CH631424A5 - Multiple glazing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a multiple glazing comprising at least two sheets of vitreous substance maintained in spaced relation by at least one metallic spacer disposed between the metallized edges of the or each pair of successive sheets and welded to them. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such glazing.

Until now, multiple glazing of the welded type has been manufactured by fixing flat spacing ribbons placed on edge between the pairs of sheets of vitreous substance, these ribbons being welded by beads of welding to the metallic edges of the sheets.

Such a process has certain disadvantages and the resulting glazing may also suffer from certain defects.

When a known multiple glazing, for example double glazing, is mounted in a frame on an exterior wall of a construction, it is stressed by different forces. First, there will be a clamping force acting on the edge of the glazing which contributes to working in compression the spacing strip placed on edge. A second type of stress suffered by the glazing results from gusts of wind which strike the glazing. The outer glass sheet curls and exerts bending forces on the spacer. A third type of constraint results from the possible existence of a temperature gradient through the glazing. If one sheet is warmer than the other, the resulting difference in expansion or contraction of the sheets also exerts bending forces on the spacer. Since resistance to compressive forces requires that the lead spacing tape be thick enough, the result is that this tape will exhibit less flexibility and absorption characteristics against forces due to gusts of wind and differences in temperature, and it has been found that the joints between this tape and the glassy sheets tend to break a certain time after installation of the glazing.

In addition, the formation of the weld beads themselves is a complicated and slow process. It is common practice to apply a spacing tape against a metallic edge of glassy sheet and apply the solder along the joint, melting it in place using a soldering iron. In order to obtain a well-formed bead, it is often necessary to make two or even three passes of soldering iron on the joint. Even then, despite great care in execution, and although a solid connection is made, the weld bead may be irregular in that its cross section (although perhaps not its shape) varies along the joint. Consequently, the distance over which the weld of the cord encroaches on the main face of the ribbon varies along this ribbon and this ribbon is stiffened differently along its length. This causes a concentration of stresses when the bending forces are exerted on the tape, so that local fractures can appear in the joint.

Such fractures can appear in different ways. For example, the spacer itself may crack in the region of the joint, or it may separate from the weld bead; the weld bead can break or detach from the metallized edges of the sheet; the metallization layer of the sheet may peel off, or parts of the surface of the sheet may flake off.

Such a fracture obviously tends to weaken the whole of a glazing. In addition, in the case of hermetically sealed glazing, such a fracture has the consequence of allowing atmospheric moisture to penetrate the seals and to condense inside the volumes. This condensation is very harmful in transparent glazing because it results in a loss of transparency.

It is important for glazing manufacturers that the supplied volumes resist the ingress of moisture when installed. Manufacturers generally have to guarantee that faults of this kind do not appear for at least a minimum period of time.

The object of this invention is to provide glazing with an improved welded joint.

The multiple glazing according to the present invention is defined by independent claim 1.

The glassy adjective is used here to denote glass or a glass-ceramic material which can be formed from glass by subjecting it to a treatment such that the development of one or more crystalline phases is ensured.

The invention applies mainly to double glazing, but it is estimated that one or more additional glassy sheets can be maintained in spaced relation from the assembly formed by the pair of sheets and by the spacer provided with wings which is attached to it. associated, and this without departing from the object of the invention. The invention also essentially relates to hermetically sealed volumes.

Since the invention provides certain advantages when one or more spacers having a single wing is or are used, it appears that these advantages increase when the or each spacer has two wings, each of them being welded to one or more the other glassy leaves of the pair.

The combination of features which characterizes the invention has many advantages.

The modulus of elasticity of the metal constituting the spacer is important because it influences the way in which the stresses to which the core is subjected can be distributed (in the case of sealed vitreous sheets and where the exposed edges of the core are subject to different temperatures). Such temperature differentials of different or variable amplitude may appear when the glazing is in service. However, in particular, marked temperature gradients may occur across the core during the sealing operation of the spacer to the glassy sheets; stresses can also appear as a result of different contraction between the spacer and the glassy sheets after the sealing operation. In addition, the core of the spacer is liable to be subjected to bending forces which may appear during the use of the glazing.

Furthermore, welding a wing of a spacer to a metallized edge of the sheet (as opposed to welding the edge of a flat spacer such as those recommended in the past) facilitates the formation of the joint, and this, in turn, facilitates the mass production of glazings according to the invention. Making such a joint requires less skill since the presence of localized imperfections is less important in a wing-sheet joint than in a joint produced by a bead. Since the spacer is secured to the edge of the sheet by its wing, there is no need to use a weld bead and it is not necessary to ensure that the spacer is stiffened by a such a cord, as is the case if spacers are used in the form of a flat ribbon. However, it is preferred, in order to obtain the best results, that the weld bead (if there is one) formed at the wing-sheet joint be as small as possible and not encroach on the right part of the core. This ensures a more secure attachment of the spacer to the adjacent glass sheet. The seal is of better quality and less likely to be destroyed or torn over time. This is due to a more satisfactory distribution of the stresses at the right of the joint so that the strip can more easily resist the bending forces which can be exerted on it when the glazing is in service.

It is advantageous to adopt one or more of the following characteristics:

1. the width of the core of the or each spacer must be between 5 and 20 mm,

2. the thickness of the core of the or each spacer must be between 0.05 and 0.4 mm,

3. the or each spacer wing must have a width of 2 to 5 mm,

4. the Young's modulus (measured in compression) of the metal from which the or each spacer is made must be between 5000 and

20,000 kg / mm2. As said above, such a spacer may have a single wing and have for example an L or T section, but it will preferably have a wing at each end of its core, and have for example a cross section I or U.

