KR880001668B1 - Duct connecting system - Google Patents

Abstract

The system is for connecting the ends of a sheet metal duct (10). Each duct end is provided with a frame (18, 20). Corner connectors (34) defining perpendicularly extending arms are associated with each frame, and bolts (40) or other fasteners are utilized for connecting the connectors and frames. The frames comprise integral roll-formed sections at the duct ends. The sections includes a first portion extending perpendicularly outward from the duct wall and a second portion bent rearward from the outer end of the first portion. When the frame is formed in this fashion, it receives the side edges of respective arms of corner connectors.

Description

Conduit connection system

1 is a perspective view of a conduit assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the conduit junction taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a plan view of a corner connector that is preferably used to connect the conduit junction of the present invention.

4 is a plan view of a conduit blank designed specifically for the practice of the present invention.

5 is a plan view of a corner connector structure with improved features.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the corner connector of FIG. 5 taking one side of the corner connector.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the corner connector of FIG. 5 taking the other side of the corner connector.

8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG.

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIG.

11 is a cross-sectional view of the corner connector of FIG. 5 as part of the conduit junction.

12 is a side view of the conduit junction of FIG.

13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 13-13 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the reinforcing material taken along line 14-14 of FIG.

15 is a cross-sectional view of the reinforcement.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

12 conduit joining means 14 conduit blanks

22: end bent portion 24: secondary portion

26: reversal part 28: bead

30, 32: channel 34, 50: corner connector

36, 38: edge 44: clip

52: embossed area 56: outer edge

60: corner flange 62: corner

64: offset ear 66: reinforcement

The present invention relates to means for connecting the ends of the thin conduit portions. In particular, the present invention includes an assembly of the type having a frame member which forms a flange provided at an end of a conduit with frame members adjacent to each other by rectangular edge fragments.

In the prior art, in particular, Ms. US Pat. No. 3,712,650 and Mr. Arnold's US Pat. No. 4,218,079 disclose flange connections for connecting the ends of rectangular air conditioning conduits. The device has a flange portion having a horizontal leg securely held at the end portion of the conduit and a vertical channeled leg for receiving the arms of the angular edge fragments.

In Metz's patent, the rectangular edge fragment has an arm portion extending from the vertical leg to the hole. The arm portion has a vertically placed dimension where the bottom surface of the arm is adjacent to the bottom wall of the horizontal flange. In the device, the end of the conduit wall is adjacent or installed to the surface of the edge fragment arm extending into the channeled hole.

In addition, Mr. Arnold's patent also includes a flange section with an upright channel leg section having a front wall and a rear wall forming a vertical hole between the front wall and the rear wall, and a conduit housing the leg section with the top and bottom walls. To provide. The edge fragments can be inserted into the longitudinal holes and are also prepared for the gasket means located in the longitudinal holes adjacent to the conduit containing the leg bottom walls. The gasket means is arranged to be placed between the conduit end portion and the top surface of the conduit containing the leg bottom wall for sealingly connecting the conduit end portion to the flange portion.

In Metz and Arnold's device, the bolt type is used to attach edge fragments at the end of the conduit with edge fragments at adjacent conduit ends. The appropriate clip will be placed at the distal end of the adjacent frame at the individual conduit end. The assembly thus made has a multi-stage assembly step that requires skill and experience with good strength and is included to achieve the assembly of the present invention.

Seegworth's US Patent Nos. 3,443 and 601 disclose other devices for connecting conduit ends. In this patent, the framed portion is formed as an integral part of the conduit end, and a clip or shelf is provided to connect the adjacent framed portions. The framed part or / and clip is designed to ensure good attachment with a resilient connection. Even if the device does not include an assembly step, the assembly operation is difficult, and the device is not very good in strength.

In the system of the present invention, the frame and the corner connector are assembled at the conduit end to connect the corresponding frame with the corner connector of the adjacent conduit end. The assembly consists of bolts or similar fasteners in a conventional manner.

An improvement of the present invention is the formation of a frame with a cross section integrally formed in the wall of the conduit. The frame forms a primary portion extending outwardly from the conduit wall and a secondary portion that is bent in the rearward direction at a position opposite the end portion of the conduit wall. In a preferred form of the invention, the opposite end portion of the conduit wall opposite the secondary bent in the rear direction forms an opposing channel. The side edges of the arms of the corner connector are arranged to be in position in the channel to secure assembly of the corner connector with respect to the frame. After assembly is complete, the conduit end can be easily joined to the adjacent conduit end by the bolt.

The present invention also improved the corner connector. The design of the corner connector is intended to enhance the desired fixing action and at the same time provide a convenient assembly device. Corner connectors also provide a means to minimize gaps or holes in the junction area. Finally, the corner connector is equipped with convenient attachment means for the reinforcement when the accessory element is required. The rounded conduit end, the corner connector in place and the continuous bolting operation to provide an integral frame are provided with steps that can be performed quickly without the need for skill.

