GB2133824A

GB2133824A - Method of manufacture of thermally insulating frame members

Info

Publication number: GB2133824A
Application number: GB08400787A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John George Holloway
Original assignee: British Alcan Aluminium Ltd
Current assignee: British Alcan Aluminium Ltd
Priority date: 1983-01-19
Filing date: 1984-01-12
Publication date: 1984-08-01
Also published as: GB2133824B; GB8400787D0

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a thermally insulating frame member comprises providing a hollow metal member 10 with channels in each web 13, 14 in which a thermal break is to be formed. The channel in wall 13 is first filled with an insulating plastics material 26 in liquid form which is allowed to cure. A circular saw 27 is then employed to cut away the central parts of the bases of the two channels. The member is then turned the other way up, a plastics strip 28 is engaged in the grooves 24 and the channel thus formed in web 14 is filled with the liquid plastics material, which is then allowed to cure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of manufacture of thermally insulating frame members This invention relates to the manufacture of thermally-insulating frame members, for example for windows and doors.

It is well-known to manufacture frame members comprising a metallic inner component and a metallic outer component joined together by an intermediate component which is made from a heat insulating plastics or similar material and which serves to impede the flow of heat between the inner and outer components, and the invention is concerned with the casting of the heatinsulating material in situ in a metallic component which will provide both the inner and outer components.

According to this invention there is provided a method of manufacture of a thermally insulating frame member comprising introducing a quantity of a curable synthetic resin into an outwardlyfacing (first) channel formed in a hollow elongate metallic component which also provides a (second) channel opening to the hollow interior of the component the sides of said second channel having, remote from the base of the channel, means capable of supporting a strip of thermally insulating material to bridge the gap between said sides, curing the resin in said first channel, then forming a lengthwise extending gap in the bases of the first and second channels, placing a strip of a thermally insulating material on the supporting means so as to bridge the gap between the sides of the second channel, filling with a curable synthetic resin the outwardly-facing channelsection spaces formed by said strip in conjunction with the sides of the second channel, and curing the resin in said channel-section space.

Preferably the supporting means comprises grooves extending lengthwise of the two sides of the second channel and facing each other.

The bases of said first and second channels may advantageously be so disposed that the gaps in both can be cut in a single pass of a cutting tool.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of the hollow elongate metallic component in its initial state, and Figures 2 to 4 show the steps of manufacturing a frame member from the component of Figure 1 by a method according to the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown an elongate metallic component 10 extruded from an aluminium alloy. The component has parallel walls 1 1, 12 interconnected by two transverse parallel walls 13, 14 and is internally hollow. Transverse wall 13 has in it an outwardly facing first channel 15 and transverse wall 14 has in it an inwardlyfacing second channel 16, i.e. a channel opening to the hollow interior of the component. Channel 15 has overhanging rib portions 17 with inwardly directed lips 18, and the base 19 of the channel has two spaced outwardly-directed ribs 20.

Channel 16 has overhanging rib portions 21 and ribs 22 which are inclined towards the base 23 of the channel and which form V-section grooves 24 with the overhanging portions 21. The base 23 of channel 16 has two spaced inwardly projecting ribs 25.

In the first step in the method the component 10 is disposed horizontally with the channel 15 facing upward as shown in Figure 1 and a thermally-insulating synthetic resin 26 is poured into the channel 15 to fill the channel as shown in Figure 2 and is cured in sits. As shown diagrammatically in Figure 3, a circular saw 27 is then employed to cut away the central portion of the base 23 of channel 16 between its ribs 25 and the central portion of the base 19 of channel 1 5 between its ribs 20. A strip 28 of a thermal insulating material is then fed lengthwise into the groove 24 and, with the component inverted as shown in Figure 4, a heat-insulating synthetic resin 29 in a flowable condition is introduced into the channel formed by the sides of the original channel 16 in conjunction with the strip 28 and is cured in situ.

The two portions of the frame member thus formed are interconnected only by the heatinsulating material. The lips 18 and ribs 20, 22 and 25 form with the heat-insulating material a mechanical interlock to resist separation of the two portions of the frame member.

