CA1160887A - Adjustable air inlet baffle structure - Google Patents
Adjustable air inlet baffle structureInfo
- Publication number
- CA1160887A CA1160887A CA000346932A CA346932A CA1160887A CA 1160887 A CA1160887 A CA 1160887A CA 000346932 A CA000346932 A CA 000346932A CA 346932 A CA346932 A CA 346932A CA 1160887 A CA1160887 A CA 1160887A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- baffle
- air inlet
- adjustable air
- baffle structure
- shell
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Abstract
ADJUSTABLE AIR INLET BAFFLE STRUCTURE
Abstract of the Disclosure An adjustable air inlet baffle structure for negative pressure ventilation systems in which a rigid plas-tic shell encases a polystyrene insulation material which reduces the cooling of the lower baffle surface by the cold incoming air, thereby reducing condensation normally caused by warm moist inside air contacting a cold baffle surface.
A pliable plastic strip is attached along one edge of the baffle and is used to attach the baffle to the ceiling or wall of the building, eliminating the need for hinges, yet still permitting adjustability of the baffle. Adjustment may be accomplished by a winch and counterweight system.
Abstract of the Disclosure An adjustable air inlet baffle structure for negative pressure ventilation systems in which a rigid plas-tic shell encases a polystyrene insulation material which reduces the cooling of the lower baffle surface by the cold incoming air, thereby reducing condensation normally caused by warm moist inside air contacting a cold baffle surface.
A pliable plastic strip is attached along one edge of the baffle and is used to attach the baffle to the ceiling or wall of the building, eliminating the need for hinges, yet still permitting adjustability of the baffle. Adjustment may be accomplished by a winch and counterweight system.
Description
ADJUSTABLE AIR I~LET BAFFLE STRUCTU~E
In agricultural buildings such as hog sheds, chick~
en houses, or the li~e, ventilation systems must be provided to exhaust the stale inside air and supply fresh air from the exterior. The most common design for such a ventilation sys tem is one which incorporates a negative pressure type ven-tilation, that is, the inside air is drawn out of the buil-ding by exhaust fans, and exterior air is allowed to enter through openi~gs usually located near the ceiling. Entrance of the exterior air is not forced, but occurs because of the decrease in pressure in the inside of the building caused by the removal of some of the interior air by the exhaust fans.
It is most desirable in such a system to have some adjustable means, such as a baffle over the opening, for the exterior air so that entrance of the exterior air may be regulated and directed upwardly or downwardly in the building space. De-pending upon the temperature of the exterior air, the number of animals in the building, or other factoxs, it is desirable to restrict the opening for exterior air and direct the air along the ceiling from where it will gradually settle within the building~ This is especially so during cold weather when it is importa~t to allow the cold entering air to be warmed before it r~aches the animals housed within the building.
Without the ba~fle, large amounts of cold air will settle directly under the opening, causing an excessively cold spot.
The baffle ~irects ~he incoming air so as to more evenly dis-perse it throughout the building.
One of the principal problems encountered in this type of system is due to the diference in temperature be-tween the exterior air and the interior air. During the win-tertime, the passa~e of the generally cooler exterior airover the baffle cools the surfaces of the baffle, and when these cooler suraces are contacted by the warm and humid in-terior air, condensation occurs. This can cause :Erosting on
In agricultural buildings such as hog sheds, chick~
en houses, or the li~e, ventilation systems must be provided to exhaust the stale inside air and supply fresh air from the exterior. The most common design for such a ventilation sys tem is one which incorporates a negative pressure type ven-tilation, that is, the inside air is drawn out of the buil-ding by exhaust fans, and exterior air is allowed to enter through openi~gs usually located near the ceiling. Entrance of the exterior air is not forced, but occurs because of the decrease in pressure in the inside of the building caused by the removal of some of the interior air by the exhaust fans.
It is most desirable in such a system to have some adjustable means, such as a baffle over the opening, for the exterior air so that entrance of the exterior air may be regulated and directed upwardly or downwardly in the building space. De-pending upon the temperature of the exterior air, the number of animals in the building, or other factoxs, it is desirable to restrict the opening for exterior air and direct the air along the ceiling from where it will gradually settle within the building~ This is especially so during cold weather when it is importa~t to allow the cold entering air to be warmed before it r~aches the animals housed within the building.
