GB2029479A

GB2029479A - Method of forming a seal in situ between a frame and casement window or door

Info

Publication number: GB2029479A
Application number: GB7834252A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-08-23
Filing date: 1978-08-23
Publication date: 1980-03-19
Also published as: GB2029479B

Abstract

A method of forming a seal in situ between a portion 14 of a frame 10 and a portion 15 of a casement window or door 11, which comprises the steps of applying a bead 16 of silicone elastomer based sealant material whilst in a flowable state to the Portion 14 and applying a strip 17 of release material to the portion 15, the strip 17 having an adhesive on the side applied to the portion 15, closing the casement window or door 11 to flatten the bead 16 so that it takes up any imperfections and gaps between the portions 14 and 15, allowing the sealant material to cure and then removing any surplus sealant material and the strip 17. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of forming a seal in situ between a frame and casement window or door This invention relates to a method of forming a seal in situ between a frame and a casement window or a door.

In order to provide a seal that conforms to any irreguiarities between an ill-fitting frame and casement window or door it is known to apply to the surface of the frame in the region where the frame and window or door meet a bead of a polyurethane sealant material, and to apply a strip of silicone impregnated release paper over the bead. The window or door is then closed so that the bead of sealant material is pressed flat and the window or door is maintained closed for a period of seven days to allow the sealant material to cure. The window or door is then opened, the release paper is removed and any surplus sealant material is removed by trimming with a sharp blade or knife.

A problem associated with the known method is the difficulty of being able to correctly position and apply the release paper over the bead of sealant material, particularly in windy conditions and the operative may inadvertently compress the bead in position ing the release paper. Another disadvantage of applying the release paper over the bead is that the paper may not readily take-up imperfections in the surface of the casement window or door which is applied to it when the window or door is closed. For example, a protrusion on the surface of the window or door can cause the release paper to be tensioned and form a gap between the window or door and the paper which is not filled with sealant material and the seal which is formed does not therefore take-up all of the irregularities between the frame and window or door.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of forming a seal in situ between a frame and a casement window or a door, comprising the steps of applying a bead of sealant material whilst in a flowable state to the surface of the frame or to the window casement or door in the region where the frame and window casement or door meet when closed, applying to the window casement or door or to the frame in the region where the window casement or door or frame is to contact the bead of sealant material a strip of release material having an adhesive on the side which is applied to the window casement or door or frame, closing the window casement or door so that the bead of sealant material is pressed flat and takes up any imperfections and gaps between the frame and window casement or door, allowing the sealant material to cure, removing any surplus sealant material and removing the release tape.

The self-adhesive strip of release material is easier to apply to the window casement or door or to the frame than to the bead of sealant and there is no risk of the operative deforming the bead of sealant at this stage.

Also, by applying the release material to the window casement or door or frame ensures that it is pressed thereto and takes up completely the contour of any imperfections in the surface of the window casement or door or frame to which it is applied and the sealant follows the shape of the imperfections when the window or door is closed.

I have also found that if a sealant material based on a silicone elastomer is used then the curing time can be reduced to about 24 hours or less which is considerably less than that of the polyurethane based sealant material used in the known method.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a section through a frame and casement window in a partially open position before a seal is formed in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a section similar to Fig. 1 showing a first stage in forming a seal, Figure 3 is a section showing a further stage in forming a seal, Figure 4 is a section showing yet another stage in forming the seal, and Figure 5 is a section showing the completed seal.

In the drawings there is illustrated a section through a metal casement window consisting of a frame 10 and a casement 11 provided with glass 1 2 and seal 1 3. The frame 10 has a portion 1 4 which is abutted by a portion 1 5 of the casement 11 when the window is closed. It often happens that the portions 14 and 1 5 are not capable of being brought into sealing contact with each other when the window is closed due to distortion of the frame 10 and/or casement 11 and/or due to imperfections in the surfaces of the portions 14 and 1 5. Consequently the window is not draughtproof or weatherproof over the abutting surfaces.

It is therefore often necessary to provide a resilient seal between the portions 14 and 1 5.

In accordance with the present invention such a seal is formed as follows.