Such a spacer is preferably obtained by folding a flat ribbon, as this is better suited to the format and the thickness of the material.

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particularly targeted and allows the material to be stored on a reel before its use.

It is particularly suitable to form a T-section spacer or a wing of an I-section spacer by folding the strip along a longitudinal line, so as to form a part having a double thickness over at least one part and then straightening a wing of the strip along a line running along the portion of double thickness. In this way, a core and a wing extending on either side of the core are formed, which is of simple thickness on one side and of double thickness on the other side.

Embodiments of the glazing in which at least one spacer comprises at least one wing projecting from each side of the core have the advantage of better resisting the forces which tend to peel off the wing from the sheet to which it is fixed.

In certain embodiments, the or each spacer has one or more wings directed on one side of the core and this or these wings is or are directed towards the center of the glazing. This allows the core to be securely attached to the edges of the glassy sheets, and this provides better protection against chipping or other degradation.

However, in certain preferred embodiments, the or each spacer has one or more wings directed on one side of the core and the wing or wings is or are directed outward from the center of the glazing. This has the advantage that it is easier, at a corner of the glazing, to fold this spacer so that the wing or wings of the spacer is or are stretched, rather than to fold the spacer in the opposite direction.

Different metals can be used to make the spacers used in the glazing. The metals that can be used include elements and alloys. There are, however, certain materials which have particular advantages.

In certain particularly advantageous forms, the glazings comprise at least one copper spacer. The use of copper makes it possible to manufacture spacers which, not only have their own very flexible flexibility and compressive strength, but also exhibit these properties for an appreciable range of temperatures. In addition, the copper spacers are resistant to corrosion, have satisfactory thermal expansion characteristics and are weldable without difficulty.

In other favorable embodiments, at least one spacer made of an alloy containing by weight at least 70% copper is used, the rest being formed from one or more metals selected from nickel, aluminum, iron and tin. Such alloys have better resistance to atmospheric corrosion than copper and less sensitivity to variations in ambient temperature, but the ratio between their modulus of elasticity and their coefficient of thermal expansion, although satisfactory, is not as good than that of copper, having regard to the ability of the spacer to adapt to the differential thermal expansion of one or its edges and of the sheet to which it is fixed.

A particularly suitable copper / nickel alloy is that which contains 90% Cu and 10% Ni (percentages by weight). Particular mention is made of a copper / aluminum / iron alloy containing these elements in the weight ratio 86/10/4 and of a copper / tin alloy containing by weight 95.5% Cu and 4.5% Sn.

The corrosion resistance of the Monel metal (registered trademark) makes it particularly suitable for its use as a spacer for glazing according to the invention.

Monel alloys are metal / copper alloys containing at least 63% Ni and 28% Cu, the rest being one or more metals among Fe (max 3%), Mn, Si, C, Al and Co (proportions by weight) . Typical examples of Monel alloys are given in the following table in weight parts:

<Table at the top of the next column)

Spacers of other copper alloys can also be used, for example brass spacers containing at least 80% by weight of copper.

Or

Cu

Fe

Mn

Yes

VS

HAVE

Co

67

28

1.9-2.5

1-2

• -

-

-

-

67

30

1.7

1.1

0.1

0.1

-

-

66

29

0.9

0.85

0.5

0.3

3

-

63

30

2.5

-

1.5

• -

-

2

63

30

-

-

3

-

-

-

A suitable brass contains by weight 80% copper and 20% zinc. Brass has good corrosion resistance.

Another category of alloys which can advantageously be used for the manufacture of glazing spacers comprises zinc / copper / titanium alloys.

Zinc / copper / titanium alloys of the Zintane type (registered trademark) are very suitable: such alloys can comprise by weight up to 1.5% Cu and 0.1 to 0.5% Ti, for example 0.5% Cu and 0.1% Ti.

Special mention is made of glazing in which at least one spacer is formed from mild steel containing less than 0.3% by weight of carbon. Steels which warrant special mention are steels containing at least 0.3% by weight of carbon having the following compositions by weight: 99.9% Fe and 0.1% C, 99.8% Fe and 0.2% C , 99.96% Fe and 0.04% C and steels with less than 0.3% by weight of carbon containing 1% Mn or 1% Mn with 0 to 2% Si.

Finally, mention is made of Invar and Kovar (registered trademarks) which are particularly suitable for spacers when certain probing techniques are used, because of their coefficients of thermal expansion at the temperatures considered.

Invar is a nickel / iron alloy that contains about 36% nickel by weight and has a good coefficient of thermal expansion.

Kovar is an Fe / Ni / Co alloy, which has a coefficient of thermal expansion very similar to that of glass.

Typical compositions (parts by weight) of Kovar are: Fe 54% Ni 29% Co 17%, and Fe 54% Ni 28% Co 18%.

In certain glazings, the or each spacer carries a metallic surface coating of composition different from the spacer. The use of a surface coating makes it possible to select the material of the spacer mainly or essentially on the basis of the required physical properties. Chemical properties such as corrosion resistance can then be imparted, in case the spacer material does not have them, by the application of an appropriate surface coating.

The or each spacer advantageously carries a coating of tin. A tin coating is particularly effective in providing good corrosion resistance.

As an alternative or in addition to the tin coating, the or each spacer preferably carries a coating formed by a solder alloy. It is particularly advantageous to use a spacer having a tin coating, and a superimposed coating of a solder alloy.

