Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02674479 2009-07-03
VACUUM INSULATION PANEL AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF
Description
The present invention relates to a vacuum insulation panel according to the
preamble of
Claim 1 and also to a production method for this panel.
Such vacuum insulation panels are known from practice. They have very high
thermal
and acoustic insulation properties and are therefore used., e.g., as
insulation panels. The vacuum
insulation panels named above are made from a core made from an open porous
material, for
example, a noncompressive foam and sealing cover layers or outer skins.
The vacuum insulation panels named above have the disadvantage, among others,
that the
vacuum is lost with only slight damage to the outer skin. For example, if a
hole penetrating the
cover layers is drilled into the panel, then the core draws in air and the
insulation effect is lost or
significantly reduced. Another disadvantage is that the vacuum insulation
panels named above
cannot be subjected to finishing work, but instead must already have, from the
start of the
production in the factory, before the evacuation of the core, the shape in
which they are then
installed or used in some other way. L,ater finishing work is not possible
without the loss or
drastic reduction of the insulation property. Furthermore, the mechanical load
capacity of known
vacuum insulation panels is insufficient for many applications. These vacuum
insulation panels
cannot be used as load-bearing elements, but instead are used merely for
insu.lation.
The present invention has the goal of creating a vacuum insulation panel that
can be
subjected to finishing work and realizes this goal with a vacuum insulation
panel according to
Claim I and also a production method for a vacuum insulation panel according
to Claim 18.
Thus, according to the invention, a vacuum insulation panel is created with a
core with
hollow spaces and also cover layers closing the core in a tight fashion from
the surroundings,
wherein the hollow spaces of the core are fornled by chambers that are closed
in a tight fashion
relative to each other and that reach, together with their intermediate walls,
from one cover layer
to the other cover layer.
Such a vacuum insulation panel according to the invention has numerous
advantages. It
can be used both as a high insulation panel that can be cut arbitrarily, even
after the evacuation,
and that essentially maintains its function, even with a partially damaged
surface, and also as a
static structural elenient from which load-bearing walls could be built.
Advantageously, the walls or intermediate walls of the chambers form a
honeycomb
structure. Here, it could be further provided advantageously that the
honeycomb structure is
rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal, contains circular shapes, or is regular
or irregular.
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Another preferred configuration is that each cover layer is made .f.rom a gas-
tight material.
or is coated with a gas-tight material. Alternatively or additionally, it
could be provided that each
cover layer contains a layer or plate made from, in particular, reinforced
epoxy, melamine, or
phenolic resin or the like in direct contact with the walls or intermediate
walls of the chambers,
wlierein, in a further preferable way, the reinforcement of the cover layer
contains fiberglass
material, kraft paper, sisal or the like.
Another advantageous configuration is that each cover layer has, on its side
facing away
from the walls or intermediate walls of the chambers, a protective layer,
wherein, in particular,
the protective layer can contain a reflective high barrier film or an aluminum
foil or a high
barrier coating or ahuninum coating or the like.
Advantageously, each cover layer has a thickness of greater than approximately
0.5 mm,
advantageously greater than ca. I mm, and especially preferred approximately I
mm.
Another preferred configuration is that the walls or intermediate walls of the
chambers
are made from a gas-tight material or are coated with a gas-tight material.
Furthermore, it could advantageously be provided that the walls or
intermediate walls of
the chambers contain paper or cellulose and/or that the walls or intermediate
walls of the
chambers have a coating with melamine resin., phenolic resin, or a melamine
resin-phenolic resin
derivative and/or that the walls or intermediate walls of the chambers contain
kraft paper or hard
paper, in pai-ticular, with reinforcement. Alternatively or additionally, it
is preferred that the
walls or intermediate walls of the chambers contain a metallic foil or are
coated with a metallic
layer.
Another advantageous configuration consists of walls or intermediate walls of
the
chanibers exhibiting, with respect to one cubic meter, heat conductivity of
less than ca.
0.3 W/mK, advantageously less than approximately 0.2 W/mK, and especially
preferred less than
approximately 0.1 W/mK. Corresponding values are also influenced by the
selection of the
material pairing.
Fui-thermore, the walls or intermediate walls of the chambers could
advantageously have
a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm.
