GB2070119A

GB2070119A - An insulating glass panel

Info

Publication number: GB2070119A
Application number: GB8014287A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Saar Gummiwerk GmbH
Current assignee: Saar Gummiwerk GmbH
Priority date: 1980-02-19
Filing date: 1980-04-30
Publication date: 1981-09-03
Also published as: BE882921A; DK483280A; LU82391A1; NL8003039A; FR2476202A1; NO801551L

Abstract

An insulating glass panel comprises a flexible air-tight and moisture-proof member 16 which extends along the edge of the panel, engages between the glass panes 12 and 14 with a portion 24 serving as a distance piece and overlaps the peripheral edges 20 and 22 of the glass panes 12 and 14 with lateral extensions 34, 36. The flexible member 16, e.g. of butyl rubber is fixed to the glass panes 12 and 14 by, e.g. butyl, adhesive. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An insulating glass sheet The invention relates to an insulating glass sheet consisting of at least two parallel panes of glass whose edges are spaced apart from one another by a distance piece, on the one hand, while on the other hand the space between the edges is sealed to form an air-tight and moistureproof compartment between the panes.

These insulating glass sheets are used for both heat insulation and soundproofing.

With known insulating glass sheets a hollow aluminium section of approximately rectangular cross-section serves as a distance piece which is bonded to the glass panes by its lateral faces directed towards said panes. It is also known practice to provide the distance pieces or spacers with a plastic covering. The adhesive bond between the glass panes and distance pieces still does not ensure an air-tight and moisture-proof sealing of the compartment enclosed by the panes and distance pieces, and the distance pieces are positioned a certain distance from the outer edges of the glass panes so as to form an approximately U-shaped outer channel which, after the glass panes are bonded to the distance pieces by means of a butyl adhesive, is filled with a sealing compound in the form of polysulphide.

By using distance pieces made of aluminium a localised thermodynamic short-circuit occurs in the edge area of conventionally designed insulating glass sheets which cannot be rendered substantially harmless even by the thin layer of adhesive or by the plastic covering.

Moreoever, the known embodiment gives rise to very rigid bonding of the glass panes, which results in relatively poor sound-proofing and high intrinsic stresses within the system which in turn increases the risk of breakage. In addition, the known embodiment permits only a limited spacing between the glass panes.

After application of the polysulphide sealing compound the insulating glass sheet must first be stored before it can be finished on the building site.

As the edges of the glass panes in the known embodiment are unprotected, there is a high risk of the glass sheet being damaged on the site due to careless handling; moreover, the relatively high intrinsic stresses mean not only that this damage occurs in the edge area, but that the insulating glass sheets are also irreparably damaged. Finally, the risk of injury to persons handling these glass sheets is therefore also increased.

Finally, the manufacture of known insulating glass sheets is relatively costly because the aluminium sections must first be bonded in the system, which is then followed by a second operation, namely, sealing by means of a sealing compound, which finally requires subsequent storage of the insulating glass sheets for a certain period of time.

The problem underlying the invention is to overcome the previously described deficiencies and shortcomings of insulating glass sheets and to provide in particular a glass sheet which can be manufactured relatively simply and cheaply and used on the building site immediately after manufacture, which can be handled simply and without any high risk of breakage of injury, which therefore has effective edge protection and relatively low intrinsic stresses, which enables particularly good heat and sound insulation - in this connection the local K value in particularly will be reduced in the edge area - which enables relatively great spacing between panes and which simply permits an embodiment having more than two glass panes and finally enables efficient mechanised production.

The solution to the problem posed is to provide a flexible, air-tight and moisture-proof section extending along the edge of the insulating glass sheet, engaging between the glass panes with a section serving as a distance piece and overlapping the peripheral edges of the panes with lateral extensions, the said flexible section being tightly connected to the glass panes.

In this embodiment the connection of the flexible section to the glass panes on the one hand ensures the desired spacing between panes, and on the other hand an effective seal and at the same time an edge protection is achieved by the section overlapping the peripheral edges of the glass panes. After the section is secured to the glass panes the insulating glass sheet is ready for installation. A storage time dependent on production is not necessary thereby resulting in a substantially simpler manufacture. Covering the peripheral edges of the glass panes with the flexible section results in effective edge protection which reduces the risk of breakage and therefore risk of injury. Moreover, the flexible section enables a certain movement of the glass panes relative to one another to counteract stresses and limit the maximum contact pressure.With these previously known insulating glass sheets it was possible for too high a contact pressure to cause breakage of the glass panes.

Since a flexible section is used as a distance piece which results in a resilient connection between the glass panes, the embodiment according to the invention affords excellent sound insulation. Moreover, the absence of a metal distance piece improves the local K value and therefore heat insulation.

Since in the main only the flexible section must be bonded to the edges of the glass panes during manufacture, mechanised production may be relatively simple which makes particularly cheap production possible.

The flexible section is preferably made of butyl rubber which has a high air or gas impermeability.

The section is preferably connected to the glass panes by means of a butyl adhesive.

