GB2184775A

GB2184775A - Hinge device

Info

Publication number: GB2184775A
Application number: GB8531860A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Steven Dennis Cooper
Original assignee: ENERGY EQUIP; Energy Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: ENERGY EQUIP; Energy Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 1985-12-30
Filing date: 1985-12-30
Publication date: 1987-07-01

Abstract

A hinge device, especially for use in supporting doors which close into a frame as a gastight/airtight seal therein, which in the assembled condition comprises two fixing plates (10), one for the door and one for the frame, each having mounted thereon a hinge pin (14) rotatable relative to the plate via thrust bearings (16, 17), and a link plate (20) fixedly connected to the hinge pins and extending between them to hold said hinge pins in spaced parallel relationship. The hinge device defines a pair of parallel hinge axes, enabling closure about one axis until the door/frame seals engage at the hinged side of the door, and completion of closure about the other, spaced parallel hinge axis. The hinge operates as shown in fig. 7 where axes 30, 32 are provided on door 34. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Hinge device This invention relates generally to a hinge device and more especially to a hinge device for doors, hatches and like opening members which when closed seal against a back frame. Examples are pressure doors, for example on ships, submarines and aircraft, and blast and bomb proof doors which may incorporate gas seals and possibly napalm seals.

When a door or hatch or the like (referred to hereinafter as a door) is closed to seal against a back frame, a conventional hinge leads to the problem that the seals on the hinge side come into contact before the seals on the side remote from the hinge (and progressively in between), so that additional pressure has to be applied to the door to complete closure. Doors of the kind exemplified above may be very heavy, and often have strong seals, so that a very considerable extra manual effort, possibly beyond one man's capability, is needed to complete the closure into the latching condition.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved hinge device which is especially useful for solution of the above-described problem.

According to the invention, a hinge device, in the assembled condition, comprises two fixing plates respectively adapted for fixing to the door and to the frame into which the door closes, each fixing plate having upstanding limbs supporting a hinge pin, and a link member fixedly connected to both hinge pins and extending between them to hold the pins in spaced parallel relationship.

The aforesaid hinge device permits the door to be closed to the major extent by a turning movement about the axis of one hinge pin, and closure completed by a turning movement about the axis of the second hinge pin. At the said second hinge pin, a capability for turning up to 10 degrees may be the maximum that is required.

In practice, in the case of a door which closes into an airtight/gastight condition by the engagement of peripheral seals, the door is able to turn at the first hinge pin until the seals engage on the hinge side, and then substantially without additional effort complete closure by turning at the second hinge pin, until the seals are uniformly engaged around the entire periphery, substantially without overcompression of the seals at the hinge side.

In practice, the said first hinge pins will be the hinge pin carried by the fixing plate which fixes to the frame. Turning of the door at the second hinge pin takes place due to rotation of this hinge pin, together with the link plate, first hinge pin, fixing plate fixed to the door and the door itself relative to the fixing plate fixed to the frame. Turning at the said first hinge pin to complete closure then takes place by rotation of the door and the fixing plate fixed thereto about the said first hinge pin.

In a preferred arrangement, the hinge pins are constituted by bolts secured to the supporting limbs of the corresponding fixing plate through thrust bearings. The thrust support of the bearings at one hinge bolt is preferably reversed in direction relative to the thrust support at the other hinge pin (since in one case the pin rotates relative to its support and in the other case the support turns relative to the pin).

The hinge bolts are conveniently secured by screwthreaded nuts. By adjustment of the tightness of the nuts, the tightness or friction at the thrust bearings can be varied, and in practice the hinge device is adjusted so that hinging automatically takes place at one hinge pin (the first hinge pin) before the other. The added resistance to closure due to engagement of the seals at the hinge side is necessary before the tightness or friction at the thrust bearings associated with the second hinge pin is overcome.

The hinge device in accordance with the invention will now be exemplified with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa cross-sectional view through the complete hinge device in the assembled condition; Figures 2 to 4 respectively show a fixing plate in plan, side elevation and front elevation; Figures 5 and 6 show a link plate respectively in plan and in side elevation; and Figure 7 is a diagram to assist understanding of the action of the hinge device during closure of a door.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, the hinge device comprises two similar fixing plates 10 (see also Figures 2 to 4), one adapted for fixing to the edge face of a door and one adapted for fixing to the side face of a door frame. Each plate 10 has a pair of apertured limbs 12 welded thereto. A hinge bolt 14 is mounted through the apertures in the limbs 12 via thrust bearings 16 or 17, with the aid of securing nuts 18. It will be noted that the direction of action of the thrust bearings 16 at one hinge pin is reversed relative to that at the other hinge pin.

