Polymer trim breaker having gas-blocking flakes and an epoxy coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11378328-B2
Application number	US-202017066073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2020
Priority date	Oct 31, 2018
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator includes an inner liner, an outer wrapper and a trim breaker that extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper to define an insulated structural cabinet. The trim breaker includes a plurality of gas-blocking flakes, wherein each gas-blocking flake includes a longitudinal axis that extends substantially parallel with an elongated surface of the respective gas-blocking flake. The longitudinal axis and the elongated surface of each corresponding gas-blocking flake is oriented to be substantially parallel with a portion of an outer surface of the trim breaker located near the respective gas-blocking flake.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A trim breaker for a vacuum insulated structure, the trim breaker comprising:
a base material that defines an outer surface;
a plurality of gas-blocking flakes integrated throughout the base material,
wherein:
each gas-blocking flake of the plurality of gas-blocking flakes includes a longitudinal axis that extends substantially parallel with an elongated surface of the respective gas-blocking flake; and
the longitudinal axis and the elongated surface of each corresponding gas-blocking flake is oriented to be parallel with a portion of the outer surface of the base material located near the respective gas-blocking flake.

2. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gas-blocking flakes are made of at least one of mica particles and glass particles.

3. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein the base material and the plurality of gas-blocking flakes form a homogenous mixture.

4. The trim breaker of claim 3 , wherein the homogenous mixture includes an amount of gas-blocking flakes that is in a range of from approximately 10 percent to 40 percent by volume of the homogenous mixture.

5. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gas-blocking flakes include a range of sizes measured along the longitudinal axis, wherein the range of sizes is from approximately 5 microns to approximately 800 microns.

6. The trim breaker of claim 5 , wherein an aspect ratio of length to thickness for each respective gas-blocking flake is in a range of from approximately 100 to approximately 5,000.

7. The trim breaker of claim 1 , further comprising:
an epoxy coating that is deposed on the outer surface of the trim breaker.

8. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein the base material includes a polymer material.

9. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein the base material includes at least one of a polymer network and a silica-based material.

10. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker partially defines an interior cavity of an insulated structural cabinet that is maintained at an at least partial vacuum.

11. The trim breaker of claim 1 , wherein an aspect ratio of length to thickness for each respective gas-blocking flake is in a range of from approximately 100 to approximately 5,000.

12. A trim breaker for a vacuum insulated structure, the trim breaker comprising:
a base material that defines an outer surface;
a plurality of gas-blocking flakes integrated throughout the base material to define a homogenous material, wherein:
each gas-blocking flake of the plurality of gas-blocking flakes includes a longitudinal axis that extends parallel with an elongated surface of the respective gas-blocking flake; and
the longitudinal axis and the elongated surface of each corresponding gas-blocking flake is oriented to be parallel with a portion of the outer surface of the base material located near the respective gas-blocking flake.

13. The trim breaker of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of gas-blocking flakes are made of at least one of mica particles and glass particles.

14. The trim breaker of claim 12 , further comprising:
an epoxy coating that is deposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of the trim breaker.

15. The trim breaker of claim 12 , wherein the base material includes at least one of a polymer network and a silica-based material.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Amorim Paulo Henrique
• Csapos Vincent D
• Longhi Maurizio
• Raskar Devidas B
• Ribas Fabio F

Classifications

• B29K2105/18

  oriented · CPC title

• F25D23/082

  Strips · CPC title

• F25D2201/14

  using subatmospheric pressure · CPC title

• B29C33/3842

  Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining · CPC title

• B29L2031/7622

  Refrigerators · CPC title