In the chambers, advantageously a vacuum of approxiniately 981/0 prevails, or
a heat-
insulating gas, such as argon or another noble gas or a corresponding gas
mixture, is contained in
the chambers.
In another advantageous configuration, it is provided that the core is sealed
with at-tificial
resin or the like at its free edges between the cover layers.
In one special configuration, the invention further relates to a vacuum
insulation panel
with an evacuated core or a core filled with an insulating gas, and the core
has, on both sides,
cover layers made from a gas-tight material or coated with a gas-tight
material. Here, the core is
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made froni a plurality of individual vacuum chambers that are formed by walls
or intermediate
walls, wherein these walls extend, for example, perpendicular to the cover
layers and are
arranged, in particular, in a regular pattern and are connected to the cover
layers in a gas-tight
fashion and are made from a gas-tight material or are coated with a gas-tight
material. Here, the
walls could form a honeycomb pattern or else, in cross section, circular
tubules, or could have
other geometries. The walls or intei-inediate walls of the vacuum chambers or,
in general,
chambers, could be made, in particular, from cellulose coated with a phenolic
resin, wherein,
alternatively, the construction from a metallic foil or from a material coated
with a metal or
another similarly acting material comes into consideration. The walls or
intermediate walls thus
for-m a plurality of individual vacuum chambers that are covered on both sides
with a cover layer
and are thus closed. At least one of the cover layers is formed, for e.xample,
under vacuum
conditions, so that the chambers are evacuated.
The vacuum insulation panel according to the invention could be produced in a
large
surface-area or endless configuration and then could be cut to the required
size: through cutting,
only the instilation effect of the actually cut chambers is lost - which is
different than vacuum
insulation panels known from practice - because these chambers are each closed
in a gas-tight
fashion relative to the adjacent chambers. For example, even if a nail is
driven into one of the
cover layers, the insulation effect of only the affected chamber is lost, but
not that of the vacuum
insulation panel as a whole.
The walls, advantageously in a regular configuration, and the sandwich
construction
made from the honeycomb structure between the two cover layers impart high
strength to the
vacuum insulation panel, especially also relative to forces introduced to the
vacuum insulation
panel in the plane of the cover layers. The vacuum insulation panel thus could
be used as a
structural element of a structure and for otlier purposes. In principle, the
chambers could also be
filled, for example, with an open-pore foam, as is known from the state of the
art, as a planar,
continuous core material, or also with a closed-pore foam.
The honeycomb body can absorb high mechanical loads, much higher than can wood
plates, in connection with the cover layers and, indeed, the honeycomb core
weighs, e.g., only
33-60 kg/m3, in particular, for example, onlv ca. 44 kg/m3.
It is noted again that, instead of the vacuum in the chambers, heat-insulating
gases could
also be used. In particular, the possibility is imagined to use, e.g., argon
or other noble gases for
special applications.
A vacuum insulation panel according to the invention could be used for the
following
uses (wherein these uses for the construction of the vacuum insulation panel
are also disclosed
simultaneously as inventive concepts belonging to the invention):
Gates (any type, e.g., garage doors, industrial doors, etc.),
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Doors of any type,
Swimming pool insulation,
Coolers, refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated rooms, refrigerated warehouses
or cold
storage buildings,
I-lot-storage containers for keeping food warm (e.g., rolling containers in
airplanes, etc.),
Pipe insulation of any type,
Ship insulation, room container construction for ships, etc.,
Container construction, in general, e.g., reirigerated containers, sanitary
containers, office
containers, magazine containers, mobile homes, etc.,
Floor coverings of any type, e.g., laminate flooring, refrigerated warehouse
floors with
aluminum, ribbed visual appearance, etc.,
Intermediate coverings, house coverings of any type,
I-louse roof, warehouse roof (flat roof, etc.) with various associated visual
appearances,
Walls as structural elements (replacement for stone) and as additional
insulation worked
into the stone (brick, concrete block, sandstone, etc.),
Door, gate, and window frame insulation of any type,
Roller blind blocks of any type could be produced or at least insulated with
vacuum
insulation panels,
Heating systems (the system could be insulated),
Mobile home construction,
Swimming building construction,
Prefabricated building construction of any type,
Truck trailer construction (refrigerated trailer construction, etc.),
Prefabricated garage construction (e.g., automobile automatically heats up the
garage
with the remaining exhaust heat),
Passive warehouse and passive house construction of any type,
Furniture industry, etc.,
Particle board replacement,
Sheetrock replacement,
In a transparent visual appearance, as a window pane replacement or as a multi-
wall
replacement
Paving stone (ground covering of any type; does not transmit the coldness of
the ground)
High-rise rooms, high-rise containers, high-rise structural elements, etc.,
Vehicle insulation for, e.g., battery insulation, etc.,
Solar collector plates that produce distilled water
for hot-water accumulators, etc.
