis A is generally trapezoidal with a depth h and a width w (see also FIG. 2 where the cross section 20 of the flute 16 is illustrated by the dashed line).

[0034] The height H and the width W of the body 12 is larger than the depth h and the width w of the flute 16 respectively (see FIG. 2). Thus, the cross sectional area of the sealing element 10 is larger than the cross sectional area 20 of the flute 16 which means that the body 12 is oversized in comparison to the flute 16.

[0035] The embodiment of the body 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a cross section with a shape that corresponds to the shape of the cross section 20 of the flute 16 as both cross sections are trapezoidal with a similar shape.

[0036] Because the body 12 is flexible, the shape of the body's 12 cross section can also be rectangular, have rounded edges or basically can have any other shape as long as its cross section guarantees a secure seal of the flute 16 the sealing element 10 is designed to seal.

[0037] The length L of the body 12 is defined by firestop requirements and is usually equal to or smaller than the track width T (see FIG. 7) of a top track 28 of a wall configuration.

[0038] In a different embodiment the length L of the body 12 is larger than the track width T of a top track 28, in particular the length of the body 12 can correspond to the width of a top track seal 30 (see FIG. 4) of a wall configuration.

[0039] In this way, the body 12 has a predefined geometry to seal the flute 16.

[0040] The body 12 is made of multiple layers 22 of mineral wool forming a stack (see FIG. 3). The layers 22 are identical and run parallel to each other. The cross section of each layer 22 is perpendicular to the horizontal axis A, i.e. the cross section of each layer 22 corresponds to the cross section of the body 12.

[0041] The multiple layers 22 forming the body 12 are separate layers 22 of mineral wool. In a different embodiment the body 12 can be made of a single block of mineral wool that has an internal layered structure, i.e. the layers 22 are integral to the block of mineral wool.

[0042] In a further different embodiment the body 12 can be made of a single block or can be composed from multiple blocks, especially layers, in any kind of way.

[0043] The body 12 is made of a formaldehyde-free mineral wool.

[0044] In a different embodiment the body 12 can be made a different suitable material, especially any kind of mineral wool.

[0045] The body 12 is pre-portioned so that it comprises enough material to ensure a tight seal of the flute 16 the sealing element 10 is designed to seal. In this way, the sealing element 10 is adapted to seal the flute 16 by its predefined shape and size.

[0046] The coating 14 is made of a flexible and stretchable plastic foil, like a shrink foil, that tightly surrounds the body 12 on all sides. Thus, the body 12 is completely enclosed by the coating 14 with minimal to no air pockets between the body 12 and the coating 14. In an alternative embodiment, the coating 14 only partially surrounds the body 12, especially along a circumference of the body 12.

[0047] The body 12 is sealed air tight by the coating 14.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment, the coating 14 is not air tight so that air can pass from the inside of the sealing element 10 to its outside and vice versa. To this effect the coating 14 can comprise ventilation holes 24 (see FIG. 6) or a seam through which air can pass. In addition or in the alternative, the coating 14 may be made of a porous or air permeable material, e.g. a foil with micro-perforation.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows the sealing element 10 inserted in the flute 16 between the metal deck 18 and a ceiling runner 26 with a top track 28 and a top track seal 30.

[0050] To seal the flute 16 the sealing element 10 is pushed into the flute 16 perpendicular to the metal deck 18 with the narrow side 32 (see FIG. 1) of the sealing element 10 facing the flute 16 with enough pressure so that the sealing element 10 is deformed and adapts the shape and size of the flute 16. Afterwards, the sealing element 10 is pushed along the horizontal axis A (see FIG. 7) in the opening between the metal deck 18 and the ceiling runner 26.

[0051] Thereby the sealing element 10 is compressed such that the height H and width W of the sealing element 10 corresponds to the height h and width w of the flute 16 which results in the sealing element 10 completely filing the cross section 20 of the flute 16 and sealing the flute 16 tight.

