Combustion membrane for a gas burner

Abstract

A combustion membrane (14) for a gas burner (2) comprises a fabric (21) having two opposite fabric surfaces (19, 20) which form a combustion surface (19) exposed on the outer side (17) and an inner surface (20) facing an inner side (18), respectively, wherein the fabric (21) forms an interlacement of metal threads (22) comprising warp threads and weft threads transverse with respect to the warp threads, wherein both fabric surfaces (19, 20) form high-relief ribs (23) alternating with low-relief sags (24), and the ribs (23) comprise:weft ribs (25) formed by weft threads and extending in the weft direction (26) arranged in weft rib sequences (2′) aligned along weft directions (26) substantially straight and parallel to one another, andwarp ribs (27) formed by warp threads and extending in the warp direction (28) and arranged in zigzag warp rib sequences (27′), wherein all the warp threads participate in the formation of said warp ribs (27) in an alternating and repetitive manner along the extension thereof in the warp direction (28).

1 . A combustion membrane for a gas burner, said combustion membrane having an inner side to which a combustible gas is conveyed and an outer side on which the combustion of the combustible gas occurs after it has crossed the combustion membrane, said combustion membrane comprising a fabric having two opposite fabric surfaces which form a combustion surface exposed on the outer side and an inner surface facing the inner side, respectively, wherein the fabric forms an interlacement of metal threads comprising warp threads and weft threads transverse with respect to the warp threads, wherein both fabric surfaces form high-relief ribs alternating with low-relief sags, wherein the ribs comprise:
 weft ribs formed by weft threads and extending in the weft direction, arranged in weft rib sequences aligned along weft directions substantially straight and parallel to one another, and   warp ribs formed by warp threads and extending in the warp direction and arranged in zigzag warp rib sequences, wherein all the warp threads participate in the formation of said warp ribs in an alternating and repetitive manner along their extension in the warp direction.   
     
     
         2 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein the weft ribs and warp ribs form continuous ribs, uninterrupted by said sags, and delimit the coffered or lacunar sags. 
     
     
         3 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein the sags are delimited all around by quadrilateral, rectangular or parallelogram protruding frames formed by the weft ribs and the warp ribs. 
     
     
         4 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein in a first one of the combustion surface and inner surface of the fabric:
 an apical ridge of the warp ribs is formed by a main warp float thread, respectively, extending straddling exactly six underlying transverse weft threads,   on both longitudinal sides of each main warp float thread, directly adjacent and parallel thereto, a secondary warp float thread is formed, extending straddling exactly three underlying transverse weft threads, and   on one longitudinal side of each of the two secondary warp float threads, facing away from the main warp float thread, a side warp bridge is formed, extending straddling exactly one underlying transverse weft thread,   so that the main warp float thread, the two secondary warp float threads, and the two side warp bridges form a first warp thread configuration in the shape of a rhombus with a unilateral central elongation in the warp direction,   wherein the first warp thread configuration is symmetrical with respect to a local longitudinal axis from the main warp float thread, but not symmetrical with respect to any axis oriented in the weft direction.   
     
     
         5 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 4 , wherein the secondary warp float threads are retracted with respect to the most protruding main warp float thread, and the warp side bridges are retracted with respect to the secondary warp float threads, resulting in a transition from the warp rib to the sag. 
     
     
         6 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 4 , wherein two consecutive first warp thread configurations, respectively, arranged along the same zigzag warp rib sequence, are mutually offset in the weft direction by the space occupied by a warp thread. 
     
     
         7 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein in a first surface of the combustion surface and inner surface of the fabric:
 an apical ridge of the weft ribs is formed by a main weft float thread, respectively, extending straddling exactly five underlying transverse warp threads, and   on both longitudinal sides of each main weft float thread, directly adjacent and parallel thereto, a secondary weft float thread is formed, extending straddling exactly three underlying transverse warp threads, and   on a longitudinal side of each of the two secondary weft float threads, facing away from the main weft float thread, a side weft bridge is formed, extending straddling exactly one underlying transverse warp thread,   an additional weft bridge ( 36 ″′) is formed next to one end of the main weft float thread, wherein the main weft float thread, the two secondary weft float threads, the two side weft bridges ( 36 ″), and the additional weft bridge ( 36 ″) together form a first weft thread configuration in the shape of a rectangle with the four sides inclined with respect to the weft and warp directions and with a unilateral leg extending from a corner of the first rectangular weft thread configuration in the warp direction,   wherein the first weft thread configuration is not symmetrical with respect to any axis oriented in the warp direction and with respect to any axis oriented in the weft direction.   
     