Without the ba~fle, large amounts of cold air will settle directly under the opening, causing an excessively cold spot.
The baffle ~irects ~he incoming air so as to more evenly dis-perse it throughout the building.
One of the principal problems encountered in this type of system is due to the diference in temperature be-tween the exterior air and the interior air. During the win-tertime, the passa~e of the generally cooler exterior airover the baffle cools the surfaces of the baffle, and when these cooler suraces are contacted by the warm and humid in-terior air, condensation occurs. This can cause :Erosting on
2.
the baffle which may accumulate onto the walls and ceiling, and in turn may remelt, thereby causing excessive moisture to collect in these areas and resulting in many moisture related problems. The hinges on the baffle which provide the adjustability may become completely frozen over, there-by preventing adjustment of the baffle. In such instances the baffle must either be left in its frozen position or the hinges must be cleared of ice. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to proviae an adjustable air inlet baffle structure for an agricul-tural building ventilation system, which directs the flow of incoming air and which reduces the occurrence of con-densation and frost build up by substantially eliminating the situation where warm and humid inside air contacts a baffle surface cooled excessively by the incoming air, there-by making the system more reliable and efficient in cold weathar.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a baffle for an agricultural building ventilation system which is fully adjustable even in very long lengths, but which does not require the use of metal hinges or other devices which may ~reeze, rust or stick, and which thereby minimizes maintenance requirements to keep the baffle in optimum operating condition.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a baffle for an agricultural building ventilation system which may be installed in a variety of ways so as to direct the flow of incoming air either across the ceiling or down a wall, and which is light in weight and simple in design so as to make installation quicker and easier, and which, because of its light weight, may be manufactured and installed in longer lengths, thereby reducing the number of joints which must be made when such a system is installed in a long building, thus minimizing the possibility of air leaks.
o~
Generally, the present inventlon provides an adjustable air inlet baffle structure for the air inlet vent of a building ventilation system comprising elongated walls of plastic material forming an outer shell with an inner area defined by the walls, a substantially rigid insulating board disposed in the area and providing rigidity to the baffle and flexible hinge means of plastic material joining integrally to the shell along one edge thereof.
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Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the following detailed description and drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an agricultural huilding, with the end exterior wall re-moved, and showing the baffle of the present invention installed;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a baffle such as that shown installed in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the interior of an agricultural building showing the baffle and one means of adjusting the baffle;
Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the baffle shown in Figure 2, the section taken on line 4 - 4 of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one portion of the baffle shown in Figure 4.
Referring more specifically to the drawings, and to Figure 1 in particular, numeral 10 indicates an agricultural buildiny employing the ventilation system and baffle of the present invention. The building has a roof 12 supported by rafters 1~ and joists 16. The ceil-ing 18 is attached to the underside of the joist and to headerboards 20 disposed between and attached to the rafters at a point spaced inwardly from wall 22. A screen 28 is disposed in the underside of the eave of roof 12, which is closed on its end by a facia board 29. A closure board 30 is attached to a soffit board 31 by a plurality of hinges 32, and is used to control the air flow th~ough the openlng of screen 28~ either to completely close or to substantially restrict the ventilation system, particularly during extremely cold weather. The ceiling 18 is spaced from wall 220 terrni.nating at heade.rboard 20 a short distance from the interior wal], thereby forming an opening 3~ for entrance of the fresh air. Likewise, headerboards 20 do not extend upwardly completely to roof 12 but are spaced therefrom to form an air passage 36 to permit the air to flow from the space between the roo and ceiling into the ventilation system.
