Test Strip for Seals

Abstract

A test strip for checking a contact pressure of a seal has a checking element. By means of the checking element, the test strip indicates whether the contact pressure is less than or greater than specified contact pressure. The test strip indicates whether the contact pressure lies within a specified range. There preferably two weakening lines for this purpose, which tear at different contact pressures when tension is applied while the test strip is clamped.

Claims

1. A test strip for checking a contact pressure of a seal, the test strip comprising: a control element, a) wherein the test strip indicates via the control element whether the contact pressure is lower than a specified contact pressure, or b) wherein the test strip indicates via the control element whether the contact pressure is higher than the specified contact pressure.

2. The test strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control element indicates both whether the contact pressure is lower than the specified contact pressure and whether the contact pressure is higher than the specified contact pressure.

3. The test strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control element is a mechanical, an optical, an acoustic or an electronic element.

4. The test strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control element is a strain gauge.

5. The test strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control element is a tear line which tears at the specified contact pressure.

6. The test strip as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tear line is a perforation.

7. The test strip as claimed in claim 1, the test strip indicating whether the contact pressure lies within a specified range.

8. The test strip as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control element is a first control element for detecting a minimum specified contact pressure, and wherein the test strip comprises a second control element for detecting a maximum specified contact pressure.

9. The test strip as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first control element is a first tear line and the second control element is a second tear line, and wherein the first tear line tears when the tensile force acting on the test strip is different to the tensile force acting on the second tear line.

10. The test strip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first tear line tears when the tensile force acting on the test strip is lower than the tensile force acting on the second tear line.

11. The test strip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first tear line and the second tear line are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the test strip.

12. The test strip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first tear line and the second tear line are perforations, and wherein the perforation of the first tear line is more pronounced than the perforation of the second tear line so that the first tear line tears more quickly than the second tear line.

13. The test strip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the two tear lines divide the test strip into three portions, wherein a first portion lies between a first free end of the test strip and the first tear line and forms a first test portion, wherein a second portion lies between the first tear line and the second tear line and forms a second test portion, and wherein a third portion lies between the second tear line and a second free end of the strip and forms a gripping portion so that the test strip is configured to be held between two fingers of a human hand.

14. The test strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the test strip comprises at least one marking to make using the test strip easier.

15. A test set having multiple test strips according to claim 1, wherein the multiple test strips are combined to form a block, and wherein the block comprises a bond from which the test strips are tearable.

16. A method for checking a contact pressure of a drop-down seal with a test strip according to claim 12, the method comprising: pushing the first test portion of the test strip into a gap between the drop-down seal and a surface to be sealed; lowering a sealing strip of the drop-down seal onto said first test portion and pulling by hand at the gripping portion in order to check whether the test strip tears as a result at the first tear line; raising the drop-down seal; pushing the second test portion of the test strip into the gap between the drop-down seal and the surface to be sealed; and lowering the sealing strip of the drop-down seal onto said second test portion and pulling by hand at the gripping portion in order to check whether the test strip tears as a result at the second tear line.

17. A method for checking a contact pressure of a drop-down seal with a test strip according to claim 12, the method comprising: pushing the second test portion of the test strip into a gap between the drop-down seal and a surface to be sealed; lowering a sealing strip of the drop-down seal onto said second test portion and pulling by hand at the gripping portion in order to check whether the test strip tears as a result at the second tear line; raising the drop-down seal; in an event of the second tear line being torn, pushing the first test portion of the test strip into the gap between the drop-down seal and the surface to be sealed; and lowering the sealing strip of the drop-down seal onto said first test portion and pulling by hand at the second test portion in order to check whether the test strip tears as a result at the first tear line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of the drawings which serve purely for explanation and are not to be seen as limiting. The drawings are as follows:

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of part of a lowered drop-down seal in a door frame with a test strip according to the invention when checking a downwardly acting contact pressure;

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a perspective representation of the test strip according to FIG. 1 before use;

[0039] FIG. 3 shows the representation according to FIG. 1 with the test strip according to the invention when checking a front-acting contact pressure;

[0040] FIG. 4 shows the representation according to FIG. 1 when checking a minimum specified contact pressure;