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Cover and wall insulation with the associated visual appearance both in areas
inside and
also outside,
Frost-proof street layer (below the blacktop; no more risk of sliding)
Radiation protection (e.g., from radio waves in house construction)
in any areas where space savings or stability is demanded
Other applications or uses of vacuum insulation panels according to the
invention lie in
the field of sound suppression and sound insulation.
In addition, the invention creates a production method for such vacuum
insulation panels.
T'his method according to the invention for the production of a vacuum
insulation panel contains
the following steps:
a) plates are produced that have, in cross section, the shape and arrangement
of walls of
half-chainbers connected one next to the other but are signiiicantly longer
than the height of the
walls of the chambers,
b) then a composite is produced in which, on a first such plate, another such
plate is
placed so that wrhole chambers are formed,
c) then the plates are connected to each other in a permanent and gas-tight
fashion at their
contact poi:nts,
d) then additional plates are placed according to step b) one after the other
onto the
uppermost plate of the composite and are connected in a permanent and gas-
tight fashion to the
uppermost plate of the composite according to step c),
e) then the composite is cut perpendicular to the plates into chainber discs
with the
desired thickness corresponding to the intended chamber height, and
0 finally, the chamber discs are connected on the open side of the chambers in
a
permanent and gas-tight fashion to the cover layers.
Advantageously, in the method it is ftirther provided that the cover layers
are connected
one after the other to the corresponding honeycomb disk, and that the second
cover layer is
connected to the assembly made from the chamber disk and the first cover layer
at a low pressure,
in a vacuum, or in a gas atmosphere with a gas that is provided as a filling
for the chambers.
Alternatively, it could also be provided that the cover layers are
simultaneously connected to the
corresponding honeycomb structure and that the cover layers are connected to
the chamber disk
at a low pressure, in a vacuum, or in a gas atmosphere with a gas that is
provided as a filling for
the chambers.
In particular, the production of the honeycomb or, more precisely, its walls,
from paper
coated with melamine resin subject to pressure (30 bar) and heat (185 C) is
advantageous and
preferred. This type of honeycomb production has many advantages:
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thin honeycomb walls measuring approximately 0.5 mm are produced that can
carry high
loads;
high thermal load capacity;
low weight; economical production; ultra-fast wetting (for example, in 6 s);
simple production;
favorable tool prices, and many others.
In addition, the process of honevcomb evacuation according to the invention is
very
advantageous.
Below, a processing section is shown in a special, preferred configuration:
1. Preimpregnated paper is produced
2. The paper is preheated in a heating station, so that it becomes soft and
can be deforrned
3. In a preform, a ram brings the paper into a mold so that, in a side press,
30
honeycombs, or another desired or suitable number, could be pressed at one
time; preferably,
each ram moves one after the other into the paper, so that it could be redrawn
from one side
4. In the side press, for 30 honeycombs, or another desired or suitable
number, the
oblique parts are pressed simultaneously, the base remains unlinked
5. The honeycombs are fused in that half honeycombs are placed one on top of
the other
with their not-yet-linked bases and pressed together with a press, so that the
honeycomb bases
fuse together and a complete honeycomb is produced; this can be performed in a
so-called
honeycomb fusing device in which the honeycomb bases are fused to each other.
