GB2482902A

GB2482902A - A Curtain Wall System For Attaching A Variety Of Panels

Info

Publication number: GB2482902A
Application number: GB201013889A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dietmar Woelfert; Julien Kempf
Original assignee: DON REYNOLDS Ltd
Current assignee: DON REYNOLDS Ltd
Priority date: 2010-08-19
Filing date: 2010-08-19
Publication date: 2012-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2030-08-19
Also published as: GB201013889D0; GB2482902B

Abstract

The system comprises a plurality of mullion posts 1 of box section profile and having a first mounting system 5 and a second mounting system 6 which is stepped back from the first mounting system. The mullion post can be extruded aluminium and may comprise a rear mounting section 10 for mounting to a structural support and a front section 11 to which cladding elements may be mounted. The first and second mounting systems may comprise a gasket receiver 2, 25 and a clip receiver 21, 26 respectively. The same mullion post can accommodate a wide range of different panels such as glazing, louvers, or stone/brick/tile facings. The mullion posts can be cut-back to expose the second mounting system 6. The posts 1 are used with adapters 31, 32, 33, 34 for mounting different claddings 40, 41, 45, 46.

Description

"A CURTAIN WALLING SYSTEM"

Introduction

This invention relates to a curtain walling system.

Buildings are often constructed with an outer curtain wall which is attached to the main structure of the building. Such curtain walls are not structural and can be made of relatively lightweight materials.

Various types of curtain wall systems are known. In one type the curtain wall is assembled on site from various curtain wall components. Unitised curtain walls are also known in which curtain wall units are manufactured in a factory and the units are assembled on site. Unitised curtain wall systems provide the significant advantage of reducing on site erection costs.

However, for buildings which require a range of different claddings including glazing, louvres and/or cladding such as brick, stone, or tiles a conventional unitised curtain wall system is not practical because of the very large array of profiles required.

The thermal insulation in curtain wall frames is created by using plastic thermal brakes directly incorporated into the framing members. These types of fixed thermal brakes are cost efficient but do not allow the incorporation of cladding materials that will have no insulating capacities in the same plane without compromising the quality of thermal insulation.

This invention is directed towards providing a unitised curtain wall system which will address at least some of these problems.

Statements of Invention

According to the invention there is provided a unitised curtain walling system comprising a plurality of supports, the supports comprising a box section profile having a first mounting system and a second mounting system which is stepped back from the first mounting system and adapter profiles for mounting to the first or second mounting system for mounting a range of different panels such as glazing, louvres, or cladding to the supports. In one case, the support comprises a mullion post.

In one embodiment the second mounting means comprise a gasket receiver. At least one of the adapters may comprise a gasket for mounting in the gasket receiver of the second mounting means.

In one embodiment the second mounting means comprises a clip receiver. At least one of the adapters may comprise a clip for mounting in the clip receiver of the second mounting means.

In one embodiment the first mounting means comprises a gasket receiver. At least one of the adapters may comprise a gasket for mounting in the gasket receiver of the first mounting means.

In one embodiment the first mounting means comprises a clip receiver. At least one of the adapters may comprise a clip for mounting in the clip receiver of the first mounting means.

The curtain walling system may comprise a first adapter for mounting a fixed glazing unit to the support. The first adapter may comprise a clip for engagement with a clip receiver of the first mounting means.

The curtain walling system may comprise a second adapter for mounting an openable glazing unit to the support. A gasket may be interposed between the second adapter and a gasket receiver of the first mounting means and another gasket may be interposed between the second adapter and a gasket receiver of the second mounting means.

The curtain walling system may comprise a third adapter for mounting a louvre unit to the support. The third adapter may comprise a clip for engagement with a clip receiver of the second mounting means.

The curtain walling system may comprise a fourth adapter for mounting a cladding unit to the support. The fourth adapter may comprise a clip for engagement with a clip receiver of the second mounting means.

The invention also provides a mullion post for a unitised curtain walling system comprising a box section profile having a first mounting system and a second mounting system which is stepped back from the first mounting system and adapter profiles for mounting to the first or second mounting system for mounting a range of different panels such as glazing, louvres, or cladding to the post.

The invention also provides a transom rail for a unitised curtain walling system comprising a box section profile having a first mounting system and a second mounting system which is stepped back from the first mounting system and adapter profiles for mounting to the first or second mounting system for mounting a range of different panels such as glazing, louvres or cladding to the rail.

The invention utilises adapter profiles which are typically assembled from two parts of special designed aluminium profiles and a thermal insulator that separates both profiles. The framing members have a minimum of two lines of supporting rails incorporated into these profiles.