A link plate 20 (see also Figures 5 and 6) is fixedly connected by locking pins 22 between the two hinge bolts 14, holding them in spaced parallel relationship.

In a practical arrangement, the thrust bearings employed are Series GE. 15 A.W. (I.N.A.- ELGES).

The fixing plates and link plate are of bright mild steel and all parts including the thrust bearings are capable of withstanding the cleaning chemicals which are employed when the hinges and door are installed on site.

The hinge device may be made of various dimensions to suit particular applications. However, in a typical example which employs fixing plates of 6.35 cm by 18 cm, 1.2 cm thick, the hinge bolts are spaced from the adjacent surface of the plate by 3.3 cm, and the link plate holds the hinge bolts at a 6 cm spacing.

For completeness, again referring to Figure 1, reference 24 denotes flat washers and reference 26 denotes Oilite thrust washers.

In a typical side hinged door, two hinging devices will be employed. For matching purposes, the link plates for the pair of hinge devices will be clamped together for drilling of the apertures therein, in particularto ensure exact alignment in use of the hinge bolts in the upper and lower hinges.

The above-described hinge device is especially useful for hinging a door which closes via peripheral seals into an airtight"gastight condition. Figure 7 diagrammatically illustrates the action of the hinge device. Reference 30 denotes the first hinge pin and reference 32 the second hinge. The door is referenced 34 and its frame 36, with respective seals thereon 38 and 40.

In the position shown in full line, the door is closing (see arrow 30') by turning atthe hinge pin 30. Closure continues in this way up to the position shown in dotted line, and closure is then completed (arrow 32') by turning at the hinge pin 32 into the position shown in chain line. In this way, the requirement for additional pressure to complete closure, due to engagement of the seals 35 and 40 on the hinge side before engagement on the remote side, is substantially avoided In Figure 7, the relative angles of movement are exaggerated for reasonsofclarity; in practice not more than 10 degrees final closure movement is effected about the second hinge pin 32.

Having regard to Figure 7, it will be understood that the present invention also extends to a door closure equipped with seals and wherein the door closes into an airtightigastight condition by virtue of being hinged on one or more hinging devices as hereinbefore described.

Claims

1. A hinge device comprising, in the assembled condition, two fixing plates respectively adapted for fixing to the door and to the frame into which the door closes, a hinge pin associated with each fixing plate, means mounting each hinge pin to its fixing plate in spaced relationship to the latter, and a link memberfixedly connected to both hinge pins and extending between them to hold the pins in spaced parallel relationship.

2. A hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting means for each hinge pin comprises a pair of limbs upstanding from the face of the fixing plate.

3. A hinge device according to claim 1 or claim 2, arranged so that the door can effect the greater part of its closure by rotation of the door fixing plate about its hinge pin and the final part of its closure by rotation of the link and frame hinge pin relative to the frame fixing plate.

4. A hinge device according to claim 3, wherein said final part of the closure is a rotation of up to 10 degrees.

5. A hinge device according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the frictional resistance to rotation at the door hinge pin is less than that at the frame hinge pin.

6. A hinge device according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the hinge pin comprises hinge bolts tightenable by securing nuts.

7. A hinge device according to claim 6, wherein the hinge bolts and their mountings are relatively rotatable at axial thrust bearings.

8. A hinge device according to claim 7, wherein the direction of action of the thrust bearing at the door hinge pin is opposite to that at the thrust bearing at the frame hinge pin.

9. A hinge device according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the link member is fixedly connected to hinge pins by means of respective locking pins passing through said link member and the respective hinge pin.

10. A door closure which includes a door and a frame into which the door closes as a gastight/ airtight seal by means of peripheral seals carried by the door and the frame, said door being hinged to one side of the frame by one or more hinge devices according to any of claims 1 to 9.

11. A door closure according to claim 10, arranged to close by rotation at one hinge pin until resistance to rotation about said one hinge pin reaches a predetermined level at said one hinge pin due to engagement of the seals at the hinged side of the door, and to complete closure by rotation at the other hinge pin in order to bring the seals into uniform engagement around the whole periphery of the door.

12. A hinge device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A door closure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.