For reasons of practical convenience, it is preferred that such a welding alloy be of the same composition as the welding alloy used to weld the spacer to the metallized peripheral zone of an adjacent glassy sheet.

In the case where a tin coating is used, it is advantageous to form this coating electrolytically. If desired, the coating can be melted in place to remove any porosity or pitting of the coating.

An easily weldable coating can be applied to the tape by immersing the spacer in a bath of molten metal. An alloy forming a coating of desired composition can be formed very easily in this way.

The solder preferably used is constituted by a lead / tin alloy which may possibly contain bismuth.

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Alloys containing 60% to 35% lead (by weight) are particularly suitable for giving a low melting point and, moreover, are economical.

Tin / lead / bismuth solders, if used, preferably contain at least 15% tin and not more than 40% bismuth by weight.

The following examples relate to particularly suitable solder compositions (parts by weight)

Sn:

63

60

50

23 42

46

Pb:

37

40

50

40 50

50

Bi:

-

-

-

37 8

4

Advantageously, the or each intermediate space contains a desiccant in communication with it. This reduces the risk of condensation appearing on the inner faces of the glazing sheets.

Preferably, the desiccant is incorporated in at least one metal tube fixed to the peripheral zone of the glazing so as to have an ordered appearance.

In the preferred implementation standards, the or at least one metal tube is welded to the metallized edge of a sheet and / or to a spacer. This procedure is perfectly suitable for fixing a metal tube to a metallized edge of a sheet and / or to a metal spacer and, in certain embodiments of the invention, the welding of the tube can be carried out at the same time as forming the spacer-sheet weld joints.

Particular importance is given to the use of a metal tube containing the desiccant welded in the peripheral zone of an intermediate space of multiple glazing. This combination of features is considered new and applicable, regardless of the shape of the metal spacer.

This embodiment has a neat and clean appearance of the glazing.

Advantageously, the metal tube can be fixed by welding over its entire length, or at one or more places.

The or at least one metal tube can be welded either to a metallized edge of the sheet, or to a spacer. Even if the metal tubes envisaged have thin walls and therefore have a weak effect of stiffening the spacer, it is preferred that this tube does not act as a gusset between a spacer and a metallized edge of the sheet.

Welded multiple glazing units are generally manufactured with narrow intermediate spaces, for example wide spaces of 6 to 15 mm. This clearly shows that the tube containing the desiccant must have a reduced diameter of sufficient length in order to be able to contain the necessary quantity of desiccant. The problems inherent in the convenient and reliable filling of a tube having for example 1 m long and an outside diameter of 5 mm can easily be imagined. In order to solve these problems, it is proposed to fill a tube with a larger diameter and then stretch it to the required diameter. To easily carry out this operation, the tube must be made of a ductile metal, and it is therefore preferred that the or at least one metal tube is made of copper or lead.

The desiccant is preferably selected from one or more of the compounds: calcium sulphate, calcium chloride, phosphorus pentoxide, molecular sieves preferably with pores less than or equal to 0.4 nm; activated alumina; silica gel; sodium aluminosilicates and calcium aluminosilicates.

The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a multiple glazing unit defined by claim 19.

This method of manufacturing glazing has the advantage of not requiring, during the welding step, the same degree of care, skill and time as does the known method comprising the formation of seals at the using a weld bead of satisfactory quality between the spacer and the pair of sheets. The spacer may comprise a single wing, but it is preferably formed with two wings each for welding to each of the sheets of the pair.

The metallized edges of the sheets are preferably coated with solder before welding to a spacer; this promotes the rapid formation of a high quality solder joint.

The spacer is advantageously coated with a metal of composition different from the spacer before welding with glassy sheets.

Likewise, the spacer can be coated with tin, preferably electrolytically. Such a tin coating can be melted in situ.

Preferably, as an alternative or in addition, the spacer is coated with solder, this operation can advantageously be carried out by immersion.

The or each wing is preferably formed by folding a flat ribbon. The advantage conferred by the use of such a method is twofold. First, having regard to the dimensions of the spacer considered, it is easier to operate the shaping by folding, and then this makes it possible to store the material of the spacer in rolls before its use.

Such a folding operation is preferably carried out shortly before assembling the spacer between a pair of sheets. A spacer can for example be folded to dimensions just after the coating operation, but it can be folded to form its wings before such an operation. In this way, the coating operation can be carried out at a temperature identical to that of annealing the folded ribbon and the coating will not be damaged by a subsequent folding operation of the wings.

The forming of the spacer wing before the coating step is particularly advantageous when it is formed by a process comprising folding one or more parts of the spacer onto itself, as for example in the in the case of a spacer of section T or I. In such spacers, the welding coating process can be adapted to fill the gap between the lined parts with welding.

Preferably a flux is applied to one or both surfaces which are to be welded. This facilitates the formation of high quality solder joints. The flux used is preferably a resin-based flux. The advantage of such flows is that they are not corrosive. Rosin is a very suitable flux. Other different types of flux can also be used, for example Multicor 366, distributed by the British firm Multicor, and Castolin 157 or Castolin FL 3303, distributed by the Swiss firm Castolin.

Another flux well suited to the following composition by weight: NH4C1 3%; NaCl 6%; ZnCl2 24%; HCl 0.5-1%; surfactant such as C16H36BrN 0.25%; the balance being made up of water and methanol in equal parts.

It is advisable to use as small a quantity of flux as possible in order to avoid the formation of deposits on the internal faces of the glazing sheets.

In some embodiments, the solder is applied in the form of a paste in which the flux acts as a binder of solder alloy particles.

