Patent Publication Number: US-2023151908-A1

Title: Device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to, and is a continuation of, co-pending International Application No. PCT/EP2014/076168 having an International filing date of Dec. 2, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and which claims priority to European Patent Application No. 13196170.8, having a filing date of Dec. 9, 2013, which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to a device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building, such as, for example, a break-through in a ceiling or wall. 
     A cable or a pipe that is passed through walls and ceilings has to be sufficiently protected to prevent the spread of a fire. On the one hand, the objective is to prevent a fire from leaping directly through the opening to an adjacent space. On the other hand, the objective is to ensure that the spaces are thermally separated from each other, in order to prevent the temperature on the side of the relevant wall or ceiling that faces away from the fire from rising so high that that it is possible for said wall or ceiling to auto-ignite, i.e., initiate combustion by heat, but without a flame. Therefore, it is necessary to satisfy specific statutory approvals with respect to the fire protection properties. 
     The objective that is to be fulfilled is that the installation of cables or pipes should be simple and easy and should not be hampered by fire protection measures. To date, box-shaped housings, which form a passage channel for the lines to be installed, have been inserted into the openings for this purpose. The housing is cast into the corresponding ceiling or wall. After the pipes or cables have been passed through, the interior of the housing is filled with a fireproof sealing compound or stuffed with mineral wool and then sealed with a fireproof sealing compound that encloses the lines. 
     However, this solution for achieving fire protection has a number of drawbacks. The curing time of the sealing compounds is long, and the manual effort and amount of time required for installation is comparatively high. Openings that are difficult to access are hard to close. In addition, this solution does not lend itself to all applications. One example of such an application would be pre-assembled air conditioning units such as those used, for example, in larger apartment buildings. The feed lines of such a unit protrude from the base of the unit. Such a pre-assembled air conditioning unit is easy to install because the lines are inserted into a break-through in the base of the unit. Then the unit is placed on said opening so that the entire unit sits on the opening in the base and partially or completely covers said opening. It goes without saying that for the purpose of casting the lines, which have been passed through, with a sealing compound, the housing, as described above, does not lend itself to this application because the opening in the base is no longer accessible after the unit has been set up. 
     Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building in such a way that said device is easy to install and ensures that, on the one hand, the pipes or cables can be flexibly positioned inside the opening, but, on the other hand, said device reliably prevents a fire from spreading and sufficiently insulates the mutually adjacent spaces, which are connected by means of the opening, from each other against heat. 
     This engineering object is achieved by means of a device exhibiting the features disclosed in patent claim  1 . 
     The inventive device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building comprises a sleeve-like housing, which has an axial passage channel that is open at its opposite ends. This housing can be cast into the relevant ceiling or wall so that the passage channel for passing said pipes or cables, which are to be installed, remains free. Mounted on the walls of the passage channel are brushes that extend into the channel and, in particular, in such a way that their bristles mesh with one another in Order to close the passage channel. In addition, flexible strips of material are mounted in the passage channel and these flexible strips of material are coated with an intumescent material, i.e., a material that expands when exposed to heat and forms a fireproof, rigid body. 
     The brushes are used as a convection barrier for the fumes from a fire and visually seal off the passage channel so that the opening in a building appears opaque. Upon insertion of a pipe or cable, the bristles deflect laterally and nestle around the pipes or cables so that the sealing effect is largely maintained. It is possible to select the flexibility or rather the stiffness of the bristles to match this purpose. The bristles may be made of inorganic or organic fibers that are fireproof and exhibit high stability under heat. 
     In the event of a fire the passage channel is closed by the inumescent material that is applied to the flexible strip. In the ideal case, the inumescent material expands and completely closes the passage channel. 
     With respect to the selection of the base material for the strips, there are no fundamental restrictions. It is expedient for this purpose to select a material that has a specific degree of thermostability. For example, the strips may be made from a suitable woven fabric. 
     The inventive arrangement of the brushes and the flexible strips offers the advantage that the free positioning of the pipes or cables inside the opening in a building is not impeded. As a result, the installation becomes much simpler, yet a fireproof closure is achieved in a reliable fashion. Furthermore, the brushes can act as a base for a sealing compound, in particular, a self-levelling sealing compound such as, for example, a self-levelling silicone sealant, which seals off the opening so that water cannot enter when waterproofing and/or gas-tightness is required. 
     The device of the invention offers the additional advantage that a specific degree of fire protection is ensured as early as just after the shell of the building with the finished interlocking ceilings and walls has been constructed. Then additional insulating measures, such as, for example, a mineral wool insulation, are superfluous. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flexible strips of material protrude inwards from the walls of the passage channel in a manner similar to the brushes, and, at the same time, the strips may sag slightly downwards due to their intrinsic weight. 
     According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base material of the flexible strips is a woven fabric, in particular, a woven glass fiber fabric. The glass fibers act as an internal reinforcement and reliably hold the foamed intumescent material of the coating in the passage channel. 
     According to an additional preferred embodiment, the passage channel has an approximately rectangular cross section, where in this case a brush is mounted on each of the two parallel flat walls that are opposite each other. The rows of bristles of these brushes protrude into the passage channel and face each other so that they mesh with each other at their ends and close the channel. 
     Preferably, the brushes are arranged on an upper end of the passage channel in the installation position, while the flexible strips are arranged so as to be staggered underneath said brushes. In this case, the brushes provide for a seal that looks opaque and for a convection barrier at the upper end of the channel, while the flexible strips of material that are located underneath can freely protrude into the channel. 
     According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the housing is provided with a radially outwards extending flange on at least one of its axial ends. When the housing is installed, this flange terminates flush with the surface of the ceiling or the wall that is adjacent to the opening; or this flange rests on the surface of the ceiling or the wall that is adjacent to the opening so that the installation is easier. 
