US 5,340,208 A · Refrigerator liner structures

Abstract

A refrigerator cabinet is provided with a plastic liner, the inside wall of the refrigerator, which is resistant to chemical degradation by fluorocarbons. Freon and Freon substitutes used as blowing agents for foaming the insulation contained between an outer metal cabinet and on the inside wall of the refrigerator can cause blistering, cracking, and sometimes dissolution of materials used to form the plastic liner which is the inside wall of the refrigerator. There is provided a plastic liner which is resistant to those blowing agents and particularly to those blowing agents which are partially halogenated and tend to be more aggressive than Freon. The plastic liner wall maintains impact strength and toughness after exposure to fluorohydrocarbons conventionally employed in refrigerator units for in situ polyurethane foam production.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A refrigerator appliance cabinet comprising an inner plastic liner molded from a thermoformable composite, disposed into an outer metal cabinet, said composite comprising:

a) a core layer comprising high impact polystyrene or an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, said core layer containing 5 to 35 weight percent rubber, based on the weight of the core layer, in the form of particles having average diameters of at least 2 microns, said core layer having two surfaces;
b) a gloss patina on a first of said two surfaces;
c) a barrier material on a second of said two surfaces of said core layer, said barrier material comprising a polymer or copolymer of ethylene or propylene containing 0 to 40 percent of a block copolymer rubber, based upon the weight of the barrier material;
wherein the core layer comprises from 50 to 96 weight percent of the composite and said barrier material comprises 3.5 to less than 50 percent by weight of the composite.

1 more element

A refrigerator appliance cabinet comprising an outer metal cabinet and an inner plastic liner, said plastic liner containing a fluorinated hydrocarbon blowing agent and molded from a thermoformable composite comprising:

a) a core layer comprising a high impact polystyrene or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, said core layer containing 5 to 35 weight percent rubber, based on the weight of the core layer, in the form of particles having average diameters of at least 2 microns, said core layer having two surfaces;
b) a gloss patina on a first of said two surfaces, which comprises 0.5 to less than 10 weight percent of the composite;
and,
c) a barrier material on a second of said two surfaces of said core layer, said barrier material comprising a polymer or copolymer of ethylene or propylene selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, high molecular weight high density polyethylene,
wherein the core layer comprises at least 50 weight percent of the composite, said polymer or copolymer of ethylene or propylene contains from 0 to 40 weight percent, based on the weight of the barrier material, of a block copolymer rubber, and said barrier material comprises from 4 to 50 weight percent of the composite.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Refrigerator liner structures

Life of this patent

Refrigerator liner structures

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32