WO2004018802A1

WO2004018802A1 - Sealing device and method for closing openings in buildings, passages, and similar

Info

Publication number: WO2004018802A1
Application number: PCT/EP2003/003885
Authority: WO
Inventors: Heike Becker; Rainer Dr. Hersener
Original assignee: Heike Becker; Hersener Rainer Dr
Priority date: 2002-08-02
Filing date: 2003-04-15
Publication date: 2004-03-04
Also published as: DE10236726A1; AU2003227621A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a sealing device (1) for closing openings in buildings, passages, and similar (2), comprising a filling device (6) which supplies a gaseous filling medium, and a collapsible sealing member (7). Said sealing member (7) is embodied and connected to the filling device (6) such that the volume thereof increases to such an extent that the opening (2) in the building is closed when the sealing member is filled with the gaseous filling medium. The filling device (6) is provided with a pyrotechnic gas generator (8) which supplies at least the initial filling of the sealing member (7) with a gaseous filling medium.

Description

SEALING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CLOSING BUILDING OPENINGS, PASSAGES AND THE LIKE

The invention relates to a sealing device and a method for closing building openings, passages and the like. The device and the method serve to securely close building openings - e.g. B. a tunnel, a hallway in a building or a door or window opening - to separate certain areas of the building from others and to effectively prevent the effects of undesirable environmental influences. The undesirable environmental influences can be, for example, floods, escaping gas, fire and the like. It is also possible to use the device for blocking off a building opening in order to prevent the blocked part of the building from being used, for example by pedestrians or motor vehicles.

STATE OF THE ART

A sealing device for closing building openings or land enclosures for protection against flooding is known from DE 39 05 660 C2. The sealing device has a collapsible sealing body which, in its rest position, is embedded in the floor below the door of a building or is fastened below a window. The sealing device furthermore has a filling device for providing a gaseous filling medium. Part of the filling device is a compressed air bottle or a small compressor. The collapsible sealing body is filled with compressed air via this compressed air bottle or the small compressor. The sealing device is either put into operation automatically via a water level sensor or by hand. In this way, compressed air flows into the sealing body in such a way that its volume slowly decreases enlarged to achieve the desired sealing of the building opening or the like against flooding.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The invention has for its object to provide a sealing device and a method for closing building openings, passages and the like, with which a quick reaction to suddenly changing environmental conditions and thus a very fast closing of the building opening, the passage or the like is possible.

SOLUTION

The object of the invention is achieved by a sealing device with the features of independent claim 1 or by a method with the features of independent claim 10.

ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGY

A protective device against flooding and / or a retention device for environmentally damaging liquid media is known from DE 38 44 641 A1. The protective device has a base element firmly anchored in the floor, in which a flexible tarpaulin with a sealing hose is mounted. A gaseous medium is introduced into the flexible tarpaulin via the sealing hose, so that its volume slowly increases.

A protective device, in particular a fire protection device for gate exits and for areas between fire sections in the form of a fire-fighting water retention system, is known from DE 195 17 232 A1. The protective device has a collapsible sealing wall that is slowly inflated from pressure bottles by means of automatically or manually supplied compressed air.

A further sealing device for closing building openings against liquids is known from PCT / GB 91/00037 (international publication number WO 91/10803). The sealing device has a collapsible sealing body that with Compressed air or other suitable gas or liquid can be filled slowly to provide a watertight seal.

A fire protection blocking device for closing an interior is known from DE 199 64 021 A1. The fire protection barrier uses two components of expanding materials with different functions. The first inflatable material ensures the closure of a pipeline and at an initial reaction temperature of around 70 ° C. and above it seals the inner diameter of the pipeline at an explosion rate, whereby solidification and / or hardening takes place. The second component has a reaction temperature which is higher than that of the first component, in particular at a temperature of 110 ° C., preferably 140 ° C. and above. After expansion, the material of the second layer formed by the second component serves as insulation to prevent the passage of heat and / or fire, and can loosely flocculate or be powdered. There is the disadvantage that the solid mass has to be disposed of and therefore the production of the initial state is very complex.