     
         8 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 7 , wherein the secondary weft float threads are retracted with respect to the most protruding main weft float thread, and the warp side bridges ( 36 ″) are retracted with respect to the secondary weft float threads, resulting in a transition from the weft rib to the sag. 
     
     
         9 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 7 , wherein two first weft thread configurations, respectively, consecutive in the warp direction, are mutually offset in the weft direction by the space occupied by a warp thread. 
     
     
         10 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 at segments of the zigzag warp rib sequence having the same first orientation, the first weft thread configurations also all have the same primary orientation, while   at segments of the zig-zag warp rib sequence having the same second orientation different from the first orientation, the first weft thread configurations all have the same secondary orientation either different or overturned with respect to the primary orientation.   
     
     
         11 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein between two of the weft ribs and the warp ribs, respectively, checkerboard interlacing regions of the weft threads and the warp threads forming the sags are formed. 
     
     
         12 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein the combustion surface and the inner surface both have the same structure of ribs and sags. 
     
     
         13 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the positions of the weft ribs of the combustion surface are offset in the warp direction with respect to the positions of the weft ribs of the inner surface by half the distance between two adjacent weft rib sequences on the same side of the fabric, and   the positions of the warp ribs of the combustion surface are offset in the weft direction with respect to the positions of the warp ribs of the inner surface by half the distance between two adjacent warp rib sequences on the same side of the fabric,   the weft rib sequences and the warp rib sequences of the inner surface intersect at the sags of the combustion surface and vice versa.   
     
     
         14 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein the fabric is formed by a repetition in the weft direction and in the warp direction of the same 8 (weft direction)-by-96 (warp direction) base weaving pattern as follows and as defined by the layout in  FIG.  7   :
 OTOTTTTT   TOTOTTTO   OOOTOTOT   OOOOTOTO   OOOTOTOT   TOTOTTTO   TOTOTTTT   OTOTOTTT   TOOOTOTO   OOOOOTOT   TOOOTOTO   OTOTOTTT   TTOTOTTT   TOTOTOTT   OTOOOTOT   TOOOOOTO   OTOOOTOT   TOTOTOTT   TTTOTOTT   TTOTOTOT   TOTOOOTO   OTOOOOOT   TOTOOOTO   TTOTOTOT   TTTTOTOT   TTTOTOTO   OTOTOOOT   TOTOOOOO   OTOTOOOT   TTTOTOTO   TTTTTOTO   OTTTOTOT   TOTOTOOO   OTOTOOOO   TOTOTOOO   OTTTOTOT   OTTTTTOT   TOTTTOTO   OTOTOTOO   OOTOTOOO   OTOTOTOO   TOTTTOTO   TOTTTTTO   OTOTTTOT   OOTOTOTO   OOOTOTOO   OOTOTOTO   OTOTTTOT   OTTTTTOT   TOTTTOTO   OTOTOTOO   OOTOTOOO   OTOTOTOO   TOTTTOTO   TTTTTOTO   OTTTOTOT   TOTOTOOO   OTOTOOOO   TOTOTOOO   OTTTOTOT   TTTTOTOT   TTTOTOTO   OTOTOOOT   TOTOOOOO   OTOTOOOT   TTTOTOTO   TTTOTOTT   TTOTOTOT   TOTOOOTO   OTOOOOOT   TOTOOOTO   TTOTOTOT   TTOTOTTT   TOTOTOTT   OTOOOTOT   TOOOOOTO   OTOOOTOT   TOTOTOTT   TOTOTTTT   OTOTOTTT   TOOOTOTO   OOOOOTOT   TOOOTOTO   OTOTOTTT   OTOTTTTT   TOTOTTTO   OOOTOTOT   OOOOTOTO   OOOTOTOT   TOTOTTTO   TOTTTTTO   OTOTTTOT   OOTOTOTO   OOOTOTOO   OOTOTOTO   OTOTTTOT   wherein, viewed from one side of the fabric, the emerging and visible weft threads are indicated by T and the emerging and visible warp threads are indicated by O.   
     
     
         15 . A combustion membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein the fabric is supported by and in contact with a support layer arranged on the inner side of the combustion membrane. 
     
     
         16 . A gas burner comprising a combustion membrane according to  claim 1 .