A baffle 38, having a flexible hinge strip 40, is attached to interior of wall 22 by a plurality of nails 41, and directs the flow of the incoming air through space 34 along the underside of ceiling 18. Flexible strip 40 is made o~ a pliable plastic material, such as vinyl, which provides the hinge-like action required in adjustment of the baffle. This strip is integrally attached along the length of the baffle, preferably near the upper longitudinal corner thereof, and during installation is nailed or skapled to the inner wall structure of the building near the upper edge thereof. The walls of the baffle consist of relative-ly rigid but flexible plastic sheet material 42, such as vinyl, surrounding a substantially rigid insulation board 44 preferably of styrofoam or polystyreme material. This insulation material minimizes the transfer of heat between the upper and lower sur~aces of the baffle, and in doing so reduces the amount of condensation which would normally occur in the conventional type o~ ventil~tion baffle. The cold air passes over the upper surface of the baffle, and that surface remains cold while the insulation material prevents the heat from the lower surface from being trans-mitted to the upper surface and prevents the cold air from cooling the warmer lower surface, thus minimizing conden-3Q sation and frost on the lower surace.
In the typical installation, adjustment of the ba1e is accomplished by a winch similar to that indicated by numeral 46 in Figure 3. Any suitable wind-up or cran~
device may be used, with a main adjustment line 48 o rope or light cable passing therefrom through appropriate pulley blocks 50 and eye bolts 52 secured to the joist near the end thereof. An attachment line 54 is affixed to baffle 38 by a fixture 55 and extends upward and through an eye bolt 52, and is attached to main line ~8 by clamps 56 and 58. De-pending on the length of the baffle r several attachment lines may be re~uired, and a counterweight 60 is preferably attached to the end of main line 48 to facilitate operation of the baffle control mechanism. In the installation shown, a gusset 62, through which main adjustment line 48 passes, is installed at the end of the baffle. Due to the relative-ly light weight of the material of the baffle, the various components of the adjustment system, such as the winch, line, rope or cable, may also be of a lighter design~ By adjustment of crank 46, the opening 34 between khe upper inside edge of baffle 38 and ceiling 18 may be widened or narrowed, thereby regulating the flow of incoming air.
In the use and operation of the adjustable baffle in a ventilation system, as shown in Figure 1, the baffle sections are attached by nailing or stapling flexible stri~
40 onto the wall as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. Because of the light weight of the plastic and polystyrene baf~le, installation can be made with small nails or staples, thus greatly facilitaking installation, expecially when a staple gun is used. The polystyrene insulation section of the first baffle section installed is cut in half. The poly-styrene section of the adjacent baffle is then slid so that half of it is in the first baffle section and half in the second baffl~ section. In this way the first and second baffle sections are connected and held rigidly by the rigid polystyrene insulation between the first and second baffle sections. Subse~uently installed sections are similarly interconnected. The remaining half section of insulation 6.
from the first baffle section is then used in the last baffle section to complete the assembly. After all the necessary baffle lengths have been installed along the wall or ceiling, the winch system is attached, wherein each baffle section is attached to the main line 48 of the cable or rope by attachm~nt lines 54. The counterweight 60 is then installed at the end of the main line to pro-vide tension on the cable system. Turning of the winch or pulley ~6 winds a section of the main line o~ the cable or rope on the reel, thereby raising the counterweight and pulling the attachment lines longitudinally, reducing the length of the attachment line below eye bolt 52, thus rais-ing the baffle toward the ceiling. When the winch 46 is reversed, thereby letting out line along the main line length, the counterweight pulls the main line toward the opposite end of the baffle system from that of t~Se winch, thereby moving the connection points of the attachment and main lines closer to eye bolt 52, thus lowering the baffle sections.
During the summer, the clq~ure board 30 is left open, and~air is exhausted from the interior of the building by a ~an or blower (not shown~ resulting in reduced air pressure within the building compared to the outside, and exterior air enters through screen 28 which keeps out in-sects, birds, debris or the like, passes over the top of wall portion 22 and enters the interior of the building through opening 34. In a substantially horizontal position, baffle 38 will direct the incoming air directly across the ceiling from where it will gradually settle toward the floor, or in a more open position, it will permit the incoming air to settle more quickly toward the floor of the interior.