Consequentially different types of adapter profiles can be assembled into a minimum of two lines of supporting rails.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a mullion profile forming part of a unitised curtain wall system of the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on a reduced scale of a pair of adjacent mullion profiles; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of a first adapter used in the curtain wall system of the invention; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of a second adapter used in the curtain wall system of the invention; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a third adapter used in the curtain wall system of the invention; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a fourth adapter used in the curtain wall system of the invention; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of part of a curtain wall system with glazing left and right; Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of part of a curtain wall system with fixed glazing on the left and vent glazing on the right; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of part of a curtain wall system with fixed glazing on the left and a louvre on the right; Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view of part of a curtain wall system with fixed glazing on the left and a cladding on the right; Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view of a transom profile according to the invention; Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view of a reduced depth transom profile; Fig. 13 is a cross sectional view of a transom adapter profile for opening vent glazing; Fig. 14 is an isometric cut-away view of part of a curtain wall system with louvres above and vent glazing below; Fig. 15 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is an isometric cut-away view of part of a curtain wall system with vent glazing above and fixed below glazing; Fig. 17 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 16; Fig. 18 is an isometric cut-away view of part of a curtain wall system with fixed glazing above and a vent glazing below; Fig. 19 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 18; Fig. 20 is an isometric cut-away view of part of a curtain wall system with vent glazing above and a cladding below; Fig. 21 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 20; and Fig. 22 is a cross sectional view of part of a curtain wall system with fixed glazing above and fixed glazing below.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a unitised curtain walling system according to the invention which comprises a plurality of mullion posts 1 and a plurality of transom rails 2.

Referring in particular to Figs. 1 and 2 the mullion posts 1 are of box section profile and have a first mounting system 5 at a first or front face in a plane P1 and a second mounting system 6 at a second or inner face in a plane P2 which is stepped back from the first mounting system 5.

The mullion post 1 is generally of extruded aluminium and comprises a rear mounting section 10 for mounting to a structural support and a front section 11 to which cladding elements are mounted. There is a weather line P3 between the front and rear sections 10, 11.

The first and second mounting systems 5 and 6 are similar. The first (front) mounting system comprises a gasket receiver 20 and a clip receiver 21. Similarly, the second (rear) mounting system comprises a gasket receiver 25 and a clip receiver 26. There is also a front side gasket receiver 29 and a rear side gasket receiver 30. Gaskets / seals 27, 28 respectively are located in the receivers 29, 30 respectively and extend into a gap between adjacent mullion posts 1 as illustrated particularly in Fig. 2.

The same mullion post 1 can be used to accommodate a wide range of different panels such as glazing, louvres, or stone / brick / tile facings. This is achieved by providing the mullion posts 1 with integral first and second mounting systems 5, 6. From a plurality of lengths of the same profile several different configurations are possible without requiring a multitude of separate mullion profiles. Depending on the cladding to be mounted, the mullion posts can be cut-back to expose the second mounting system 6.

The curtain walling system comprises a number of individual adapters 31, 32, 33, 34 which are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6.

The adapter profile 31 is used for mounting fixed double glazing 40 to the mullion post 1 as illustrated on both sides of Fig. 7 and the left side of Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

The first adaptor 31 comprises a clip 35 for engagement with the clip receiver 21 of the front mounting means 5.

The second adapter profile 32 is used for mounting a vent double glazing window unit 4lwhich is hinged about a hinge axis 42 to facilitate opening of the window 41 as illustrated on the right side of Fig. 8.

A gasket 36 is interposed between the second adapter 32 and the gasket receiver 20 of the first mounting means 5. A second gasket 37 is interposed between the second adapter and a gasket receiver 25 of the second mounting means 6.

The third adapter profile 33 is used to accommodate a louvre unit 45 as illustrated on the right side of Fig. 9.

The third adapter 33 comprises a clip 38 for engagement with the clip receiver 26 of the second mounting means 6.

The fourth adapter profile 34 is used to accommodate a cladding of brick / stone / tiles 46 as illustrated on the right side of Fig. 10.

The fourth adapter 34 comprises a clip 39 for engagement with the clip receiver 26 of the second mounting means 6.

Referring in particular to Fig. 11 there is illustrated a transom rail 2 used in the curtain walling system of the invention. The transom rail 2 is similar to the mullion post 1 described above except that in the case of transom rails they are of relatively short length to extend between adjacent uprights. The transom rails 2 are of box section profile and have a first mounting system at a first front face in a plane P4 and a second mounting system 51 at a second or inner face in a plane PS which is stepped back from the first mounting system 50.

The transom rail is generally of extruded aluminium and comprises a rear mounting section 55 for mounting to a structural support and a front section 56 to which cladding elements are mounted.