The honeycomb block is produced from. one side in that a half honeycomb is
fused onto
the previous half honeycomb. This is realized in that an anvil is lowered into
the last honeycomb
and a fusing ram presses against the anvil from one side. In this way, the two
not-yet-linked
honeycomb bases are fused to each other. If the anvil is made from a rather
delicate ram, it is
moved downward into a stabilization plate, so that the anvil is held on two
sides. In this way, e.g.,
30 honeycomb bases are ftised to each other simultaneously.
From the present document, additional preferred and advantageous
configurations of the
production method for vacuum insulation panels according to the invention are
produced. This
produces, in particular, additional configurations of this niethod that are
worthy of protection.
Additional preferred and/or advantageous configurations of the invention and
their
individual aspects will become apparent from the claims and their
combinations, as well as from
the present application document.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below using embodiments with
reference
to the drawing merely as an exaniple, in which
Figure l shows, in a schematic perspective view, an
embodiment of a preproduction stage of a vacuum insulation panel,
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Figure 2 shows, in a schematic side or longitudinal section. view, in cutaway,
a vacuum
insulation panel according to the embodiment of the preproduction stage in
Figure 1,
Figure 3 shows, in a schematic view, a part of the production process of the
vacuum
insulation panel from Figure 2,
Figure 4 shows, in a schematic view, a part of the production process that is
larger than
the diagram of Figure 3 for the vacuum insulation panel from Figure 2,
Figure 5 shows, in a schematic top view, a part of a vacuum insulation panel
from Figure
2 in a preproduction stage,
Figure 6 shows, in a schematic perspective view, an
embodiment of another preproduction stage of a vacuum insulation panel,
Figure 7 shows, in a schematic view, the penultimate process of the production
process
for the vacuum insulation panel from Figure 2,
Figure 8 shows, in a schematic view, the last process of the production
process for the
vacuum insulation panel from Figure 2,
Figure 9 shows, in a schematic section view, an alternative construction of
the layout of
the core, and
Figure 10 shows, in a schematic perspective view, the alternative construction
of the
layout of the core according to Figure 9.
With reference to the embodiments and applications described below and shown
in the
drawings, the invention will be explained in more detail using examples, i.e.,
it is not limited to
these embodiments or applications or to the conlbinations of features within
these embodiments
and applications. Features of the method and device are also given analogously
from descriptions
of the device or method.
Individual features that are specified and/or shown in connection with an
actual
embodiment are not limited to this embodiment or the combination with the
other features of this
embodiment, but instead could be combined in the scope of technical
possibility with any other
variants, even if these are not specifically discussed in the present
document.
The same reference symbols in the individual figures and diagrams designate
components
that are identical or similar or that act identically or similarly. With
reference to the diagrams,
those features that are not provided with reference symbols are also clear,
independent of
whether those features are described below or not. On the other hand,
feah.ires that are included
in the present description but are not visible or not shown in the drawing are
also easily
understandable to someone skilled in the art.
In Figure l, a preproduction stage 2 is shown schenlatically from an
embodiment of a
vacuum insulation panel 1 in a perspective view for illustrating the shape and
an=angement of
chambers 3 and also their walls 4 or intermediate walls. Figure 2 shows
schematically, in a side
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view or a longitudinal section, the layout of the vacuum insulation panel 1..
The vacuum
insulation panel 1 will be explained in greater detail below in connection
with Figures 3-8, and in
the course of an embodinient of a production method together with the
corresponding production
steps.
The vacuum insulation panels I are made from a chamber core 5, the honeycomb
that
was understood for the present embodiment and therefore could also be
designated as a
honeycomb core. A hexagonal shape is used, wherein octagonal and other shapes,
including
irregular shapes, are also possible. The chamber core 5 is formed by the walls
4 and thus
contains the chambers 3. Such constructions and structures are very stable,
require little material,
and are also very light.
For forming the chambers 3 in the form of half-chambers 6, corresponding
plates 7 are
pressed and then adhered to each other to form the whole chambers 3, as
Figures 3-6 show, or
alternatively fused. In this way, closed individual systems are produced. The
produced plates
could also be designated as half-chamber plates 7 and are placed one on top of
the other in the
arrangement shown in Figure 1 and adhered, for example, to form a rigid and
gas-tight
connection at their contact points 8, wherein a new plate 7 is preferably
always placed on an
existing composite 9 and then adhered, before the next plate 7 is placed and
adhered, etc. Such a
block or composite 9 is cut perpendicular to the chamber or honeycomb openings
10, so that the
height of the chambers 3 and their walls 4 produces the height of the chamber
or honeycomb
core 5, as is shown in Figure 6. In Figure 6, dimensions are specified that
are to be understood,
furthermore, only as examples.