[0052] In the example shown in FIG. 4 the metal deck 18 has a corrugation 34 in the form of an indentation that extends into the flute 16 and that runs along the flute axis A. The sealing element 10 is designed to tightly seal flutes 16 with or without corrugations 34.

[0053] When the sealing element 10 is inserted into a flute 16 with a corrugation 34, the sealing element 10 adapts the shape of the flute 16 including the corrugation 34 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0054] In FIG. 4 a dashed line indicates a faulty state in which the tension of the narrow side 32 of the sealing element 10 creates small pockets 36 or openings between the sealing element 10 and the metal deck 18 which can reduce the sealing quality of the seal. To prevent these pockets 36 from forming, the rigidity of the coating 14 is lower than the rigidity of the body 12 which results in the coating 14 being more easily deformed than the body 12 so that the tension of the coating 14 on the body 12 is reduced.

[0055] To further ensure a tight seal, the body 12 is elastic so that the coating 14 is pushed by the body 12 against the metal deck 18 which also prevents pockets 36 from forming. This has the additional advantage that the sealing element 10 keeps its shape even when deformed prior to its use.

[0056] In a further embodiment of the invention, the elasticity of the body 12 is very low or non-existent.

[0057] A second embodiment of the sealing element is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Apart from the different coating 14, the sealing element 40 corresponds to the sealing element 10 described above. The same reference symbols are used for the components that are known from the first embodiment and reference is made to the previous explanations in this respect.

[0058] In this embodiment of the invention, the coating 14 of the sealing element 40 is not tightly wrapped around the body 12 but is provided in the form of a bag 42 which contains the body 12.

[0059] The bag 42 is oversized, i.e. the volume the bag 42 can contain is larger than the volume of the body 12. The drawing in FIG. 5 is not to scale and the size difference between the body 12 and the bag 42 is for illustrative purposes only.

[0060] Basically, the ratio of the volume of the bag 42 to the volume of the body 12 is greater than 1. Preferably the ratio is less than 1.3, more preferably less than 1.2, especially less than 1.1.

[0061] FIG. 7 shows a fluted metal deck 18 with a top track 28 of a wall configuration installed below. To seal the flute 16, the sealing element 40 is pushed in direction P into the opening 44 between the metal deck 18 and the top track 28, wherein the body 12 is oriented in a way that its cross section corresponds to the cross section of the flute 16 so that the sealing element 40 fits tight into the opening 44.

[0062] To prevent air blisters 46 (indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 7) from forming when the sealing element 40 is used to seal a flute 16, the bag 42 has ventilation holes 24 (see FIG. 6) that allow the air to escape and the blisters 46 to depressurize.

[0063] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the ventilation holes 24 are located on the narrow side 32 of the sealing element 40. In an alternative embodiment, the ventilation holes 24 can be located anywhere in the coating 14, especially on the sides 48, 50 that face in direction of the flute axis A.

[0064] In a further embodiment of the invention, the volume of the bag 42 not taken up by the body 12 is only partially filled with air. Preferably there is only a minimal amount of air between the body 12 and the coating 14, especially when the coating 14 is air tight, to minimize or prevent air blisters 46.

[0065] The sealing elements 10, 40 improve the sealing of flutes 16 of a fluted metal deck 18 in the following ways:

[0066] The flutes 16 can be tightly sealed in a short amount of time without the need of additional tools.

[0067] The sealing elements 10, 40 can be installed during the installation of the ceiling runner 26, the top track 28 and/or a top track seal 30. In this way, the flutes 16 are easily accessible and no additional ladder climbing is required.

[0068] The sealing of the flutes 16 is failure proof as the pre-manufactured sealing elements 10, 40 ensure that the necessary material required for a tight seal is installed by comprising a pre-proportioned body 12.

[0069] Further, the sealing of the flutes 16 requires no curing time because the material, the sealing elements 10, 40 are made of, is already cured.