Patent ID: 8231445

Claim:
A sheet metal duct panel for ductwork, said panel comprising: an elongated ducting panel member having a first end and a second end; said first end being configured to be attached to an end of a second elongated ducting panel member at a flanged joint; the elongated panel member comprising three adjacent portions; a solid first main ducting portion formed of a side ductwork panel; a second portion adjacent to, and at a non-zero angle with the first portion, comprised of an internal baffle; and a third reinforcement portion adjacent and co-planar with the second portion, comprised of an internal bracing having a flow passage therethrough; the second and third portions being configured to extend across an air flow passage, such that the air flow crosses through only the internal reinforcement third portion; said elongated panel member provides integral ductwork reinforcement while being flexibly attached at the flanged joint of the ductwork; wherein damage thereto caused by a detonation within said ductwork is resisted when a series of elongated panel members are flanged together, such that the ductwork is provided with an outer profile having a zig-zag shape; and said internal baffle plate second portion is configured to receive therethrough an array of tubes of a heat exchanger provided within the flow passage.