Systems and methods for sealing a refrigerated galley of an aircraft

A galley for an aircraft comprising:

• a refrigerated cart compartment;
• a door frame defining a front wall of the refrigerated cart compartment;
• a door coupled to the door frame at a hinge, the door having a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface opposite the first side surface;
• and
• a seal assembly positioned at the bottom surface of the door, the seal assembly comprising:
• a housing coupled to the bottom surface of the door;
• a seal positioned at least partially in the housing, wherein the seal is moveable relative to the housing and the door;
• a biasing mechanism coupled to the housing and the seal, wherein the biasing mechanism is configured to hold the seal in a relaxed state by applying a biasing force to the seal in a direction away from a floor surface of the galley;
• and
• an activation mechanism coupled to the housing, wherein the activation mechanism is configured to transition the seal from the relaxed state to a compressed state in response to a rotation of the door from an open position to a closed position, wherein a height of the seal is greater in the relaxed state than in the compressed state,
• wherein, when the seal transitions to the relaxed state, the seal moves vertically with respect to the door, and
• wherein, as the seal transitions from the compressed state to the relaxed state in response to the rotation of the door from the closed position to the open position, a portion of the seal closer to the activation mechanism translates vertically before a portion of the seal further away from the activation mechanism.

A method of assembling an aircraft galley with a seal assembly including a housing, a seal coupled to the housing, and a biasing mechanism coupled to the housing, the method comprising:

• coupling a door to a door frame above a floor surface of the aircraft galley to close a galley cart compartment, wherein the door rotates from a closed position to an open position;
• coupling the housing to a bottom surface of the door such that the seal is configured to contact the floor surface when the door is in the closed position;
• coupling the biasing mechanism to the door and to the housing to hold the seal in a relaxed state by applying a biasing force to the seal in a direction away from the floor surface;
• and
• coupling an activation mechanism proximate to the door frame to interact with the housing to overcome the biasing force to transition the seal from the relaxed state to a compressed state in response to a rotation of the door from the open position to the closed position to thereby seal the aircraft galley, wherein a height of the seal is greater in the relaxed state than in the compressed state,
• wherein, when the seal transitions to the relaxed state, the seal moves vertically with respect to the door, and
• wherein, as the seal transitions from the compressed state to the relaxed state in response to the rotation of the door from the closed position to the open position, a portion of the seal closer to the activation mechanism translates vertically before a portion of the seal further away from the activation mechanism.