Vacuum insulated panel for counteracting vacuum bow induced deformations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11480385-B2
Application number	US-202117227873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2021
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

A vacuum insulated cabinet structure includes first and second cover members having pre-deformed portions and perimeter portions. The perimeter portions of the first and second cover members are disposed along first and second planar levels and the pre-deformed portions of the first and second cover members include portions thereof extending outwardly relative to the first and second planar levels. A thermal bridge interconnects the first cover member and the second cover member at the perimeter portions thereof to define an insulating cavity therebetween. The insulating cavity is a sealed cavity having a vacuum drawn therefrom. The pre-deformed portions of the first and second cover members move inwardly towards the first and second planar levels under a force of the vacuum within the insulating cavity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a vacuum insulated structure, the method comprising:
providing first and second cover members, wherein the first and second cover members are sheet metal cover members;
pre-deforming the first and second cover members in a sheet metal stamping process to form pre-deformed portions on each of the first and second cover members, wherein the pre-deformed portion of the first cover member extends outwardly from a first planar level of the first cover member, and further wherein the pre-deformed portion of the second cover member extends outwardly from a second planar level of the second cover member, and further wherein the sheet metal stamping process provides inclined weakened portions on the first and second cover members;
operably coupling the first and second cover members to one another to form an insulating cavity therebetween;
introducing an insulation material into the insulating cavity;
drawing a vacuum on the insulating cavity;
drawing the pre-deformed portions of the first and second cover members inwardly towards the first and second planar levels of the first and second cover members, respectively, under a force provided by the vacuum; and
sealing the insulating cavity to maintain the vacuum.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of drawing the vacuum includes drawing a vacuum of less than 10 mbar within the insulating cavity.

3. The method of claim 1 , including the step of:
introducing an insulation material into the insulating cavity, the insulation material having a thermal conductivity of 5 mW/mK or lower.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Dherde Eric J
• Westlake Lorraine J

Classifications

• F16L59/065 Primary

  using vacuum (F16L59/075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D2201/14

  using subatmospheric pressure · CPC title

• F25D23/066 Primary

  Liners · CPC title

• B21D22/022

  by heating the blank or stamping associated with heat treatment (C21D takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D23/06

  Walls (F25D23/08 takes precedence; containers with thermal insulation B65D81/38) · CPC title