     A preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the inventive device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building. 
         FIG.  2    is a plan view of the device shown in  FIG.  1   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The device  10  that is shown in  FIG.  1    and that is intended for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building comprises a sleeve-like housing  12 , which is designed more or less like a box and, as a result, has a rectangular cross section, which is much better illustrated in the plan view in  FIG.  2   . In the center of the housing  12  there is an axial passage channel  14 , which is open at its upper end  16  and its lower end  18  and is defined by the four vertical walls  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26  of the housing. In this embodiment and throughout the entire specification as well as in the claims the terms “upper” and “lower” as well as the terms “horizontal” and “vertical” refer to the illustrated installation position of the device  12  in a ceiling of a building that is not depicted in greater detail. However, this manner of installation is not to be considered as limiting the present invention. Instead, it is also conceivable to incorporate a corresponding device in an opening in a wall, so that the housing  12  is filled to one side in relation to the position, shown in  FIG.  1   ; and the passage channel  14  runs horizontally. 
     At its upper end, the housing  12  has a radially outwards extending flange  28  that completely surrounds the upper opening  16 . A corresponding radial flange  30  is also provided at the lower end of the housing  12 . In the installation position shown in  FIG.  1   . the circumferential flanges  28 ,  30  are provided to terminate flush with the corresponding surfaces on the top side and the bottom side of the ceiling of a building, into which the device  10  is inserted. The device  10  is installed by casting the housing  12  with the concrete during the construction of the ceiling. 
     Inside the housing  12  there is a vertical pipe  32 , which is surrounded with a sheath  34  made of an insulating material, This pipe  32  is shown merely for illustrative purposes as an example of a pipe or cable that is to be passed through the opening in the ceiling. As can be clearly seen in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the pipe  32  has a much smaller cross section than the free opening cross section of the axial passage channel  14  so that the pipe  32  can be moved laterally during its installation therein. 
     At the upper end of the passage channel  14 , there are two brushes  36 ,  38  in the upper opening  16  of the passage channel. These two brushes are mounted on the opposite longer walls  20 ,  22  of the passage channel  14 , and the bristles  40  of the brushes extend more or less horizontally towards the center of the passage channel  14 . The bristles  40  are flexible, and their length is dimensioned in such a way that they can mesh with each other in the center of the channel in order to close the passage channel  14 . This situation is shown next to the pipe  32  in  FIG.  2   . In the middle of the passage channel  14  where the pipe  32  is inserted into the channel, the bristles  40  deflect laterally, i.e., in the plane of the flange  28 , and downwards and nestle, due to their flexibility, against the outer periphery of the insulating sheath  34  of the pipe  32 . As a result, the two brushes  36 ,  38  form a kind of curtain that closes the free cross section of the passage channel  14  in such a way that it appears opaque. In addition, said brushes form a convection burner. The bristles  40  may be made of any suitable material, for example, an organic fibrous material or also an inorganic fibrous material. The bristles  40  are provided along the respective brush  36 ,  38  horizontally next to one another over the entire width of the corresponding wall  20 ,  22 , 
     Prior to the insertion of the pipe  32 , the two brushes  36 ,  38 , which mesh with one another, completely close the free cross section of the passage channel  14 . If the pipe  32  passes through the upper opening  16 , for example, from above, then the bristles  40  endeavor to move, in the manner described above, laterally and downwards away from each other and release the cross section that is only large enough for the insertion of the pipe  32 . 
     Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment of the device  10  according to the invention comprises flexible strips  42  of material that are mounted on the same walls  20 ,  22  of the housing on a level below the brushes  36 ,  38 . Each of the strips  42  is attached with one of its ends to one of the walls  20 ,  22 , while its free end protrudes into the passage channel  14 , In this case the strip  42  can sag slightly downwards, but should have sufficient stiffness to ensure that the strips  42  of the opposite walls  20 ,  22  touch each other or at least come very close to each other approximately in the middle of the passage channel  14 . The strips  42  rest laterally against the inserted pipe  32 . In each case, a series of strips  42  extend over the entire width of the respective wall  20 ,  22  beneath a brush  36 ,  38 . 
     The strips  42  are made of a non-flammable fabric, in particular, a woven glass fiber fabric, as a base material and are coated with an intumescent material, which expands subject to exposure to heat and forms a fireproof, rigid body. In the present case, the intumescent coating material foams on the flexible strip  42  of woven fabric in the event of a fire, so that the intumescent material completely seals the remaining free space between the outer periphery of tire pipe  32  and the walls  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26  of the housing  12 . In this way, a fire barrier is formed that prevents a fire from leaping over and beyond the ceiling into the respective adjoining space. Furthermore, this approach provides a thermal insulation between the spaces. 
     The block of foamed intumescent material, which is generated in the event of a fire, is held in the passage channel  14  by means of the glass fiber reinforcement of the flexible strips  42  of woven fabric and is prevented from falling out of the opening. Even ash can no longer fall out through the passage channel  14 . 
     Furthermore, the brushes  36 ,  38  with their bristles  40  are used as a base for a self-levelling silicone sealant that is distributed among the brushes in the upper opening  16  at the upper end of the device  10 . This measure allows the passage channel  14  to be sealed off against the ingress of water. 
     The device  10  that is depicted is easy to install and allows for a good positioning of the pipe or cable, which is to be passed through, inside the passage channel  14  because the flexible bristles  40  of the brushes  36 ,  38  and the flexible strips  42  of woven fabric, conform readily to the outer surface of the pipe or cable and reliably close the remaining free opening cross section.