Line Element Lead-Through

Abstract

In order to produce a line element lead-through that is resistant to fire and flue gas for simple installation into one or more paneled drywalls, whereby the line element lead-through can be used in a matching component opening and is also sealed against fire and flue gas when empty, a line element lead-through is suggested with a molded element closed on at least one side of an elastically deformable intumescent material as a sleeve, especially formed as a truncated cone or a cylinder, with the criterion that the opening cross section of the sleeve corresponds to maximum 60% of the cross section of the component pass-through.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to German Patent Application DE 10 2011 004 575.9, filed Feb. 23, 2011, and entitled "Leitungselementdurchfuhrung" ("Line Element Lead-Through"), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a line element lead-through that is sealed against fire and flue gas for passages in walls and ceilings, the invention especially relates to a line lead-through of an intumescent foam.

[0003] For fire protection purposes, lead-throughs of line elements, e.g. pipes or cables or the like, through walls or ceilings must be provided with a so-called barrier or a fitting in order to prevent flames and especially smoke and poisonous gases from spreading from room to room or between floors if there is a fire.

[0004] In the fittings of rooms, the lead-throughs and lead-through openings for cables, pipes and the like are problematic since they were not installed until after completion of the entire installation, i.e. retrofit, and also can only be retrofitted after the routing of the cables and pipes.

[0005] In many cases, the wall lead-throughs either remain open or are only closed in a preliminary manner with mineral wool or stone wool cut to size. In order to pass the cables and lines through, these stoppers must be removed again, whereby after the lines and cables are passed through, the lead-throughs have to finally be closed using fire-resistant mortar, stone wool or mineral wool inserts.

[0006] However, it is often necessary that lines must be routed long after the installation is complete. This is the case, above all, when new rooms are produced in older buildings. For this purpose, drywall is often used. However, even during remodeling and/or renovation of public buildings, schools, hospitals, office buildings and special buildings, drywalls are created more and more frequently. The firewalls are often such drywalls. The drywalls often are made of sandwich-type plasterboard and are hollow or filled with mineral wool. Therefore, it is possible to route installations, especially distribution of cables, in these walls.

[0007] In addition to the classic cable lead-throughs, cables are frequently threaded out from these walls. For smaller individual cables, no complicated fire protection measures must be taken. Sealing with plaster or sealing compound is sufficient. Thicker cables, small cable bundles, empty pipes or several individual cables would have to be sealed depending on the configuration, with the approved fire protection system. The rules on how all of this must be designed are different, so the skilled tradesman is uncertain during the installation of how the line lead-through must be sealed. In addition, to date it was necessary to close the line lead-throughs so that they are sealed against fire and flue gas immediately after installation of the cables. During production of lead-throughs in fire-resistant components that are only equipped with lines much later, the problem resulted that up to the time the openings are equipped they have to be sealed so that they are fire-tight and sealed against flue gas. Equipping the openings required several work steps for leading the lines through and sealing the spaces that developed again so they are sealed against fire and flue gas. To date, this has not been possible using simple devices.

[0008] The cable boxes that were previously commonly used are complicated, especially when later fitting them with cables and/or pipes. The difficulty arises in that the (subsequent) openings have to be sealed against flue gas.

[0009] EP 0321664 discloses a seal for lead-throughs in walls, ceilings, etc. that is sealed against flue gas and fire that includes a molded element designed as a conical stopper of an elastically deformable intumescent material. The stopper is deformable with dimensional stability so it can be pressed through the lead-through and can seal it tightly. In the stopper, lead-through holes can be formed for sealed holding of pipes and/or lines. However, the lead-through holes must be adapted to the respective pipe and/or line diameters, in order to be able to seal tightly. Thus, a considerable amount of work is required for subsequent equipping of the stopper with cables or lines, which makes the system inflexible and susceptible to errors. When they are equipped with several cables or lines, the problem also results that because of its thickness the material does not seal the gussets and gaps that occur, so these have to additionally be sealed with special sealing compounds.

[0010] An arrangement for a lead-through of a long molded part through a wall that is sealed against flue gas is known from EP 2 273 637 A2. The fire protection element includes a sleeve of intumescent material or a plastic sleeve with an inner and/or outer coating of intumescent material. However, the arrangement itself is not sealed against flue gas, so it cannot be used if the component lead-through is not equipped. In addition, the arrangement has the disadvantage that equipping it with several long molded parts (line elements) is impossible because of the less flexible sleeve.

