The door has a separate seal element and a hollow profile frame. The hollow profile frame has a number of tappets extending therefrom to press the seal element against a door frame. These tappets are applied individually to the seal element by pressure from a pneumatic hose within the hollow profile frame which applies pressure to the tappets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention: 
This invention relates to a door with a separate seal element, which is 
pressed against the chamber frame by means of a number of adjustment 
devices located in the vicinity of the seal surface around the seal 
element. 
2. Description of the Prior Art: 
While doors of the prior art were often made of a solid casting, profile 
beams are generally currently used, which can be worked into a welded 
frame structure for doors. The sizing of the hollow profile beam is 
determined on the basis of static requirements, which are characterized by 
mechanical and superimposed other stresses on the door construction. 
Outside the door frame may be a sealing element, which for its part is 
pressed against the chamber frame to improve the seal. 
The application pressure can be exerted, for example, by screws which are 
tightened through the hollow profile beams and act on the seal element. 
Each of these screws must be adjusted manually, without any clear 
determination of the application pressure. For example, there is no 
guaranteed torque limitation when the screws are tightened. Another 
serious disadvantage of this design of the prior art is the positive 
connection between the hollow profile body and the devices to adjust the 
seal element. Any deformation of the hollow profile structure has a direct 
effect on this apparatus, in this case the screws in their position in 
relation to the seal element, which changes the resulting application 
pressure. It is therefore necessary to produce a dynamic separation 
between the door body and the apparatus used to adjust the seal element. 
The separation between the door body and the seal element may be achieved, 
for example, by introducing a chain extending all the way around inside 
the hollow profile body, which tightens all the screws to the same degree 
to apply pressure to the seal element or loosens them to remove the door. 
The application pressure can be set as a function of the movement of the 
chain. With this solution, however, all the screws are tightened equally, 
and local uneven spots on the chamber frame, such as those caused by 
deposits, i.e. all deviations from linearity, are not taken into 
consideration. The apparatus to adjust the seal element in this case is 
inflexible and rigid. The application pressure therefore varies as a 
function of local conditions at the various points of the seal element. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
One object of the invention therefore is not only to make possible the 
dynamic separation between the door body and seal element, but also the 
individual adJustment of each individual application apparatus. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a door which will adapt to 
uneven surfaces of a door frame. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention, in the hollow profile door frame there is a 
hose running all the way around, which is inflated after the door is 
installed and, if necessary, is pressurized :with appropriate cooling 
media (e.g. by means of the pneumatic equipment). As a result of the 
inflation, the tappets guided through the frame on the seal element are 
pressed against the seal element. Depending on the design of the hollow 
profile beam, there can also be direct contact between the pressure hose 
and the seal element or between the pressure hose and the chamber frame 
itself. This arrangement requires that the pressure hose either be 
thermally resistant and/or that the heat produced be effectively removed 
(e.g. by partial filling of the hose with water or other fluid or gaseous 
media). Suitable materials for the hose may be a silicone rubber or a 
Teflon (a registered trademark of the E I Du Pont De Nemours & Company of 
Wilmington, Delaware). There are suitable relief valves to protect against 
overpressure (not shown, but notoriously well known in the art). Local 
uneven spots can be compensated for by the flexibility of the hose. At all 
the elevated spots on the chamber frame, the return force acting on the 
tappets will be increased, and the tappets will not be inserted as far as 
in neighboring areas, in which there are no local elevated spots on the 
chamber frame. Thus, with the arrangement proposed by the invention, the 
second basic requirement, besides the dynamic separation of door body and 
seal element, can be achieved: Substantially, the same application 
pressure is exerted on the seal element at all points, independently of 
all local differences in height and deviations from linearity. Once this 
ideal condition is fulfilled, the seal of the coke oven door must also 
remain good after long operation. Substantially, all or at least a number 
of deviations from linearity, including those caused by aging, are 
generally compensated by the flexible application system. Each point of 
the seal element is treated substantially individually by the automatic 
adjustment of the return force, and therefore with the resulting 
application pressure, which is substantially the same or similar at all 
points. Over wide areas, the application pressure can be adjusted 
individually, independently of the installation-specific conditions. 
An aspect of the invention resides broadly in a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, the door assembly comprising: a 
sealing element for being disposed adjacent to an outer surface of the 
periphery of the door opening, and substantially closing the door opening; 
and a frame member arrangement for being disposed about and adjacent to an 
outer surface of the periphery of the door opening: the frame arrangement 
comprising an inflatable arrangement and a plurality of force generating 
arrangements for applying a plurality of forces to the sealing element 
about the periphery of a door opening: the inflatable arrangement being 
disposed to extend the plurality of force generating arrangements adjacent 
the sealing element at a plurality of points for pressing the sealing 
element against the periphery of a door opening.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The accompanying drawing illustrates one embodiment of the invention. The 
figure shows a horizontal section through a vertical coke oven. The 
chamber frame of the coke oven is designated 1. A seal element 2 of a coke 
oven door is shown in contact with the chamber frame 1. The sealing 
element 2 is preferably made of sheet metal having a substantially smaller 
thickness dimension than the height and the width thereof. Sealing 
elements and other features of doors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 
4,683,032: 4,740,271 and 4,741,809. The sealing element 2 consists of a 
metal sheet bent outward between the seal surfaces. The sealing element 2 
is pressed against the chamber frame by means of a hollow profile frame 3. 