During the cold winter months, closure board 30 is raised, thereby shutting off screen 28 and restricting the entrance of air at that point. As the air is exhausted from the interior of the building, the air in the space above the ceiling 18 and below roof 12 will be of greater pressure than the reduced pressure of the interior of the building when the fan or blower is operating/ and hence will pass above headerboard 20 through opening 36 and will then enter the interior of the building through opening 34. Once again the position of the baffle will direct or divert the air in various selected directions. I~ the incoming air is directed across the ceiling, the rising heat from within the building will partially warm the air before it mixes with the interior air. It should be noted that the natural tendency of heat to rise also causes the air above ceiling 18 to be of sig-nificantly higher temperature than the exterior air during the winter months. Thus, by closing closure board 30, and using the air above ceiling 18 as the air supply for the building, warmer air is being used in replacing the air withdrawn by the fan or blower. Thiso along with the in-sulation ~n the baffle, minimizes condensation and a build up of ~ost on and around the baffle. The interior air will contact the lower surface of the baffle, but the in-sulation in the baffle will prevent the incoming air from cooling the lower surface. The top surface will be cool but the lower surface will remain warm. It should also be noted that if, in extremely cold weather, some frosting does occur, since the baffle of the present invention does not use hinges, there is no danger of the adjustabili~y of the baffle being restricted due to the freezing of a hinge. The flexibls strip 40 tends to remain flexible even i~ it is covered with frost.
Flexible strip 40 can also be attached to the ceiling 18 rather than to the walls. In such an installa-tion, the baffle will then direct the flow of incoming air down the interior of the wall rather than across the ceiling.
The baffle can also be used in situationSwhere the only supply of fresh air is from the outside of the building.
The insulation of the baffle in such an installation will significantly reduce the amount of condensation and frost build up by keeping the baffle surface facing the interior of the building from being excessively cooled by the in-coming air. Howeverr especially in colder climates, the overall design utilizing a closure board and air supply from the air above the ceiling is preferred in that it provides warmer incoming air, which will help prevent con-densation and will help in maintaining higher interior temperatures.
The polystyrene and plastic sheet construction of the baffle makes it inherently light, therefore making installation easy and efficient~ Due to this light weight, the baf~le can be made in lonc3er sections, thereby elimin-ating the number of joints which would otherwise be re-quired when the baffle is installed in a long building, and will reduce the chance of air leaks in the baffle.
The insulated portion of the baffle can be used with con-ventional type mechanical hinges in place o~ the fle~ible strip; however, the flexible strip is prefQrred due to both ease o~ installation and ease in servicing in the event some frosting occurs. Other insulating materials can be used; however, the polystyrene type is also pre-ferred as it provides ma~imum insulation value with mini-mal thickness rec~uirements and retains its shape and does not pack or settle within the hollow interior of the baffle.
Although one embodiment and several modifications have been described in detail herein, various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
the baffle which may accumulate onto the walls and ceiling, and in turn may remelt, thereby causing excessive moisture to collect in these areas and resulting in many moisture related problems. The hinges on the baffle which provide the adjustability may become completely frozen over, there-by preventing adjustment of the baffle. In such instances the baffle must either be left in its frozen position or the hinges must be cleared of ice. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to proviae an adjustable air inlet baffle structure for an agricul-tural building ventilation system, which directs the flow of incoming air and which reduces the occurrence of con-densation and frost build up by substantially eliminating the situation where warm and humid inside air contacts a baffle surface cooled excessively by the incoming air, there-by making the system more reliable and efficient in cold weathar.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a baffle for an agricultural building ventilation system which is fully adjustable even in very long lengths, but which does not require the use of metal hinges or other devices which may ~reeze, rust or stick, and which thereby minimizes maintenance requirements to keep the baffle in optimum operating condition.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a baffle for an agricultural building ventilation system which may be installed in a variety of ways so as to direct the flow of incoming air either across the ceiling or down a wall, and which is light in weight and simple in design so as to make installation quicker and easier, and which, because of its light weight, may be manufactured and installed in longer lengths, thereby reducing the number of joints which must be made when such a system is installed in a long building, thus minimizing the possibility of air leaks.
o~
Generally, the present inventlon provides an adjustable air inlet baffle structure for the air inlet vent of a building ventilation system comprising elongated walls of plastic material forming an outer shell with an inner area defined by the walls, a substantially rigid insulating board disposed in the area and providing rigidity to the baffle and flexible hinge means of plastic material joining integrally to the shell along one edge thereof.