A device for closing wall openings, pipes or similar flow cross sections and a mass expanding in the event of fire is known from DE 196 17 017 A1. There is a mass used at temperatures of e.g. B. 300 ° C to 600 ° C expanded. The inorganic, non-combustible components of the volume-increasing mass block the flow cross-section and thus protect against fire and combustion gases. There is the disadvantage that the solid mass has to be disposed of and therefore the production of the initial state is very complex.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The sealing device according to the invention for closing building openings, passages and the like has a filling device for providing a gaseous filling medium and a collapsible sealing body. The sealing body is designed and connected to the filling device such that its volume increases when filled with the gaseous filling medium in such a way that the building opening is closed. The filling device has a pyrotechnic gas generator which provides at least the initial filling of the sealing body with gaseous filling medium. In the method according to the invention for closing building openings, passages and the like, a folded sealing body is filled with a gaseous filling medium in such a way that the volume of the sealing body increases in such a way that the building opening is closed. The sealing body is at least initially filled with the gaseous filling medium by means of a pyrotechnic gas generator.

At least for the initial filling of the sealing body with gaseous filling medium, the advantage of a pyrotechnic gas generator is thus used that this suddenly causes the sealing body, which was initially folded, to be filled and the volume of the sealing body to increase rapidly as a result. In this way it is possible to react extremely quickly to changing environmental influences. So there is initially no relatively slow filling of the folded sealing body with gaseous filling medium via pressure bottles, conventional compressors or the like.

The sealing device has essentially two states regarding its outer shape or its volume. Before the sealing device is used, the collapsed sealing body is compressed or collapsed in its unfilled state in such a way that it has only a small volume and accordingly only takes up a small amount of space. In this passive position or rest position, the sealing body is preferably arranged on the surface of a wall of the building or in an opening provided for this purpose in the wall of the building. A further sealing device can be arranged on the opposite side of the building opening, so that each of the sealing devices only has to bridge half the distance between the walls of the building opening and in the filled position they come into effective sealing contact with one another.

The second position or state form of the sealing device is the active position, in which the sealing body is no longer collapsed, but rather has increased in volume due to the filling with the gaseous filling medium. This volume is adapted to the dimensions of the building opening to be closed. As has already been explained above, a sealing body can be designed in such a way that it seals the entire building opening or can also cooperate with one or more further sealing bodies in such a way that they ultimately produce the desired sealing effect. The sealing effect is based on an existing one in the sealing body compared to the ambient pressure Overpressure and a certain elasticity of the material of the sealing body, so that it adapts to the geometric shape of the building opening to be closed. The outer surface of the sealing body comes into frictional contact with the walls of the building opening, the passage and the like. This frictional contact between the outer surface of the sealing body and the walls of the building opening finally ensures the desired tight closure of the building opening. Depending on the design of the sealing body, this ensures a gas-tight, liquid-tight and / or fireproof closure.

The sealing device is activated either manually - for example by actuating a switch or lever - or automatically by means of control electronics. Because of the activation, the pyrotechnic gas generator is first ignited and the filling medium penetrates into the interior of the sealing body. The previously folded sealing body then suddenly unfolds and adjusts its volume or its outer contour to the opening to be closed. The collapsed sealing body was usually previously arranged in a seal which prevents damage or contamination of the sealing body. When the sealing device is activated, this seal is opened.

After the sealing effect of the sealing device is no longer desired, the gaseous filling medium can be discharged from the sealing body either automatically or manually via a valve. Of course, it is also possible that, for. B. Rescue workers destroy the sealing body with a suitable cutting tool, so that the barrier provided by the sealing device can be removed as quickly as possible in an emergency. After the filling medium has escaped from the sealing body, this represents a disposable product which is replaced for the reuse of the sealing device.

The pyrotechnic gas generator can be a solid fuel generator or a hybrid gas generator. Pyrotechnic gas generators of this type are known from the field of automotive airbags. A solid fuel in the form of tablets is used in a solid fuel generator. These tablets mostly contain sodium azide (NaN ₃ ) or an azide-free fuel. There is also a squib in the gas generator, by means of which the solid fuel suddenly burns off. Thereby Among other things, nitrogen compounds are formed, which then suddenly fill the sealing body due to aggressive unfolding and thus increase its volume.

Hybrid gas generators have a gas cartridge with a compressed gas that is opened using a pyrotechnic propellant. The hot combustion products of the outflowing gas heat the filling gas, which then fills the sealing body suddenly, so that its volume increases accordingly. The filling gas usually consists of a mixture of noble gases (e.g. 98% argon and 2% helium), which are stored in a steel cartridge under a pressure of approx. 200 bar.