The hollow profile frame 3 consists of longitudinal beams 4 and transverse 
beams 5. The hollow profile frame 3 is engaged, in a manner not shown, 
with the longitudinal beams 4 by means of locking hooks, which are mounted 
on the chamber frame. Some examples of locking means are shown in U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 4,647,342; 4,254,974: 4,028,193: 3,953,063 and 3,902,274. In the 
profile frame 3, preferably at substantial equal intervals, there are 
movable tappets 6. The tappets 6 are preferably simple bolts. Also 
surrounding the hollow profile frame 3 is a pneumatic hose 7. All the 
tappets 6 are preferably in contact with the pneumatic hose 7. The tappets 
6 preferably have wide heads 8. The pneumatic hose forms the adjustment 
described by the invention of the tappets 6. The pneumatic hose thereby 
expands variably in the illustrated operating position as a function of 
the variable distance between the lateral flanks of the seal element 2 and 
the hollow profile frame 3. 
FIG. 2 shows a hollow profile frame 10 instead of the hollow profile frame 
5. In the hollow profile frame 10 there is a two-chamber pneumatic hose 
11. The two-chamber pneumatic hose acts by means of heads 12 on tappets 
13, whereby the heads 12 are adapted to the shape of the pneumatic hose 
11, and there are return springs 14 between the heads 12 and the opposite 
portion of the chamber frame 10, or spacers 15. 
The two-chamber pneumatic hose 11 preferably has a round cross section with 
a web 16 which, in the drawing, runs parallel to the plane of the seal 
surface. The two-chamber design has the advantage that in case of a leak 
in one chamber, the other chamber can immediately be pressurized with 
compressed air. The door seal is therefore guaranteed almost at all times. 
Preferably, not only is the head 12 adapted to the shape of the hose, but 
other parts which interact with the hose are also adapted to the shape of 
the hose. Such a situation is illustrated by way of Example in FIG. 3. In 
the Figures, there is a rounded chamber frame 21 at the contact surface 
with the hose 20. The hose 20, in contrast to the hose 11, which comprises 
two separately fabricated hoses, which are attached to one another in the 
contact area by means of adhesive. The two hoses can also be bonded 
together, if necessary. 
The back-and-forth tappet designated 22 is limited by stops 23 and 24. 
There are also several return springs 25 and 26. Some examples of door 
closures are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,647,342: 4,254,974; 4,028,193; 
3,953,063 and 3,902,274. All documents cited herein are incorporated by 
reference as if the entire contents thereof were fully set forth herein. 
To recapitulate some aspects of the invention: 
This invention relates to a door with a separate seal element, which is 
pressed against the chamber frame by means of a number of adjustment 
devices located in the vicinity of the seal surface around the seal 
element. 
While doors of the prior art were often made of a solid casting, profile 
beams are generally currently used, which can be worked into a welded 
frame structure for doors. The sizing of the hollow profile beam is 
determined on the basis of static requirements, which are characterized by 
mechanical and superimposed other stresses on the door construction. 
Outside the door frame may be a sealing element, which for its part is 
pressed against the chamber frame to improve the seal. 
In summing up, some embodiments of the invention reside in the following 
aspects. 
One aspect of the invention resides in a coke oven door with separate seal 
element, which is pressed against the chamber frame by a hollow profile 
frame by means of a number of adjustment devices located all around the 
seal element in the vicinity of the seal surface, characterized by the 
fact that the adjustment devices are designed as tappets (6) and are in 
contact with a pressurized hose (7). 
Another aspect of the invention resides in that the pressurized hose (7) is 
a pneumatic hose. 
Yet another aspect of the invention resides in a hose which is a 
multi-chamber hose (11, 20). 
Still another aspect of the invention resides wherein the multi-chamber 
hose (11, 20) has a web (16) shaped into it, or comprises several hoses. 
A further aspect of the invention resides in that the parts interacting 
with the hose (7, 11, 20) are adapted to the shape of the hose. 
Other aspects of the invention relate to: 
One embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, said door assembly comprising: 
a sealing element for being disposed adjacent to an outer surface of the 
periphery of said door opening, and substantially closing said door 
opening: and 
frame member means for being disposed about and adjacent to an outer 
surface of the periphery of said door opening: 
said frame means comprising inflatable means and a plurality of force 
generating means for applying a plurality of forces to said sealing 
element about the periphery of a door opening; 
said inflatable means being disposed to extend said plurality of force 
generating means adjacent said sealing element at a plurality of points 
for pressing said sealing element against the periphery of a door opening. 
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said frame member means 
comprises a hollow profile frame. 
Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said inflatable means is 
disposed within said hollow profile frame. 
Still another embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said inflatable means 
comprises at least one inflatable hose. 
A further embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said sealing element 
comprises a light weight shield. 
Another further embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said light weight shield 
comprises sheet metal. 
Yet another further embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly 
for substantially closing a door opening, wherein said plurality of force 
applying means comprises slidable elements for sliding back and forth 
within said frame means. 
Still another further embodiment of the invention relates to a door 
assembly for substantially closing a door opening, wherein said slidable 
elements comprise elongated cylindrical elements disposed in holes in said 
frame member means which comprises a hollow profile frame. 
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said slidable elements 
comprise tappets. 
Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said at least one inflatable 
hose comprises at least one pneumatic hose. 
Still another embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said at least one inflatable 
hose comprises at least one multi-chambered hose. 
A further embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said at least one 
multi-chambered hose comprises a web therein. 
Another further embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly for 
substantially closing a door opening, wherein said at least one 
multi-chambered hose comprises several hoses. 
Yet another further embodiment of the invention relates to a door assembly 
for substantially closing a door opening, wherein said frame member means 
comprises means adapted to fit against the at least one shape of said 
inflatable means. 
The invention as described hereinabove in the context of the preferred 
embodiments is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided details 
thereof, since modifications and variations thereof may be made without 
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.