GB2261900A

GB2261900A - A frame assembly which impedes bombardment and break-in

Info

Publication number: GB2261900A
Application number: GB9220567A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heinrich Saelzer
Original assignee: Saelzer Sicherheitstechnik GmbH
Current assignee: Saelzer Sicherheitstechnik GmbH
Priority date: 1991-11-19
Filing date: 1992-09-29
Publication date: 1993-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2012-09-29
Also published as: GB2261900B; DE4235468C2; GB9220567D0; DE9114439U1; DE4235468A1

Abstract

A sash frame and an outer frame of a window or of a door are provided with respective supplementary protection profiles (4, 5). In order to protect the gap (8) between end faces (6, 7) of the supplementary profiles (4, 5) without having to alter the cross-sectional dimensions of the metal profiles for the sash and outer frame and possibly impair their functions, the gap (8) is bridged by a strip (9) made from high-grade steel, which is fastened in a longitudinal groove (10) of one of the one supplementary profiles (4) so as to overlap the other supplementary profile (5). The strip (9) may be in the form of a plate or of circular profile (9', figure 2). <IMAGE>

Description

A FRAME ASSEMBLY WHICH IMPEDES BOMBARDMENT AND BREAK-IN This invention relates to a frame assembly of a window or of a door comprising a sash frame and an outer frame and designed so as to impede bombardment and break-in. These frames are provided, on their attack-endangered side, with supplementary protection profiles made from an aluminium alloy which in pairs bound a gap.

Various examples of such frame assemblies are known.

For example, German specification DE-28 18 745 discloses a bombardment-impeding aluminium window having bombardmentimpeding plates made from an aluminium alloy which are bonded or welded onto the outside or inside of the aluminium profiles of the sash frame and of the outer frame. These bombardment-impeding plates are designed in such a way in the region of the gap between the sash frame and the outer frame that either from the gap to the outside of the bombardment-impeding plates an opening extending at an angle of 450 to the frame plane remains or a rabbet is provided which is offset at a right angle at about the centre of the bombardment-impeding plates.

Production of plates for such a bombardment-impeding construction can be complex, particularly when the stripshaped plates have to be cut out from large-format material and/or require special machining in order to achieve the desired gap course.

Another German specification, DE-36 02 742, discloses a metallic window or door construction which impedes shootthrough and likewise consists of an outer frame and a sash frame, which are provided on their outside with respective bombardment-impeding plates, preferably made from an aluminium alloy. The gap formed between the outer frame and the sash frame continues as an opening as far as the outside of these plates. In the metal profiles of the outer frame or of the sash frame, adjacent to the gap there is a transverse web directed towards the outside. In order to achieve adequate protection in the gap region, the opening extends approximately perpendicular to the window plane or door plane at the level of the shoot-through-impeding transverse web.

Since the gap region in this embodiment represents a particular weak point, the transverse web on its own has to apply the desired bombardment-impeding action over the entire gap cross-section. In order to fulfil this task, the transverse web, which is formed from the material of the metal profiles of one of the frames, needs a comparatively large cross-sectional dimension. As a rule, however, there is insufficient space to accommodate a correspondingly dimensioned transverse web behind the bombardment-impeding plates. Moreover, if the metal profiles of the frames are subdivided by heat-insulating webs, the provision of a transverse web of adequate dimensions covering the gap cancels out the effect of the subdivision, by being able to form hot or cold bridges.

The object of the invention is to improve the design of a frame assembly of the type described at the beginning hereof in such a way that, including supplementary protection profiles which are simple to produce so as to impede bombardment and break-in and, the gap between these profiles can also be protected without changing the conventional cross-sectional dimensions of the metal profiles for the sash and outer frames or impairing their other functions.

According to the present invention a frame assembly, designed so as to impede bombardment and break-in, of a window or of a door comprises a sash frame and an outer frame, which are provided on their attack-endangered side with supplementary protection profiles made from an aluminium alloy which in pairs bound a gap and is characterised in that the gap is bridged by at least one strip, made from high-grade steel, which is fastened in a longitudinal groove of one of the supplementary protection profiles and overlaps the other supplementary protection profile.

With the strip of high-grade steel in accordance with the invention, the gap between the supplementary protection profiles is blocked off in a highly resistant manner yet the strip requires little space for its accommodation, since its cross-section, dictated by the material of which it is formed, can be of a relatively small size and still guarantee very effective bombardment and break-in resistance. To mount the strip effectively it is merely necessary to provide, in one of the supplementary profiles, a longitudinal groove which corresponds to a part of the cross-sectional contour of the strip, so that this can be partially inserted therein so that its projecting part completely masks the gap region, by projecting behind the other supplementary profile.

In different embodiments of the invention the strip can consist of a profile which is either rectangular or circular in cross-section. If a strip which is rectangular in crosssection is used, this is preferably aligned with its wide side substantially perpendicular to the plane of the gap.

If a strip which is circular in cross-section is used, the width of the aperture cross-section (mouth) of the groove is preferably smaller than the diameter of the strip, so that special fastening means for fixing the strip in the groove can be dispensed with. A strip which is rectangular in cross-section or of other cross-section without the benefit of the aforesaid feature can of course be fixed in the groove of the supplementary profile by any suitable means, such as screw or adhesive connections.

Two exemplified embodiments of a frame assembly in accordance with the invention, restricted to respective cross-sections of a pair of frame limbs, are shown in the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an outer frame limb and a sash frame limb with a strip which is rectangular in cross-section; and Fig. 2 shows an outer frame limb and a sash frame limb with a strip which is circular in cross-section.

A plate-shaped panel 1, such as a window pane, is encompassed by a conventional sash frame formed from limbs 2. This sash frame is slidable within a conventional outer frame formed from limbs 3.

On the attack-endangered side of the frames, the limbs 2 and 3 are provided with respective supplementary protection profiles 4 and 5. Mutually facing end faces 6 and 7 of these supplementary profiles 4 and 5 define a gap 8, which in the exemplified embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is inclined at an angle and in the exemplified embodiment shown in Fig. 2 is perpendicular to the frame plane.

A strip 9 which is rectangular in cross-section (Fig. 1) or respectively a strip 9' which is circular in cross-section (Fig. 2) made from high-grade steel is held in a groove 10 or respectively 10' of the supplementary profile 4, and projects therefrom to bridge the gap 8 and overlap behind the other supplementary profile 5.

If a projectile or the tip of a break-in tool follows the course of the gap 8, the strip 9 or respectively 9' will offer highly effective resistance and prevent the projectile or the break-in tool from penetrating further between parts of the frame limbs 2, 3.

Claims

1. A frame assembly, designed so as to impede bombardment and break-in, of a window or of a door comprising a sash frame and an outer frame, which are provided on their attack-endangered side with supplementary protection profiles made from an aluminium alloy which in pairs bound a gap, characterised in that the gap is bridged by at least one strip, made from high-grade steel, which is fastened in a longitudinal groove of one of the supplementary protection profiles and overlaps the other supplementary protection profile.

2. A frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the strip consists of a profile which is rectangular in crosssection and which is aligned with its wide side substantially perpendicular to the plane of the gap.

3. A frame assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the strip consists of a circular profile and the width of the mouth of the groove is smaller than the diameter of the profile.

4. A frame assembly, designed to impede bombardment and break-in, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and illustrated by Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.