A refilling device for providing a gaseous filling medium can be provided, which is designed and connected to the sealing body such that the volume of the sealing body is kept constant after the initial filling by the filling device. Such refilling compensates for a thermal shrinkage of the volume of the gaseous filling medium in the sealing body, so that not only a short-term sealing of the building opening, but a permanent seal is ensured.

The refill device can have a refill gas generator or at least one pressure bottle with compressed gaseous filling medium. No sudden refilling behavior of the refilling device is required for refilling. It is sufficient for this that a relatively slow refilling compensates for the volume losses of the initial rapid filling, which occur as a function of the prevailing temperatures.

A pressure relief valve can be provided, which is designed and arranged such that when a certain pressure level in the sealing body is exceeded, filling medium escapes from the sealing body via the pressure relief valve. In this way it is ensured that, for. B. due to increases in the outside temperature, undesirable increases in volume of the sealing body can be compensated. In this case or if the sealing body is filled too strongly by the pyrotechnic gas generator, the pressure relief valve prevents mechanical overloading of the outer skin of the sealing body which could damage the sealing body and ultimately lead to a deterioration in the sealing effect. The sealing body or its outer skin can be formed from a heat-resistant, elastic material. This material should be suitable for providing a gas-tight and liquid-tight seal. The heat-resistant properties of the material are particularly important for fire and fire protection. The material can be selected so that it can separate the source of the fire from other parts of the building over a certain period of time.

The sealing body can be formed from an elastic material in which steel fibers or Kevlar fibers are incorporated. Such a design is particularly preferred in order to prevent people or vehicles from passing through the building opening, the tunnel or the like. The steel or Kevlar fibers lead to an increase in the mechanical strength of the outer shell of the sealing body and can be designed, for example, in such a way that the sealing body is bulletproof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is further explained and described below with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments shown in the figures.

Flg. 1 shows a cross section through a building opening according to l-l in FIG. 3 with two schematically illustrated sealing devices in the rest position.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section through a building opening according to l-l in Fig. 3 with two schematically illustrated sealing devices in the activated position.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the building opening and one of the sealing devices according to FIG. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a functional diagram of the sealing device. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

1 shows two sealing devices 1 according to the invention, which are arranged in a building opening 2. In the embodiment shown, the building is a tunnel 3, of which only the side walls 4, 5 can be seen due to the sectional representation. The cross-section is laid out in such a way that e.g. 1 in the drawing plane of FIG. 1 extends from left to right. A sealing device 1 is arranged on each of the two side walls 4, 5. The sealing devices 1 extend approximately from the bottom of the tunnel 3 to the ceiling (FIG. 3). The structure of one of the two sealing devices 1 is described below. It goes without saying that the other sealing device 1 has the same structure.

The sealing device 1 has a filling device 6 for providing a gaseous filling medium. Furthermore, the sealing device 1 has a collapsible sealing body 7 which is connected to the filling device 6 in such a way that gaseous medium can flow from the filling device 6 into the sealing body 7. The filling device 6 has a pyrotechnic gas sensor 8.

2 shows the activated position of the sealing devices 1. It can be seen that the sealing bodies 7 were filled with gaseous filling medium via the pyrotechnic gas generator 8 of the filling device 6, so that their volume is greatly expanded and the building opening 2 of the tunnel 3 is securely closed. When expanding, the sealing bodies 7 have provided cover flaps 9 which protect the sealing body 7 from contamination and damage in the idle state. The sealing body 7 contact each other as well as the floor 10 and the ceiling 11 of the tunnel 3 (Fig. 3). In this way, the entire building opening 2 is closed in a gas-tight or liquid-tight manner.

In Fig. 3 some further elements of the sealing device 1 are shown schematically. However, it is not a constructive representation, but only a symbolic functional representation. The sealing device 1 has control electronics 12. The control electronics 12 serve to control or regulate the filling and emptying process of the sealing body 7. Furthermore, a temperature sensor 13 is a Pressure sensor 14, an electrical pressure relief valve 15 and a mechanical pressure relief valve

16 provided.