The spacer can be welded to a first sheet of the pair before assembling the second sheet to this spacer, but the spacer is preferably assembled between the pair of sheets before the welding takes place.

In preferred embodiments, in which the weld is applied to a spacer and / or to the metallized sheet arms before the glazing is assembled, the assembly is subjected to a temperature and pressure such that the weld joints are formed. from the pre-applied weld.

The pressure can be exerted by clamps, but it is preferable to leave the assembly horizontal and to place a weight on the upper sheet of the pair.

There are many ways to get the heat you need for the welding operation.

A suitable means is the electric heating of the spacer. This can be done for example by connecting the spacer to a source of F.E.M. so that the heating is obtained by Joule effect. According to another mode, the spacer can be heated by induction.

Another suitable means for ensuring the necessary heating is to place the entire assembly in a heating enclosure. The use of a heating chamber has particular advantages for the mass production of glazing.

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The glazing can be placed successively on the conveyor belt to be conveyed through a tunnel oven. The speed of the conveyor and the temperature gradient inside the oven can then be adjusted in order to obtain a heating and / or cooling plan, for example to ensure the uniformity of the cooling of the glazing after formation. solder joints. Heating the whole of the glazing has the additional advantage of extracting the ambient humidity from the space formed inside the glazing.

Alternatively, the edges of the assembled glazing can be subjected to the action of one or more preferably reducing flames.

The desiccant is preferably placed inside and in communication with the intermediate space before welding the assembly.

The desiccant is incorporated into at least one metal tube which is fixed to a peripheral zone of the glazing.

In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the metal tube is welded to a metallized edge of the sheet and / or to a spacer.

It is preferred that the welding of a metal tube to a metallized edge of the sheet and / or to a spacer is carried out at the same time as the formation of the spacer / sheet edge joint. Preferably, the metal tube is welded to a metallized edge of the sheet or to a spacer.

Advantageously, the metal tube is filled with desiccant and then stretched to reduce its diameter.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described, by way of example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings, in which:

the fìg. 1 shows a cross section of part of the edge of a double glazing according to the invention;

fig. 2 to 4 are elevation views showing different forms of spacer which can be used in multiple glazing according to the invention;

fig. 5 to 7 are schematic views illustrating the various processes by which glazing can be produced, and FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate two other embodiments of hollow glazing.

In fig. 1, two glass sheets 1,2 are provided with metallic deposits 3,4 along their mutually facing edges. Such deposits can for example be copper or a copper-based alloy, and these edges can be metallized.

A U-shaped spacer 5 has a core portion 6 and wings 7, 8 which are respectively welded to the deposits 3,4 on the edges of the glass sheets 1,2 by thin layers 9,10 of weld. It will be noted that the welding in the layers 9, 10 is essentially limited to the spaces between the wings and the edges of adjacent metallized sheets and, therefore, does not encroach on the straight portion of the core 6.

Fig. 2 shows an I-shaped spacer 11 formed by folding from a flat strip. Such a folding can be carried out in the following way: the portions of wings 12, 13 at each edge of the ribbon are placed in double thickness against the same side of the ribbon with the folds 14, 15. The doubled portions are then gripped and folded in opposite direction along the fold lines 16,17 at the opposite ends of the core 18 of the spacer, formed in this way. In order to give the spacer a real I-section, it can be covered with solder (not shown) so that each portion of wing 12, 13 is assembled to itself at the place where it is doubled.

Fig. 3 shows a spacer 19 with a T-section having a core 20 and a wing 21. It appears from the figure that this spacer can be formed from a flat metal strip in a similar manner to the method of forming the spacer 11 with I-section in FIG. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a spacer 22 with an L-shaped section having a core 23 and a single wing 24 formed by folding a flat strip of metal.

By using a single wing spacer (eg a spacer as shown in fig. 3 or 4) in a glazing unit, it is considered that it is normally necessary that the other edge of the wing is attached to the other sheet through a weld bead.

When a spacer as shown in any of Figs. 1 to 4 has been formed, it is preferably coated with a layer of welding metal. This can be most conveniently done by immersing the spacer in a molten solder bath. Individual spacers can be immersed, either singly or in groups as in a batch process, or the spacer is passed through a solder bath as in a continuous process, before being cut to length.

The thickness of the solder coating applied in this way is preferably between 2 and 50 µm.

The metallized edges of the glassy sheets to which the spacer must be welded are also coated with solder. This can, for example, be done by spraying in a well known manner. The thickness of a solder coating on a sheet edge is preferably between 50 and 200 u.

The optimum thickness of a weld coating both on a spacer and on a sheet edge depends on the assembly and the welding method chosen. If it is desired to adopt a welding method which does not include the addition of additional solder, the solder coatings must have an allowance at the upper ends of the tapes.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates such a welding method. In fig. 5, the glazings 25 each comprise two glassy sheets having metallized edges and coated with solder, which are kept separated by one or more double-wing spacers coated with solder and which are placed horizontally on a conveyor 26: one or more weights represented by 27 is or are placed on the top sheet. The glazing 25 is conveyed through a heating enclosure 28 where the preformed coatings of weld on the spacers and the sheets melt and join to form layers of weld such as layers 9, 10 of FIG. 1, so that when the assembly leaves the heating chamber, it has become a welded glazing.