.f ~
-3a-ws/~
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the following detailed description and drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an agricultural huilding, with the end exterior wall re-moved, and showing the baffle of the present invention installed;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a baffle such as that shown installed in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the interior of an agricultural building showing the baffle and one means of adjusting the baffle;
Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the baffle shown in Figure 2, the section taken on line 4 - 4 of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one portion of the baffle shown in Figure 4.
Referring more specifically to the drawings, and to Figure 1 in particular, numeral 10 indicates an agricultural buildiny employing the ventilation system and baffle of the present invention. The building has a roof 12 supported by rafters 1~ and joists 16. The ceil-ing 18 is attached to the underside of the joist and to headerboards 20 disposed between and attached to the rafters at a point spaced inwardly from wall 22. A screen 28 is disposed in the underside of the eave of roof 12, which is closed on its end by a facia board 29. A closure board 30 is attached to a soffit board 31 by a plurality of hinges 32, and is used to control the air flow th~ough the openlng of screen 28~ either to completely close or to substantially restrict the ventilation system, particularly during extremely cold weather. The ceiling 18 is spaced from wall 220 terrni.nating at heade.rboard 20 a short distance from the interior wal], thereby forming an opening 3~ for entrance of the fresh air. Likewise, headerboards 20 do not extend upwardly completely to roof 12 but are spaced therefrom to form an air passage 36 to permit the air to flow from the space between the roo and ceiling into the ventilation system.
A baffle 38, having a flexible hinge strip 40, is attached to interior of wall 22 by a plurality of nails 41, and directs the flow of the incoming air through space 34 along the underside of ceiling 18. Flexible strip 40 is made o~ a pliable plastic material, such as vinyl, which provides the hinge-like action required in adjustment of the baffle. This strip is integrally attached along the length of the baffle, preferably near the upper longitudinal corner thereof, and during installation is nailed or skapled to the inner wall structure of the building near the upper edge thereof. The walls of the baffle consist of relative-ly rigid but flexible plastic sheet material 42, such as vinyl, surrounding a substantially rigid insulation board 44 preferably of styrofoam or polystyreme material. This insulation material minimizes the transfer of heat between the upper and lower sur~aces of the baffle, and in doing so reduces the amount of condensation which would normally occur in the conventional type o~ ventil~tion baffle. The cold air passes over the upper surface of the baffle, and that surface remains cold while the insulation material prevents the heat from the lower surface from being trans-mitted to the upper surface and prevents the cold air from cooling the warmer lower surface, thus minimizing conden-3Q sation and frost on the lower surace.
In the typical installation, adjustment of the ba1e is accomplished by a winch similar to that indicated by numeral 46 in Figure 3. Any suitable wind-up or cran~
device may be used, with a main adjustment line 48 o rope or light cable passing therefrom through appropriate pulley blocks 50 and eye bolts 52 secured to the joist near the end thereof. An attachment line 54 is affixed to baffle 38 by a fixture 55 and extends upward and through an eye bolt 52, and is attached to main line ~8 by clamps 56 and 58. De-pending on the length of the baffle r several attachment lines may be re~uired, and a counterweight 60 is preferably attached to the end of main line 48 to facilitate operation of the baffle control mechanism. In the installation shown, a gusset 62, through which main adjustment line 48 passes, is installed at the end of the baffle. Due to the relative-ly light weight of the material of the baffle, the various components of the adjustment system, such as the winch, line, rope or cable, may also be of a lighter design~ By adjustment of crank 46, the opening 34 between khe upper inside edge of baffle 38 and ceiling 18 may be widened or narrowed, thereby regulating the flow of incoming air.
