EP2431559A2

EP2431559A2 - Window sash profile with limited length adjusting rail

Info

Publication number: EP2431559A2
Application number: EP11181809A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Esben Brun Nielsen
Original assignee: VKR Holding AS
Current assignee: VKR Holding AS
Priority date: 2010-09-21
Filing date: 2011-09-19
Publication date: 2012-03-21
Also published as: EP2431559A3

Abstract

A window sash assembly comprising a rectangular window pane and four window sash profiles arranged along the four sides of the window pane, said window sash profiles being manufactured from a composite material comprising fibres arranged in a matrix material, characterized in that one of said window sash profiles (1) comprises a rail (5) fastened to a flange (4) of the window sash profile and in that the longitudinal direction of said rail is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the window sash profile and in that said rail extends along only a limited portion of the total length of the window sash profile and in that a first window fitting (10;20) is fastened to said rail such that the position of said fitting can be adjusted along the longitudinal direction of the rail.

Description

The current invention relates to a window sash assembly comprising a rectangular window pane and four window sash profiles arranged along the four edges of the window pane, said window sash profiles being manufactured from a composite material comprising fibres arranged in a matrix material.

Description of related art

In the prior art, window fittings are generally attached to a window sash profile in one of two ways. For window sash profiles of metal, for example aluminium, some form of c-channel is usually incorporated into the cross section of the extruded metal profile. Fittings can then be attached to these channels and their position can be adjusted by loosening the means used to fasten the fitting to the channel, sliding the fitting along the channel and then retightening the means used for fastening the fittings to the channel. For window sash profiles of materials where it is not possible to form C-channels, for example wood, fittings are usually screwed directly into the frame. The position of the fittings is then adjusted by for example loosening the mounting screws of the fitting, displacing the fitting via slots in the fitting itself and then retightening the screws of the fitting.
However, there are some materials which do not allow the formation of channels and which furthermore do not allow loosening and then retightening of screws. Many fibre based composite materials, for example pultruded polyurethane with longitudinally arranged glass fibres, have this property. Due to the strength characteristics of the material which are predominantly arranged along the longitudinal axis of the profile, it is not possible to form the thin flanges which are needed to form a proper C-Channel since they will easily break off. Furthermore, if a self-tapping screw is screwed into a profile element of such a material, it will have a good strength, until the screw is loosened once. After this it will not be possible to ever again tighten it so that it achieves the same strength. It is therefore not permitted to loosen and tighten screws in such materials.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore a first aspect of the current invention to provide a method of attaching fittings to window sash profile elements made from materials as described above which solves the above mentioned problems in an economical and simple manner.
This is provided in part in that one of said window sash profiles comprises a rail fastened to a flange of the window sash profile and in that the longitudinal direction of said rail is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the window sash profile and in that said rail extends along only a limited portion of the total length of the window sash profile and in that a first window fitting is fastened to said rail such that the position of said fitting is adjustable along the longitudinal direction of the rail.
In this way, the rail can be strongly attached to the profile element via screws for example and the fitting can then be attached to the rail in an adjustable manner. Since the rail does not extend the entire length of the profile element, the solution is very economical and does not add extra and unnecessary weight to the window sash. Furthermore, the temperature insulation properties of the window can be improved since the rail, which is typically formed of metal which is highly temperature conductive, does not extend the entire length of the profile element.
In one embodiment, the length of said rail can be less than 50% of the length of the sash profile. In another embodiment the length of said rail could be less than 15cm. In another embodiment, the length of the rail could be arranged such that it was less than 2cm longer than the first fitting. The extra length of the rail when compared to the fitting allows the fitting to be adjusted a certain amount along the rail. In most cases, a rail which allows an adjustment range of 2-4 mm will be enough.
In a preferred embodiment, the flange of the window sash profile to which the rail is fastened could be arranged perpendicular to the plane of the window sash assembly. In another embodiment, the rail could be fastened to the flange on the side of the flange which is opposite to the side on which the window pane is arranged.
In a possible embodiment, the rail could be formed as a C-channel with opposing flanges arranged at the open end of the C-channel such that the opening in the C-channel is less than the width of the C-channel. This type of channel will provide an easy way of mounting the fitting and allowing displacement along the longitudinal direction of the rail. Other forms of rails which could work should be known to the person skilled in the art. For example a dovetail groove or an L- channel might also be suitable.
In one embodiment, the window sash assembly could further comprise a second window fitting which is fastened directly to the composite material of one of the window sash profiles. The second window fitting could be fastened to the window sash profile via screws or rivets. This could for example be on a top hung window where the top pivot connection of the window sash is fixed to the window sash directly with screws whereas the mounting fitting attached to the window sash which provides a connection for the control arm of the top hung window fitting is attached to the window sash via a rail.
It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising/comprised of" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. For example it is stated in the claims that "one of the sash profiles comprises a rail", however, the person skilled in the art should understand this as "at least one of the sash profiles comprises at least one rail".

