In forming the profile of the flange portions, the walls 38 and 40 of upstanding leg 36 are spaced from each other by the top wall 42 to form a longitudinally extending cavity or corner piece receiving opening 52 for receiving the legs of angularcorner pieces which will be described later.
The outer vertical wall 38 has an inturned rebent portion generally designated by the numeral 54 that extends inwardly into the opening 52 closely adjacent the inner surface of vertical wall 40. Asillustrated in greater detail in FIG. 8, the inturned portion 54 has a tear drop configuration in side elevation with an upper leg 56 and a lower leg 58. The legs 56 and 58 extend angularly from the vertical wall 38 and form an acute angle therewith. The lower leg 58 of inturned portion 54 is spaced upwardly from and extends toward the inner surface 60 of the lower horizontal wall 46 to form therebetween a pocket generally designated by the numeral 62 as seen in FIG. 3.
Suitable gasket material 64, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, is positioned in the pocket 62 and is maintained therein by the angular relation of lower leg 58 of inturned portion 54 and the bottom horizontal wall 46 and the portion of the innersurface 39 of front wall 38 below the inturned portion 54. The gasket material 64 has a viscosity that permits the material to flow into position by application from a nozzle into the pocket 62. An example material suitable for use as the gasketmaterial 64 is a polymeric material, such as Servaseal 5511 sold by Service Adhesives, Inc. of Maywood, Ill.
Preferably the gasket material 64 remains flowable for a substantial period of time at least during the assembly of the duct joint. With this arrangement the end portion of the duct when inserted into the duct receiving leg portion 44 partiallydisplaces the gasket material within the pocket 62. The gasket material 64 sealingly connects the duct end portion to the respective flanges. Thus, an air-tight seal is formed around the adjacent metal surfaces as will be explained hereinafter ingreater detail.
The vertical rear wall 40 of the upstanding channel shaped leg portion 36 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 8 extends generally parallel to the vertical front wall 38 to a location where the inner surface of the rear wall 40 is slightly below the lower leg58 of inturned portion 54. The rear wall 40 at that location is bent to form a juncture with the top wall 48 of the duct receiving leg portion 44. The top wall 48 is inclined to and extends into abutting relation with the upper surface of the lowerwall 46 which, in turn, is bent upwardly slightly at its end portion to receive the duct end wall and frictionally engage the duct end wall between adjacent surfaces of walls 46 and 48. The above described configuration permits duct walls of differentthicknesses to be utilized and maintained in frictional engagement between the adjacent surfaces of the respective walls 46 and 48.
The vertical dimension of the pocket 62 is not critical because of the gasket material 64 positioned therein. The vertical dimension of pocket 62 may be such that it is arranged to receive duct end walls of different thicknesses and the flangeportions 28-34 may thus be utilized for joint assemblies on ducts of different wall thicknesses. It is preferred, as illustrated in FIG. 3, that the duct walls end portions be inserted into the pockets 62 and through the gasket material 64 until theedges of the duct wall end portion abut the inner surfaces 39 of the vertical walls 38. It should be understood that a seal is obtained when the edge of the duct wall end portions penetrates the gasket material 64. The gasket material 64 is operable tobe displaced and flow out of the pocket 62 at the end of the respective flanges to thereby form a seal around the end of the duct at the intersection of walls 38 and 46 adjacent corner piece 66, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
Angular corner pieces 66, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and in greater detail in FIGS. 5-7 and 10 and 11, have a generally planar configuration. Each corner piece 66 has a corner section or body portion 70 and legs 72 and 74 extending angularlytherefrom in substantially the same plane as the corner section 70. The legs 72 and 74 are arranged to extend into the openings 52 of flange portions 28 and 34 while the corner section 70 remains outside of the flange portion openings 52, as illustratedin FIGS. 1-4. The corner piece 66 has a front planar surface 73 and a rear planar surface 75. The front planar surface 73 within the flange portion openings 52 is arranged to abut the inner surface 39 of the frame front wall 38. Also, as illustratedin FIGS. 5 and 6, for example, corner piece corner section 70 has a common front planar surface portion and a common rear planar surface portion with leg 72 and corner piece corner section 70 has a common front planar surface portion and a common rearplanar surface portion with leg 74. The corner piece 66 has an elongated embossed portion 76, as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, 10 and 11 which extends from a location adjacent the end portion 78 of the leg 72 to the corner section 70 and continues throughthe corner section 70 along the other leg to a location adjacent the end portion 80 of leg 74. The embossed portion 76 has a front concave surface 77 and a rear convex surface 79. The convex surface 79 within the flange portion openings abuts the frontsurface of the flange rear wall 40. With this arrangement, the legs 72 and 74 have a front planar surface 73 that abuts the rear surface 39 of flange front wall 38 and a convex surface 79 that abuts the inner surface of rear wall 40
