Insulating air conduit

Abstract

This invention is related to ultra-light conduit for used air and a method for construction of such a conduit with sandwich sheet type of material such as “THERMO-FOIL™” permitting to avoid losses of heat and humid air. The method of construction of a used air rectangular conduit includes the following five (5) steps: 1) cutting of a sandwich sheet 2) sealing around the sandwich sheet 3) heat formation of lengthwise channels on the surface of sandwich sheet 4) assembling the sandwich sheet into a conduit of a predetermined length and 5) installing a lengthwise vertical reinforcement into the conduit and providing a male adaptor to a fore end of the conduit which could be adapted to an aft end of a joining conduit.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An air duct comprising: 
 one or more segments, each segment disposed longitudinally relatively to a major axis  32  parallel to the air flow, each segment comprising a wall defining an internal space that permits flow of said air, said wall being uniformly thick and made of a sandwich material comprising air cells contained between a first external film and a second internal film, said second internal film coinciding with an internal space,    each said segment comprising an upstream end  36  and a downstream end  34 , said upstream end  36  and said downstream end  34  being opened, each segment comprising means for coupling fitted into said downstream end and posing as a male end to join a segment to another segment, and an evacuation conduit to a female end of another evacuation conduit; said upstream end  34  to pose as female end to join with said means for coupling.    
     
     
         2 . An air duct as defined in    claim 1    wherein said wall comprises: 
 a first end  88  longitudinal relatively to said segment and a second end  89  also longitudinal, said first end  88  ending with a first angular crushing  82 , extended in a first flat end  60 , said second end  89  ending with a second angular crushing  86  extended in a second flat end  62  to be folded on said second angular crushing  86 , said first angular crushing  82  leaning against said second flat end  62 , said first end  60  setting itself beyond said second end  89 , along said first external film, said wall also comprising means for adhesion to make said conduit airtight and to hold together said first end and said second end.  
 
     
     
         3 . An air duct as defined in    claim 1    wherein said means for coupling comprise an adaptor  42  with an external face  43  adjacent to said second internal film  76  of said wall, said adaptor  42  partly extended outside of said downstream end  36  for inserting into said upstream end  34  of an adjacent segment, said wall comprising lateral crushed ends  64  to seal said sandwich material at said upstream and downstream ends.  
     
     
         4 . An air duct, as defined in    claim 2     wherein said wall forms a parallelepiped with a rectangular section comprising a top  24 , prolonged by said first flat end  60 , a closed side  28 , a bottom  26 , an opened side  30  prolonged by said second flat end  62 , and at least three longitudinal lines for folding of which one demarcating a first limit  68 , between said top  24  and said closed side  28 , another demarcating a second limit  70  between said closed side  28  and said bottom  26 , and a third demarcating a third limit  72 , between said bottom  26  and said opened side  30 , said parallelepiped comprising means for reinforcement orientated along said major axis, touching said top and bottom.    
     
     
         5 . An air duct, as defined in    claim 4   , wherein said means for coupling is a parallelepiped rigid adaptor comprising two opened sides and a rectangular section adapted to lean onto an internal side of an aperture defined by said top, closed side  28 , bottom  26  and opened side  30 .  
     
     
         6 . An air duct, as defined in    claim 4    wherein said means for reinforcement is a C-reinforcement comprising a web and two wings wherein each of said wings is respectively in contact with said top and said bottom, said web serving as reinforcement, to avoid collapsing of said top onto said bottom.  
     
     
         7 . An air duct, as defined in    claim 4   , wherein said first flat end is joined to said end of said opened side by means for adhesion placed on all length of said opened side.  
     
     
         8 . An air duct, as defined in    claim 2   , wherein said wall is cylindrical, comprising a first end and a second end, said upstream end and said downstream end being of circular section, said means of coupling being a rigid adaptor  114  that will lean against an internal side of said cylindrical wall of an adjacent segment.  
     