In fig. 6 and 7, an assembly 29 consisting of a pair of glassy sheets 30, 31 kept separated by a spacer 32 is conveyed on rollers 33. Pressing rollers 34 are opposed to the conveyor rollers 33 to exert pressure on the assembly which is conveyed over a bath 36 containing molten solder 37. A pipe 38 is conveyed from the bottom of the bath 36 to a pump 39 which is intended to push the molten weld along a pipe 40 leading to a spout 41. The spout 41 is intended to project a jet 42 of molten solder against an edge of the assembly 29 and, as can be seen in FIG. 7, the drops 43 of excess solder fall back into the bath. Any other excess weld that has passed through the spout 4 is wiped from the glazing edges. This can be done using a fixed brush (not shown). The jet 42 of molten solder has the effect of melting any solder pre-applied to the spacer 32 or the sheets 30, 31 and can penetrate between the spacer 32 and the sheets 30, 31 to form a thin intermediate layer of solder. Glazing 29 can be routed between a pair of spouts 41 so that its opposite edges can be welded at the same time.

The apparatus shown in fig. 7 can be used to form welded joints or to apply additional solder to a joint which has already been formed, for example by using the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5 or 6, In this case, the formation of an appropriate seal does not depend on the presence of a double wing at the spacer.

In each of fig. 8 and 9, two glass sheets 44,45 were provided with metallic deposits 46,47, for example of copper or of a copper-based alloy, formed by a known method along their edges facing each other respectively. A spacer 48 in U has a core portion 49 and wings 50, 51 which are respectively welded to the metallic deposits 46,47 on the edges of the glass sheets 44,45 by thin layers of solder 52,53.

Each of these glazings also comprises a thin tube 54 of metal filled with a desiccant material 55. A groove or series of holes 56 allows (tent) the communication between the desiccant and the space between the sheets 44,45.

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In fig. 8, the thin metal tube 54 containing the desiccant is fixed to a peripheral zone of the glazing by joining the metallic deposit 47 on a glass sheet 45 by means of a weld 57. This weld joining can be carried out in different ways, but a very suitable method consists in pre-coating the metal deposit 47 and the tube 54 with welding and then assembling the glazing and making the junction by a method as described with reference to FIG. 5.

In fig. 9, the metal tube 54 containing the desiccant is joined to the portion of the core 49 of the spacer 48 by solder 58. It is obviously considered that, if it is desired that the thin metal tube 54 be kept in the spaced position sheets of glass 44,45 as shown in fig. 9, then the solder 57 cannot be melted during the joining of the glazing and, therefore, the solder 58 should be a solder alloy having a higher melting point than that used to form the layers 52, 53.

The tube 54 assembled either at a metallized edge of the sheet as in FIG. 8, either to a spacer as in fig. 9, either with two sheet edges and a spacer, can be welded over its entire length or locally at one or more places along its length.

It is obvious that such a desiccant tube can be long and narrow so that it will not be easily filled with the desiccant. It has been found that it is easier to fill a larger tube made of ductile metal, such as copper or lead, and then to stretch the tube until its section is reduced to the desired size.

In practical embodiments, the desiccant is selected from one or more of the following compounds: calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, phosphorus pentoxide, molecular sieves, preferably, whose pores are less than or equal to 0.4 nm, activated alumina, Silicagel, calcium aluminosilicates.

In the variants of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the U-shaped spacer shown at 48 is replaced by a spacer having any of the shapes of Figs. 2 to 4.

Different specific examples of glazing according to the invention are described below:

Example 1:

Glazing was produced in accordance with fig. 1 and 5. The sheets 1,2 are made of glass 4 mm thick and their edges are coated with copper in a known manner. Weld coatings 180 to 200 [i thick are then applied to the metallized edges. The spacer 5 in a U shape is formed from a 0.2 mm thick copper ribbon so that the core 6 is 12 mm wide and each of the wings 3 mm wide, and the '' thickness a solder coating thick from 12 to 20 fz. The Young's modulus of the copper used is between 10,000 and 12,000 kg / mm2. In fact, two L-shaped spacers are assembled between the two glass sheets after a flux is applied to the metallized edges of the sheets. The flux used is a resin flux. The solder used contains by weight: 50% Pb, 42% Sn, 8% Bi. The glazing is then conveyed horizontally through a heating chamber 28 in which it is heated to melt the pre-applied weld so that the assembly is sealed in one volume by the layers of weld located between the spacer wings and the metallized edges of leaves.

As an alternative to this example, the copper spacers are given an electrolytic coating of tin 5 µm thick before the solder coating.

In the second variant, the spacers are oriented inversely around the glazing, that is to say that their wings are directed towards the center of the volume.

Example 2:

Glazing is produced in accordance with fig. 1 and 5, except that the spacer shown in fig. 1 is replaced by an I-shaped spacer as shown in FIG. 2. This spacer is formed from a copper strip (Young's modulus between 10,000 and 12,000 kg / mm2) 0.2 mm thick so that the wings are 4 mm wide distributed

about 2 mm on each side of the core which is 12 mm wide.

The two sheets are 4 mm thick glass and their metallized arms (copper) are coated with solder to a thickness of 150 to 200 (i.

The spacer is also coated, by immersion, with a thickness of 15 to 20 (a so that the lined portions of the wings are welded together. The composition of the weld used is, in parts by weight, 50% Pb, 46 % Sn, 4% Bi.

Flux is applied to the faces of the wings and metallized edges of the sheets which will be in contact. The flux used is resin.

The assembly of the sheets and the interposed spacer is carried out horizontally on a conveyor, the upper sheet is ballasted to ensure a direct contact between the spacer wings and the metallized edges, and the assembly is routed through a heating enclosure to melt the solder. On leaving the enclosure, it can be seen that the glazing is securely sealed by the weld which is essentially confined in the thin layers comprised between the wings of their respective sheets.