Brief description of the drawings

In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments shown by the enclosed figures. It should be emphasized that the embodiments shown are used for example purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 shows an end view of a window sash profile element with a rail and a first type of fitting mounted thereto.
Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the window sash profile element and fitting of figure 1.
Figure 3 shows an end view of a window sash profile element with a rail and a second type of fitting mounted thereto.
Figure 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the window sash profile element of figure 3.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Figures 1 and 2 show a portion of a window sash profile element 1. The profile element 1 comprises a cross section which can be described in general as being T-shaped. The T-shaped cross section is made up of three flanges, a first flange 2, a second flange 3 and a third flange 4. The first and second flanges are arranged co-planar and the third flange 4 is arranged perpendicular to the first and second flanges. The third flange 4 forms the trunk of the T-shaped cross section and the first and second flanges form the top portion of the T. The cross section of the profile element could also be described as comprising an L-shaped portion, where the first and third flanges form the body of the L.
In this embodiment, the profile element is made from a pultruded polyurethane glass fibre based material. As an additional feature, it could be noted that the material comprises fibres which are arranged predominantly along the longitudinal axis of the profile elements. As another feature it can be noted that approximately 80% of the material is comprised of fibres and approximately 20% of the material is comprised of a polyurethane matrix material. While this material is one of the possible materials out of which to make the profile element, other materials based on fibres embedded in a matrix would also be suitable. There are many forms of fibres and matrixes available as should be known to the person skilled in the art.
When a window pane (not shown) is assembled with the profile element, the window pane would be placed such that the edge of the window pane is abutting the third flange 4 and the outer surface of the window pane is abutting the first flange 2.
On the side of the third flange opposite to the side facing the edge of the window pane, is arranged a rail 5. The rail is formed as a C-channel where the open end of the C-channel is provided with flanges pointing towards each other such that the width of the open end of the C-channel is less than the width of the C-channel. This type of channel is sometimes also called an open box channel. In this embodiment, the rail is made from a suitable metal.
Two non-limiting examples are steel and aluminium. However, other materials could be suitable depending on the application.
The rail is fastened to the profile element via screws 6 which are screwed through holes 7 in the rail and into holes 8 which are formed in the profile element. In another embodiment (not shown) the rail is fastened to the profile element with rivets. It could also be imagined that the rail was fastened to the profile element with a suitable form of glue. It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that there are many different ways of attaching the rail to the profile element.
Inside the rail is arranged a window fitting 10. In this embodiment, the window fitting 10 is a mounting fitting for pivotably attaching one end of a control arm of a window fitting to the window sash. The mounting fitting comprises a first part 11 and a second part 12. Both the first part and the second part are formed from a metal plate element which is slightly less wide than the width of the C-channel, but wider than the width of the opening in the C-channel. The first and second part of the fitting can therefore be slideably inserted into the rail 5. Set screws 13 are arranged in the first and second part which when tightened press the first and second parts against the flanges at the open end of the C-channel and fix the first and second part in position in the rail.
As can be seen from figure 2, the first part 11 is formed with a hole 14 having an open end and the second part is formed such that it can close the open end of the hole in the first part by sliding the second part against the first part. During assembly, the first part is fixed in the correct position by tightening the set screws. An axle of a control arm (not shown) is thereafter placed in the hole 14 via the open end after which the second part is slid towards the first part to close the hole. The set screws in the second part are then tightened to lock the axle of the control arm in the hole 14.
If the position of the axle needs to be adjusted, the set screws in the first and second parts can be loosened which allows the first and second parts (and thereby the hole 14) to be displaced along the axis of the rail after which the set screws can be tightened again to lock the position of the first and second parts again.
Figures 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of a fitting which can be mounted to a window sash profile element as described in the first embodiment. The profile element and rail shown in figures 3 and 4 are the same as the ones shown in figures 1 and 2, therefore the same reference numerals will be used.
In the embodiment shown in figures 3 and 4, the window fitting 20 is one half of a fixed axle hinge. This type of hinge is typically used in windows which are side hung and where the axis of rotation of the window is fixed in position. As shown in the figures, the fitting comprises a plate portion 21 and a hinge portion 22. As before, the plate portion 21 is fixed in the rail via set screws 13. The hinge portion is arranged fixed to the plate portion. When the window sash is to be mounted in the frame, the hinge portion is inserted into a corresponding hinge portion of a fitting mounted on the frame. A pin is then inserted into the hinge portions of the sash fitting and the frame fitting to fix the window sash.
When it is desired to adjust the position of the hinge, the set screws are loosened, the plate portion displaced along the rail and the set screws tightened again.
The description presented above has presented two different embodiments of fittings which could be mounted to rails according to the current invention. However, there are many other forms of fittings which could also be mounted on rails according to the current invention. These should also be included in the scope of protection of the current invention.

Claims

A window sash assembly comprising a rectangular window pane and four window sash profiles arranged along the four sides of the window pane, said window sash profiles being manufactured from a composite material comprising fibres arranged in a matrix material, characterized in that one of said window sash profiles (1) comprises a rail (5) fastened to a flange (4) of the window sash profile and in that the longitudinal direction of said rail is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the window sash profile and in that said rail extends along only a limited portion of the total length of the window sash profile and in that a first window fitting (10;20) is fastened to said rail such that the position of said fitting is adjustable along the longitudinal direction of the rail.
A window sash assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of said rail (5) is less than 50% of the length of the sash profile (1).
A window sash assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the length of said rail (5) is less than 15cm.
A window sash assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the flange (4) of the window sash profile (1) to which the rail (5) is fastened is arranged perpendicular to the plane of the window sash assembly.
A window sash assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the rail (5) is fastened to the flange (4) on the side of the flange which is opposite to the side on which the window pane is arranged.
A window sash assembly according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the rail (5) is formed as a C-channel with opposing flanges arranged at the open end of the C-channel such that the opening in the C-channel is less than the width of the C-channel.
A window sash assembly according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that said window sash assembly further comprises a second window fitting which is fastened directly to the composite material of one of the window sash profiles.
A window sash assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that said second window fitting is fastened to the window sash profile via screws or rivets.
A window sash assembly according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the first window fitting is one half of a fixed axle hinge (20).
A window sash assembly according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the first window fitting is a fitting (10) for pivotably connecting a control arm of a window fitting to a window sash.