CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119(a) of a Korean patent application number 10-2020-0008525 filed on Jan. 22, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and of a Korean patent application number 10-2020-0144906 filed on Nov. 3, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosure relates to a gasket for refrigerator door. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a gasket for refrigerator door with enhanced insulation performance.

2. Description of Related Art

Refrigerators are home appliances having a main body with storerooms and a cold air supply system for supplying cold air into the storerooms, to keep food and groceries fresh. The storerooms include a fridge maintained at temperatures of about 0 to 5 degrees Celsius for keeping groceries cool, and a freezer maintained at temperatures of about 0 to −30 degrees Celsius for keeping groceries frozen. The storeroom commonly has an open front through which to take out or receive food, and the open front is opened or closed by a door.

The refrigerator keeps the storeroom at low temperatures in the following method. First, a compressor suctions in and compresses a refrigerant gas. The refrigerant gas whose temperature rises as the refrigerant gas is compressed is cooled down and liquefied while passing a condenser. The liquefied refrigerant is jetted into an evaporator to be evaporated, cooling the storeroom by absorbing heat in the storeroom for evaporation heat. The evaporated refrigerant gas is suctioned back into the compressor, cooling the inside of the storeroom through the aforementioned series of processes.

When the temperature in the storeroom of the refrigerator rises, the compressor and the condenser are operated to keep the storeroom at a low temperature. The rate of operation of the compressor and condenser directly contributes to power consumption of the refrigerator, so it is important to reduce the rate of operation of the compressor and condenser by minimizing the temperature rise in the storeroom to reduce the power consumption.

FIG. 1shows factors that may cause temperature rise in the storeroom of a typical refrigerator and percentages of energy consumed for the respective factors to keep the storeroom at a low temperature according to the related art.

Referring toFIG. 1, energy consumption for the refrigerator's wall insulation is 52%, energy consumption for a door gasket is 30%, energy consumption for a defrost heater is 6%, energy consumption for a fan motor is 6%, and energy consumption for an external heater is 6%.

Recently, studies are being conducted to reduce energy consumption related to the refrigerator's wall insulation by using a highly-insulating composite substance such as polyurethane foam, a vacuum insulation panel (VIP), etc., to preserve cold air and reduce power consumption. For the door gasket highly contributing to energy consumption, however, there is a lack of study to increase the insulation performance thereof.

The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure provides a gasket for refrigerator door with enhanced insulation performance.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a gasket for a refrigerator door is provided. The gasket includes, by weight % (wt %), about 30 to 60% of thermoplastic resin, about 20 to 40% of plasticizer, about 3 to 30% of filler, and about 0.5 to 5% of surface modification agent. The filler is provided with one or more hollow particles or a porous material having a diameter of about 1 to 100, the filler having a heat conductivity of about 0.0001 to 0.2 Watts per meter-Kelvin (W/m·K). The surface modification agent has a molar mass of about 100 to 500 g/mol.

The filler may have a pressure intensity of about 500 to 20,000 PSI.

Air holes of the one or more hollow particles or of the porous material may be filled with an insulation material having a heat conductivity of about 0.03 W/m·K or less.

The thermoplastic resin may include, by wt %, about 15 to 30% of polyvinyl chloride, and about 15 to 30% of elastomer.

The elastomer may include at least one of a styrene-butadiene rubber, a chloroprene rubber, silicon, thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic vulcanizate, thermoplastic polyolefin or thermoplastic styrene.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a gasket for a refrigerator door is provided. The gasket includes, by weight % (wt %), about 30 to 60% of thermoplastic resin, about 20 to 40% of plasticizer, and about 3 to 30% of filler, wherein the filler is provided with one or more hollow particles having a diameter of about 1 to 100 μm or a porous material, the filler having a heat conductivity of about 0.0001 to 0.2 W/m·K. The thermoplastic resin comprises, by wt %, about 15 to 30% of polyvinyl chloride, and about 15 to 30% of elastomer.

The elastomer may include at least one of a styrene-butadiene rubber, a chloroprene rubber, silicon, thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic vulcanizate, thermoplastic polyolefin or thermoplastic styrene.

The gasket may further include, by wt %, about 0.5 to 5% of surface modification agent.

The surface modification agent may have a molar mass of about 100 to 500 g/mol.

The filler may have a pressure intensity of about 500 to 20,000 PSI.

Air holes of the one or more hollow particles or of the porous material may be filled with an insulation material having a heat conductivity of about 0.03 W/m·K or less.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a gasket for a refrigerator door is provided. The gasket includes a body configured to be arranged between a main body of a refrigerator and a refrigerator door, and a magnet inserted to the body and arranged to be attached to or detached from the main body of the refrigerator. The body includes, by weight % (wt %), about 30 to 60% of thermoplastic resin, about 20 to 40% of plasticizer, about 3 to 30% of filler, and one or more additional additives. The filler is provided with one or more hollow particles or a porous material having a diameter of about 1 to 100 μm, the filler having a heat conductivity of about 0.0001 to 0.2 W/m·K.

Air holes of the one or more hollow particles or of the porous material may be filled with an insulation material having a heat conductivity of about 0.03 W/m·K or less.

The insulation material may be filled at a filling ratio of about 10 to 60%.

The air holes of the one or more hollow particles or the porous material may be provided in a vacuum state.

The porous material may have an air hole ratio of about 10 to 60%.

The thermoplastic resin may include one or more of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomer, thermoplastic vulcanizate, and thermoplastic polyolefin.

The plasticizer may include one or more of dioctyl phthalate, dioctyl adipate, diisodecyl phthalate, and trioctyl trimellitate.

The body may have extrusion molding temperature of about 140 to 200° C.

The body may have 0.5 kgf/mm2 or more of tensile strength, about 150% or more of extension rate, and about 60 to 70 Hs of hardness.

The body may have a heat conductivity of about 0.2 W/m·K or less.

The magnet may include about 40 to 89.5% of ferrite powder, about 10 to 40% of thermoplastic resin, and about 0.5 to 20% of filler.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a gasket for a refrigerator door includes a body configured to be arranged between a main body of a refrigerator and a refrigerator door, and a magnet inserted to the body and arranged to be attached to or detached from the main body of the refrigerator. The magnet includes, by weight % (wt %), 40 to 89.5% of ferrite powder, about 10 to 40% of thermoplastic resin, and about 0.5 to 20% of filler. The filler is provided with one or more hollow particles or a porous material having a diameter of about 1 to 100 μm, the filler having a heat conductivity of about 0.0001 to 0.2 W/m·K.

Air holes of the one or more hollow particles or of the porous material may be filled with an insulation material having a heat conductivity of about 0.03 W/m·K or less.

The insulation material may fill in at a filling ratio of about 10 to 60%.

The air holes of the one or more hollow particles or the porous material may be provided in a vacuum state.

The porous material may have an air hole ratio of about 10 to 60%.

The ferrite powder may include one or more of strontium ferrite oxide powder, barium ferrite oxide powder, and rare earth powder.

The thermoplastic resin may include one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile-butadien-styrene, polyamide, and chlorinated polyethylene.

The magnet may have a heat conductivity of about 1 W/m·K or less and have magnetic power (or magnetic force) of about 70 g/50 mm.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a refrigerator may include a main body defining a storeroom, a door arranged to open or close the storeroom, and the aforementioned gasket arranged between the main body and the door.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

