FR2512921A1 - SYSTEM FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF TRANSPARENT DOUBLE-WALL PLATES - Google Patents

Abstract

THE SUBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION IS A SYSTEM FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF DOUBLE-WALL TRANSPARENT PLATES WITH A CELLULAR STRUCTURE, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE PLATES HAVE ON THEIR ASSEMBLY EDGES MALES2 AND FEMALE ELEMENTS BONDING INTO THE OTHER , MALE AND FEMALE ELEMENTS PRESENTING GROOVES 4 IN WHICH GASKETS ARE PROVIDED FOR THE ASSEMBLY; GAMES ARE PROVIDED TO ALLOW FOR EXPANSION OR DEFORMATION OF THE ELEMENTS. THE INVENTION APPLIES TO ANY EXTERIOR OR INTERIOR WINDOW OR PARTITION SYSTEM.

Description

12921

  SYSTEM FOR ASSEMBLING TRANSPARENT DOUBLE WALL PLATES.

  The present invention relates to systems for the assembly of

  transparent double wall plates.

  As part of the solutions to the problem of the thermal insulation of transparent surfaces such as windows, very widely used double-walled plates with cellular structure, obtained

  for example by extrusion of polymethylmethacrylate having a high trans-

mittance of light.

  Such manufactured articles have in the direction of extrusion a length that can be indefinite, while in the transverse direction,

  they have a definite width, determined in fact by the techno-

manufacturing process.

  At the application stage, in the case of surfaces whose width exceeds the standardized width for simple plate manufacturing conditions, it becomes necessary to assemble several plates next to each other while maintaining as much homogeneity as possible. and

  the continuity of the transparent surface.

  For this purpose, various solutions based on the following two principles are presently used: a) Press-fitting and snap-fastening of the plates which have corresponding mating profiles along their edges, so that the profiles intended for s mate can engage in each other

  and thus allow the assembly of neighboring plates.

  The design of such shapes or coupling profiles and the dimensioning of

  corresponding parts are defined in such a way that the inter-

  Penetrants allow through their cooperation to ensure, through deformation

  elastic material, mechanical closure by force grouting.

  This type of connection or coupling is used for materials

  of great resistance and especially for the uses of inte-

  where it is necessary to obtain a good air and watertight

  (b) Connections by means of sections constituting a structure of

  seem, these profiles being generally made of aluminum with inter-

  position of seals or rubber equivalents for sealing

  to air and rain, these devices having latch elements

  and fixing means of the supporting structures. This type of connection is used with materials of high rigidity but less resistant and essentially for use in external closures

  with the needs of maximum sealing.

  These two types of assembly show, however, a series of

  and, more particularly: As regards the type a) assemblies, based on a mechanical connection by force of the material, one encounters with time relaxation phenomena which tend to loosen the assembly Moreover, because of its structure, this type of assembly makes it difficult to absorb the deformations that result from the effects of the thermal variations of the material,

  This causes abnormal voltages in the products thus produced.

  With regard to type b) assemblies, which require the use of

  special profiles ensuring the structure, it is also necessary to

  joints and assembly operations relatively expensive.

  In addition, these assembly profiles being more opaque constitute a solution of unsightly continuity vis-à-vis the entire transparent surface. Finally, from the point of view of the application, these structural profiles to block the two edges of the plates by pinching or equivalent protrude from the surface of these plates themselves, which creates the insertion point in the frames or Peripheral dormant problems

  fixing the entire structure.

  The coupling or grouting systems which are the subject of the present invention consist of an assembly of at least two plates in which the edges to be joined are shaped so that they allow interengagement coupling or grouting according to a male-female (or positive-negative) configuration of the elements

grouting.

  More precisely, one of these plates has at least one of its

  edges provided for coupling with another plate, provided -

  of a cavity or female groove made in the thickness of the edge

  of the plate and extending the entire length parallel to said edge. The other plate, for its part, has at least one of its edges provided with the connection device with the first plate, that is to say a male projection obtained in the thickness of the edge of the plate and extending along its entire length parallel to the edge itself This male projection has a shape that corresponds to the groove or the female cavity of the other plate so as to ensure perfect coupling of the system of the

  two plates brought into the assembly position.

  The male projection mentioned above is provided with two grooves, one on each of its lateral faces and in an opposite position relative to each other. Said grooves extend parallel to the edge

  of the plate and run all along the length of the projection itself.

  For its part, the female cavity is also provided with two grooves, one on each of the internal faces of the two opposite walls of said cavity. Said grooves face each other and extend themselves parallel to the edges of the walls forming the

  cavity and run the entire length of the cavity itself.

  In the double-walled system, brought into the coupling position, the grooves on each side of the male projection correspond to and in connection with the projections on each wall of the female cavity, the connection between these grooves being by means of an elastic body which occupies the space between the two grooves so as to act as a seal, a gasket, or a sealing element between

said projection and said cavity.