In order to avoid excessive heating of the flexible section under the influence of sunlight, preferably the side of the flexible section facing the interior of the compartment enclosed by the glass panes has a light surface, in which case the section can be generally brightly coloured.

In accordance with another advantageous embodiment the part of the section serving as a distance piece is designed as a hollow section, whose wall or side facing the compartment between the glass panes is provided with openings and the hollow space of which contains a drying agent.

The part of the flexible section serving as a distance piece preferably has a rectangular crosssection. Moreover, in accordance with an advantageous embodiment the section generally comprises an approximately T-shaped crosssection which consists of a ribbon- or strip-shaped section bearing against the outer edges of the glass panes and a section forming the distance piece extending from the first section at right angles between the glass panes. When insulating glass sheets comprise more than two panes, the flexible section is provided with more than one part as a distance piece projecting at right angles from the strip-shaped part.

To improve edge protection the strip-shaped section can be provided at both ends with rib- or bar-shaped sections which project in the same direction as the sections serving as a distance piece and grip around the outer glass surfaces of the insulating glass sheet.

In accordance with another advantageous embodiment corner braces preferably made of butyl rubber and engaging in hollow spaces in the flexible section are provided in the corner areas.

Moreover, it is possible to provide the section with a stiffening or reinforcement of light metal, the section being manufactured by the coextrusion process. The reinforcements can be made of aluminium and designed as a rectangular hollow section, U-shaped section, strip-shaped section or section having any other suitable cross-sectional shape.

In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment the outside of the strip-shaped section is provided with a centering groove for fitting mounting blocks. As is generally known, glass panes are mounted at certain intervals on mounting blocks to prevent stress during assembly. To simplify assembly correspondingly designed blocks can be fitted in the said centering grooves before the insulating glass sheet is brought into its final position for installation.

Further simplification of the assembly operation is achieved as a result.

The section acting as a distance piece can preferably have an increased Shore hardness and/or be brightly coloured. This can be achieved by coextrusion. The relatively high Shore hardness of the distance piece ensures the desired spacing between panes while, on the other hand, the sections serving to protect the edges can be softer and more flexible in design. The varied colouring, on the one hand, ensures the reflective of sunlight whole, on the other hand, the outer areas of the section exposed to the possibility of dirt can be dark-coloured.

The invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of the following description of the practical embodiments shown in the drawing.

Figure 1 shows a view of an insulating glass sheet according to the invention; Figure 2 is a section along the line 11-Il, on a much larger scale than in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 2, showing a modified cross-section; Figure 4 is a cross-section corresponding to Figure 2 where an insulating glass sheet comprises a total of four glass panes; Figure 5 is a cross-section corresponding to Figure 2, showing a section comprising a centering groove and a mounting block fitted in the said groove; Figure 6 is a cross-section corresponding to Figure 2, showing a section comprising a separate attachment for a drying agent; Figure 7 is a cross-section corresponding to Figure 2, wherein a section coextruded with an aluminium reinforcement is used; and Figure 8 is a section along the line VIll-VIll shown in Figure 2 through a corner area of an insulating glass sheet when corner braces are used.

The insulating glass sheet shown in Figure 1 and generally designated by reference numeral 10 consists of two parallel glass panes 12 and 14 (Figure 2) and a section 1 6 of butyl rubber which extends along the edge of the insulating glass sheet 10, fully encloses the latter and is bonded to the glass panes 12 and 14 by means of a butyl adhesive.

The section 16 consists of a strip- or ribbonshaped part 18, which is in contact with the peripheral edges 20 or 22 of glass panes 12 and 14, and part 24 serving as a distance piece which itself has an approximately rectangular crosssection and is designed as a hollow section with a hollow space 26. The section 16 therefore has a substantiallyT-shaped cross-section in which the cross piece of the T is formed by the part 24 acting as a distance piece while the parts in contact with the peripheral edges 20 and 22 are shown as lateral extensions 28 or 30.

These lateral extensions 28 and 30 can also protect the peripheral edges 20 and 22 of the glass panes 12 or 14 to a certain degree, in addition to sealing the compartment 32 enclosed by the glass panes 12 and 14 and the section 1 6.

In order to improve this edge protection bar- or rib-shaped sections 34 or 36 projecting in the same direction as the part 24 can be provided on the edges of the strip-shaped part 18, the said ribshaped sections gripping round the outer edges of the two glass panes 12 and 14 and pressing against the outer faces 38 or 40 of the insulating glass sheet 10.

Figure 3 shows an insulating glass sheet in which a section 1 6a is used without these ribshaped sections 34 and 36.

A single part 24 serving as a distance piece on the strip-shaped section 18 can also be replaced by a plurality of parts 24a, 24b and 24c, for example, three in all, projecting from the strip shaped section 18 in the same direction, as shown in Figure 4, in order to enable production of insulating glass sheets having, in this case, four parallel glass panes 12, 1 2a, 14 and 1 4a. In this connection the parts 24a to 24c which are spaced from one another by a distance equal to the width of the glass panes used can have the same or a different width, depending on the required spacings between panes.