The chamber openings 10 are closed on both sides with a cover layer 11 by
mounting the
cover layers 1 1 in a sealed and rigid fashion on the corresponding sides of
the chamber core 5. In
this way, many small closed cells or chambers 3 are produced, and the height
of the chambers 3
together with the thickness of the cover layers 11 produces the thickness of
the vacuum
insulation panel 1. Advantageously, the two cover layers 11 are adhered to the
chamber core 5
one after the other in separate processing steps, and the second cover layer
11 is adhered, in
pai-ticular, in a ca. 98% vacuum. Instead of adhesion, other attachment types
are possible, such as
fusing or direct connection to each other by means of materials that are not
yet cured or only
partially cured in the chamber core 5 and/or the cover layers 11. Preferably,
the material of the
cover layers I i contains a not-yet-cured resin, so that the curing of the
resin takes place in a
vacuum, in each case during the application and connection of the second cover
layer 11, so that
this vacuum is automatically produced and maintained in the individual
chambers or honeycornb
cells 4.
Preferably, the cover layers 1 l are made from a reinforced epoxy resin. As
the flow
chart-like diagrams of Figures 7 and 8 show, each cover layer 11 is introduced
wet in a single
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production step into a mold and cures in a vacuum. In this way, the walls 4 of
the chambers 3 are
pressed into the not-yet-linked cover layers 11, so that during the curing of
the resin of each
cover layer 11, the walls 4 of the chambers 3 are connected in an air-tight
fashion to this cover
layer 11. Through this procedure, the advantage is achieved that for the quasi-
combined
production and attachment of the cover layers 11 on the core 5, the cover
layers 11 are connected
in a rigid, nondetachable, and also gas-tight fashion to the wall material of
the core 5.
In this way, a sandwich material is produced with high stiffness, low weight,
and very
little framework. The core 5 with the walls 4 of the chanlbers 3, that is,
without cover layers 11,
has, for special embodiments, a volume weight of ca. 60 kg/m3 and a framework
ratio to one
cubic meter of 1:17. This ratio, however, could also lie in the range of 1:33.
Such a low
framework/volume ratio benefits the insulating power.
For the cover layers 11, other materials could also be used, such as a
derivative made
from melamine and phenolic resin, which represents a very economical solution.
tJnder certain
circumstances, such cover layers 11 are connected separately to the core 5 of
the vacuum
insulation panel 1, for example, by means of adhesion. Other plastics could
also be used. In
particular, the cover layers 11 could also contain reinforcement 12 made from
glass matt, kraft
paper, sisal or sirnilar materials. An especially preferred layer thickness of
the cover layers l l
lies at approximately 1 mm.
In another configuration, the cover layers 1 1 are provided on their outsides,
i.e., the sides
facing away from the core 5, with a protective foil 13, such as, in
particular, an aluminum foil 14.
Such a protective film 1 3 and, in particular, an altnninum foil 14, has the
advantage that, during
the production and connection of a cover layer 11 to the chamber walls 4, the
corresponding
mold in which the connection step finally takes place is protected, in
particular, from resin
material contained in the cover layers 11, so that absolutely no undesired
adhesion of such resin
material to the mold can take place. Furthermore, such protective foils or
layers 13 could form an
effective diffusion barrier against the penetration of air into the vacuum
chambers 3. Even for the
use of an aluminum foil 14 or the lil:e, an additional advantage is also
achieved in that this is
used with its glossy surface as a reflection barrier for IR radiation, wherein
the insulation power
of the vacuum insulation panel I is also increased.
The heat transfer takes place in the conventional insulation materials known
from the
practice by means of so-called framework conduction, gas conduction, and
radiation conduction.