The legs 72 and 74 have apertures 82 therein to permit dimpling of the frame portions after assembly of the frame member 26. The corner section 70 has a bolt aperture 84 arranged to receive a connecting bolt. The corner piece 66 has shoulders86 and 88 adjacent the upper and lower edges 90 and 92 of leg 72 and shoulders 94 and 96 adjacent the upper and lower edges 98 and 100 of leg 74, defining the boundary of the corner piece corner section 70 relative to legs 72 and 74. The shoulders 86,88, 94 and 96 serve as a stop means and operable as stops arranged to abut ends 102 and 104 of flange portions 28 and 34, as illustrated in FIG. 3 to limit the length the legs 72 and 74 extend into the flange portions 28 and 34. The corner piece cornersection 70 has a lower corner portion generally designated by the numeral 83 having an L-shaped flange or offset portion 85, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 10. The flange portion 85 has an arcuate or offset portion 89 which is displaced or curvedrearwardly in a direction away from the corner piece front planar surface 73 toward the rear planar surface 75. The flange arcuate portion 89, as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, has a front surface 91, a rear surface 93, and an L-shaped end or edge portion 95which is displaced rearwardly from the front planar surface 73. The edge portion 95 extends from the shoulder 88 to the shoulder 96. The flange 85 is thus bounded by the shoulders 88 and 96 and the L-shaped edge portion 95.
With the above described arrangement of the corner piece 66, the leg portions 72 and 74 are positioned in the openings 52 of flange portions 28 and 34. The top walls 42 of the upstanding channel shaped leg portions 36 serve as a stop means andabut shoulders 86 and 94 to prevent the corner section 70 of the corner piece 66 from extending into the longitudinal openings 52. With the corner piece 66 in this position as illustrated in FIG. 8, the front surface 91 and L-shaped edge 95 of therearwardly or displaced curved flange or offset portion 85 are displaced rearwardly from the inner surface 39 of the front wall 38 and spaced above the upper surface of horizontal bottom wall 46 so as to provide clearance for the corner edge portions 22and 24 of the duct end portion to extend beyond the edge portion 95 and the surface 91 of flange portion 85 permitting the duct end portion to be positioned closely adjacent to or in abutting relation with the inner surface 39 of the flange front wall38. With this arrangement an air-tight seal is provided around the corner edge portions 22 and 24 adjacent the flanges 28 and 34 by the penetration of the duct edge portions 22 and 24 into a gasket 106, positioned on the corner piece corner section 70,as illustrated in FIG. 4 and as will be explained later in greater detail.
As illustrated in FIG. 11, the leg 72 of corner piece edges 90 and 92. When the leg 72 is positioned in the opening 52 of flange portion 28, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 8, the upper edge 90 of leg 72 abuts the under surface of the horizontalwall 42 and the lower edge 92 abuts upper leg 56 of the inturned portion 54. The rear convex surface 79 of the embossment 76 abuts the inner surface of the rear wall 40 while the planar front surface 73 of the leg abuts the inner surface 39 of the frontwall 38. With this arrangement, the leg 72 of the corner piece 66 abuts the surfaces of both the front wall 38 and rear wall 40 in the cavity 52 and the upper edge 90 abuts the horizontal wall 42 while the lower edge 92 abuts the surface of the inturnedportion upper leg 56. This provides a rigid, sturdy connection between the corner piece leg portion and the flange portion.
As above described, the shoulders 88 and 96 are arranged to abut the ends 102 and 104 of the flange portions 28 and 34 so that the lower corner portion 83 of the corner piece corner section 70 does not extend into the longitudinal openings 52 ofthe respective flange portions. Therefore, the rearwardly curved or displaced flange portion 85 of the corner portion 83 is in juxtaposition with the flange portion ends 102 and 104. Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8 the front surface 91 of thearcuate flange portion 85 along the edge 95 is spaced rearwardly from the inner surface 39 of the flange portion front wall 38.