The sealing device 1 furthermore has a refill device 17 for providing a gaseous filling medium, which is designed and connected to the sealing body 7 such that the volume of the sealing body 7 is kept approximately constant after the initial filling by the filling device 6. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the refill device 17 has a pressure bottle 18 with compressed gaseous filling medium. Instead of or in addition to the pressure bottle 18, the refill device can

17 but also e.g. have a refill gas generator. An embodiment with a plurality of pressure bottles 18 is also possible.

To seal the building opening 2, the sealing device 1 is activated either automatically - for example via the temperature sensor 13 when a certain temperature is exceeded - or manually by actuating an emergency lever or switch. Thereupon the pyrotechnic gas generator 8 is activated for the initial filling of the sealing body 7 with gaseous filling medium. The gaseous filling medium expands suddenly and thus fills the sealing body 7 in a very short time until it has reached a certain volume. In order to prevent this volume from being exceeded, gaseous filling medium can flow out via the pressure relief valves 15, 16 when a certain pressure in the sealing body 7 is exceeded. After the initial filling of the sealing body 7 by means of the pyrotechnic gas generator 8, a certain amount becomes after a cooling of the gaseous filling medium

Volume reduction occur. So that the sealing effect of the sealing device 1 is not lost, gaseous medium is introduced into the interior of the sealing body 7 by means of the refill device 17 and the pressure bottle 18 via a refill valve 19.

Alternatively, refill gas could also be supplied from the outside via a feed line. It is also possible to use a refill gas generator, for example a slowly burning pyrotechnic gas generator, instead of the pressure bottle 18.

Furthermore, a vent valve could be provided via which, for. B. remotely controlled filling medium can be drained from the sealing bodies 7. This function is otherwise performed via the electrical pressure relief valve 15. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a mechanical vent valve in order, for example, to enable the sealing device 1 to be easily opened by deflating the control medium 12 by draining the filling medium from the sealing body 7. An exhaust fan can also be used. This has certain advantages if the sealing device 1 is to be automatically emptied quickly after use has been completed.

4 finally shows a functional diagram of the sealing device according to the invention, the individual functional parts being connected to one another by means of a data bus 20.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Sealing device 11 ceiling

Building opening 12 control electronics

Tunnel 13 temperature sensor

Side wall 14 pressure sensor

Side wall 15 electrical pressure relief valve

Filling device 16 mechanical pressure relief valve

Sealing body 17 refill device pyrotechnic gas generator 18 pressure bottle

Cover flap 19 refill valve

Floor 20 data bus

Claims

1. Sealing device for closing building openings, passages and the like, with a filling device (6) for providing a gaseous filling medium, and a collapsible sealing body (7), which is designed and connected to the filling device (6) that it Volume when filled with the gaseous filling medium is increased in such a way that the building opening (2) is closed, characterized in that the filling device (6) has a pyrotechnic gas generator (8) which provides at least the initial filling of the sealing body (7) with gaseous filling medium ,

2. Sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is in the pyrotechnic gas generator (8) is a solid fuel generator or a hybrid gas generator.

3. Sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a refill device (17) is provided for providing a gaseous filling medium, which is designed and connected to the sealing body (7) such that the volume of the sealing body (7) after the initial Filling is kept constant by the filling device (6).

4. Sealing device according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the refill device (17) has a refill gas generator.

5. Sealing device according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the refill device (17) has at least one pressure bottle (18) with compressed gaseous filling medium.

6. Sealing device according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a pressure relief valve (15, 16) is provided, which is designed in such a way and it is arranged that * when a certain pressure level in the sealing body (7) is exceeded, filling medium escapes from the sealing body (7) via the pressure relief valve (15, 16).

7. The device according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a drain valve is provided which is designed and arranged such that after the filling medium escapes from the sealing body (7) via the drain valve.

8. Sealing device according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the sealing body (7) is formed from a heat-resistant, elastic material.

9. Sealing device according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the sealing body (7) is formed from an elastic material, in which steel fibers or Kevlar fibers are incorporated.

10. A method for closing building openings, passages and the like, comprising the steps of filling a folded sealing body (7) with a gaseous filling medium in such a way that the volume of the sealing body (7) increases so that the building opening (2) is closed, thereby characterized in that the sealing body (7) is at least initially filled with the gaseous filling medium by means of a pyrotechnic gas generator (8).