The gas conduction is the largest portion, ca. 2/3 of the entire heat
conduction. In order to
eliminate this portion, modern heat-insulation materials are evacuated,
wherein gas conduction is
eliminated at least to a large degree. The radiation conduction is stopped by
means of reflective
surfaces that reflect IR radiation.
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Even in the vacuum insulation panels according to the invention, the air is
evacuated,
wherein gas conduction is eliminated. For the corresponding construction with
the aluminum foil
14 as protective foil 13, IR radiation is prevented by means of the high-gloss
surface. What is left
is framework conduction that is calculated from the heat conductivity of the
base material and its
mass.
In the presently discussed embodiment, the core 5 of the vacuum insulation
panel 1 is
made from so-called hard paper. f-lard paper has, according to the
reinforcement material that is
used, 0.1-0.2 W/mK with respect to one cubic meter. The core with the chambers
2 weighs
30-60 kg/m3, depending on the size of the chambers. From this the fratnework,
portions are given
with respect to cubic meters, as was alread_y explained above, with a ratio
of, for example, ca.
1:17 to approxiinately 1:33, wherein these are advantageous values. The
thermal conductivity of
a hard paper used as an example with the already discussed values of 0.1-0.2
W/mK leads to the
result of values for the framework conduction of the vacuum insulation panels
I of, for example,
0.0058-0.0117 W/mK up to, e.g., 0.0029-0.0058 W/mK.
A significant aspect for vacuum insulation panels I is the diffusion of air
into evacuated
hollow spaces. The vacuum insulation panels 1 are subject to a constant gas
pressure that
attempts to create a pressure balance between the atmosphere and the vacuum
prevailing in the
chambers 3 of the vacuum insulation panels 1.
Vacuum insulation panels known from practice are made from a foam core, a
protective
fleece, and a plastic barrier foil, usually coated with aluminum. Due to its
small laver thickness,
this barrier foil represents only little protection against difftision. In
vacuum insulation panels
kilown from practice, it is attempted to balance out this deficiency through
special barrier foils.
Another disadvantage of the known vacuum insulation panels is that they are
made from only
one vacuum chamber, because the foam core is produced from an open-pore foam,
and thus
pressure equalization acts simultaneously on the entire system.
The special construction of the vacuum insulation panels 1 according to the
present
invention here has very decisive advantages, because the pressure is loaded,
in general, only on
the outer chambers 3 or honeycombs lying at the edge 15 between the cover
layers 11. Because
the individual chambers 3 are sealed frotn each other, a pressure balance must
first take place in
these outer chambers 3 and must then propagate successively inward. This
advantage is achieved
in that the core 5 of the vacuum insulation panels 1 according to the
invention is made from
many individual chambers 4 in which air can penetrate only one after the other
from the edge 15
be.tween the cover layers 11. In order to ftirther stop this effect, preferred
configurations provide
that the core 5 is sealed tight, with respect to diffusion at its free edges
15 between the cover
layers 11, with artificial resin, sucll as, for example, artificial resin body
filler or the like.
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11
The air pressure also acts on all chambers 4 simultaneously by means of the
cover layers
11. Here, the vacuum insulation panels 1 according to corresponding special
constructions are
especially protected, wherein cover layers 1 l of these panels are not made,
as is otherwise
typical, from a thin sensitive plastic foil, but instead from an, in
particular, ca. 1 mm-thick
reinforced epoxy resin layer 12 that could also be provided with an aluminum
foil 14 as a
protective layer 13, as Figure 2 shows. As an alternative to the aluminum foil
14, a high-barrier
film could also be the protective layer 13 or form a component thereof Instead
of the
construction as a film, the protective layer 13 could also be realized as a
coating.
Below, a few production processes or steps wil l be discussed in greater
detail, within the
scope of which additional device features of the vacuum insulation panel 1
will also be specified
or illustrated.
In a chainber press station K (see Figure 4), the plates 7 are pressed that
form, in cross
section, half-chambers 6 and from which the core 5 is later assembled. 'The
material of the walls
4 or intermediate walls of the chambers 3 or, expressed differently, of the
core 5, is made in the
shown embodiment from kraft paper that is coated with a melamine-phenolic
resin derivative.
