GB2115472A

GB2115472A - Glazing gasket

Info

Publication number: GB2115472A
Application number: GB08204607A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Howorth
Original assignee: CLIMAX BUILDING GASKETS Ltd
Current assignee: CLIMAX BUILDING GASKETS Ltd
Priority date: 1982-02-17
Filing date: 1982-02-17
Publication date: 1983-09-07

Abstract

A resiliently deformable gasket (12), for the retention of a panel (11) in a frame (10), is moulded in the region of the corners so that the cross- section of the gasket (12) varies progressively from an initial, undeformed cross-section in the region of the arms (18) leading to the corner (19) to a cross-section at the apex of the corner (19) substantially the same as that to which the arms (18) of the gasket (12) are deformed in use by contact with the panel (11). The gasket (12) moulded in this way obviates excessive stiffness at the corners (19) or cockling of the gasket (12) as it is fitted to the frame (10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Gasket and means for the manufacture thereof This invention relates to gaskets, and in particular to gaskets of the type such as are used for the retention of glazing or infil panels in the frames of buildings.

Gaskets of this type are generally extruded of rubber or like resilient material and are cut to lengths appropriate to the size of the frame to which they are to be applied. It is a requirement of such a gasket to form a weathertight seal against the panel of glass or other material as well as acting as a retention means, and difficulties are generally experienced in provided such a weathertight seal in the region of the corners of the panel. One solution to this problem is to mitre the lengths of extruded gasket and join them using an adhesive. However the length of the mitred face is nearly one and a half times the thickness of the gasket, and this results in the mitred joint being considerably stiffer than the remainder of the gasket. In consequence a mitre-jointed gasket arrangement does not give the correct pressure loading on the panel in the corner regions.

Furthermore if the aperture in the building frame is undersize and the gasket oversize, even if both are within the specified size tolerance, or if the gasket is simply badly fitted, there is a tendency for the gasket to cockle near to the corner. Such cockling leads to an imperfect seal and subsequent water ingress and rotting of the frame.

As an alternative to mitreing it is known to provide a mould having two mutually perpendicular channels therein into which two lengths of gasket can be introduced. The channels have the same cross-section as the gaskets and intersect at a corner region within the mould. After the lengths of gasket have been introduced into the channels, uncured or unvulcanised rubber or the like is introduced into the corner region of the mould, which liquid bonds with the free ends of the gaskets and forms a moulded corner therefor.

Such a construction is less susceptible to manufacturing inaccuracies than the mitred construction and overcomes the aforementioned problem of the stiff joint. However it is still difficult to fit such a gasket to a frame without cockling and with an even pressure distribution on the panel throughout the corner regions due to there being an excess of material created in the corner regions on deformation of the gasket by the panel as the gasket is fitted.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gasket and means for the manufacture thereof which overcomes or mitigates to an appreciable extent the abovementioned problems.

The invention provides a resiliently deformable gasket for use in the retention of a polygonal panel in a frame, said gasket comprising a corner part and two arms extending therefrom, each arm having an initial cross-section which in use is deformed to an operative cross-section by contact with a panel, the cross-section of said gasket varying progressively from said initial crosssection at each arm to substantially said operative cross-section adjacent the apex of said corner part.

The gasket may comprise a foot adapted to be received in a groove in a frame, and said foot may be provided with at least one longitudinally extending rib at each side thereof. Preferably at least two such ribs are provided at each side. The gasket may also comprise a flange which extends transversely of said foot and is deformable at least in the region of said arms by contact with a panel.

The invention also provides a mounting arrangement for a panel in a frame, said frame comprising two frame members defining a corner of said frame, a panel disposed within an opening in said frame, and a gasket as aforesaid with an arm extending along each of said two frame members, said gasket being deformed to an operative cross-section in the region of said arms by engagement with said panel.

The invention also provides a mould for a gasket, said mould comprising two elongate cavities each having an initial cross-section of an arm of said gasket so as to receive the same therein, and which communicate with each other at a corner region, the cross-section of said corner region varying progressively from said initial crosssection adjacent said elongate cavities to substantially that of an operative cross-section to which said gasket is deformed in use adjacent the apex of said corner region.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:~ Fig. 1 is a perspective scrap view of a frame and panel with a gasket in accordance with the invention fitted therein, Fig. 2 is a cross-section of an arm of the gasket of Fig. 1 before fitting, Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the gasket of Fig. 1 taken along line Ill-Ill of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a front view of a mould for the manufacture of the gasket of Fig. 1, and Figs. 5 and 6 are plan and front elevations of the bottom plate of the mould of Fig. 4.

Referring now to Fig. 1 there is shown a frame 10 in which a panel 1 1 is mounted and is retained by a gasket 12. The gasket 12 is required to hold the panel 1 1 in the frame 10 structurally and is also required to provide a weatherseal. The panel 11 may be of glass or of translucent or opaque material such as wood, plastics or the like, and in the case of glass may be a single or double glazed unit. A deformable sealing strip 13 is interposed between an upstanding shoulder 14 of the frame 10, and the gasket 12 urges the panel 1 1 against the sealing strip 13. The gasket 12 comprises a foot 15, which is inserted in a groove 16 in the frame 10, and a flange 17 which contacts the panel 11 and provides the requisite pressure thereto to retain the panel 11 in position in the frame 10. The gasket 12 also comprises two arms 18 and a corner part 19.