1. A method of manufacture of a thermally insulating frame member comprising introducing a quantity of a curable synthetic resin into an outwardly-facing (first) channel formed in a hollow elongate metallic component which also provides a (second) channel opening to the hollow interior of the component the sides of said second channel having, remote from the base of the channel, means capable of supporting a strip of thermally insulating material to bridge the gap between said sides, curing the resin in said first channel, then forming a lengthwise extending gap in the bases of the first and second channels, placing a strip of thermally insulating material on the supporting means so as to bridge the gap between the sides of the second channel, filling with a curable synthetic resin the outwardly-facing channelsection spaces formed by said strip in conjunction with the sides of the second channel and curing the resin in said channel-section space.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting means comprises grooves extending lengthwise of the two sides of the second channel and facing each other.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said grooves is formed between two ribs projecting from each of said sides towards the other side.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said grooves are of substantially V-section.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Method of manufacture of thermally insulating frame members This invention relates to the manufacture of thermally-insulating frame members, for example for windows and doors. It is well-known to manufacture frame members comprising a metallic inner component and a metallic outer component joined together by an intermediate component which is made from a heat insulating plastics or similar material and which serves to impede the flow of heat between the inner and outer components, and the invention is concerned with the casting of the heatinsulating material in situ in a metallic component which will provide both the inner and outer components. According to this invention there is provided a method of manufacture of a thermally insulating frame member comprising introducing a quantity of a curable synthetic resin into an outwardlyfacing (first) channel formed in a hollow elongate metallic component which also provides a (second) channel opening to the hollow interior of the component the sides of said second channel having, remote from the base of the channel, means capable of supporting a strip of thermally insulating material to bridge the gap between said sides, curing the resin in said first channel, then forming a lengthwise extending gap in the bases of the first and second channels, placing a strip of a thermally insulating material on the supporting means so as to bridge the gap between the sides of the second channel, filling with a curable synthetic resin the outwardly-facing channelsection spaces formed by said strip in conjunction with the sides of the second channel, and curing the resin in said channel-section space. Preferably the supporting means comprises grooves extending lengthwise of the two sides of the second channel and facing each other. The bases of said first and second channels may advantageously be so disposed that the gaps in both can be cut in a single pass of a cutting tool. One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of the hollow elongate metallic component in its initial state, and Figures 2 to 4 show the steps of manufacturing a frame member from the component of Figure 1 by a method according to the invention. Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown an elongate metallic component 10 extruded from an aluminium alloy. The component has parallel walls 1 1, 12 interconnected by two transverse parallel walls 13, 14 and is internally hollow. Transverse wall 13 has in it an outwardly facing first channel 15 and transverse wall 14 has in it an inwardlyfacing second channel 16, i.e. a channel opening to the hollow interior of the component. Channel 15 has overhanging rib portions 17 with inwardly directed lips 18, and the base 19 of the channel has two spaced outwardly-directed ribs 20. Channel 16 has overhanging rib portions 21 and ribs 22 which are inclined towards the base 23 of the channel and which form V-section grooves 24 with the overhanging portions 21. The base 23 of channel 16 has two spaced inwardly projecting ribs 25. In the first step in the method the component 10 is disposed horizontally with the channel 15 facing upward as shown in Figure 1 and a thermally-insulating synthetic resin 26 is poured into the channel 15 to fill the channel as shown in Figure 2 and is cured in sits. As shown diagrammatically in Figure 3, a circular saw 27 is then employed to cut away the central portion of the base 23 of channel 16 between its ribs 25 and the central portion of the base 19 of channel 1 5 between its ribs 20. A strip 28 of a thermal insulating material is then fed lengthwise into the groove 24 and, with the component inverted as shown in Figure 4, a heat-insulating synthetic resin 29 in a flowable condition is introduced into the channel formed by the sides of the original channel 16 in conjunction with the strip 28 and is cured in situ. The two portions of the frame member thus formed are interconnected only by the heatinsulating material. The lips 18 and ribs 20, 22 and 25 form with the heat-insulating material a mechanical interlock to resist separation of the two portions of the frame member. CLAIMS

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bases of the said first and second channels are so disposed that the gaps in both can be cut in a single pass of a cutting tool.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the bases of the two channels are parallel to each other.

7. A method of manufacture of a thermally insulating frame member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.