The resin cures under a pressure of 30 bar and a temperature of 185 C in ca. 6
s. The advantage
of the resin is that the linking takes place only as long as energy is
supplied. "l'hus, the resin
could be dried without curing completely. The wall material is delivered ready
for ftirther
processing and is dry in contrast to other resin systems, and undergoes a
ctiring reaction only
under pressure and heat. The linking process is completed within ca. 6 s.
Subsequent outgassing
no longer takes place. Another advantage of this material is that it is
economical and can be
stored as a raw material without problems for a long time.
The walls 4 of the chambers 3 are ca. 0.5 mm thick and have dimensions of 10
mm, from
which a material length of 49.6 mm for each chamber 3 is given for the walls
4. These values are
to be undelstood as examples and could vary according to construction and
requirements.
In order to keep the required pressing force from becoming too high in a press
P being
used, for example, five half-chambers 6 are pressed simultaneously in one
plate 7. In order to
eliminate the need to stretch the wall material, the material is
advantageously preshaped. For
example, the material is flexible at 60 C and can be deformed with little
pressure, which is why a
heat emitter W is used at the beginning of the chamber press station K. As an
alternative to the
heat emitter W, the pressing tool could also be heated. Because the preshaping
could furthermore
take place very quickly and requires little pressure, a simple prepress VP
with a pneumatic
cylinder PZ could be used and driven. From the prepress VP, a preplate 7' is
obtained that is
completed to form the plate 7 in the subsequent pressing step. One example of
this process
section is shown schematically in Figures 3 and 4. Accordingly, the entire
pressing process
combines the heating of the paper, the preshaping, and the actual pressing.
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The plates 7 produced in this way, with the cross-sectional shape of half-
chambers 3, are
fed to an automatic core or block adhesion device (not shown) in which these
plates 7 are bonded
evenly to form a block 16 that could also be designated as a honeycomb block
or chamber block.
In Figure 5 it is shown schematically how two such plates 7, are shown only in
section, are
placed one on top of the other, in order to be able to connect to each other
at their contact points
8 in a rigid and gas-tight fashion while fornling the chambers 3, wherein this
coiuiection could be
realized through adhesion or fusing or in soine other suitable way.
For example, the points coming into contact with each other or contact points
8 of two
plates 7 arranged one on top of the other are provided with a fast-curing
adhesive that is
deposited, for example, by an automatic device. In practice, the adhesive is
deposited on the
individual plates 7 be.fore they are brought into contact with each other and
thus are bonded to
each other quickly and with good effect. These steps are repeated until a
sufficient number of
plates 7 are rigidly connected to each other to form a block 16.
Instead of the adhesion of plates 7 into a block 16, the latter could also be
formed by
ftising plates 7, for e.xaniple, in a press (not shown).
Such a block 16 that is to be seen, for example, with example dimensions in
Figure 6, is
then transported to a saw (not shown). From the block 16, chatnber discs 17
are then cut
perpendicular to the plates 7 according to the panel thickness desired later,
i.e., under
consideration of the thickness of the cover layers 11 still to be deposited.
The chamber discs 17
coi7=espond directly to the cores 5 of the vacuum insulation panels 1 produced
in this way.
In the next production processing step, the chamber discs 17 are provided with
the cover
layers 11 and, for example, a vacuum is generated in the chambers 3. As was
already specified
ftirther above, a filling of the chambers 3 with selected gas material would
also take place here.
The process of depositing the first cover layer 11 and also the second cover
layer is shown
schematically in Figures 7 and 8; for details refer to these sequences.
According to Figure 7, in step S1, the protective foil 13, for example, the
aluminum foil
14, is placed in a mold F. In step S2, the reinforced resin layer 12 is placed
on the protective foil
13. On this layer, in step S3, a chamber disk 17 or the core 5 is placed,
whereupon the mold F is
closed with a cover D and the air is drawn out from the interior of the mold F
closed with the
cover D (step S4). The cover D is loosely covered with a rubber blanket G
toward the inside of
the mold F, so that the evacuation of the inside of the mold F and an inflow
of air between the
cover D and the rubber blanket G presses the latter against the free side of
the core 5 and thus
this core onto the reinforced resin layer 12 that is here also siniultaneously
pressed onto the
protective layer 13, as shown in step S5. Here, the core 5 is rigidly pressed
into the wet resin of
the cover layer 11. I'his state is maintained until the resin of the cover
layer 11 is cured. In step
CA 02674479 2009-07-03
13
S6, after this curing, air can flow back into the inside of the mold F and,
after opening the cover
D, the composite made from the core 5 with the first cover layer 11 can be
removed.
