Combustion membrane for a gas burner

Abstract

A combustion membrane for a gas burner includes a base fabric forming a metal thread braid including multi-fiber warp threads and multi-fiber weft threads transverse to the multi-fiber warp threads. The base fabric is made on a loom and the multi-fiber warp and weft threads each include a bundle of a plurality of metal fibers having a fiber thickness less than 50 micrometers. The combustion membrane also includes a plurality of monofilament metal threads each having a monofilament thickness greater than 100 micrometers, that are directly woven into the base fabric by loom weaving to increase the stiffness of the combustion membrane.

1 . A combustion membrane for a gas burner, the combustion membrane having an inner side to which a combustible gas is conveyed and an outer side on which combustion of the combustible gas occurs once the combustible gas has crossed the combustion membrane, the combustion membrane comprising:
 a base fabric having a combustion surface exposed on the outer side and an inner surface facing the inner side, wherein the base fabric forms a metal thread braid comprising multi-fiber warp threads and multi-fiber weft threads transverse to the multi-fiber warp threads, the multi-fiber warp and weft threads each comprising a bundle of a plurality of metal fibers that each have a fiber thickness of less than 50 micrometers; and   a plurality of monofilament metal threads that each have a monofilament thickness of greater than 100 micrometers, the plurality of monofilament metal threads being directly woven into the base fabric so as to increase the stiffness of the combustion membrane.   
     
     
         2 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads have a flexural strength of greater than 50% of the flexural strength of the multi-fiber warp and weft threads of the base fabric. 
     
     
         3 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , further comprising a multi-fiber metal thread that helically extends about at least some of the plurality of monofilament metal threads,
 wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads and the multi-fiber metal thread are twisted together or the multi-fiber metal thread is wound about the plurality of monofilament metal threads.   
     
     
         4 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads form a braid of monofilament warp threads and monofilament weft threads transverse to the monofilament warp threads. 
     
     
         5 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the combustion membrane is a single-layer structure incorporating both the base fabric and the plurality of monofilament metal threads. 
     
     
         6 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads each directly extend along and contact a corresponding multi-fiber warp thread or a corresponding multi-fiber weft thread of the base fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads each extend according to a weaving pattern of the multi-fiber warp threads or of the multi-fiber weft threads of the base fabric to which each monofilament metal thread is associated. 
     
     
         8 . The combustion membrane of  claim 4 , wherein;
 the monofilament warp threads are positioned:
 at each warp pitch of the base fabric, or 
 at a multiple of warp pitches of the base fabric, and 
   the monofilament weft threads are positioned:
 at each weft pitch of the base fabric, or 
 at a multiple of weft pitches of the base fabric. 
   
     
     
         9 . The combustion membrane of  claim 8 , wherein the monofilament warp threads are positioned at every second warp pitch of the base fabric, and the monofilament weft threads are positioned at every second weft pitch of the base fabric. 
     
     
         10 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the monofilament thickness is in the range of from 100 micrometers to 250 micrometers. 
     
     
         11 . The combustion membrane of  claim 4 , wherein the combustion surface and/or the inner surface form ribs and valleys, and both the ribs and the valleys have an extension, in at least one direction in the plane of the base fabric, which is greater than the space occupied by at least three consecutive multi-fiber warp threads in the weft direction and greater than the space occupied by at least three consecutive multi-fiber weft threads in the warp direction. 
     
     
         12 . The combustion membrane of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the ribs and the valleys together define a repetitive pattern of first rows, inclined with respect to the weft and warp directions in a first direction, and a repetitive pattern of second rows inclined with respect to the weft and warp directions in a second direction transverse to the first direction,   the first rows and the second rows intersect and delimit rhombus-shaped areas,   the two diagonals of each rhombus-shaped area are parallel to the weft and warp directions of the base fabric, and   each rhombus-shaped area is crossed by a plurality of the monofilament warp threads and by a plurality of the monofilament weft threads.   
     
     
         13 . A combustion membrane for a gas burner, the combustion membrane having an inner side to which a combustible gas is conveyed and an outer side on which combustion of the combustible gas occurs once the combustible gas has crossed the combustion membrane, the combustion membrane comprising:
 a base mesh having a combustion surface exposed on the outer side and an inner surface facing the inner side, wherein the base mesh forms a braid of one or more multi-fiber metal threads that each comprise a bundle of a plurality of metal fibers that each have a fiber thickness of less than 50 micrometers; and   a plurality of monofilament metal threads that each have a monofilament thickness of greater than 100 micrometers, the plurality of monofilament metal threads being directly inserted into the base mesh so as to increase the stiffness of the combustion membrane.   
     
     
         14 . The combustion membrane of  claim 1 , wherein the base fabric is made on a loom. 
     
     
         15 . The combustion membrane of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads have a flexural strength of greater than 75% of the flexural strength of the multi-fiber warp and weft threads of the base fabric. 
     
     
         16 . The combustion membrane of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of monofilament metal threads have a flexural strength of greater than 100% of the flexural strength of the multi-fiber warp and weft threads of the base fabric. 
     
     
         17 . The combustion membrane of  claim 10 , wherein the monofilament thickness is in the range of from 160 micrometers to 250 micrometers. 
     
     
         18 . The combustion membrane of  claim 17 , wherein the monofilament thickness is 200 micrometers.