EP0764757B1 - Sealing profile, in particular for glazing - Google Patents

Abstract

The seal, made at least partly from an elastic stretch material such as rubber or an elastomer comprises a base for fastening and at least one lip (32). It has at least part of the lip made with zones (38) of reduced thickness so that it can stretch lengthwise without splitting when the seal goes round a corner. The zones of reduced thickness can be circular, oval or polygonal in shape, and they are aligned along and across the seal. They are in the form of holes which pass partly or completely through the seal and are spaced at intervals of 5 - 15 mm in a lengthwise direction and a few millimetres apart transversely. The holes are a few millimetres in diameter.

Description

The invention relates to a sealing profile. in particular for glazing, produced at least in part in an elastically extensible material such as rubber or an elastomer and comprising a base of fitting or nesting and one or more sides or lips of application on the periphery of the glazing.

Profiles of this type must be cut level of the angles of the glazing, either by cutting 45 °, either by straight cuts, which are relatively delicate to execute and require very special care operator.

To avoid this drawback, we have already proposed, for example in Patent FR-A-2,336,610, profiles which have transverse lines of cutouts formed at regular intervals through the base and part of the sides of the profile, which allows bend the profile at right angles without difficulty at the corners glazing, but which has the disadvantage of poor strength and lack of rigidity of the profile, hence result from difficulties in handling and assembly.

It was also proposed in the Request for Patent FR-A-2 708 308, a profile which is formed, not with cutting lines as above, but with precut lines that can be turned into cutting lines only at the corners of a glazing by traction on the profile, which has the advantage that the profile retains good initial strength and sufficient rigidity, facilitating its handling and mounting.

The present invention relates to a profile of the same type as those described above, but which is of even simpler and more advantageous use.

To this end, it offers a profile sealing, in particular for glazing, less in part of an elastically extensible material such as rubber or an elastomer and comprising a mounting or nesting base and at least one side forming or comprising a sealing lip, characterized in that at least part of this flank has areas of reduced thickness which are longitudinally stretchable without tearing material when mounting the profile on a corner of the glazing.

Such a profile can be conveniently mounted to glazing angles because the extension of the part of the profile including areas of reduced thickness translates by extending these areas, without tearing, cuts or tearing of material, and therefore without harming sealing. In addition, a small dimension of these areas relative to the transverse dimension of the profile allows to keep it with satisfactory strength and rigidity.

Advantageously, these zones of reduced thickness are circular, oval, polygonal or the like having a non-negligible longitudinal dimension, (this longitudinal dimension being considered parallel to the longitudinal direction of the profile).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, these zones are aligned longitudinally and transversely by forming rows and columns in the profile, and are cylindrical orifices with circular section crossing completely or not the thickness of the profile.

Alternatively, these areas may have a shape different in section, for example oval, and they can be formed on a part only or on the entire thickness of the profile.

la figure 1 représente schématiquement, en coupe transversale, deux profilés selon l'invention montés sur un vitrage ;

la figure 2 est une vue schématique partielle en élévation d'un des profilés de la figure 1 ;

la figure 3 représente schématiquement le profilé de la figure 2 plié à angle droit.

la figure 4 est une vue schématique partielle en élévation d'une variante de réalisation.

The invention will be better understood and other characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly on reading the description which follows, given by way of example with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically, in cross section, two profiles according to the invention mounted on a glazing;

Figure 2 is a partial schematic elevational view of one of the profiles of Figure 1;

Figure 3 schematically shows the profile of Figure 2 bent at right angles.

Figure 4 is a partial schematic elevational view of an alternative embodiment.

We first refer to Figure 1, which represents a glazing 10 on both sides of which are applied sealing profiles such as those shown in 12 and 14, which are fitted on frames 16, 18, for example metallic or plastic.

Profile 12 on the left comprises a body 22 substantially parallel to glazing 10 and three lips sealing 24 formed on the body 22 and applied elastically on one face of the glazing 10, a heel 26 of mounting in a groove of the frame 16 being provided on the other side of the body 22, opposite the lips sealing 24.

To correctly mount this profile at the corners glazing, it was necessary in the prior art, make cuts in the body 22, in the heel 26 and in the two lower sealing lips 24 but not in the upper sealing lip which must remain intact to ensure a continuous seal on the glazing 10.

The sealing profile 14 shown in part right of figure 1 is of the section type transverse in half-moon and includes two lips seal 32 applied elastically to one side of the glazing 10, the back of the profile having a groove allowing it to fit on a rim of the frame 18. To correctly mount this profile at the corners of the glazing, it had to make cuts across the profile to with the exception of the upper sealing lip 32.

These cuts had to be very precise too well regarding their orientation that their extensive, poorly made cut resulting in defects appearance or sealing of the profiles.

The dashed line L in Figure 1 shows schematically the separation between the parts of the sections 12 and 14 that had to be notched and that are located below of this line L, and the parts of these sections which should not be cut and which are located above the line L, this line L being able to be above or below the heel and mounting groove of the profile.