Then as shown in Figure 8, the protective filni 13, for example, the aluminum
foil 14, is
placed in a mold F' in step S 11. In step S 12, the reinforced resin layer 12
is placed on the
protective foil 13. On this layer, in step S13, the composite made from the
core 5 with the first
cover layer 11 is placed, whereupon the mold F' is closed with a cover D' and
the air is drawn out
from the inside of the mold F' closed with the cover D' (step S 14). The cover
D' is loosely
covered with a rubber blanket G' toward the inside of the mold F', so that the
evacuation of the
inside of the mold F' and an inflow of air between the cover D' and the rubber
blanket G' presses
the latter against the free side of the composite made from the core 5 with
the first cover layer 11
and tlius presses this composite onto the reinforced resin layer 12 that is
simultaneously also
pressed onto the protective layer 13, as shown in step S 15. Here, the
composite made from the
core 5 with the first cover layer 11 is pressed rigidly into the wet resin of
the second cover layer
11. This state is maintained until the resin of the second cover layer 11 is
cured. After this curing,
in step S16, air can flow back into the inside of the niold F' and, after
opening the cover D' the
completed vacuum insulation panel 1 can be removed from the mold F'. Then the
vacuum
insulation panel I could be cut into any shape.
In Figures 9 and 10, an alternative embodiment is shown schematically, in a
section view
and a perspective view, respectively, for the construction of the chamber core
5 with a design. In
this design, semicircular chambers 3' and cross-shaped chambers 3" are
produced with which a
favorable combination is achieved for low heat conduction via the wa11s 4
between the cover
layers 11. With respect to the diagram in Figures 9 and 10, for producing the
chamber core 5 for
a vacuum insulation panel I as in the previously dcscribed embodiments of the
production
process, discs are cut (in the diagram of Figure 10, even and parallel to the
surface of the sheet of
the drawing) from a block-like preproduction stage.
With respect to the construction of the design of the chambers, other variants
are also
possible. Thus, hemispheres (not shown) that are equal to each other could be
arranged on one
side in a plane in the same orientation. A second layer of hemispheres that
are equal, in turn, to
each other and to the hemispheres of the first layer could then be arranged on
top, so that a
hemisphere of the first layer and a hemisphere of the second layer contact at
exactly one point.
The cover layers are attached to the open sides of the hemispheres. Thermal
conduction. must
take place and then can take place only via the contact points of the
hemispheres, which means
significantly less material. fl'his version is not limited to he.mishheres,
but instead functions with
any coupling-like shape that could also be coiz=espondingly flat according to
the small thickness
of the vacuum insulation panel 1, such as spherical segments or segments of
spherical bodies or
other coupling-like formations. Such designs could be produced, for example,
through injection
CA 02674479 2009-07-03
14
molding, deep drawing, and other known techniques both in preproduction
stages, for example,
individual first and second layers, or as a complete core in a single process.
With respect to the material pairing for the material of the core 5, all
combinations are
advantageous that result in an optimization of the lowest possible heat
conduction. These include
others in addition to the already-named material pairing consisting of paper
and a
melamine/phenolic resin derivative. If the organic material of paper or wood
is replaced by an
inorganic substance, such as fiberglass matt material, then the heat
conduction is reduced. For
the material of the core 5, a pure ceramic base material is also conceivable,
that is, a combination
of several materials is not absolutely necessary.
The invention is shown as an exainple with reference to the embodiments in the
description and in the drawing and is not limited to, but instead includes,
all variations,
modifications, substitutions, and combinations that someone skilled in the art
could take from the
present document, in particular, in the scope of the claims and the general
statements in the
introduction of this description and also from the description of the
embodiments, and could
combine with his technical knowledge and also with the state of the art. In
particular, all of the
individual features and construction possibilities of the invention and its
embodiments could be
combined.
