AU677532B2

AU677532B2 - Ventilation tubing

Info

Publication number: AU677532B2
Application number: AU40212/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kenneth John Purnell
Original assignee: Acme Group Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Acme Group Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1994-12-06
Filing date: 1995-12-04
Publication date: 1997-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2015-12-04
Also published as: AU4021295A

Description

P/00/011 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 0* 0 *9 o .0 Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for service is: ACME GROUP PTY LTD KENNETH JOHN PURNELL WRAY ASSOCIATES 239 Adelaide Terrace Perth, WA 6000 Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "VENTILATION TUBING' Details of Associated Provisional Application No(s): PM9894 6 December, 1994 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -2- THIS INVENTION relates to ventilation tubing or ducting.

A particular application of the invention relates to ventilation tubing or ducting which can be used for the purposes of ventilating mines.

It has become common practice to provide ventilation tubing for mines which is formed of a flexible sheet material comprising a plastics material. While this has proved to be particularly efficient, a difficulty which has occurred in relation to the utilisation of such material comprises the loss of air that can occur through the wall of the tubing. In addition to the losses that can result from the previous nature of the sheet material a significant proportion of the air is lost from the 10 tubing or ducting at the junctions between the edges of the sheet material and the locations at which reinforcing or support ribs are mounted to the exterior of the tubing. The mounting of such items is generally effected by stitching. In the case of short lengths of tubing the losses are not significant however, as the length of the tubing increases, the losses can be quite significant. These losses 15 can significantly decrease the efficiency of the tubing and results in the need for _off fans of a greater strength to be able to deliver sufficient air into the tubing to allow for the losses and also to ensure an adequate supply of air is delivered to the outlet end of the tubing.

goo* It is an object of this invention to provide a ventilation tubing or ducting which is 0 20 more efficient.

Accordingly the invention resides in ventilation tubing which is formed of one or more lengths of a substantially impervious sheet material which comprises a plastics material, the longitudinal edges of the one or more lengths of sheet material being welded together to form a tube, a rib mounted to the exterior of the tube, said rib comprising a further strip of sheet material which comprises a plastics material welded at one edge to the exterior o' the tube to extend along the tube, mounting means being provided on the further strip.

According to a preferred feature of the invention a pair of further strips are mounted at the tube in side by side relationship. In addition the mounting '0 means may comprise a strip element which is fixed to the further strip. The strip -3element may have a set of eyelets or like fixing means mounted thereto at spaced intervals along the length of the strip element.

According to a further preferred featured of the invention, said further strip is welded to the tube to overlie one pair of welded edges of the one or more strips of sheet material.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of several embodiments one of which is described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic sectional elevation of ventilation tubing according to an embodiment of the invention.

10 The embodiment shown in the drawing relates to ventilation tubing 10 which is formed of lengths which can be interengaged with each other to provide ventilation ducting of the desired length. Each length of tubing is formed from a single strip shaped sheet of sheet material which is formed of a suitable plastics material and is reinforced by any suitable means. The sheet material is 15 substantially impervious to air flow, •I In forming the tubing 10, the longitudinal edges 11 and 12 of the sheet material are brought into an overlying relationship with respect to each other and are welded together to provide a continuous welded junction along the length of the tubing.

The tubing is further provided with a rib 13 which serves the purpose of providing a support means to enable the tubing to be supported from the roof or wall of a mine shaft. The rib is formed by a pair of strips 14 which incorporate a similar plastics material to that used in the sheet material or the like or at least one which can be welded to the tube. The strips 14 are welded at one edge 18 to the exterior of the tubing 10 such that they overlie the welded junction between the longitudinal edges 11 and 12 of the sheet material. The unattached portion of the strips 14 extend outwardly from the side wall of the tubing in closely spaced relationship. The unattached portions of the strips 14 have attached to them a mounting means in the form of a strip eler, 3nt 15 which 30 comprises a -4- U folded length of sheet material having a plurality of eyelets 16 mounted therein at spaced intervals along the length of the strip element 15. The strip element 15 is mounted to the unattached portions of the strips 14 by stitching 17 or like attachment means which may include welding.

The ventilation ducting manufactured according to the embodiment is substantially fully sealed and the leakage of air through the ventilation tubing is dependent upon the leakage characteristics of the sheet material of which the tubing is manufactured. The welded junction formed between abutting edges of the sheet material which forms the ventilation tubing and the mounting of the support rib 13 to the ventilation tubing does not detract from the substantially impervious characteristics of the sheet material of which the ducting is formed.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the piesent invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above. In particular where necessary the tubing may be formed from a plurality of strips of sheet 15 material in order to provide ventilation tubing of various diameters. In such an 2 instance, the overlapping edges of each length of sheet material are welded ,°together to provide a sealed junction.

9e 99*5 9*99i

Claims

1. Ventilation tubing which is formed of one or more lengths of a substantially impervious sheet material which comprises a plastics material, the longitudinal edges of the one or more lengths of sheet material being welded together to form a tube, a rib mounted to the exterior of the tube, said rib comprising a further strip of sheet material which comprises a plastics material welded at one edge to the exterior of the tube to extend along the tube, mounting means being provided on the further strip.

2. Ventilation tubing as claimed at claim 1 wherein the further strip comprises a 10 pair of further strips mounted atthe tube in side by side relationship.

3. Ventilation tubing as claimed at claim 1 or 2 wherein the mounting means comprises a strip element which is fixed to the further strip. S:i

4. Ventilation tubing as claimed at claim 3 wherein the strip element has a set of eyelets or like fixing means mounted thereto at spaced intervals along the length ~15 of the strip element. S•

5. Ventilation tubing as claimed at any one of claims 3 or 4 wherein the strip element comprises a strip of sheet material folded longitudinally to provide a pair of lateral portions and wherein said portions overlie the further strip

6. Ventilation tubing as claimed at claim 5 wherein the portions and the further strip are sewn together

7. Ventilation tubing as claimed at any one of the preceding claims, wherein said further strip is welded to the tube to overlie one pair of welded edges of the one or more strips of sheet material. M -6-

8. Ventilation tubing substantially as herein described DATED this FOURTH day of DECEMBER 1995 ACME GROUP PTY LTD Applicant, WRAY ASSOCIATES, Perth, Western Australia, Patent Attorneys for the Applicant. j -7- Abstract Ventilation tubing which is formed of one or more lengths of a substantially impervious sheet material which comprises a plastics material, the longitudinal edges of the one or more lengths of sheet material being welded together to form a tube, a rib mounted to the exterior of the tube, said rib comprising a further strip of sheet material which comprises a plastics material welded at one edge to the exterior of the tube to extend along the tube, mounting means being provided on the further strip between the tube and the outer edge of the further strip. *S 0 0 C oo S