[0011] Generally, compliance with the 60% rule for cable seals with official approval causes great problems, according to which only up to max. 60% of the opening cross section must be filled with cables for openings in firewalls and ceilings. In practice, this is difficult to evaluate when this limit is reached or exceeded.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Therefore, one or more embodiments of the present invention are based on the object of providing a line element lead-through that is simple in design, easy to handle and cost-effective for lead-throughs in component parts like fire protection ceilings and walls that can be installed in a simple way after creation of the components and permits a sealing of the lead-throughs that is fire and flue gas resistant even if the lead-throughs are not equipped.

[0013] According to one or more embodiments of the invention, this object is achieved in that the line element lead-through is characterized by a molded element of an elastically deformable intumescent material designed as a sleeve and closed on at least one side.

[0014] Advantageous further developments of the one or more embodiments of the present invention can be found in the subclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In the figures:

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a line element lead-through according to a first embodiment according to the invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the line element lead-through shown in FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a cross section through a line element lead-through according to FIG. 1 inserted in a component opening equipped with a cable;

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a line element lead-through according to a second embodiment according to the invention;

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a cross section through a line element lead-through according to FIG. 4 inserted in a component opening and equipped with a cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] In the sense of one or more embodiments of the present invention, the following definitions are used:

[0022] "elastically deformable" means that the material of which the line element lead-through is made of is sufficiently elastic so that pressing it together is possible without problems, i.e. without exerting a great deal of force, say by hand, and the line element lead-through again assumes its original shape;

[0023] "form fitting" means that the line element lead-through contacts the inner wall of the component lead-through directly not only in one spot but over a certain area and forms a contact surface;

[0024] "intumescent material" means an intumescent foam material that carbonizes at temperatures starting at approx. 150.degree. C. and/or the effect of flame with multiple increases in volume; an intumescent material according to one or more embodiments of the present invention that can be used is described, for example, in DE 3917518 or U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,664;

[0025] "ash forming" means that the foam carbonizes without significant intumescence;

[0026] "line element" means cables like electrical cables, lines, empty pipes, pipes, bundles of lines or pipes and the like;

[0027] "seal" means that in a one-piece hollow molded element, the base and/or the cover surface is closed;

[0028] "opening cross section" means the cross section of the line element lead-through that can be equipped with cables.

[0029] The line element lead-through according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is advantageously formed so that it can be slid manually into a circular or oval passage through the wall. Because of a slight excess dimension of the shape designed as a sleeve and the elastically deformable material, after sliding in, the line element feed-through contacts the inner wall of the passage with a specified pressure and seals it. More precisely, this is achieved when the outer diameter of the line element lead-through is somewhat larger than that of the diameter of the component opening. Preferably the outer diameter is 1 to 5 mm larger than the diameter of the component opening, and greatly preferred 2 to 3 mm.

[0030] The elastically deformable material of which this is made of also makes possible sealing against fire and flue gas after the introduction of at least one line. The cables passed through compress the pierced wall of the line element lead-through and thus generate an extensive sealing against flue gas.

[0031] The general construction approval no. Z-19.15-349 prescribes that the entire permissible cross section of the installation, related to the respective outer dimensions, must be no more than 60% of the rough opening in total, the so-called 60% rule. Accordingly, the line element lead-through according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is designed so that the free opening of the truncated cone corresponds to the opening cross section and thus 60% of the cross section of the component opening. Thus, the opening of the truncated cone can be filled completely with line elements without violating the 60% rule. Cables and empty pipes are led through individually or as bundles up to this max. inner diameter.

[0032] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the molded element is made of an ash-forming and/or intumescent foam. This makes it possible to create the component lead-throughs prophylactically and in spite of them being filled, sealing them at temperatures starting from approx. 150.degree. C. and/or with the effective flame against passage of air and/or smoke and only passing the line elements through when necessary.

[0033] Preferably the line element lead-through is designed as one piece.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the line element lead-through is provided on the base surface with a flange-like edging that points radially outward. This prevents, for one thing, sliding the line element lead-through too far into the opening, preventing the line element lead-through, for example, from falling into the hollow space of drywalls. In addition, the edging additionally seals the component opening in the case of a fire whether it is filled with a line element or not.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the molded element of the line element lead-through is closed on its cover surface in order to form a seal. In general, it does not matter whether the base or the cover surface of the molded element is closed, or both. Both permit a sealing of the component passage that is sealed against fire and flue gas. However, a molded element that is closed on one side is simpler and less expensive to manufacture without any sacrifice to its functionality, so this embodiment is highly preferred whereby it is especially preferred if the molded element is closed on its cover surface.

[0036] The wall thickness of the molded element should be selected depending on the size of the component passage to be sealed and accordingly the size of the line element lead-through to be used so that, for one thing, there is no negative effect on the flexibility of the line element lead-through and, for another, a form-fitting seal of the component passage is ensured. However, the wall of the molded element must be at least thick enough so that the cross section of the free opening to be equipped is no greater than 60% of the cross section of the component opening. If the wall thickness is too great, the line element lead-through is not form-fit on the component passage and the outer wall of the component, which means that sealing against flue gas is no longer ensured.