Example 3:

Glazing is produced in accordance with fig. 1 and 5. The spacer is formed by a Kovar strip 0.2 mm thick so that the wings protrude 4 mm, and on the same side, the core which is 12 mm wide. The spacer wings are pre-coated with solder. The two sheets are made of translucent glass ceramic material 5 mm thick and their metallized arms are coated with solder to an approximate thickness of 100 jx.

The solder used consists of equal parts by weight of tin and lead.

The assembly of the sheets and the interposed spacer is carried out horizontally on a conveyor to be conveyed through a heating enclosure, while the upper sheet is loaded with weight.

During heating, the pre-applied solder coatings melt and unite to form thin layers which, when cooled, assemble the glazing.

As an alternative to this example, and in order to increase the corrosion resistance of the spacer, a 5 µl coating. of tin is electrolytically deposited on the spacer before its solder coating.

According to a second variant, the solder used contains by weight 63% tin and 37% lead. This composition gives the lowest melting point for a lead / tin alloy. In fact, many solder compositions can be used. Binary alloys of tin and lead and ternary alloys of lead, tin and bismuth are particularly suitable. In general, it is preferred that such a binary alloy contains by weight between 40 and 65% of tin. Increasing the proportion of tin beyond 65% increases the price of the solder and increases the melting point. For reasons of economy, it is desirable to maintain a compromise between the cost of the weld and its melting point. It is preferred that a ternary alloy contains between 35 and 60% by weight of lead, up to 40% by weight of bismuth and at least 15% by weight of tin. The more bismuth used, the less tin should be used.

In a third variant, the two sheets are both made of glass.

Example 4:

Glazing is produced in accordance with fig. 6. The spacer 32 has a U-shaped section, as shown in FIG. 1, and is formed by folding a 0.25 mm thick copper ribbon to give wings 4 mm wide and a core 15 mm wide; it is coated with solder over a thickness of 10 to 15 [a.

The sheets 30, 31 are made of 5 mm thick glass and, after assembly of the spacer on the sides, the assembly is brought to the rollers of the conveyor 33 to be conveyed between the burners 35. The metallized edges of the sheets are pre-coated with welding over a thickness of 180 to 190 u.

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The weld, pre-applied to the spacer wings and the metallized edges of the sheets, is melted by the burners to form a thin intermediate layer which seals the assembly.

As an alternative to this example, flux is applied to the metallized edges of the glass sheets to promote the formation of a high quality seal.

According to a second variant, the spacer and the metallized edges are pre-coated with welding in respective thicknesses of 5 and 50 μ.

According to a third variant, the spacer is of the form shown in FIG. 2, the free edges of the wings 12, 13 are directed towards the edges of the glazing.

According to a fourth variant, the glazing formed in this way is the subject of a finishing treatment using the apparatus shown in FIG. 7 so as to improve the quality of the welded joints formed.

Example 5:

Glazing is constructed in accordance with fig. 7. The spacer used has the cross-section shown in fig. 1 and is 0.2 mm thick Invar. The spacer is coated with a layer of tin 5 jz thick by electrolytic deposition so as to protect it against corrosion. The spacer is coated with welding and assembled between the metallized edges and coated with welding of the two 4 mm thick glass sheets, and is then conveyed by the rollers 33 between a pair of welding sprayers 41. After cooling, finds that the assembly is securely sealed by the weld.

As an alternative to this example, the tin coating may be omitted from the spacer.

According to a second variant, a spacer with an I-section is used (cf. fig. 2).

According to a third variant, the Invar spacer is replaced by a Kovar spacer.

Example 6:

Glazing is constructed in accordance with fig. 6, the spacer used is similar to that described in Example 5 and is given a coating of 15 y. weld thickness. The glass sheets are rectangular and their metallized edges are coated with solder to a thickness of 150. After assembly, the sheets and the intermediate spacer are conveyed by conveyor and pressing rollers between a pair of gas burners 35 so that opposite sides of the assembly can be sealed simultaneously. The assembly passes again between a pair of gas burners so that the remaining pair of opposite sides are exposed to the action of gas flames. Reducing flames are used. . As an alternative to this example, the solder coatings on the spacer and sheet edges are thinned and, after assembly, the sheets and the spacer are routed between a pair of solder sprayers (Fig. 7). The lengthwise portions of the spacer leaving the region of the weld jets are stirred to remove the excess weld while it is still in the molten state.

Example 7:

Different glazings are constructed in accordance with Example 1, but using different spacers. These spacers are again copper U's, but each spacer of a particular assembly has the dimensions shown in the following table (expressed in millimeters).

Glazing

7A

7B

7C

7D

7E

Thickness of the core

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.1

0.1

Width of the web

9

9

9

9

6

Wing width

3

3

2

2

2

It has been found that the glazing 7A can withstand compression forces on the frame of about 2 kg / cm of spacer length, and this glazing has a very high resistance to fatigue.

The 7B unit can withstand compressive forces on the chassis up to 3 kg / cm of spacer length and again has a high resistance to fatigue.

The 7C unit can withstand compression forces on the chassis of approximately 3 kg / cm of spacer length, but it is not as fatigue resistant as the units 7A and 7B.

Unit 7D illustrates a case where the core of the spacer is comparatively thin. This unit can withstand compression forces on the chassis of approximately 1 kg / cm of spacer length and its fatigue strength is between that of units 7A and 7C. This is nevertheless a very satisfactory result when comparing with previously designed glazing.