[0041] FIG. 5 shows the test strip according to FIG. 4 after detection of a contact pressure higher than the minimum specified contact pressure;

[0042] FIG. 6 shows the representation according to FIG. 3 when checking the minimum specified contact pressure;

[0043] FIG. 7 shows the representation according to FIG. 1 when checking a maximum specified contact pressure;

[0044] FIG. 8 shows the test strip according to FIG. 7 after detection of a contact pressure higher than the maximum specified contact pressure;

[0045] FIG. 9 shows the representation according to FIG. 3 when checking the maximum specified contact pressure;

[0046] FIG. 10 shows a view from above of the test strip according to FIG. 2;

[0047] FIG. 11 shows a view from above of the test strip according to FIG. 5;

[0048] FIG. 12 shows a view from above of the test strip according to FIG. 8 and

[0049] FIG. 13 shows a test set with the test strip according to the invention according to FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a seal situation in the region of the door. The same applies to a region of a window so that doors are also to be understood below as a generic term for windows. In addition, the test strip according to the invention is described when used for a drop-down seal. The test strip can also be used for other types of seals, such as, for example, sliding seals or fixed seals, as are usually mounted circumferentially in the case of doors and windows.

[0051] The reference symbol 1 designates a partially shown door frame. The reference symbol 2 refers to a floor or a threshold which is aligned with the floor. The surface to be sealed by means of the drop-down seal is provided with the reference symbol 20. The leaf of the door is not shown. It is situated logically between the floor 2 and the door frame 1. Neither is the drop-down seal, which is fastened to the leaf of the door, fully shown. Simply shown is a portion of a seal profile 3 which is lowerable and raisable again as part of a sealing strip. The sealing strip is preferably lowerable automatically, in particular mechanically, when the leaf of the door is closed and is also automatically raisable again when the leaf of the door is opened.

[0052] All known drop-down seals, in particular the ones described in the introduction, can be used as drop-down seals. The seal profile or the sealing strip is preferably pressed actively downward by means of a contact pressure when the door is closed and it is consequently in the lowered state. Depending on the embodiment, an active or passive contact pressure can also be present at the front. Actively, in this context, means, for example, that a force acts on a lowering mechanism which presses the sealing strip downward. Said force is exerted, in the case of the drop-down seals described in the introduction, by the release bolt which is disposed at the door frame and presses the sealing strip downward, on the one hand, and, depending on the embodiment of the lowering mechanism, on the other hand also pushes the sealing strip in a horizontal direction and consequently exerts a force in the longitudinal direction of the seal onto the front-side region of the door frame 1. Other drop-down seals are also known which press the sealing strip in both horizontal directions against both sides of the door frame. The test strip can also be used optimally for said type of drop-down seals.

[0053] A test strip 4 according to the invention can now be used for checking the contact pressure of the sealing strip or of the seal profile 3 on the lower surface 20 to be sealed. The test strip 4, in this case, is clamped between the lowered seal profile 3 and the surface 20 to be sealed, as is explained later in the text. It is then pulled by hand 5 and checked to see whether the test strip 4 tears. FIG. 1 shows the checking of the contact pressure which acts in a downward manner. FIG. 3 shows the checking of the contact pressure which acts at the front or at the side. In the last case, the test strip 4 is clamped between the door frame 1 and the lowered sealing strip 3.

[0054] The test strip 4 is preferably produced from paper and/or plastics material, in particular from a single or multiple-layer foil.

[0055] FIGS. 2 and 10 show the test strip 4 according to the invention before use. It comprises three regions 40, 41, 42 which are separated from one another by two tear lines 43, 44. The two tear lines 43, 44 preferably extend spaced apart from one another and parallel to one another. They extend preferably perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the test strip 4.

[0056] The tear lines 43, 44 can be, for example, thinnings or another weakening, at which the test strip tears in a preferred manner. The tear lines 43, 44 are preferably perforations.

[0057] The two tear lines 43, 44 are realized with different strengths so that they tear at different tensile forces. A first tear line 43 preferably tears more quickly, that is to say at a lower contact pressure than a second tear line 44. If the tear lines 43, 44 are perforations, the perforation of the first tear line 43 is thus preferably realized in a stronger manner than the perforation of the second tear line 44. For example, it comprises larger empty spaces and smaller connecting webs. This can be seen well, for example, in FIG. 10.