In the use and operation of the adjustable baffle in a ventilation system, as shown in Figure 1, the baffle sections are attached by nailing or stapling flexible stri~
40 onto the wall as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. Because of the light weight of the plastic and polystyrene baf~le, installation can be made with small nails or staples, thus greatly facilitaking installation, expecially when a staple gun is used. The polystyrene insulation section of the first baffle section installed is cut in half. The poly-styrene section of the adjacent baffle is then slid so that half of it is in the first baffle section and half in the second baffl~ section. In this way the first and second baffle sections are connected and held rigidly by the rigid polystyrene insulation between the first and second baffle sections. Subse~uently installed sections are similarly interconnected. The remaining half section of insulation 6.
from the first baffle section is then used in the last baffle section to complete the assembly. After all the necessary baffle lengths have been installed along the wall or ceiling, the winch system is attached, wherein each baffle section is attached to the main line 48 of the cable or rope by attachm~nt lines 54. The counterweight 60 is then installed at the end of the main line to pro-vide tension on the cable system. Turning of the winch or pulley ~6 winds a section of the main line o~ the cable or rope on the reel, thereby raising the counterweight and pulling the attachment lines longitudinally, reducing the length of the attachment line below eye bolt 52, thus rais-ing the baffle toward the ceiling. When the winch 46 is reversed, thereby letting out line along the main line length, the counterweight pulls the main line toward the opposite end of the baffle system from that of t~Se winch, thereby moving the connection points of the attachment and main lines closer to eye bolt 52, thus lowering the baffle sections.
During the summer, the clq~ure board 30 is left open, and~air is exhausted from the interior of the building by a ~an or blower (not shown~ resulting in reduced air pressure within the building compared to the outside, and exterior air enters through screen 28 which keeps out in-sects, birds, debris or the like, passes over the top of wall portion 22 and enters the interior of the building through opening 34. In a substantially horizontal position, baffle 38 will direct the incoming air directly across the ceiling from where it will gradually settle toward the floor, or in a more open position, it will permit the incoming air to settle more quickly toward the floor of the interior.
During the cold winter months, closure board 30 is raised, thereby shutting off screen 28 and restricting the entrance of air at that point. As the air is exhausted from the interior of the building, the air in the space above the ceiling 18 and below roof 12 will be of greater pressure than the reduced pressure of the interior of the building when the fan or blower is operating/ and hence will pass above headerboard 20 through opening 36 and will then enter the interior of the building through opening 34. Once again the position of the baffle will direct or divert the air in various selected directions. I~ the incoming air is directed across the ceiling, the rising heat from within the building will partially warm the air before it mixes with the interior air. It should be noted that the natural tendency of heat to rise also causes the air above ceiling 18 to be of sig-nificantly higher temperature than the exterior air during the winter months. Thus, by closing closure board 30, and using the air above ceiling 18 as the air supply for the building, warmer air is being used in replacing the air withdrawn by the fan or blower. Thiso along with the in-sulation ~n the baffle, minimizes condensation and a build up of ~ost on and around the baffle. The interior air will contact the lower surface of the baffle, but the in-sulation in the baffle will prevent the incoming air from cooling the lower surface. The top surface will be cool but the lower surface will remain warm. It should also be noted that if, in extremely cold weather, some frosting does occur, since the baffle of the present invention does not use hinges, there is no danger of the adjustabili~y of the baffle being restricted due to the freezing of a hinge. The flexibls strip 40 tends to remain flexible even i~ it is covered with frost.
Flexible strip 40 can also be attached to the ceiling 18 rather than to the walls. In such an installa-tion, the baffle will then direct the flow of incoming air down the interior of the wall rather than across the ceiling.
The baffle can also be used in situationSwhere the only supply of fresh air is from the outside of the building.
The insulation of the baffle in such an installation will significantly reduce the amount of condensation and frost build up by keeping the baffle surface facing the interior of the building from being excessively cooled by the in-coming air. Howeverr especially in colder climates, the overall design utilizing a closure board and air supply from the air above the ceiling is preferred in that it provides warmer incoming air, which will help prevent con-densation and will help in maintaining higher interior temperatures.
The polystyrene and plastic sheet construction of the baffle makes it inherently light, therefore making installation easy and efficient~ Due to this light weight, the baf~le can be made in lonc3er sections, thereby elimin-ating the number of joints which would otherwise be re-quired when the baffle is installed in a long building, and will reduce the chance of air leaks in the baffle.