The hollow space or spaces 26 within the parts 24 or 24a to 24c acting as a distance piece can be filled with a drying agent in order to absorb the moisture trapped in the compartment 32 during assembly. To make this possible the wall section 42, facing the compartment 32, of the parts 24 or 24a to 24c comprises openings 44 which can be cut by suitable tools, for example, during manufacture of the section.

Instead of providing the part 24 acting as a distance piece with a hollow space 26 for receiving a drying agent, an attachment 46 for a drying agent can be mounted, for example, locked or bonded on to the part 24, as shown in Figure 6.

A groove 48 can be formed on the face of the strip-shaped section 18 forming the peripheral edge of the insulating glass sheet 10 and serves as a locating groove for receiving mounting blocks 50, as shown in Figure 5. As is generally known, glass sheets are mounted on individual blocks spaced at intervals in accordance with glazing specifications for preventing stress. To facilitate assembly these blocks 50 can be fitted in the locating groove 48 before the insulating glass sheet 10 is moved to its final position for installation. The mounting blocks 50 can be made of vulcanite.

In order that excessive heating of the section 16 under the influence of sunlight may be avoided, the side of the section facing the compartment 32 should be light-coloured. If necessary, the same can apply to the drying agent attachment 46. The section 16 or the drying agent attachment 46 will preferably be made of light-coloured material.

Should reinforcement or stiffening of the section 16 prove necessary or desirable, the section 1 6 can be provided, by means of the coextrusion process, with an embedded reinforcement in the form of an aluminium section 52, as shown for example in Figure 7. Any suitable cross-sectional shape is possible for the aluminium section 52, for example, a rectangular hollow section, a U-shaped section or a stripshaped section.

The design of the section 16 as a hollow section makes it possible for corner braces 54 made of butyl rubber to be fitted in the hollow spaces 26 in the corner areas of the insulating glass sheet 10, as shown in Figure 8.

Finally, the embodiment according to the invention also enables the compartment 32, which is formed between the glass panes 12 and 14 and sealed by the section 16 so as to be airtight and mositure-proof, to be filled with air in a manner known per se.

By varying the distances between the parts 24a, 24b and 24c shown in Figure 4, the section for receiving glass panes of varying thickness can be suitably designed to improve sound insulation by suppressing resonant vibrations.

By using a coextrusion process the part 24 or parts 24a, 24b and 24c serving as a distance piece can be provided with a relatively high Shore hardness of 70, for example, while the areas of the section serving to protect the edges of the glass sheets have a lower Shore hardness of e.g. 55 in order to maintain the flexibility which is advantageous to the protective function.

The part serving as a distance piece can also be produced with light colouring by means of coextrusion in order to reflect sunlight in the manner mentioned, while the other areas can be dark-coloured or variably coloured to distinguish different types.

Claims

1. An insulating glass sheet comprises at least two parallel glass panes whose edges are, on the one hand, spaced apart from one another by a distance piece while, on the other hand, the space between the edge is sealed to form an air-tight and moisture-proof compartment between the panes, characterised in that a flexible, air-tight and moisture-proof section extends along the edge of the insulating glass sheet, engages between the glass panes with a section serving as a distance piece and overlaps the peripheral edges of the glass panes with lateral extension, the said flexible section being closely connected to the glass panes.

2. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the section is bonded to the glass panes.

3. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the section is made of butyl rubber.

4. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, characterised in that the section and the glass panes are bonded together by a butyl adhesive.

5. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the side of the section facing the inside of the compartment enclosed by the glass panes is provided with a light-coloured surface.

6. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the section is generally light-coloured.

7. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the part of the section acting as a distance piece is designed as a hollow section, whose wall facing the compartment between the glass panes is provided with openings, and in that the hollow space contains a drying agent.

8. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the part acting as a distance piece has a rectangular cross-section.

9. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the section generally has a T-shaped cross-section which consists of a strip-shaped part bearing against the outer edges of the glass panes and a part forming the distance piece extending between the glass panes at right angles from the part.

10. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that in insulating glass sheets comprising more than two panes, the flexible section is provided with more than one part acting as a distance piece and projecting at right angles from the strip-shaped part.

11. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that both ends of the strip-shaped part are provided with rib-shaped sections which project in the same direction as the parts acting as a distance piece and grip round the outer glass surface of the insulating glass sheet.

12. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that corner braces are fitted in the hollow spaces of the flexible section in the corner areas of the insulating glass sheet.

13. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the corner braces are made of butyl rubber.

14. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the section contains a reinforcement made of light metal.

15. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the outer side of the strip-shaped part is provided with a locating groove for fitting mounting blocks.

16. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that an attachment for a drying agent is mounted on the part acting as a distance piece.

17. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the part acting as a distance piece has a relatively high Shore hardness.

18. An insulating glass sheet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the part acting as a distance piece is lightcoloured.

19. An insulating glass sheet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the drawings.