[0058] A first region of the test strip 4, which extends from a free end of the strip to the first tear line 43, forms a first test portion 40. A second region, which forms a second test portion 41, is situated between the first and the second tear lines 43, 44. The two test portions 40, 41 comprise a length L.sub.1, L.sub.2 which corresponds to at least the width of the drop-down seal B.

[0059] A third region is formed by the zone between the second tear line 44 and the second free end. Said third region is a gripping portion 42. It is of a size that can be held well with two fingers of a human hand. The test strip 4 can easily be pulled in the clamped state. This can be seen well in FIG. 1. The weaker tear line 43, that is to say the tear line which tears more quickly, is preferably situated further away from the gripping portion 42 than the stronger tear line 44, that is to say the tear line which tears less quickly.

[0060] At least one marking and/or at least one instruction for using the test strip 4 are preferably printed on the test strip 4. Thus, for example, a printed arrow can indicate the pulling direction, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 10. The two test portions 40, 41 can also be numbered so that the user can recognize which test portion 40, 41 is to be clamped first of all. Markings, labels or symbols, which show whether tearing the test strip 4 at this point is to be understood as a positive or a negative result, can be additionally specified in the regions of the tear lines 43, 44. Said information is not shown in the figures.

[0061] FIGS. 4 to 6 and 11 show how the test strip 4 can be used to test whether the lowered drop-down seal comprises a specified minimum contact pressure on the floor-side and/or the end-side.

[0062] The test strip 4 is placed for this purpose with its first test portion 40 onto the surface 20 to be sealed or is held at said surface 10 to be sealed. The door is then closed so that the drop-down seal is actuated and the sealing strip is lowered with the seal profile 3. The first test portion 40 is clamped between the sealing profile 3 and the surface 20, 10. If it is then pulled by hand and the contact pressure corresponds to at least the above-mentioned minimum pressure, the test strip tears at the first tear line 43. This can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 11. The first tear line 43, in particular the first perforation, is realized in a corresponding manner on the part of the manufacturer. This can be achieved using known means.

[0063] FIGS. 7 to 9 and 12 show how to test whether or not the contact pressure is too high. The drop-down seal is raised once again for this purpose. The test strip 4 is placed onto the lower surface 20 or against the front surface 10 without the already torn first test portion 40. The drop-down seal is lowered once again so that the second test portion 41 is now clamped. It is pulled by hand once again. If said second tear line 44 also tears, the contact pressure is too high. If, in contrast, it does not tear, the contact pressure thus lies within the desired optimum range.

[0064] As an alternative to this, it is naturally also possible to use a new test strip 4 which still comprises the first test portion 40. In this case, however, the second test portion 41 is nevertheless to be clamped.

[0065] A reverse arrangement of the test portions 40, 41 or of the tear lines 43, 44 is, however, also possible. I.e. the first tear line can tear at a higher contact pressure than the second tear line. In this case, the second test portion 41 is clamped first of all, this time, however, for checking the minimum contact pressure. The second test portion 41 then becomes the gripping portion and, together with the first test portion 40 which is still to be clamped, serves for checking the specified maximum contact pressure.

[0066] The test strips 4 can be packaged individually or can be present in a common packaging. Multiple test strips 4 are preferably combined to form a common block which makes it possible for the individual test strips to be torn off or detached. This is shown in FIG. 13. The block preferably comprises a connection 45 to a short side. The connection 45 is preferably an adhesive bond and/or a stitched connection. A perforation 46 is preferably present in order to make the removal of the individual test strips 4 easier.

[0067] The test strip according to the invention makes it possible to adjust a drop-down seal of a window or a door with a seal in an optimum manner.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0068]

TABLE-US-00001 1 Door frame 10 End surface to be sealed 2 Floor 20 Lower surface to be sealed 3 Sealing profile 4 Test strip 40 First test portion 41 Second test portion 42 Gripping portion 43 First tear line 44 Second tear line 45 Bond 46 Perforation 5 Hand L.sup. Longitudinal direction of the strip L.sub.1 Length of the first test portion L.sub.2 Length of the second test portion B Width of the drop-down seal