     
         9 . An air duct, as defined in    claim 7   , wherein means for adhesion is an aluminized band of the type Mactac™, located on all length of said wall and joining said first flat end to said second end.  
     
     
         10 . A method of construction of air duct made with rigid insulating material comprising a sandwich made of air cells contained between a first external film and a second internal film, said air duct comprising a wall placed around a major axis parallel to fluid flow direction, said wall comprising a longitudinal union of a first flat end and a second flat end, said air duct comprising opened upstream and downstream ends, said method of construction comprising the following steps: 
 step of cutting said sandwich insulating material demarcating a perimeter of predefined dimension;    step of sealing said perimeter to proof said sandwich to prevent liquid or gaseous fluid exchanges between the interior of said insulating material and the exterior, said step of sealing comprising a step of crushing of said first flat end and said second flat end;    step of folding said sandwich around said major axis according to a desired form of section;    step of assembling of said first flat end and said second flat end with means of adhesion, to complete said form of section;    step of installation of a rigid adaptor fitting into said downstream end.    
     
     
         11 . A method as defined in    claim 10   , for a parallelepiped air duct of rectangular section comprising a top, a bottom and opened and closed sides, said method comprising the following additional steps of construction: 
 step of folding by means for heating of said sandwich to obtain said top, said bottom, said closed side and said opened side required to form said rectangular air duct;    step of preparing a C-reinforcement, in shaping a web and two wings from said insulating material;    step of installation of said wings respectively in contact with said top and said bottom, said web serving as reinforcement joining said top to said bottom.    
     
     
         12 . A method as defined in    claim 10   , wherein said sandwich is a sheet comprising several layers of material, four sides, and said perimeter, and wherein said step of sealing of said perimeter consists in heating said perimeter with an angle iron in such a way that the layers of said sandwich melt to create four thin bands respectively on each of said four sides of said sheet, two of said thin bands coinciding with said first flat end and said second flat end, said first flat end, when installed, being joined to said second flat end.  
     
     
         13 . A method as defined in    claim 11   , wherein the width of said first flat end is larger than the width of said second flat end to cover completely any joint between said top and said opened side, said first flat end being installed externally to said opened side, and said second flat end of said opened side being placed under said top side.  
     
     
         14 . A method as defined in    claim 11   , wherein said step of folding said sandwich consists in heating said sandwich with an angle iron to produce three V grooves on said internal film of said sandwich, said V grooves having 135° sides to form a section of an isosceles triangular form when said sandwich is placed on a flat surface, said V grooves respectively demarcating a first limit between said top and said closed side, a second limit between said closed side and said bottom and a third limit between said bottom and said opened side; when said sandwich is folded to form said rectangular air duct, said 135° sides join to define corners of said rectangular air duct.  
     
     
         15 . A method as defined in    claim 11   , wherein said step of assembling consists in sticking said first flat end of said top onto said opened side with said adhesive band on all length of said first flat end.  
     
     
         16 . A method as defined in    claim 10   , wherein said step of folding comprises an additional step to circularize said air duct sandwich sheet with a folding device.  
     
     
         17 . A method as defined in    claim 16    wherein said step of installation comprises the jointing of a circular adaptor in said upstream end, said adaptor being rigid and comprising a cylindrical wall and two ends.  
     
     
         18 . A method as defined in    claim 10   , wherein said means for adhesion is an aluminized band of the Mactac™ type located on all length of joining of said first flat end to said second flat end.  
     
     
         19 . A method as defined in    claim 16    wherein said step of sealing of said perimeter of said insulating material consists of heating said perimeter by pressing a heated angle iron so that the layers of sandwich that form the insulating material melt to create a thin band and a 135° side  134 , this band being placed under said cylindrical wall, said second flat end comprising said chamfered 135° side  130  being placed outside of said cylindrical wall.  
     
     
         20 . A method as defined in    claim 19    wherein said second flat end  124  leans against said interior face of said cylindrical wall to form a continuous cylindrical wall.