  Said elastic bodies extend over the entire length of the aforementioned grooves; their width or smallest dimension is approximately equal to the width of the grooves in the male projection with a very slightly negative seal so as to maintain said seal or said seal in a firm position in said grooves, while this width or dimension is slightly less than the width of the grooves in each of the walls of the female cavity, which allows a slight reciprocal sliding of the two assembled plates and an absorption of the expansions due to thermal variations. To better understand the technical characteristics and

  advantages of the present invention, there will be described an example of

  it is understood that this is not limiting as to its

  mode of implementation and the applications that can be made.

  Reference is made to the following figures which show schematically: FIGS. 1a and 1a show in perspective and in section two

  elements in position ready to assemble.

  Figures Ib and Ib illustrate in section two elements also in position ready to assemble. Figure III shows the two elements of the preceding figures in assembled position; and Figure IV shows in section the assembly system and

  grouting enlarged for clarity.

  In Figures Ia and Ib is shown the double wall plate whose edge B is provided with a male projection 2 which extends over the entire length

  edge B in its thickness and which has grooves 4.

  This male projection may itself have either an interior cellular structure or simply be hollow as shown in FIGS.

  la and Ib or be solid and solid.

  Figures I Ia and I Ib also represent a plate 1, of the same type as that of Figures Ia and Ib, with a cavity or a wide groove 3 formed in the thickness of the edge B 'and having on each inner face

  its walls F with grooves 5 facing each other.

  Figure III shows the assembly of the two plates in the coupling or grouting position, the elastic bodies 6 forming seals being interposed respectively between the grooves 4 and 5 carried by the

  male protrusion and female cavity edges B and B '.

  In Figure IV, we find in more detail the elastic assembly

  made to the body 6 placed in the grooves 4 and 5.

  Said body or elastic seal may be made of any material, natural, artificial or synthetic, such as for example natural or synthetic rubbers and, preferably, transparent or translucent type. In order to ensure the assembly between the plates, it suffices to introduce the male projection 2, the grooves 4 of which have the elastic body or seal 6 in the female cavity 3, either by longitudinal sliding or by a slight lateral depression. the two elements sliding one inside the other

  until the desired position is reached in the female cavity.

  In order to facilitate insertion of the male protrusion into the female cavity, the inner faces of the opposite walls of the cavity itself

  may be slightly divergent towards the outside of the cavity.

  Referring to Figures Ia, Ib, Ia and Ib, the distance between the grooves 4 of the male projection and the end E of said projection is shorter than the distance between the grooves 5 of the female cavity and the bottom C of said cavity Thus, the distance between the grooves 4 and the edge B of the plate is greater than the distance between the grooves 5

and the edge B 'of the other plate.

  This allows between the jointed or assembled plates remains a game allowing the expansion of the material due to thermal variations

of the environment.

  Such games appear in Figure III under reference 7.

  The configuration of the edges of the plates to be joined may be either asymmetrical on the opposite edges of said plate, that is to say that the line may be male while the left may be female, or they may be symmetrical , that is, both sides

  Opposites of the same plate may be male or female.

  The assembly system described above thus makes it possible to make a connection or a lateral grouting of a series of plates relative to each other and also allows: a) to ensure the continuity of the transparency; (b) to ensure good water and airtightness; c) to easily absorb the expansions of material due to thermal variations; (d) maintain even in the assembly area the same thickness as

that of the plates.

  The assembly system, which is the subject of the present invention, is particularly suitable for double-wall transparent plates with a cellular structure, independently of the material used, which can be: glass, polymethylmethacrylate, or any other equivalent transparent material, for which arise at the installation stage the problems

  complexes referred to above under (a) to Cd).

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown; she is likely to many

  variants accessible to those skilled in the art, depending on the applications envisaged

  and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (3)

  1. System for assembling transparent double wall plates and cellular structure, characterized in that it consists of a set of at least two plates having the following characteristics: (a) one of the plates has at least on its assembly edge a cavity 3 or female groove made in the thickness of the edge itself and runs parallel over the entire length of said edge 3; (b) the other plate has at least on one of its connecting sides a male projection 2 which extends parallel to the edge over the entire length and in the thickness of that edge, and which can be inserted into the groove or female cavity mentioned above; (c) said groove or female cavity has on each of the inner faces of the walls of the cavity a groove 5, the two grooves facing each other and extending parallel to the edge of the plate over the entire length said cavity; (d) the male projection also has two grooves 4 on each of the opposite side faces of said protrusion extending parallel and the entire length of the edge of the plate having said protrusion; (e) in the assembly position of the plates, each of the grooves on the opposite faces of the male projection is in correspondence with the grooves on the internal faces of the walls of the female cavity, the connection being made between the two pairs of grooves by means of an elastic body 6 interposed between the two grooves and extending over the entire length of said grooves, (4, 5) the section of the body being approximately equal in width to that of the grooves of the male protrusion and being less wide   than the grooves of the female cavity.   2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the distance between the grooves of the male projection and the outer end of said projection is shorter than the distance between the grooves 5 of the female cavity and the bottom of said cavity, while the distance between the grooves of the male protrusion and the edge of the plate on which this protrusion is located is greater than the distance between the protrusions of the female cavity and the edge of the plate in which is practiced this cavity. 12921   3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner faces of the opposite walls of the cavity or female groove are diverging from each other to the outside of said cavity or female groove.