Encapsulation system for a thermal bridge breaker-to-metal liner

Abstract

An appliance includes an outer wrapper, an inner liner, a trim breaker having a wrapper channel that receives a wrapper edge of the outer wrapper and a liner channel that receives a liner edge of the inner liner, and an insulation material disposed within an insulating cavity defined therebetween. A multi-component thermal encapsulation material defines pre-mix, application and sealing states. The pre-mix state is defined by the distinct components of the thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper and liner channels and surrounding the wrapper and liner edges, respectively, in the sealing state that defines a hermetic seal between the trim breaker and the outer wrapper and the inner liner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A trim breaker assembly for an appliance, the trim breaker assembly comprising:
 a trim breaker having a wrapper channel configured to receive a wrapper edge of an outer wrapper and a liner channel configured to receive a liner edge of an inner liner;   a thermal encapsulation material that is configured to define a seal between the trim breaker and the wrapper edge and between the trim breaker and the liner edge; and   a centering assembly that is configured to centrally position the wrapper edge within wrapper channel sidewalls of the wrapper channel of the trim breaker and to centrally position the liner edge within liner channel sidewalls of the liner channel of the trim breaker.   
     
     
         2 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker is made of plastic. 
     
     
         3 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the centering assembly includes a plurality of liner protrusions that extend outward from opposing surfaces of the liner edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of liner protrusions extend outward from a first liner surface and extend inward into a second liner surface. 
     
     
         4 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the centering assembly includes a plurality of wrapper protrusions that extend outward from opposing surfaces of the wrapper edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of wrapper protrusions extend outward from a first wrapper surface and extend inward into a second wrapper surface. 
     
     
         5 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of liner protrusions and the plurality of wrapper protrusions are substantially hemispheric members. 
     
     
         6 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the wrapper channel sidewalls and the liner channel sidewalls at least partially define a sidewall of the trim breaker that separates the liner channel from the wrapper channel. 
     
     
         7 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the liner edge of the inner liner. 
     
     
         8 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the wrapper edge of the outer wrapper. 
     
     
         9 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the substantially hemispheric members of the plurality of liner protrusions extend from first and second sides of the liner edge in an alternating configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the substantially hemispheric members of the plurality of wrapper protrusions extend from first and second sides of the wrapper edge in an alternating configuration. 
     
     
         11 . A trim breaker assembly for an appliance, the trim breaker assembly comprising:
 a trim breaker having a wrapper channel defined by wrapper channel sidewalls and a liner channel defined by liner channel sidewalls;   a thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper channel and the liner channel;   a wrapper edge that is disposed within the thermal encapsulation material within the wrapper channel;   a liner edge that is disposed within the thermal encapsulation material within the liner channel, wherein   the thermal encapsulation material defines a seal between the trim breaker and the wrapper edge and between the trim breaker and the liner edge; and   a centering assembly that includes a plurality of wrapper protrusions that are configured to centrally position the wrapper edge between the wrapper channel sidewalls of the wrapper channel, and wherein the centering assembly further includes a plurality of liner protrusions that are configured to centrally position the liner edge between the liner channel sidewalls of the liner channel.   
     
     
         12 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of liner protrusions extend outward from opposing surfaces of the liner edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of liner protrusions extend outward from a first liner surface and extend inward into a second liner surface. 
     
     
         13 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of wrapper protrusions extend outward from opposing surfaces of the wrapper edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of wrapper protrusions extend outward from a first wrapper surface and extend inward into a second wrapper surface. 
     
     
         14 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the wrapper channel sidewalls and the liner channel sidewalls at least partially define a sidewall of the trim breaker that separates the liner channel from the wrapper channel. 
     
     
         15 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the liner edge of an inner liner. 
     
     
         16 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the wrapper edge of an outer wrapper. 
     
     
         17 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the plurality of liner protrusions and the plurality of wrapper protrusions are substantially hemispheric members. 
     
     
         18 . A trim breaker assembly for an appliance, the trim breaker assembly comprising:
 a trim breaker having wrapper channel sidewalls that define a wrapper channel configured to receive a wrapper edge of an outer wrapper and liner channel sidewalls that define a liner channel configured to receive a liner edge of an inner liner; and   a thermal encapsulation material that is configured to define a seal between the trim breaker and the wrapper edge and between the trim breaker and the liner edge, wherein at least one of the liner edge and the wrapper edge includes a centering assembly that centrally positions the wrapper edge within the wrapper channel sidewalls of the wrapper channel of the trim breaker and centrally positions the liner edge within the liner channel sidewalls of the liner channel of the trim breaker.   
     
     
         19 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the centering assembly includes a plurality of liner protrusions that extend outward from opposing surfaces of the liner edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of liner protrusions extend outward from a first liner surface and extend inward into a second liner surface, and wherein the centering assembly includes a plurality of wrapper protrusions that extend outward from opposing surfaces of the wrapper edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of wrapper protrusions extend outward from a first wrapper surface and extend inward into a second wrapper surface. 
     
     
         20 . The trim breaker assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of liner protrusions and the plurality of wrapper protrusions are substantially hemispheric members.