The initial cross-section of an arm 1 8 of the gasket 12 prior to fitting the same to the frame 10 is as shown in Fig. 2. The flange 17 extends substantially at right angles to foot 1 5, which has two ribs 20 extending along each side to assist in the retention of the gasket 12 within the groove 16 of frame 10. However when the gasket 12 is fitted to the frame 10 the flange 17 is deformed by contact with the panel 1 1 so that the gasket 12 along the length of the arms 1 8 adopts an operative cross-section as is seen in Fig. 1.

However, the cross-section of the gasket 12 prior to fitting varies progressively from that shown in Fig. 2 at each arm 18 to that shown in Fig. 3 in the corner part 19, this latter crosssection being substantially the same as the operative cross-section of the deformed arms 18 as shown in Fig. 1. Since the change in undeformed cross-section of the gasket 12 from the arms 18 through the corner part 19 is progressive, the deformation produced by contact of flange 1 7 with panel 1 1 is also progressively reduced towards the apex of the corner. As a consequence there is little if any excess gasket material created as the gasket 12 is deformed on fitting to the frame 10, thus obviating or at least appreciably reducing the tendency for the gasket 1 2 to cockle in the region of the corner of the frame 10.

Typically the change of cross-section of the gasket 12 from that of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3 may be effected over approximately 12 mm, and the pressure on the panel 11 may be controlled by a suitable choice of this length and by the closeness to which the cross-section of the corner part 19 approaches that of the deformed cross-section of the arms 18.

Referring now to Figs. 4 to 6 there is shown a mould 21 comprising top and bottom plates 22,23. The mould 21 is adapted to mould two corner parts simultaneously, as is best seen in Fig. 5. The top and bottom plates 22, 23 between them define two pairs of elongate cavities 24, those of each pair communicating with each other at a corner region cavity 25. The cavities 24 are of constant cross-section substantially as that shown in Fig. 2, i.e. the initial cross-section of the arms 18 of the finished gasket, whilst the cross-section of the corner region cavity 25 varies progressively from that of cavities 24 to substantially that as shown in Fig. 3 adjacent the apex of the corner, i.e. the operative cross-section of the arms 18 when deformed by contact with panel 11.This change of cross-section can occur over some 12 mm in the corner region cavity 25, into which an inlet 26 for uncured or unvulcanised rubber or the like material also communicates.

A length of extruded gasket section is placed in each cavity 24 and the top and bottom plates 22, 23 are then secured together. A charge of uncured or unvulcanised rubber is then injected into the corner region cavity 25 through inlet 26 in conventional manner. The mould is heated whilst the charge is injected and the heat and high pressure cause the injected material to bond with the ends of the extruded gasket material thus forming a continuous gasket through the corner region. In the case that the gasket material is rubber the extruded lengths will be vulcanised prior to insertion in the mould 21. The charge of rubber injected into the corner region cavity 25 is cured in the shape formed in the mould 21. The gasket material may be black neoprene or any black reinforced polymer, but in order to provide a particularly aesthetically pleasing gasket, particularly for use with stained timber frames, a polymer which accepts pigmentation may be used as the gasket material so that gaskets of any chosen colour are produced.

Claims

1. A resiliently deformable gasket for use in the retention of a polygonal panel in a frame, said gasket comprising a corner part and two arms extending therefrom, each arm having an initial cross-section which in use is deformed to an operative cross-section by contact with a panel, the cross-section of said gasket varying progressively from said initial cross-section at each arm to substantially said operative crosssection adjacent the apex of said corner part.

2. A gasket according to claim 1 comprising a foot adapted to be received in a groove in a frame.

3. A gasket according to claim 2 wherein said foot is provided with at least one longitudinally extending rib at each side thereof.

4. A gasket according to claim 3 wherein said foot is provided with two longitudinally extending ribs at each side thereof.

5. A gasket according to any one of claims 2 to 4 comprising a flange extending transversely of said foot in the initial configuration.

6. A gasket according to claim 5 wherein said flange is deformable, at least in the region of said arms, in use, by contact with a panel.

7. A gasket according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the cross-section of said gasket varies progressively over a length of substantially 12 mm.

8. A gasket according to any one of claims 1 to 7 of a black reinforced polymer.

9. A gasket according to any one of claims 1 to 7 of a polymer having a coloured pigmentation therein.

10. A gasket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

1 1. A mounting arrangement for a panel in a frame, wherein said frame comprises two frame members defining a corner of said frame, said panel being disposed within an opening in said frame, and comprising a gasket according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said gasket is deformed to said operative cross-section in the region of said arms by engagement with said panel.

12. A mounting arrangement for a panel in a frame substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A mould for use in producing a gasket according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising two elongate cavities each defining an initial cross-section of an arm of said gasket so as to receive the same therein, and which communicate with each other at a corner region, the crosssection of said corner region varying progressively from said initial cross-section at said elongate cavities to one defining substantially an operative cross-section to which said gasket is deformed in use adjacent the apex of said corner region.

14. A mould according to claim 13 comprising top and bottom separable plates.

15. A mould according to claim 13 or claim 14 adapted to mould two gaskets simultaneously.

16. A mould substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.