The longitudinal edge 95 also is spaced above the horizontal inner surface 60 of the flange bottom wall 46. With thisarrangement, clearance is provided between the L-shaped edge 95 of the corner piece flange portion 85 and the bottom wall upper surface 60 to permit the duct end portions to pass between the duct receiving walls 46 and 48 into abutting relation with theinner surface 39 of the flange front wall 38 and the corner edge portions 22 and 24 to pass beyond the longitudinal edge 95 and flange surface 91. With this arrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the end portions of the duct 10 extend into the flangeportions of the frame member 26 with the exception of the L-shaped corner portions of the duct. The exposed portions of the duct corner edge portions 22 and 24 are not embedded in the mastic seal and it is essential that a seal be provided along theseexposed corner edge portions 22 and 24 of the duct. Thus, the plane corner edges 22 and 24 of the duct end portions extend beyond the edge portion 95 of the corner piece lower corner portion flange 85 into the surface of the gasket 106.
The frame members 26 are formed by first cutting preselected lengths of the strips having preformed flange portion profiles. For example, frame portions 28, 30, 32 and 34 are cut from a strip of the flange shaped profile. Four corner pieces 66have the leg portions 72 and 74 inserted in the openings 52 in the respective upstandng channel shaped leg portion 36 so that they extend into the openings 52 their entire length with the shoulders 86, 88, 94 and 96 abutting the edges of the respectiveflange portions. With the corner pieces 66 secured in the openings, the generally rectangular frame 26 is then secured to the end of the duct 10 by passing the duct walls 12-18 between the legs 46 and 48 of the duct receiving leg portion 44. The endportions of the respective duct walls 12-18 are urged into the flange portions 28-34 until the duct end wall portions penetrate the gasket material 64 and abut the inner surfaces 39 of the frame portion vertically extending walls 38.
It will be apparent that due to variations in the thickness of the duct end wall portions, the duct end portions may be spaced slightly from the front wall 38 but closely adjacent thereto to the extent that the edge of the duct displaces thegasket material 64 in the pocket 62. Consequently, the flowing type gasket material extrudes outwardly around the upper and lower surfaces of the duct wall portions to seal the end portion of the duct wall in the respective pocket 62 of the flangeportion.
Further, a portion of the gasket material 64 extrudes longitudinally, as illustrated in FIG. 4, beyond the ends of the flange portions adjacent the corner piece corner portion 83. The gasket material 64 flows between a respective corner pieceshoulder portion, for example shoulder 88, and the adjacent flange end portions and onto the flange portion 85. Further when the gasket material 64 is extruded from the open end of the flange it flows into the space between the upper surface of the endof the duct wall and the edge 95 of the corner piece flange portion 85. This arrangement provides an effective air-tight seal between the flange and the duct and the corner piece and the duct with the flange. For purposes of illustration only thegasket material 64 has been omitted from flange portion 34 shown in FIG. 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, pairs of ducts are positioned with the flange members in abutting relation with each other. A suitable relatively thin gasket member 106 such as neoprene, polyethylene or the like, is positioned between the upstandingchannel shaped leg portion front walls 38 on the outer surface 37 thereof and between the surfaces of the corner pieces 66. Preferably, the gasket member 106 is formed or shaped to meet the dimensions of the duct end wall and the respective framemembers 26. Bolts 25 are inserted through the respective apertures 84, and nuts 27 are threadedly secured to the bolts 25 to thus secure the corner pieces 66 to each other and, in turn, secure the respective frame members 26 to each other with the ducts10 secured thereto.
With this arrangement, the frame members 26 provide a joint assembly for securing the duct members 10 to each other and to form an air-tight seal therebetween. The configuration of the flange portions permits duct members having walls ofdifferent thicknesses to be utilized with the frame portions having the same dimension. The edges of the duct walls extend into the flowing type gasket material 64 in the longitudinal openings 52 to provide an air-tight seal between the undersurface ofthe duct wall and the uppersurface of the duct receiving leg portion and further around the duct end wall between the upper-surface of the duct wall and the innersurface 39 of front wall 38. In addition the flowing type gasket material 64 is effectiveto form an air-tight seal where the surfaces of duct walls or the walls of the frame portions are irregular due to the coating applied to the surface during the galvanizing operation.
Further it will be apparent from the present invention that by rearwardly curving or displacing the corner piece flange portions 85 that form the corner piece corner portion 83, the duct corner edge portions 22 and 24 are operable to extend intoor penetrate the gasket member 106 which is positioned between the upstanding channel shaped leg portions 36 in overlying relation with the corner piece lower corner portions 83. In this manner air from within the duct is prevented from flowing aroundthe duct end wall and between the upper surface of the duct and the surface of the corner piece flange edge 95.
According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle, preferred construction, and mode of operation of flange invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiments. However,it should be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise then as specifically illustrated and described.
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