The 7E unit can withstand compression forces on the frame of approximately 1 kg / cm of spacer length and its fatigue strength is similar to that of the 7A unit.

Example 8:

Different glazings were constructed in accordance with Example 2, but using different spacers. The spacers are again of the I-section shown in fig. 2 and have wings of 4 mm projecting from about 2 mm on either side of the core. In the following table, the spacer compositions are given by weight and the dimensions in millimeters. E is Young's modulus measured in compression in kilograms per square millimeter.

The 8A unit can withstand peripheral compression of approximately 2 kg / cm of spacer length and has very good resistance to fatigue. In fact the nickel content of the spacer is not critical and it can vary from 5 to 30% while giving equally satisfactory results.

■ The 8B unit can withstand peripheral compression of approximately 2 to 2.5 kg / cm of spacer length and has a very high resistance to fatigue.

The 8C unit can withstand peripheral pressures of approximately 1.5 to 2 kg / cm of spacer length and is also very resistant to fatigue.

The 8D and 8E units can easily withstand chassis compression forces of around 1 kg / cm of spacer length and again exhibit good fatigue resistance. In fact, the alloy used to make the spacers for these units is one of the generally similar alloys such as Zintane, each of which may have been used.

(Table at the top of the next page)

The 8F unit can withstand peripheral pressing forces of around 2 kg / cm of tape length and has good resistance to fatigue.

The units 8G, 8H, 81 can easily withstand peripheral pressing forces of around 1 kg / cm of tape length and their resistance to fatigue is very satisfactory.

Unit 81 can withstand peripheral pressing forces of about 1 kg / cm of tape length and the fatigue resistance is very good.

The 8K and 8L units also give very satisfactory results.

It is believed that the metal alloys given in this example were simply chosen from many other suitable materials. Other suitable materials are for example brasses and bronzes.

Example 9:

Glazing is produced in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7. The spacer 32 shown in FIG. 7 is replaced by a T-spacer as shown in fig. 3. The spacer is formed by a 0.15 mm thick Invar ribbon, the core is 12 mm wide and the wing a total width of 4 mm. The sheets 31, 32 are made of glass 3 mm thick and their metallized edges are pre-coated with welding over a thickness of 50 (a. The spacer is also pre-coated with welding over a thickness

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Composition

E

Core width

core thickness

Based

Additives

8A

Cu

10% Ni

12600

15

0.25

8B

Cu

4% Fe 10% Al

12000

12

0.2

8C

Cu

4.5% Sn

11200

9

0.16

8D

Zn

0.1% Ti 0.5% Cu

10,000

12

0.2

8E

9

0.16

8F

Cu

20% Zn

10,000 to

12000

15

0.25

8G

Fe

0.1% C

19000

12

0.1

8H

9

0.06

81

Fe

0.2% C 1% Mn

18000

12

0.08

8d

Metal Monel (registered trademark)

20000

12

0.1

8K

Cu

10% Pb 10% Sn

9000

12

0.2

8L

Cu

5% Pb 5% Sn 5% Zn

9000

12

0.2

of 10 (x, and this solder coating was found to seal the lined portions of wing 21 together 35.

A flow of resin is applied to the metallized edges of the sheets, coated with solder, and they are assembled with the spacer inserted and ducted between the rollers 33, 34 of conveyor and pressing to bring them between a pair of solder sprayers 41. 40

When the edges of the glazing are progressively distant from the region of the weld jets, it is noted that not only the wing of the spacer is welded to the adjacent sheet by a thin intermediate layer of weld, but also, and somewhat surprising, that the other edge of the core is subject to sheet 45

adjacent by a uniform good quality weld bead.

As a variant of this example, the spacer is formed by a 0.2 mm thick copper strip, any other dimension remaining equal and, after assembly, the sheets are heated before they are conveyed between the welding sprayers 41. notes that this preheating also forms a temporary, but not good quality, weld joint between the sheets and the spacer, and that the solder application step forms a level of finish which improves the quality of the joints.

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Example 10:

Glazing is produced according to fig. 7. The spacer 32 is replaced by an L-shaped spacer as shown in FIG. 4 and consists of a Kovar tape 0.15 mm thick. The core has a width of 12 mm and the wing a width of 2 mm. 60

The spacer and the metallized edges of the two glass sheets are coated with solder and a flux is applied as described in Example 9.

The sheets and the spacer are then assembled and routed between the welding sprayers. Leaving the welding spray zone 65, after removing the excess welding by wiping along the exposed face of the core of the spacer and after cooling, it is found that the spacer is assembled to the sheets of glass by a thin layer of solder between the wing and its adjacent sheet and by a high quality weld bead fixing the other free edge of the core to the other sheet.

Example 11:

Glazing is produced as shown in fig. 7, the spacer having an L-shaped section as described in Example 10.

The assembly of the sheets and the spacer is formed as in Example 10, with the wing of the spacer against the upper sheet 30 in FIG. 7, a spray of molten solder towards the edges of the assembly, as has already been described.

The combination of surface tension and gravity effects on the molten weld causes the formation of a very high quality bead joining the free edge of the spacer core to the bottom sheet, while the top sheet is sealed to the spacer wing by means of a thin intermediate layer of solder.

As a variant of this example, the spacer has a T-shaped section as described with reference to FIG. 3.

Example 12:

As an alternative to the previous examples, a lead tube 54 coated with solder and containing desiccant as illustrated in FIG. 8 is deposited on a metallized edge of the lower vitreous sheet before assembly and sealing by welding of the spacer. The tube 54 containing the desiccant is sealed at this edge at the same time as the sheet / spacer joints are formed.