[0037] Preferably the wall thickness d.sub.1 is 5 to 20 mm, more preferably 8 to 16 mm, but at least thick enough so that the 60% rule is not violated. For a hole of 4 cm O (diameter), the area 12.6 cm.sup.2 must be filled 7.5 cm.sup.2 according to the 60% rule, this corresponds to a O of 3.1 cm. Thus the wall thickness must be at least 5 mm. For a hole with 6 cm O, the wall thickness would thus be 7 mm and for 10 cm O it would be 11 mm.

[0038] With a wall thickness of less than 5 mm, the material of the line element lead-through is not adequate to create adequate intumescence and an adequately stable ash crust for sealing the component passage in the case of fire. In addition, during (subsequent) equipping of the line element lead-through with line elements, the molded element would be susceptible to cracks so sealing against flue gas could no longer be ensured.

[0039] The wall thickness d.sub.2 of the seal is less than the remaining molded part in order to make it easier to pierce it with a line element. However, it must be selected such that after piercing, the seal lies form-fit on the line element so that in case of fire an adequate sealing against flue gas is ensured. Preferably the wall thickness is 2 to 8 mm, more preferably 3 to 6 mm.

[0040] In another embodiment of the invention, the seal has predetermined breaking points to make it easier to pierce the seal. The specified breaking points are distinguished in that the material of the molded element is thinner at these points than the wall, preferably between 1 and 4 mm, and more preferably between 2 and 3 mm. In addition, these spots have a specific shape. For example, the specified breaking points can be circular, star-shaped or cross-shaped, whereby the geometry of the specified breaking point is not restricted. For example, the specified breaking point can also include several individual specified breaking points, circles of different diameters lying inside each other.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the molded element is designed as a truncated cone. Because of this, there is a certain flexibility when the line element lead-through is not completely filled, say with only one line element or a line element with a diameter that is smaller than the opening diameter of the line element, without having a negative influence on the sealing against flue gas.

[0042] Preferably the seal is designed as a membrane.

[0043] In an embodiment according to the invention, the molded element is designed as a truncated cone. Because of the shape designed as a truncated cone, a case is achieved in which the user has a certain amount of freedom during selection of the line elements so that a line element lead-through can hold and seal at least one line element of different thickness/diameter.

[0044] In another alternative embodiment, the molded element is designed as a cylinder. In this way, better sealing against flue gas can be achieved since the longish element can better compensate or bridge unevenness in the walls of the component passage.

[0045] The length 1 of the molded element is preferably 3 to 6 cm, and more preferably 3.5 to 5 cm, no matter whether it is designed as a truncated cone or a cylinder.

[0046] On its outside, the cylindrical molded element preferably has at least one bead running around it radially that is arranged at a distance from the flange-like edging. When there are several beads, these are also arranged at a distance from each other. The (first) bead is arranged at a distance from the flange-like edging so that with a sandwich-type plasterboard, a lock is formed directly behind it that prevents or will make it more difficult for the line element lead-through to fall out or be pulled out unintentionally when the line element is pulled through or if there is a light pull on the line element lead-through. In Germany, the thickness of a standard sandwich-type plasterboard panel is 12.5 mm and in the USA 16 mm, so the distance of the (first) bead from the flange-like edging is 12.5 mm or 16 mm, respectively, starting from the edge of the flange-like edging contacting the component. If thicker walls are required, generally two (double panels) or more of the sandwich-type plasterboards are placed behind each other. In order to prevent pulling it out unintentionally from the double paneled wall, a second bead is provided that according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is arranged at a distance from the first bead so that the distance of the second bead with respect to the flange-like edging is the thickness of the paneling, namely 25 mm or 32 mm, respectively, starting from the edge of the flange-like edging contacting the component. If no flange-like edging is provided, the distances are measured from the front edge of the line element lead-through.

[0047] In axial direction, the bead has a thickness from 4 to 6 mm. The thickness in radial direction is 2 to 4 mm.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment of the cylindrical molded element, the seal in the molded element is mounted at a distance from the end that is opposite the opening, i.e. that is located in the component hole in the component after introduction of the line element lead-through. The part of the molded element projecting beyond the seal then forms a guide, which makes it easier to pass line elements from the inside of the drywall.