The window is opened in the normal way and the surface of the rebate formed by portion 14 is scraped to remove any loose paint and is then cleaned with a suitable solvent or spirit to remove any dirt, gease, oil etc. A bead 1 6 formed of a flowable sealant material is then applied to the portion 14 over the region which is contacted by the portion 1 5. The sealant material is preferably contained in a cartridge and applied by the use of a gun. A suitable sealant material is that sold under the trade name "Arbosil 1 081" which is a silicone elastomer based material which in its uncured state is in the form of a thixotropic paste. The bead 1 6 is preferably in the order of 6 mm thick and 6 mm wide.

A release tape 1 7 is applied to the portion 1 5. The tape 1 7 has an adhesive on the side which contacts the portion 1 5 and the tape 1 7 may comprise a polythene tape which is 0.10 to 0.150 mm thick having on one side an adhesive. Preferably the adhesion between the tape and the surface on which it is placed is not strong. The adhesion preferably does not exceed 500 gms per 25 mm of tape. The tape 1 7 is pressed onto the portion 1 5 and conforms to the shape of any irregularities in the surface of the portion 1 5.

After applying the bead 1 6 and tape 1 7 the window is closed and as shown in Fig. 3 the tape 1 7 is brought into contact with the bead 1 6 which if flattened and fills the gap between the portions 14 and 1 5. Some of the sealant material will be squeezed out beyond the edges of the portions 14 and 1 5 and this is left until the sealant material has cured. In a case where the frame 10 and/or casement 11 are badly twisted there may be portions of the bead 1 6 which are not compressed and do not completely fill the gap between the portions 14 and 1 5. In this case further sealant material can be injected into the gap whilst the window is in the closed position.Preferably the sealant material is white and the release tape 1 7 is black and therefore any incompletely filled gaps will easily be shown up against the black tape. This also serves as a visible warning to the occupants of the building that the seal forming process is being carried out, and also reminds the operative not to close the window until the tape 1 7 has been applied thereto.

The window is left closed for a period of time sufficient to allow the sealant material to cure. With "Arbosil 1081" this is approximately 1 6 hours, slightly longer in cold, dry conditions. With the window still in the closed position the surplus sealant material is removed by running a sharp blade or knife 1 8 around the periphery of the portion 1 5 as shown in Fig. 4. The window is then opened and the tape 1 7 removed to give the seal 1 9 shown in Fig. 5. It will be appreciated that surplus sealant material can be removed after the window has been opened. When opening the window the tape 1 7 easily comes away from the cured sealant material.

The formed seal 1 9 conforms exactly to the shape of the casement and frame and fills the gaps which were present before the seal was formed, and exerts very little pressure on the casement window when closed, thereby forming little or no obstruction to the closing of the window.

Even though the method has been described for forming a seal on a metal casement window it can be applied to wooden windows. The method can also be applied to doors.

Alternatively the tape 1 7 can be applied to the frame 10 and the bead of sealant material applied to the casement window or to a door.

The sealant material instead of being coloured white may be transparent or of any desired colour.

Claims

1. A method of forming a seal in situ between a frame and a casement window or a door, comprising the steps of applying a bead of sealant material whilst in a flowable state to the surface of the frame or to the window casement or door in the region where the frame and window casement or door meet when closed, applying to the window casement or door or to the frame in the region where the window casement or door or frame is to contact the bead of sealant material a strip of release material having an adhesive on the side which is applied to the window casement or door or frame, closing the window casement or door so that the bead of sealant material is pressed flat and takes up any imperfections and gaps between the frame and window casement or door, allowing the sealant material to cure, removing any surplus sealant material and removing the release tape.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, in which the bead of sealant material is formed by applying the sealant material with the use of a gun.

3. The method claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the sealant material comprises a silicone elastomer based material.

4. The method claimed in any preceding claim, in which the surplus sealant material is removed before the window is opened to allow removal of the release tape.

5. The method claimed in any preceding claim, in which the release tape comprises a polythene tape having an adhesive on one side.

6. A method of forming a seal in situ between a frame and a casement window or door, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A casement window or door when provided with a seal formed in accordance with the method claimed in any preceding claim.