The insulated portion of the baffle can be used with con-ventional type mechanical hinges in place o~ the fle~ible strip; however, the flexible strip is prefQrred due to both ease o~ installation and ease in servicing in the event some frosting occurs. Other insulating materials can be used; however, the polystyrene type is also pre-ferred as it provides ma~imum insulation value with mini-mal thickness rec~uirements and retains its shape and does not pack or settle within the hollow interior of the baffle.
Although one embodiment and several modifications have been described in detail herein, various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Claims (14)
1. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure for the air inlet vent of a building ventilation system, com-prising an insulated baffle for reducing condensation and frost formation thereon, said baffle having elongated walls forming an outside shell with an inner area defined by said walls, a substantially rigid insulation board disposed in said area and providing rigidity to said baffle, an elongat-ed flexible hinge means of plastic material joined inte-grally to said shell along one edge thereof for pivotally attaching said baffle to the building structure and for providing pivotal movement of said baffle during conditions wherein frost accumulates on said hinge means, and a means for adjusting and holding the unattached edge of said baffle for regulating the flow of incoming air through said venti-lation system.
2. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as de-fined in Claim 1 in which said insulation material of said insulation board is polystyrene.
3. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as de-fined in Claim 1 in which said flexible hinge means extends throughout substantially the full length of said outer shell and projects outwardly therefrom.
4. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as de-fined in Claim 3 in which said flexible hinge means is at-tached to said edge near one longitudinal corner thereof and projects upwardly from said shell.
5. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim S in which said insulation material of said insulation board is polystyrene.
5. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim S in which said insulation material of said insulation board is polystyrene.
5. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 1 in which said means for adjusting and holding said baffle includes a winch, a main line attached at one end to said winch, a counterweight is supported at the other end of said line, and a plurality of spaced leads 10.
attaching said line to said baffle.
7. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 1 in which said outer shell is open at its ends and said insulation board extends between adjacent sections of said outer shell.
8. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 6 in which said outer shell is open at its ends and said insulation board extends between adjacent sections of said outer shell to form a continuous baffle structure.
9. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure for the air inlet vent of a building ventilation system, com-prising elongated walls of plastic material forming a con-tinuous circumferential outer shell with an inner area de-fined by said walls, a substantially rigid insulating board disposed in said area providing rigidity to said baffle and reducing the potential for formation of frost by thermally separating said elongated walls, and an elongated, flexible hinge means of plastic material joining integrally to said shell along one edge thereof for providing pivotal movement of said baffle during conditions wherein frost accumulates on said hinge means.
10. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 9 in which said insulation material of said insulation board is polystyrene.
11. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 9 in which said flexible hinge means extends throughout substantially the full length of said outer shell and projects outwardly therefrom.
12. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 9 in which said outer shell is open at its ends and said insulation board extends between adjacent sections of said outer shell.
13. An adjustable air inlet baffle structure as defined in Claim 11 in which said flexible hinge means is attached to said edge near one longitudinal corner thereof 11.
and projects upwardly from said shell.
and projects upwardly from said shell.
14. In a ventilating system for agricultural buildings having an air inlet: a plurality of elongated baf-fles disposed in end-to-end relation, walls of plastic material forming shells for each baffle, insulating panels disposed in said walls and extending from the shell of one baffle into the shell of an adjacent baffle to join said baffles together for movement in unison with one another, and an elongated hinge of plastic material joined to each of said baffles along a longitudinal edge thereof for secur-ing said baffles to a supporting structure.
12.
12.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US4169179A | 1979-05-23 | 1979-05-23 | |
| US41,691 | 1979-05-23 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1160887A true CA1160887A (en) | 1984-01-24 |
Family
ID=21917829
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000346932A Expired CA1160887A (en) | 1979-05-23 | 1980-03-04 | Adjustable air inlet baffle structure |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1160887A (en) |
-
1980
- 1980-03-04 CA CA000346932A patent/CA1160887A/en not_active Expired
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