The present invention provides a simple and effective solution to the problem of mounting sealing profiles at the corners of the glazing, thanks to zones of reduced thickness which are formed of preferably at regular intervals in the base and a part of the side (s) of the profiles, these areas being circular, oblong, polygonal or similar shape and having relatively small dimensions compared to the transverse dimension of the profiles. In a way general, these areas each have a continuous outline or closed and a non-negligible longitudinal dimension in the longitudinal direction of the profile, their dimension advantageously being of the same order of size than their longitudinal dimension.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 2 and 3, this corresponding example to the sealing profile 14 shown schematically in figure 1.

The sealing profile 14 of Figures 2 and 3 is, as already indicated, approximately in the form of half moon in cross section and includes two lips opposite seals 32 intended to be applied elastically on one face of a glazing 10, and a interlocking groove 36 formed in the back of the profile, on the side opposite the sealing lips 32.

The lower sealing lip 32 and possibly the part of the profile 14 which includes the socket groove 36, which can be considered like the mounting base of the profile, are formed to regular intervals with areas of reduced thickness 38 which are here cylindrical orifices with circular section aligned longitudinally to form two parallel rows in the profile, and aligned transversely to form parallel columns each comprising at least two orifices 38.

Of course, zones 38 could have a non-circular section, for example oblong, oval, polygonal, or the like and we could form in the profiled a single row of these areas or more than two parallel rows of these areas.

The orifices 38 are here formed on all the thickness of the profile 14 and therefore pass through it in emerging on each of its two opposite faces. The reduced thickness areas 38 may also be formed only over part of the thickness of the profile, preferably over most of this thickness.

To mount this profile at the corner of a glazing as shown in Figure 3, just fold it to right angle by exerting a slight traction on its part which has the orifices 38. As can be seen in the figure 3, this traction results in an extension of the longitudinal dimension of the orifices 38, those which lie exactly at the corner of the glazing being strongly ovalized and stretched, the adjacent orifices being still ovalized and stretched, but less importantly, following holes being very slightly ovalized and stretched, and the following holes remaining cylindrical at circular section.

The orifices 38 transversely aligned are separated by a sufficient material thickness so that pulling the profile when mounted on the angle glazing does not cause transverse tearing of the section between the holes 38.

The upper lip 32 which is applied to the glazing inside the angle formed by the profile can ensure a continuous seal on the glazing.

The other sealing lip 32, which has the orifices 38, is not cut transversely from continuously at the angle of the glazing and allows also to ensure a certain seal at this angle.

One of the essential advantages of profiles according to the invention is therefore that they can be mounted on a glazing and folded at the corners of the glazing without continuous transverse cutting, no tearing or tearing of material, which makes it possible to maintain a tightness of very good quality at the corners of the glazing while facilitating the mounting and installation of the profiles.

Of course, the invention is also applicable to profiles which have been partially represented left of figure 1, as well as to the other profiles sealants for glazing which include at least one part of elastically deformable and extensible material such as rubber or an elastomer.

Typically, areas 38 can be spaced longitudinally from a distance of the order of 5 to 15 mm approximately, they can be spaced transversely a distance of a few millimeters (for example from 4 to 10 mm approximately), and their diameter or dimension average is of the order of a few millimeters.

When zones 38 are initially formed on only part of the thickness of the profile, they only open on one side of the profile and are closed, on the side of the other side of the profile, by a thickness of material forming a membrane. In that case, traction exerted on the profile for mounting the angle of a glazing may or may not be sufficient to tear the membranes of the zones 38 which are at the corner of the glazing or in its immediate vicinity, depending on the thickness of the membranes.

In an alternative embodiment shown schematically in Figure 4, the aforementioned areas 38 are formed in profile 14 at the end of lines 40, continuous or discontinuous, formed across the entire thickness of the profiled or not, each zone 38 having the function of form a stop in the transverse cutting of the profile along the corresponding line 40 when mounting the profiled on the corner of a glazing. This prevents the pre-cut transverse line 40 does not form a primer rupture or tear likely to extend over the whole transverse dimension of the profile. In that case also, the zones 38 can have any desired shape, circular, oblong, square, rectangular, triangular, etc. They are formed in profile 14 at the longitudinal line L in Figure 1 (dividing line between the notched part and the not cut part of the profile). As shown in FIG. 4, the transverse lines 40 of precut can be formed by aligning holes, notches or precuts of any shape or by continuous cross cuts.

Claims (10)

1. An extruded seal, in particular for glazing, made at least partially from an elastically stretchable material such as rubber or an elastomer and comprising a mounting or push-fit base and at least one edge (32) comprising or forming a sealing lip, characterised in that at least a part of the edge (32) of the seal has areas (38) of a reduced thickness, which can be longitudinally stretched without the material tearing when mounting the seal on a corner.
2. A seal as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the areas (38) of reduced thickness are circular, oval, polygonal or similar in shape.
3. A seal as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said areas (38) are longitudinally and transversely aligned in the seal.
4. A seal as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that it has a single row of said areas (38) aligned longitudinally.
5. A seal as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said areas (38) are orifices which may or may not cross through the entire thickness of the seal.
6. A seal as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said areas (38) are longitudinally spaced at a distance in the order of 5 to 15 mm.
7. A seal as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said areas (38) are transversely spaced at a distance of several millimetres.
8. A seal as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said areas (38) are of a transverse diameter or dimension in the order of several millimetres.
9. A seal as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said areas (38) are provided in the seal at regular intervals.
10. A seal as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said areas (38) are provided at the end of transverse pre-cutting lines (40) of any type.

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