[0049] The molded element is manufactured using mold-foaming with reaction foams (RIM) according to DE 3917518, e.g. with Fomox.RTM. fire-resistant foam or with the material HILTI CP 65GN that forms an insulating layer. Materials that can be used for the purposes of one or more embodiments of the present invention are known from EP 0061024 A1, EP 0051106 A1, EP 0043952 A1, EP 0158165 A1, EP 0116846A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,129A as well as EP 1347549 A1. Preferably the molded element is made of polyurethane foam capable of intumescence as known from EP 0061024 A1, DE 3025309 A1, DE 3041731 A1, DE 3302416 A and DE 3411 327 A1.

[0050] Exemplary embodiments according to one or more embodiments of the present invention will be explained in the following with the use of the drawings.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a line element lead-through of a molded element 1 designed as a truncated cone with a flange-like edging 2 that points radially outward according to one embodiment of the invention in which the base surface of the truncated cone forms the opening 3 and the closed cover surface of the truncated cone forms the seal 4. In this figure, the specified breaking point 5 in the form of a star can be seen that is designed on the seal 4.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows the truncated cone shape of the molded element 1 with a length 1, wherein the material thickness d.sub.1 of the edging 2 is not included, a wall thickness of the molded element d.sub.1, and a wall thickness d.sub.2 of the seal 4. The thinner specified breaking point 5 that is arranged in the center of the seal is also indicated opposite the wall thickness d.sub.2 of the seal 4.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows the barrier of an opening 7 in a component 6 with line element lead-through according to FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, through which a line element 8 in the form of a cable is passed. From the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in which the outer diameter of the molded element 1, in which the edging 2 is not considered, is slightly larger than the diameter D of the component opening 7, it is clear how the excess dimension of the outer diameter of the molded element leads to a greater contact surface 10 between the inner wall 9 of the component opening 7, whereby good sealing against flue gas is achieved, and on the other, a friction fitting self-locking of the line element lead-through is achieved. Thus, the line element lead-through can be fastened adequately tightly in the component opening 7 without additional tools, whereby falling out is prevented and unintended pulling out is made more difficult. In addition, it can be seen how the seal 4 seals the line element 8.

[0054] FIG. 4 shows a line element lead-through of a molded element 1 designed as a cylinder with a flange-like edging 2, an opening 3, a seal 4 and two beads 11 and 12 according to a second alternative embodiment according to the invention.

[0055] FIG. 5 shows the barrier of an opening 7 in a component 6 that is made of two sandwich-type plasterboards (double paneled drywall) with the line element lead-through according to the embodiment according to FIG. 4 when equipped with a line element 8. It can be seen from this that the second bead 12 engages behind the second plasterboard panel and thus forms a lock against unintentional pulling out of the line element lead-through. Because of the elastically deformable material of which the molded element 1 is made of, the first bead 11 is compressed, whereby additionally a clamping of the line element lead-through with the inner wall 7 of the component opening 6 is achieved.

[0056] While particular elements, embodiments, and applications of the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto because modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teaching. It is therefore contemplated by the appended claims to cover such modifications and incorporate those features which come within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A line element lead-through sealed against fire and flue gas for component openings, said line element lead-though including: a molded element designed as a sleeve of an elastic deformable intumescent material that is closed on at least one side with the characteristic that the opening cross section of the sleeve corresponds to maximum 60% of the cross section of the component opening.

2. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the molded element is designed in one piece from intumescent material.

3. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the molded element is provided on its face surface with a flange-like edging that points radially outward.

4. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the molded element is closed at its cover surface in order to form a seal.

5. A line element lead-through according to claim 4, wherein the material of the seal is thinner, at least in some areas, than the rest of the molded element.

6. A line element lead-through according to claim 4, wherein the seal is designed as a membrane.

7. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the wall thickness of the molded element is 5 to 20 mm.

8. A line element lead-through according to claim 5, wherein the wall thickness of the seal that is thinner at least in some areas is 2 to 8 mm.

9. A line element lead-through according to claim 5, wherein the thinner areas of the seal also have specified breaking points.

10. A line element lead-through according to claim 9, wherein the specified breaking points have a wall thickness from 1 to 4 mm.

11. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the molded element is designed as a truncated cone.

12. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the molded element is designed as a cylinder.

13. A line element lead-through according to claim 12, wherein on its outside, the molded element has at least one bead running radially around the outside that is arranged at a distance from the flange-like edging that points radially outward.

14. A line element lead-through according to claim 13, wherein the distance between the bead and the flange-like edging is one of 12.5 mm, 16 mm, and a multiple of 12.5 mm or 16 mm.

15. A line element lead-through according to claim 13, wherein the bead has a thickness of 4 to 6 mm in axial direction.

16. A line element lead-through according to claim 13, wherein the bead has a thickness in radial direction of 2 to 4 mm.

17. A line element lead-through according to claim 1, wherein the molded element is made of polyurethane foam with intumescence capability.