By achieving a very reliable assembly operation with minimal cost and effort, the conduit assembly can have great strength. If desired, the clips may be installed in adjacent frames of adjacent conduits. Gasket material can also be easily installed between adjacent frames.

With reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in more detail.

1 illustrates a series of conduits 10 commonly used for heating and ventilation purposes. The conduit is assembled by conduit end joining means 12. Typically assembled by the joining means (12). Typically the joining means are used in relatively large conduits used in commercial and industrial applications. In places where the full width between conduits is relatively long, reinforcement may be used for the additional span of the conduit joining means.

4 illustrates a conduit blank 14 for use in an embodiment of the present invention. The blanks are allowed to overlap along line 16 to achieve the rectangular shape of FIG. The ends 18, 20 of the blank are adapted to be formed by the method described below, whereby the ends of the conduits formed with one blank can be joined to the ends of the other conduits.

2 shows a cross-sectional view of a rounded shape of conduit end 20 adjacent to conduit end 18. The rounding operation to make the shape can be carried out with equipment of the type known from Patent No. 4, 045, 989 to Mr. Cheng.

The ends 18, 20 have end bent portions 22 extending vertically from the wall of the conduit. The secondary portion 24 is bent in a posterior direction whereby the secondary portion 24 extends opposite the conduit wall. A reversal portion 26 is provided and beads 28 are formed at the same time. The outwardly extending end bent portion 22 and the rearwardly extending secondary portion 24 combine to form a frame integrally formed with the conduit wall. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the channel 30 is formed between the bead 28 and the end bent portion 22 and a similar channel 32 is formed in the conduit wall on the opposite side of the channel 30. The corner connectors 34 form edges 36 and 38 which are accommodated by individual channels.

Corner connector 34 is shown in detail in FIG. 3. The corner connector consists of a cast or forged member that can be machined to create magnetic fields 36 and 38. The member is a relatively hard metal while the sheet metal forming the unitary frame with the conduit is made of a relatively resilient material. The corner connector incorporating the above material is provided by installing the edge 38 of the corner connector in the channel 30 and driving the edge 36 toward the end bend 2 to install the edge 36 in the channel 32. It is supposed to be in position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the corner connector 34 constitutes an arm extending vertically. In the assembly shown in FIG. 1, one corner connector connects the separation between adjacent frames of the conduit. To assemble the conduits individually, simply place four corner connectors at the end of a given conduit, which can be manipulated by hand without the need for any tools. Where the equipment of the type known in the above-mentioned patent is used, the integral frame is automatically formed, and the conduits are easily bent to the desired rectangular shape. Therefore, highly precise labor or great effort is not required to assemble the corner connector and the frame desirably.

When assembling the conduits, the corner connectors associated with the individual frames are carried together and preferably connected using bolts 40 or other suitable fasteners. A bolt hole 46 is provided in the corner connector, and an accessory hole 48 is placed adjacent to the end of the corner connector arm to use the accessory fastener, in which case the corner connector arm extends through the frame wall. will be. Before completing the connection, the gasket 42 will be installed between the individual frame parts for conventional purposes.

The clip 44 connects the frame portions of adjacent conduits. The clip is designed to be in place and the joint is well exposed. In addition, the clip 44 serves to strengthen the bonding.

5 to 13 show a particularly well designed corner connector 50. As shown in FIGS. 11-13, the corner connector is intended to be used in conjunction with a conduit having rounded ends 18, 20.

The corner connector 50 forms an embossed area 52 at the inwardly facing surface. An inwardly extending embossed area in the corner connector will connect to the corresponding area of the adjacent corner connector when a conduit junction is formed. When the bolt 54 is tightened, the embossed area is thrust and connected by the arm of the corner connector, which acts to press each end 18, 20 to each other. Thrust is applied by individual arm pairs at the edges of the assembled conduit to provide good fixation.

Corner connector 50 has an outer edge 56 at the arm. The edge extends outwardly from the arm and the edge is adapted to receive inside the channel defined by the conduit end as shown in FIG. In practice, the outer edge of the corner connector is first placed in an inclined position in the channel 30, and then the corner connector pivots so that the inner edge is in place in the channel 32. Each shape of the outer edge 56 and the individual dimensions of the component are such that the material bead 28 bends when the corner connector is in place by providing a force that securely holds the corner connector with respect to the conduit end.

In addition, the corner connector 50 has a corner flange 60 therein. The corner flange serves to cover the opening formed in the edge 62 of the conduit. The hole or gap essentially occurs when the conduit blank is cut to provide a portion that is rounded at the conduit ends 18, 20. By designing the corner connector in this manner, the flow rate of air exiting the conduit is reduced to a minimum.

