AU2014101055A4 - Light transmitting arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

- 10 Abstract A LIGHT TRANMITTING ARRANGEMENT 5 A light transmitting arrangement, such as a skylight (10, Figure la) or rooflight (12, Figure 1b), for a roof of a building comprises a plurality of non-parallel plane glazing panels 14 through which daylight is transmitted into the building. A glazing joint 18 is defined between the edges of adjacent non-parallel plane glazing panels 14 and a plurality of plastics support blocks 20 are located at spaced positions along the 10 glazing joint 18 to support the adjacent glazing panels 14 during assembly of the light transmitting arrangement. An elongate aluminium capping 32 extends along the glazing joint 18 and covers the spaced support blocks 20. Structural adhesive 19 is applied along the glazing joint 18 to bond together the adjacent glazing panels 14. 15 [To be published with Figure 2]

Description

- 1 LIGHT TRANSMITTING ARRANGEMENT Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to a light transmitting arrangement for a roof 5 of a building, and more particularly to a light transmitting arrangement in the form of a rooflight or skylight. Technical Background Rooflights and skylights are commonly used to convey natural daylight into buildings 10 when more daylight is required than is available through windows or glazed doors. They can also be a significant architectural addition to many buildings, enhancing the external aesthetic appearance of the building. Modern rooflights and skylights often use double glazed or triple glazed units and 15 these are typically factory assembled so that the rooflight or skylight can be transported to site for installation in the roof of the building. The glazing units can be very large and heavy and it can be difficult to adequately support the glazing units in the correct geometrical positions during assembly of the rooflight or skylight. The present disclosure aims to address this difficulty. 20 Summary of the Disclosure According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a light transmitting arrangement for a roof of a building, the light transmitting arrangement comprising: 25 a plurality of non-parallel plane glazing panels through which light is transmitted in use into the building, wherein a glazing joint is defined between the edges of adjacent non-parallel plane glazing panels; a plurality of plastics support blocks located at spaced positions along the glazing joint to support the adjacent glazing panels during assembly of the light 30 transmitting arrangement; an elongate aluminium capping extending along the glazing joint and covering the spaced support blocks; and -2 structural adhesive extending along the glazing joint to bond together the adjacent glazing panels. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for 5 assembling a light transmitting arrangement for a roof of a building, the method comprising: providing a plurality of plane glazing panels for assembly so that a glazing joint is defined between the edges of adjacent plane glazing panels; arranging a plurality of plastics support blocks at spaced positions along the 10 glazing joint to support the adjacent plane glazing panels in a predetermined non parallel orientation; applying a structural adhesive along the length of the glazing joint to bond together the adjacent non-parallel plane glazing panels; and fitting an elongate aluminium capping along the length of the glazing joint so 15 that it covers the spaced support blocks. The light transmitting arrangement is typically a rooflight or a skylight. The glazing joint forms an apex between adjacent glazing panels and may extend along a ridge joint or hip joint of the light transmitting arrangement. 20 The spaced support blocks ensure that the glazing panels are accurately oriented relative to each other at the correct angle and that they are maintained in the correct orientation during assembly of the light transmitting arrangement, prior to application and curing of the structural adhesive. This significantly facilitates the assembly 25 process and avoids the need to use improvised support members to attempt to hold the glazing panels in the correct positions. The spaced support blocks also ensure accurate positioning and alignment of the aluminium capping so that it covers both the support blocks and the structural adhesive along the length of the glazing joint. This ensures that the glazing joint is adequately protected by the aluminium capping and that the 30 aesthetic appearance of the light transmitting arrangement is optimised.

-3 Each plastics support block may include two channels, one on each side, in which the edges of adjacent glazing panels are supported. Each support block may comprise a central body and upper and lower supporting flanges which may project outwardly and downwardly from the central body on opposite sides thereof to define the 5 channels. The upper and lower flanges on each side secure the captive edges of the adjacent glazing panels in the channels and thereby ensure that the glazing panels are firmly held relative to each other in the correct orientation. The elongate aluminium capping may have an inverted V-section. The elongate 10 aluminium capping may comprise elongate gaskets at remote edges of the inverted V section which contact the adjacent glazing panels along the length of the glazing joint. The elongate aluminium capping may have on its underside a fin which locates in a slot in each of the spaced plastics support blocks. The slot may be formed in an upper 15 surface of the central body of each plastics support block. The cooperation between the fin and the slots in the spaced support blocks ensures that the elongate aluminium capping is correctly positioned along the glazing joint. The fin may include formations, such as barbs, which cooperate with the slots in the spaced support blocks to retain the aluminium capping in the correct position. 20 The structural adhesive may secure the elongate aluminium capping in position, for example by bonding it to the glazing panels and/or to the spaced support blocks. The elongate aluminium capping is thus held firmly in position by the cured structural adhesive. 25 The plastics support blocks may comprise acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The structural adhesive is typically structural silicone adhesive sealant. 30 The plastics support blocks may have a longitudinal dimension, along the length of the glazing joint, of up to 50mm. In typical embodiments, the longitudinal dimension may be about 25mm.

-4 The assembly method according to the second aspect may comprise locating the edges of adjacent glazing panels in the channels on opposite sides of the plastics support blocks. As indicated above, this ensures that the glazing panels are oriented relative to 5 each other at the correct angle thereby eliminating any possibility of misalignment during assembly. The step of fitting the aluminium capping may comprise locating the fin in the slots in the spaced plastics support blocks. 10 The method typically comprises fitting the elongate aluminium capping before the structural adhesive cures. Thereafter, the elongate aluminium capping is firmly held in position along the length of the glazing joint by the cured structural adhesive. 15 Brief Description of the Drawings Figures 1 a and lb are schematic illustrations of light transmitting arrangements in the form of a rooflight and a skylight respectively; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of part of a light transmitting arrangement according to the present disclosure viewed from one end along a ridge joint; and 20 Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of part of a light transmitting arrangement according to the present disclosure viewed from one end along a hip joint. Detailed Description of Embodiments Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example only 25 and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures la and lb show respectively a rooflight 10 and a skylight 12 for installation in the roof of a building. The rooflight 10 and skylight 12 both include a plurality of plane glazing panels 14 through which daylight is transmitted into the building. 30 Adjacent glazing panels 14 are disposed at an angle to each other so that they are not parallel and the glazing panels 14 extend upwardly and inwardly from a lower perimeter 16. The rooflight 10 of Figure la includes a ridge joint 10a and hip joints -5 lOb which slope downwardly from the ends of the ridge joint 10a towards the lower perimeter 16. The skylight 12 of Figure lb includes hip joints 12b which slope downwardly from an apex 12a towards the lower perimeter 16. Glazing joints 18 are formed between adjacent glazing panels 14 along the ridge joint l0a and along the hip 5 joints 10b, 12b. The glazing panels 14 in the assembled rooflight 10 and skylight 12 are bonded together by structural silicone adhesive sealant 19 (see Figures 2 and 3). In order to support the glazing panels 14 during assembly of the rooflight 10 and skylight 12 10 before the sealant 19 has cured, a plurality of plastics support blocks 20, 22, one each of which is shown in Figures 2 and 3, are located at spaced positions along the length of the glazing joints 18. The support blocks 20 shown in Figure 2 are intended for use along the ridge joint 10a of the rooflight 10 whereas the support blocks 22 shown in Figure 3 are intended for use along the hip joints 10b, 12b of the rooflight 10 and 15 skylight 12. Thus, it will be readily apparent that the support blocks 20 set the adjacent glazing panels 14 at a steeper slope angle than the support blocks 22. Each plastics support block 18, 20 is typically about 25mm in length in the longitudinal direction along the length of the glazingjoint 18 and is formed of ABS or 20 PVC. Each plastics support block 18, 20 includes a central body 24 and has upper and lower supporting flanges 26, 28 on each side which project outwardly and downwardly from the central body 24. The upper and lower supporting flanges 26, 28 define channels 30 on each side of the central body 24 in which the edges of adjacent glazing panels 14 are located. The slope angle of the upper and lower supporting 25 flanges 26, 28 determines the slope angle of the adjacent glazing panels 14. An elongate powder coated aluminium capping 32 is fitted along each glazing joint 18 to protect the glazing joint 18 and to cover the spaced plastics support blocks 20, 22 so that they are not externally visible. The aluminium capping 32 has an inverted V 30 section having sloping sides whose slope angle corresponds to the slope angle of the upper supporting flanges 26. The remote edges of the aluminium capping 32 can include elongate gaskets 34 made of rubber or synthetic elastomeric material. Where -6 present, the gaskets 34 are typically co-extruded or co-bonded with the aluminium capping 32. A fin 36 projects downwardly from the underside of the aluminium capping 32 and 5 locates in a slot 38 provided in an upper surface of the central body 24 of each plastics support block 20, 22. In the illustrated embodiments, the fin 36 includes barbs 40 which cooperate with the slots 38 in the plastics support blocks 20, 22 to help retain the aluminium capping 32 in position. However, the barbs 40 can be omitted and instead the fin 36 can simply act as a location feature to ensure that the aluminium 10 capping 32 is correctly aligned along the length of the glazing joint 18. In order to assemble the rooflight 10 or skylight 12 of Figures la and 1b, the edges of adjacent glazing panels 14 are located in the channels 30 in the plastics support blocks 20, 22 and the plastics support blocks 20, 22 are arranged so that they are spaced apart 15 along the length of the glazing joints 18. The installed plastics support blocks 20, 22 thus orient the glazing panels 14 relative to each other, at the correct angles, and firmly hold them in the correct orientation to enable subsequent assembly stages to be completed. Structural silicone adhesive sealant is then applied along each glazing joint 18 by infilling the joining cavities before the aluminium capping 32 is fitted 20 along each glazing joint 18 by pressing the fin 36 into the slot 38 in the upper surface of each of the spaced plastics support blocks 20, 22. The aluminium capping 32 is fitted before the structural silicone adhesive sealant 19 cures so that when cured the adhesive sealant 19 bonds the aluminium capping 32 in position, thereby creating a strong and weatherproof one piece unit. 25 Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to those embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claims should not be limited to the above-described 30 exemplary embodiments. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise.

-7 Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise", "comprising", and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of 5 "including, but not limited to". Any combination of the above-described features in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the present invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. 10

Claims (5)

1. A light transmitting arrangement for a roof of a building, the light transmitting arrangement comprising: a plurality of non-parallel plane glazing panels through which light is 5 transmitted in use into the building, wherein a glazing joint is defined between the edges of adjacent non-parallel plane glazing panels; a plurality of plastics support blocks located at spaced positions along the glazing joint to support the adjacent glazing panels during assembly of the light transmitting arrangement; 10 an elongate aluminium capping extending along the glazing joint and covering the spaced support blocks; and structural adhesive extending along the glazing joint to bond together the adjacent glazing panels. 15

2. A light transmitting arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each plastics support block includes two channels, one on each side, in which the edges of the adjacent glazing panels are supported and each support block comprises a central body and upper and lower supporting flanges projecting outwardly and downwardly from the central body on opposite sides to define the support channels. 20

3. A light transmitting arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the elongate aluminium capping has an inverted V-section, comprises elongate gaskets at remote edges of the inverted V-section which contact the adjacent glazing panels along the length of the glazing joint and has on its underside a fin which locates in a 25 slot in each of the spaced plastics support blocks.

4. A light transmitting arrangement according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the slot is formed in an upper surface of the central body of each plastics support block and the fin includes formations which cooperate with the slots in the spaced support 30 blocks to help retain the aluminium capping in position. -9

5. A method for assembling a light transmitting arrangement for a roof of a building, the method comprising: providing a plurality of plane glazing panels for assembly so that a glazing joint is defined between the edges of adjacent plane glazing panels; 5 arranging a plurality of plastics support blocks at spaced positions along the glazing joint to support the adjacent plane glazing panels in a predetermined non parallel orientation; applying a structural adhesive along the length of the glazing joint to bond together the adjacent non-parallel plane glazing panels; and 10 fitting an elongate aluminium capping along the length of the glazing joint so that it covers the spaced support blocks.