As an alternative to this example, the tube containing the desiccant is made of copper.

In another variant, in which the metallized edge of the lower sheet to which the tube containing the desiccant is to be sealed is previously coated with solder, the solder coating is placed on the tube.

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Example 13:

As a variant of each of examples 1 to 11, a tube 54 containing the desiccant is welded to a spacer to be sealed along a glazing edge in order to obtain glazing as described with reference to FIG. 9.

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3 sheets of drawings

Claims (32)

631,424 2 1. Multiple glazing comprising at least two sheets of vitreous material maintained in spaced relation by at least one metallic spacer disposed between the metallized edges of the pair of successive sheets and welded to them, characterized in that the spacer comprises a core whose width is equal to or between 5 and 20 mm and the thickness between 0.05 and 0.4 mm, which extends from one side to the other of the intermediate space and at least one wing whose width is equal to or between 2 and 5 mm, by means of which the spacer is welded to a peripheral metallized zone of an adjacent sheet of vitreous material, and consists of a ribbon folded of a metal whose module d Young's elasticity, measured in compression, is at least 5000 kg / mm2. 2. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the Young's modulus of the metal of the spacer is between 5000 and 20,000 kg / mm2. 3. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is provided with a wing at each end of the core. 4. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is a flat folded ribbon. 5. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is provided with at least one wing which extends on each side of the core of the spacer. 6. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer has wings directed towards one side of the core and outward from the center of the glazing. 7. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is made of copper. 8. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer consists of an alloy containing by weight at least 70% copper, the remainder consisting of one or more metals selected from nickel, aluminum, iron and tin , for example a copper / nickel alloy containing 90% Cu and 10% Ni, a copper / aluminum / iron alloy containing these three elements in the ratio 86/10/4 or a copper / tin alloy containing 95.5% Cu and 4 , 5% Sn. 9. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is formed from a nickel / copper alloy containing at least 63% Ni and 28% Cu, the proportions relating to the weight, the rest consisting of one to less of the following: Fe, at a maximum of 3%, Mn, Si, C, Al and Co; a nickel / iron alloy which contains by weight about 36% of Ni; or an iron / nickel / cobalt alloy in such proportions that the spacer has a coefficient of thermal expansion very similar to that of glass. 10. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer consists of brass containing at least 80% by weight of copper. 11. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer consists of a zinc / copper / titanium alloy, for example an alloy comprising by weight up to 1.5% Cu and 0.1 to 0.5 % Ti. 12. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer consists of mild steel containing at least 0.3% by weight of carbon. 13. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer carries a metallic surface coating of composition different from that of the spacer, either a coating of tin, or a coating of solder alloy. 14. Glazing according to claim 13, characterized in that the welding alloy is of the same composition as the welding alloy used to weld the spacer to a metallized peripheral zone of a sheet of adjacent vitreous material. 15. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is welded to a metal sheet edge using a lead / tin alloy which may optionally contain bismuth. 16. Glazing according to claim 15, characterized in that such a solder contains 60 to 35% lead, by weight, and at least 15% tin and not more than 40% bismuth, by weight. 17. Glazing according to claim 1, in which the intermediate space contains a desiccant in communication with it, characterized in that the desiccant is incorporated in at least one metal tube which is welded to a metallized edge of sheet and / or to a spacer. 18. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate space contains a desiccant in communication with it, which is incorporated in at least one metal tube made of copper or lead, which is welded at least on part of its length to a metallized edge of sheet and / or to a spacer. 19. A method of manufacturing multiple glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is formed by bending a metal strip to form part of a core which extends from one side to the other of an intermediate space and partly at least one wing, and in that the spacer is welded between the metallized edges of the sheets so that the wing is welded to a metallic edge çn face to face relationship and where the ribbon consists of a metal whose Young's modulus of elasticity, measured in compression, is at least 5000 kg / mm2. 20. The method of claim 19, characterized in that, the spacer having two wings, each is welded to each sheet of the pair. 21. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the metallized edges of the sheets are coated with solder before welding them to the spacer. 22. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the spacer is coated with a metal of composition different from that of the spacer before welding it to the sheets of glassy material. 23. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the spacer is coated with tin, preferably electrolytically, or solder. 24. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the wing is formed by folding a flat ribbon. 25. Method according to one of claims 19 to 24, characterized in that the spacer is folded to form its wing before a coating operation. 26. The method of claim 19, characterized in that a flux is applied to the surfaces intended to be assembled together. 27. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the spacer is assembled between the pairs of sheets before the welding operation. 28. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the glazing is assembled after coating the spacer and in that the assembly is subjected to heat and pressure so that the solder joints are formed from the solder coating. 29. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the heating is carried out either by electric heating of the spacer, or by placing the assembly in a heating enclosure, or by subjecting the edges of the assembly to action of one or more flames, preferably reducing flames. 30. The method of claim 19, characterized in that at least one metal tube containing a desiccant is welded to a metallized edge of the sheet and / or to the spacer, inside and in communication with the intermediate space before the welding operation. 31. Method according to claim 19, characterized in that at least one metal tube containing a desiccant is placed inside and in communication with the intermediate space during assembly of the glazing and in that the tube is welded over at least part of its length to a metal sheet edge and / or to the spacer, simultaneously with the formation of the spacer / sheet edge joint. 32. Method according to one of claims 30 or 31, characterized in that the metal tube is filled with desiccant and then stretched in order to reduce its diameter. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 3 631,424