US4247345A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for joining synthetic materials
Assignee: Olin Corp
•
Filing: 1978-11-30
•
Granted: 1981-01-27
•
Expires: 1998-11-30
Abstract
Abstract Sections of synthetic materials, such as thermoplastic materials, suitable for use in electrolytic cells for the production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide, are joined together in a reinforced liquid-tight seam by a method which comprises positioning sections of material to be joined adjacent to but spaced apart from each other, to form a gap between the sections, placing a thermoplastic sealing composition in the gap, sewing the sections of synthetic material and the thermoplastic sealing composition together to form a seam, heating the seam to a temperature sufficient to melt the thermoplastic sealing composition without melting the synthetic material or the thread thereby allowing the melted thermoplastic sealing composition to flow to and fill perforations in the synthetic material adjacent to the thread. The seam is then cooled to solidify the thermoplastic sealing composition and to form a reinforced liquid-tight seam between the sections of synthetic material.
Inventors
- 👤 Igor V. Kadija
- 👤 Kenneth E. Woodard, Jr.
- 👤 Paul M. Waxelbaum
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 23:59
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C65/00; B29C65/02; B29C65/08; B29C65/48; B29C65/4805; B29C65/481; B29C65/4815; B29C65/72; B29C66/00; B29C66/01; B29C66/05; B29C66/10; B29C66/11; B29C66/112; B29C66/1122; B29C66/114; B29C66/1142; B29C66/40; B29C66/41; B29C66/43; B29C66/432; B29C66/4326; B29C66/434; B29C66/4342; B29C66/43421; B29C66/70; B29C66/71; B29C65/50; B29C65/5057; B29C65/56; B29C65/62; B29C66/73; B29C66/739; B29C66/7392; B29C66/73921; B29K; B29K2027/00; B29K2027/12; B29K2027/18; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/34; B29L2031/3468; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/10; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1002; Y10T156/1036
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
A process for joining at least two sections of at least one sheet of synthetic material selected from the group consisting of sulfonic acid substituted perfluorocarbon polymers, amine substituted perfluorocarbon polymers, carboxylic acid substituted polymers, polytetrafluoroethylene felts, fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene felts, and polyarylene compounds, which comprises: a. positioning said sections to be joined adjacent to but spaced apart from each other to form a gap between said sections, b. placing a thermoplastic sealing composition in said gap, wherein said thermoplastic sealing composition is selected from the group consisting of fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), perfluoro-alkoxy resins, and polytetrafluoroethylene, c. sewing said sections and said thermoplastic sealing composition together with thread to form a seam which provides a preliminary joining of said sections and to form perforations in said synthetic material adjacent to said threads, d. heating said seam by application of ultrasonic energy having a frequency in the range from about 20,000 hertz to about 50,000 hertz to a temperature sufficient to melt said thermoplastic sealing composition without melting said synthetic material or said thread, e. whereby said melted thermoplastic sealing composition flows to and fills said perforations, and f. cooling said seam to solidify said thermoplastic sealing composition, whereby a liquidtight reinforced seam suitable for use in a chlorine environment is formed to join said sections of synthetic material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
219 words
A process for joining at least two sections of at least one sheet of synthetic material selected from the group consisting of sulfonic acid substituted perfluorocarbon polymers, amine substituted perfluorocarbon polymers, carboxylic acid substituted polymers, polytetrafluoroethylene felts, fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), polychlorotrifluoroethylene felts, and polyarylene compounds, which comprises: a. positioning said sections to be joined adjacent to but spaced apart from each other to form a gap between said sections, b. placing a thermoplastic sealing composition in said gap, wherein said thermoplastic sealing composition is selected from the group consisting of fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), perfluoro-alkoxy resins, and polytetrafluoroethylene, c. sewing said sections and said thermoplastic sealing composition together with thread to form a seam which provides a preliminary joining of said sections and to form perforations in said synthetic material adjacent to said threads, d. heating said seam by application of ultrasonic energy having a frequency in the range from about 20,000 hertz to about 50,000 hertz to a temperature sufficient to melt said thermoplastic sealing composition without melting said synthetic material or said thread, e. whereby said melted thermoplastic sealing composition flows to and fills said perforations, and f. cooling said seam to solidify said thermoplastic sealing composition, whereby a liquidtight reinforced seam suitable for use in a chlorine environment is formed to join said sections of synthetic material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said sections are ends of a plurality of sheets of synthetic material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said sections are ends of the same sheet of synthetic material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said seam is an overlap seam of two sections of synthetic material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein external pressure is applied during heating and cooling of said thermoplastic sealing composition.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said external pressure is in the range from about 10 to about 200 pounds per square inch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 3 wherein said sheet of synthetic material is formed into a desired shape, said sheet is cut to remove excess synthetic material while leaving sufficient ends to form an overlap seam.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said shape is an electrode of a diaphragm cell.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said electrode is an anode.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said electrode is a cathode.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic sealing composition is a fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP) film.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 11 wherein the thickness of said thermoplastic sealing composition is in the range from about 0.001 to about 0.50 centimeter.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 11 wherein the thickness of said thermoplastic sealing composition is in the range from about 0.005 to about 0.40 centimeter.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 13 wherein said seam is heated to a temperature in the range from about 50° to about 400° C.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said thermoplastic sealing composition is applied after stitching is complete.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
The process of claim 15 wherein said thermoplastic sealing composition is a paste suspension of a fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP) containing in the range from about 40 to about 60 percent by weight solids.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 16 wherein said carboxylic acid substituted polymer is prepared by reacting a fluorinated olefin with a comonomer having a carboxylic acid group or a functional group which can be converted to a carboxylic acid group.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claims 2 or 3 wherein said seam is stitched employing a bar stitch.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claims 2 or 3 wherein said seam is joined by employing a continuous stitch.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claims 2 or 3 wherein said seam is joined by employing an overlock stitch.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said thread is a polytetrafluoroethylene thread.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 21 wherein the number of stitches employed is in the range from about 1 to about 6 per centimeter.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 21 wherein the number of stitches employed is in the range from about 2 to about 5 per centimeter.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said sulfonic acid substituted perfluorocarbon polymer is a copolymer of a perfluoroolefin with a sulfonated perfluorovinyl ether.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said amine substituted perfluorocarbon polymer is a primary amine substituted copolymer of a perfluoroolefin with a sulfonated perfluorovinyl ether.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said amine substituted perfluorocarbon polymer is a poly or di-amine substituted copolymer of a perfluoroolefin with a sulfonated perfluorovinyl ether.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process of claim 1, wherein said perfluoroalkoxy resin has a formula CF 2 CF 2 CFO(C n F 2n+1 )CF 2 CF 2 where n is a positive integer in the range from 1 to about 10.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
52 words
The process of claim 1, wherein said sulfonic acid substituted perfluorocarbon polymer is prepared by copolymerizing a vinyl ether having the formula FSO 2 CF 2 CF 2 OCF(CF 3 )CF 2 OCF=CF 2 and tetrafluoroethylene followed by converting the --SO 2 F to either --SO 3 H or alkali metal sulfonate.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1, wherein said polyarylene compound comprises polyarylene sulfide.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1856218A
Cited
GB873347A
Cited
US3134703A
Cited
US3420731A
Cited
US3296990A
Cited
US3567537A
Cited
US3546054A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-01-27 | 1984-07-28 | 1985-01-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-01-27 | 1988-07-28 | 1989-01-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-01-27 | 1992-07-28 | 1993-01-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |