EP0529016A1

EP0529016A1 - Multiple performance glazing

Info

Publication number: EP0529016A1
Application number: EP92903850A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Francois Iselin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-02-20
Filing date: 1992-02-17
Publication date: 1993-03-03
Also published as: US5386672A; WO1992014899A1

Abstract

Le vitrage comprend au moins une enceinte (1) à au moins deux parois (3, 3') transparentes, translucides ou opaques, agencée pour recevoir une mousse de remplissage qui peut être produite par soufflage d'air ou de gaz à travers un liquide moussant (7). Selon une variante, l'enceinte est agencée pour recevoir un matelas à alvéoles communicantes en matière plastique souple.The glazing comprises at least one enclosure (1) with at least two transparent, translucent or opaque walls (3, 3 '), arranged to receive a filling foam which can be produced by blowing air or gas through a liquid. foaming (7). According to one variant, the enclosure is designed to receive a mattress with communicating cells made of flexible plastic material.

Description

MULTIPLE PERFORMANCE GLAZING

The present invention relates to multiple performance glazing.

The glazing constitutes weak points, both thermal and phonic, of current constructions. To improve their performance, in addition to traditional protections, many fixed devices are used, such as double or triple glasses, called insulating glasses, synthetic cell plates, reflecting or absorbing glasses, films interposed between the glasses, fixed translucent insulation. between the glasses (for example glass wool, silica gel, synthetic fibers), photosensitive or electro-sensitive glasses, etc.

These devices being fixed, it is not possible to modify the perfor¬ mance of the glazing according to needs and external energy inputs. Thus, these windows are either good sensors but poorly insulating, or good insulators but poor sensors.

Various solutions have been proposed to improve the performance of double glazing. The most interesting are to replace the traditional air gap confined between the two glasses by other retractable elements, which can be gaseous, liquid or solid.

a) Gas filled enclosures:

A first solution is to replace the ambient air with dehydrated air, which makes it possible to eliminate the risks of fogging and dusting of the ambient air, but does not give any thermal or phonic improvement compared to Ambiant air. A slight improvement in thermal insulation can be obtained when filling is carried out with a gas. This thermal improvement is very clear when an air vacuum is produced in the enclosure (so-called "evacuated" glazing). However, the main drawbacks of gas-filled enclosures reside in particular on the one hand in that it is necessary to replace the two glasses in the event of breakage and on the other hand in the fragility of the gas seal and in the fact that these solutions require additional sun shading protection devices. In addition, in the case of air-vacuum glazing, the high depressions created require spacers.

b) Liquid-filled enclosures:

This solution consists in circulating liquids (aqueous liquids or oils) colored or charged with aggregates in one or more air spaces using a pump. Such devices are described for example in Swiss patents no 627818 and English no 2227043. The main advantage of this type of enclosure compared to gas-filled enclosures is that the filling is reversible and that the liquids can be colored. Their main disadvantage is that they provide a very unfavorable thermal insulation and that they can even present risks of freezing or vaporization. In addition, deposits may occur on the glasses, which reduces their transparency. On the other hand, the liquid filling requires neces¬ site particularly careful seals.

c) Enclosures with solid filling:

The granules used for filling can be solid granules or semi-porous granules, the semi-porous granules allowing good thermal insulation.

As with the liquid-filled enclosures, the main advantage of the solid-filled enclosures is that the filling is reversible. On the other hand, their main drawbacks are the large weight and volume of the filling material, and require an apparatus- very consistent for the circulation of matter.

d) Porous filling enclosures:

The filling can be carried out either with porous granules or with silica aerogels.

In the first case, the porous granules, for example expanded polystyrene beads, have the advantage of being very light, insulating and translucent. On the other hand, these granules have the disadvantage of their adhesion to glasses if an antistatic solution is not applied periodically. In addition, the resin of the polystyrene beads is sensitive to solar ultraviolet radiation, which causes their yellowing and embrittlement.

Silica aerogels also have the advantage of allowing very light and insulating filling. In addition, they are perfectly transparent. Among their drawbacks, mention may be made of the fact that the veiling and obscuration must be ensured by other means, as well as the instability of the gels. In addition, their cost is currently very high. In addition, the main drawback of this porous filling is that it is not reversible.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the solutions which have been proposed so far, so as to improve the physical and / or esthetic performance of the glazed envelopes and to allow a variation in the performance of the glazing according to needs. .

To this end, the invention relates to a glazing with multiple perforations comprising at least one enclosure with at least two transparent, translucent or opaque walls, arranged to receive a filling material, as defined in claim 1 or in claim 11. Other important features of the invention are the subject of Dications subject to claim 1.

Compared to filling air knives with gas, liquid or solid granules, filling with reversible foam has the following advantages in particular:

- the insulation is light and comparable to silica aerogels. The filling pressure exerted on the glass walls is negligible;

- the weight and storage volume of the filling material are negligible, which makes it possible to produce completely glazed and light panels;

- the pressure differences necessary to produce and inject the foam into the air space are very small;

- The translucency of the foams is good and much higher than that of the solid granules obtained based on synthetic resin;

- The density and therefore the translucency and the insulating power of the foams can be differentiated by using the same liquid and the same gas, but by producing the foam by nozzles with different openings.

In summary, foams are very light, insulating and translucent materials. The cost of the filling material is very low and its size negligible.

Other advantages of the glazing unit of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, given by way of example, e: which refers to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation view of an example of glazing according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic transverse vertical section of the glazing in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the operating principle of the glazing of FIG. 1, illustrating the filling of the enclosure,

FIGS. 4a to 4c illustrate various densities of filling of the air space of the enclosure with foams whose bubbles have different diameters,

- Figure 5 is a diagram of the operating principle of the glazing of Figure 1, illustrating the emptying of

The enclosure,

FIG. 6 is a partial diagrammatic vertical cross-section of detail of a glazing unit from FIG. 1,

FIGS. 7a to 7c illustrate various types of bubbling ramps,

FIG. 8 is a partial horizontal section illustrating a detail at the level of the frame of the variant of FIGS. 10 and 11,

FIG. 9 is a partial vertical section illustrating a detail at the level of the frame of the variant of FIGS. 10 and 11,

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the filling of glazing with rigid and transparent sheets,

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the emptying of the glazing in FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the filling of a glazing with flexible and transparent membranes, FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the emptying of the glazing in FIG. 12,

FIG. 14 is a partial horizontal or vertical section of an embodiment of glazing with flexible and transparent membranes in FIGS. 12 and 13,

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a combination of several glazings according to the invention, supplied by a single filling device,

FIGS. 16a to 16e schematically illustrate several examples of glazing according to the invention, in vertical section,

FIGS. 17a and 17b show two profiles of rigid plates available on the market seen in horizontal sections and which can be fitted to the variant 16e,

FIG. 18 illustrates a double membrane of embossed synthetic material in which the cells are communicating, and

- Figures 19a to 19d illustrate the filling of an air space with an inflatable mattress consisting of communicating cells. Figures 19a to 19c are sectional views and Figure 19d is a view of the glazing.

The glazing may consist of one or more hermetically sealed enclosures. Each enclosure constitutes a glazing module, the modules being able to be combined as desired. Each enclosure has a transparent, translucent or opaque frame and walls. The enclosure can be filled with foam or emptied according to the needs of thermal and sound insulation, darkening or curtaining or for other purposes, such as decoration or coloring of the walls, by foam from a liquid or, under certain conditions, by the liquid itself. The filling of the enclosure can be carried out partially or completely as required. The foam increases the thermal and sound insulation of the enclosure. Its translucency or its opacity depend on the size of the air bubbles which constitute it. The foam may indeed be more or less dense depending on the nature of the liquid and its production by bubbling gas through ramps having nozzles of more or less large diameter.

The air injection can be done via a single nozzle or by several nozzles arranged along a ramp. The term ramp used in this description covers any device provided with at least one nozzle.

The term "glazing" is used here to designate all kinds of envelopes which must be transparent or translucent, usable for buildings, transport equipment, horticultural greenhouses, solar collectors, etc. The glazing can be vertical, horizontal or tilted. It can be flat (such as windows, French windows, facades), curved (such as glass roofs, verandas and horticultural greenhouses) or double-curved (such as domes and domes with double hulls). Although the term glazing applies to envelopes provided with glasses, the walls of the enclosure according to the invention can also consist of flexible films, such as those used for agricultural greenhouses, crops under shelters or so-called "textile" constructions.

Similarly, in the context of the present description, the term liquid designates the solution which makes it possible to produce a foam by bubbling air or gas, this foam being intended to be injected into the air space between the glass walls .

The enclosure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises glazing 1 proper, that is to say an air space 2 confined between two walls 3, 3 ′ transparent, translucent or opaque, mounted on a frame 4. A technical space 5 may be provided at the bottom of the enclosure. It includes a pump 6 and other elements necessary for the functioning of the enclosure, such as for example a selector actuated by means of the control 9. At the upper part of the technical space is a liquid reservoir 7 in which are arranged one or more bubblers 8 for the production of foam. The installation also includes conduits, valves and valves which can be housed in frames 4 when the latter are hollow. Diagrams of the principle of operation of the enclosure illustrating the filling and emptying of the enclosure are shown in Figures 3 and 5. The pump 6 is reversible. In filling mode, it pumps the gaseous fluid, for example air, present in the enclosure, by sucking it through the overflow 21 at the upper part of the enclosure. This air is then blown into the bubbler (s) 8. In the emptying mode, the pump sucks the liquid 7 through the ramps and propels it to the upper part of the enclosure 13, so as to create a runoff along the walls.

The walls 3, 3 'not undergoing any other pressure than that exerted by their own weight, they can be made with traditional materials, such as glass or plastics, whether they are transparent, translucent or opaque, as well only with flexible materials such as synthetic films. Enclosures combining for example a rigid wall and a flexible wall are possible. Similarly, a transparent wall can be combined with a translucent or opaque wall. To stretch the walls made of flexible films, it is possible to create a slight overpressure in the enclosure using the same pump as that used for the production of the foam. Transparency is restored by removing the foam, which sticks the two films.

The thickness of the air gap 2 between the walls 3, 3 ′ can range from millimeters to decimeters depending on the performance expected from the foam. For example, to get a thermal and sound insulating power close to that of an insulated facade wall, we will use thicknesses of the order of a decimeter.

As an indication and comparison, for an air decimetre of 1 decimetre, the thermal conductivities K (Watt / m ^a .K) which one obtains can be approximately the following:

- filling with air: ≈ 2.5

- filling with translucent foam (pore diameter of about 10 millimeters): ≈ 1.5

- filling with opaque foam (pore diameter about 0.1 millimeter): ≈ 0.5

The enclosure frames can be made like the frames of traditional glazing, steel, aluminum, PVC, etc. They must be designed in such a way that they are perfectly airtight and liquid tight, that they are not degradable by it and that they allow the walls to be fixed tightly. When thermal insulation is sought, care should be taken to ensure that the thermal conductivity of the frames is the lowest possible. The principle of thermal break between the two faces of the frame or, in the case of glazing with multiple modules, between these modules is used for this purpose.

The liquid and the gas are confined in hermetically closed enclosures and the foam circulates in closed circuit, which prevents their contamination. To prevent pressure variations, the closed space can be connected to a pressure balancing balloon, in order to prevent excessive stresses on the glass walls produced by variations in atmospheric pressure and thermal expansion of the confined air. In the enclosures with flexible film walls, the foam is produced so as to inflate the enclosure. The pressure of the enclosure is in this case higher than atmospheric pressure, which allows stretch the flexible films and thus stiffen them.

The enclosures can be designed so that they can be combined at will as required, for example according to the orientation of the facades or the destination of the premises. By way of example, a wall comprising several glazings 25 supplied by a single supply device 26 is shown in FIG. 15.

In the case where the glazing consists of several modules, each may include a liquid whose properties are different, so as to correspond to the desired characteristics of the module (insulation, sheeting, passive solar collection, solar protection, etc.).

The solution can consist of a liquid composed for example of water, isopropyl alcohol, a wetting agent, soap, paraffin, sugar, glycol, dyes, particles in suspension, etc. D Other liquids based on silicone oil can be used.

The liquids used must have properties capable of providing foaming by bubbling gas through the nozzles. Their thermal conductivity should be as low as possible. They must have good stability to solar radiation, in particular to ultra-violet rays, not to corrode the materials of the enclosure, nor to produce fogging on the glasses during their evaporation. On the other hand, when they risk being exposed to low temperatures, they must be non-freezing. In addition, the foams produced must not leave deposits, drops, streaks or bubbles on the walls of the glazing after their removal. These problems can be solved by adding wetting agents to the liquid, the condensates then forming no mist, but a thin regular transparent and invisible film.

The gas drawn from the liquid can be air or any other gas. According to a preferred embodiment, such as shown in the variants of Figures 1 to 3, 10 and 11 and 12 and 13, the liquid and the foam circulate in a closed circuit, which makes it possible to prevent the arrival of impurities in the enclosures.

The gas pressure necessary for the production of foam is obtained by an electric or manual pump 6, or by compressed air cartridges or any other means. One can for example use peristaltic pumps ensuring the circu¬ lation of air and liquid or electric or manual compressors. These devices also make it possible to fill an enclosure with liquid. They can also be used for degassing foams.

According to a variant, the production of the foam can also be done by mechanical agitation of the liquid.

Conduits for the circulation of liquid, gas and foam can be provided in the profiles, when the latter are hollow.

The detail of an example of glazing with double clear glass 17, 17 ′ arranged in a frame 18 is shown in FIG. 6. The foam can be produced by blowing air or gas into the air space 20 by means point nozzles or placed along one or more supply ramps immersed in the liquid 15. Three supply ramps are shown in this example: a fine diffusion ramp 11, a large diffusion ramp 12 and a ramp of average diffusion 13. Are also represented in this figure: the orifices for circulation of the foam 14, glazing beads for fixing the glasses 16, an overflow pipe 21 which can be provided with holes 19, so as to be able to work as windshield washer.

Various types of ramps are shown in Figures 7a to 7c. Figure 7a illustrates a pierced tube. When the diameter of the tube is too small to be pierced, tubes of microporous materials (FIG. 7c), such as porous ceramics, porous plastics or the like, can be used. One can also use a split tube provided with a strip of foam or felt, as shown in Figure 7b.

The horizontal arrangement of the ramps and their length over the entire width of the enclosure makes it possible to obtain a foam curtain whose crest is horizontal. To prevent the foam curtain from being heterogeneous, it is necessary to ensure that the ramps are perfectly horizontal. The foam can be produced in a compartment, then drawn from a pipe supplying one or more glazings.

So that the foam curtain completely fills the enclosure and that the air can be evacuated, the top of the enclosure is provided with an overflow 21 flowing into the liquid reservoir.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the variant (FIG. 10) of mounting the glasses 17, 17 ′ on a frame 18 ′ with seals 54. In FIG. 9, there are injection manifolds 56 and conduits 57 intended to the internal shower of the glazing by dripping liquid along the walls. Grids 55, 55 'are provided for aesthetics.

An example of mounting the membranes 43, 43 ′ of a glazing with flexible membranes (variant of FIG. 12) on a frame 52 is illustrated in FIG. 14. According to the embodiment shown, the frame 52 serves as a conduit for the routing of the foam around the entire periphery of the enclosure, the foam entering the enclosure via an element 53 of felt or porous material. After extraction of the foam, the membranes return to the position indicated in 43 '.

The filling speed depends on the pump flow and the volume to be filled. The pump can be stopped automatically- after filling with an adjustable timer. By manually stopping the pump during filling, the foam curtain can be limited to only part of the enclosure surface.

Several types of foam can be obtained with the same liquid, in the same enclosure, by blowing the gas in ramps with different characteristics. For example, the following different types of foam can be produced:

- Sheer foam:

The diameter of the bubbles is of the order of a centimeter or more (Figure 4a). There are therefore only a few bubble membranes between the two glass walls of the enclosure. This type of foam eliminates vision on both sides of the transparent enclosure, but only very slightly reduces the light inputs. The insulating properties of this foam are limited. It is sought after when you wish to simultaneously obtain visual privacy and maximum light. It has a transparent and iridescent appearance under the light.

- Translucent foam:

This foam is denser and the light transmission is greatly reduced (Figure 4b). It is sought after when one wishes to attenuate or protect oneself from intense light, in particular from direct solar radiation. Whatever the color of the liquid, this foam remains whitish.

- Foam ot> aσue:

This foam is very dense (Figure 4c). It is made up of microscopic bubbles. Its isolatic: thermal performance is maximum and transparency zero. This solution is sought after when both

comprises a filling valve 31, a drain valve 32, a ramp 34 for producing dense foam and recovering the liquid, a ramp 35 for producing light foam and recovering the liquid, a conduit 37 for the overflow of foam and the projection of the liquid on the glasses and an electric pump 38 peristaltic or other reversible flow. The level of the foaming liquid is represented by 36.

Schematic examples of filling and emptying circuits of a glazing with flexible and transparent membranes 43 are shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. This applica¬ tion makes it possible to obtain glazings whose transparency, translucency and opacity are regulated by injecting varying amounts of foam. The average thickness of the space between membranes is therefore variable, which allows variations in transparency obtained almost instantaneously. In this case, a foam having great stability will be used. Glazing of this type can be used for plastic envelopes (PE, PVC, PTFE, etc.), under cover crops such as greenhouses, tunnels or stumps, where daytime sun protection and nighttime thermal insulation are desirable or necessary. This glazing unit comprises a filling valve 41, a drain valve 42, a foam distributor / recuperator 44, a rigid enclosure 45 for producing foam (only necessary when it is desired to use various types of foam), a nozzle 46 for dense and opaque foam, a nozzle 47 for light and translucent foam, an electric peristaltic pump 49 with reversible flow and a three-way valve 48 for controlling the type of foam, starting and reversing the direction of rotation of the pump. The foam is stored in a flexible tank 50 from which it is extracted by a dip tube 51 to be reused.

By way of example, various types of glazing according to the invention are shown in FIGS. 16a to 16e, sc t: double glazing glazing (FIG. 16a), mixed glazing

Claims

claims

1. Multi-performance glazing comprising at least one enclosure with at least two transparent, translucent or opaque walls (3, 3 ′), arranged to receive a filling material, characterized in that the filling material is a reversible foam.

2. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the foam is produced by blowing air or gas through a foaming liquid.

3. Glazing according to claim 1, characterized in that the foam is produced by mechanical agitation of a foaming liquid.

4. Glazing according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a technical enclosure comprising a liquid reservoir (7) in which is immersed at least one bubbler (8) intended to inject a gaseous fluid through the liquid under the action of a pump (6).

5. Glazing according to claim 4, characterized in that the pump is reversible, the assembly being arranged to faccr. that in the enclosure filling mode, the pump sucks the gaseous fluid present in the enclosure and breathes it into the bubbler or bubblers (8), and that in the emptying mode of the enclosure, the pump sucks the liquid (7) and propels it to the upper part of the enclosure, so as to create a runoff along the walls.

6. Glazing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least two ramps for supplying gaseous fluid immersed in the liquid, arranged to produce foams having different characteristics.

7. Glazing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the walls (3, 3 ') are made of rigid material.

8. Glazing according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one of the walls (3, 3 ') is made of flexible material.

9. Glazing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a device for trickling liquid on the walls.

10. Glazing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least a second enclosure intended for liquid filling.

11. Multi-performance glazing comprising at least one enclosure with at least two transparent, translucent or opaque walls (3, 3 ′), arranged to receive a filling material, characterized in that the filling material is a mattress with communicating cells made of flexible plastic.