The arm of the corner connector 50 has an offset ear 64 which is used to hold the reinforcement covering the surfaces of the conduit ends 18, 20. The reinforcement 66 shown in FIG. 11 consists of a strip of steel spring that can be connected to the reinforcement end below the offset ear 64. In terms of the reinforcement the reinforcement is caught between the two channels 30, 32. In particular, if the length of the reinforcement is sufficient, it may be wavy as shown in FIG. 15, that is, there will be bending along the length, which will increase the reinforcement capacity.

The particular stiffeners shown are merely examples of shapes appropriate for rounded cross sections, and other designs may be used. In this embodiment the ends of the reinforcement will slide well below the offset ear 64 before attaching the clip 44.

In addition to the improvements to the design of the conduits and corner connectors described above, the present invention provides for the consolidation of conduit ends by rounded integral frames. The rounding operation allows the retaining means to be automatically provided to the corner connector, whereby the corner connector can be quickly assembled with the frame. Conduit can be conveniently bolted to the end of the conduit and additionally clip and gaskets can be easily carried out. The simple operation results in a very good strength of the conduit assembly, which makes it particularly suitable for commercial and industrial applications.

Modifications and variations are possible in accordance with the preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit and technical spirit of the invention.

Claims (13)

A system for forming an arm extending perpendicularly to a frame provided at an end of a conduit to connect an end of a thin conduit having means for interconnecting a frame at an adjacent conduit end with a corner connector connected to the frame, the frame being a conduit It consists of a cross section rounded from the wall, the cross section consisting of a primary portion extending vertically outwardly from the conduit wall and a secondary portion bent in the rear direction at a position opposite the end portion of the conduit wall. The distance between the part and the end part actually coincides with the width of the arm of the corner connector, the side edges of the arm being received so as to be connected to separate surfaces of the secondary part and the end part, whereby the corner connector is held in position with respect to the frame. Connection system, characterized in that. The connection system of claim 1, comprising a channel formed in the secondary portion of the frame to receive the side edge of the arm. 3. The connection system of claim 2, having a secondary channel formed in an end portion of the conduit wall to receive the opposite side lateral edge of the arm. A connecting system according to claim 1, comprising a reversing portion formed by the secondary portion and a bead formed by the reversing portion of the arm to assist in connecting the arm to the secondary portion. 5. A connection system according to claim 4, comprising a clip connected to adjacent secondary portions of the assembled conduit end and connecting the distance between adjacent secondary portions. 6. A connection system according to claim 5, wherein the beads of the secondary portion provide a means for connecting with a clip. Corner connectors for use in a system that forms an arm extending perpendicular to the frame provided at the conduit end and connects the end of the thin conduit with means for interconnecting the frame at the adjacent conduit end with a plurality of corner connectors connected to the frame. In a corner connector, the corner connector has a protrusion provided adjacent to the periphery, the protrusion is configured to connect with a similar protrusion of a corner connector connected to an adjacent conduit end, the connecting protrusion developing a force in the retaining portion of the individual corner connector. The holding parts thereby thrust towards each other to increase the fixing ability of the corner connector. 8. The corner connector according to claim 7, wherein the protrusion is formed by the joining of arms at the outer periphery of the corner connector. Corner for use in a system for connecting the end of a thin conduit with means for interconnecting the frame of an adjacent conduit end with a plurality of corner connectors connected to the frame by forming an arm extending perpendicularly to the frame provided at the conduit end. In the connector, the outer lateral edge of the arm at the corner connector extends outwardly and the frame has oppositely facing channels for receiving the inner and outer lateral edges of the arm, respectively, and extends at an angle. And the outer side edge is rigidly connected to one of the channels to securely hold the corner connector in position with respect to the frame. 10. The bead of claim 9, wherein the frame forms a bead along an outer edge of the channel that is connected to an angled extending outer side edge, wherein the angled outer side edge is in a channel under force exceeding the bead. Corner connector, characterized in that it is placed in place inside. Corner connectors for use in a system that forms an arm extending perpendicular to the frame provided at the conduit end and connects the end of the thin conduit with means for interconnecting the frame of the adjacent conduit end with a plurality of corner connectors connected to the frame. A corner connector, comprising: a corner flange provided at the junction of the inner edge of the arm at the corner connector, the corner flange adapted to cover a gap in the conduit wall at the junction of the conduit wall in the conduit frame. Corner connectors for use in a system that forms an arm extending perpendicular to the frame provided at the conduit end and connects the end of the thin conduit with means for interconnecting the frame at the adjacent conduit end with a plurality of corner connectors connected to the frame. And a reinforcement member attached to the means at the end of the arm at the corner connector and to the means at the end of the arm, the reinforcement member extending between the ends of adjacent corner connectors mounted to the frame. connector. The corner connector of claim 12, wherein the means formed at the end have offset ears, whereby the reinforcement is adapted to be held in the space formed by the frame surface adjacent to the ear.

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