The first mounting system 50 comprises gasket receivers 60, 61 and clip receivers 62, 63.

Similarly, the second (rear) mounting system comprises gasket receivers 65, 66 and a clip receiver 67.

The same transom rail 2 can be used to accommodate a wide range of different panels such as fixed glazing, vent glazing, louvres, or stone / brick! tile facings. This is achieved by providing the transom rails 2 with integral first and second mounting systems 50, 51. From a plurality of lengths of the same profile several of different configurations are possible without requiring a multitude of separate transom profiles. Depending on the cladding to be mounted, the transom rails can be cut -back to expose the second mounting system 51.

The adapters 31, 32, 33, 34 (Figs. 3 to 6) as described above can also be used with the transom rails 2. In addition, for the transom system there is an additional adapter 70 (Fig. 13) which is used with the transom rail 2 for mounting vent glazing 41.

In this case, there is a second transom profile 75 which is similar to the first transom 2 with the second mounting system 51 exposed. The second transom rail 75 has gasket receiving recesses 76, 77 and clip receivers 78, 79.

Referring to Fig. 14 and 15 there is illustrated one part of a curtain wall system with louvres 45 above and a vent glazing unit 41 below.

Referring to Fig. 16 and 17 there is illustrated one part of a curtain wall system with a vent glazing unit 41 above and a fixed glazing unit 40 below.

Referring to Fig. 18 and 19 there is illustrated one part of a curtain wall system with a fixed glazing unit 40 above and a vent glazing unit 41 below.

Referring to Fig. 20 and 21 there is illustrated one part of a curtain wall system with a vent glazing unit 41 above and a cladding unit 46 below. A push bar 47 for operating the vent glazing unit 41 is also shown in Fig. 14.

Referring to Fig. 22 there is illustrated one part of a curtain wall system with a fixed glazing unit above and a fixed glazing unit 40 below.

The unitised curtain walling of the invention provides a wide range of advantages over current curtain wall systems. Heretofore, the construction of complete curtain walling systems with several different cladding elements required extremely complex manufacturing and on-site installation. The system of the invention facilitates factory manufacture of complete curtain wall modules which can be readily transported to a construction site and readily assembled on site without the need for expensive access systems such as scaffolding.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described which may be varied in detail.

Claims

Claims 1. A unitised curtain walling system comprising a plurality of supports the supports comprising a box section profile having a first mounting system and a second mounting system which is stepped back from the first mounting system and adapter profiles for mounting to the first or second mounting system for mounting a range of different panels such as glazing, louvres, or cladding to the supports.
2. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support comprises a mullion post.
3. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the second mounting means comprise a gasket receiver.
4. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 3 wherein at least one of the adapters comprise a gasket for mounting in the gasket receiver of the second mounting means.
5. A curtain walling system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the second mounting means comprises a clip receiver.
6. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 5 wherein at least one of the adapters comprises a clip for mounting in the clip receiver of the second mounting means.
7. A curtain walling system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the first mounting means comprises a gasket receiver.
8. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 7 wherein at least one of the adapters comprises a gasket for mounting in the gasket receiver of the first mounting means.
9. A curtain walling system as claimed in claims 1 to 8 wherein the first mounting means comprises a clip receiver.
10. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 9 wherein at least one of the adapters comprises a clip for mounting in the clip receiver of the first mounting means.
11. A curtain walling system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 comprising a first adapter for mounting a fixed glazing unit to the support.
12. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the first adapter comprises a clip for engagement with a clip receiver of the first mounting means.
13. A curtain walling system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12 comprising a second adapter for mounting an openable glazing unit to the support.
14. A curtain walling system as claimed in claims 13 wherein a gasket is interposed between the second adapter and a gasket receiver of the first mounting means and another gasket is interposed between the second adapter and a gasket receiver of the second mounting means.
15. A curtain walling system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14 comprising a third adapter for mounting a louvre unit to the support.
16. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the third adapter comprises a clip for engagement with a clip receiver of the second mounting means.
17. A curtain walling system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16 comprising a fourth adaptor for mounting a cladding unit to the support.
18. A curtain walling system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the fourth adaptor comprises a clip for engagement with a clip receiver of the second mounting means.
19. A curtain walling system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
20. A mullion post for a unitised curtain walling system comprising a box section profile having a first mounting system and a second mounting system which is stepped back from the first mounting system and adapter profiles for mounting to the first or second mounting system for mounting a range of different panels such as glazing, louvres or cladding to the post.
21. A transom rail for a unitised curtain walling system comprising a box section profile having a first mounting system and a second mounting system which is stepped back from the first mounting system and adapter profiles for mounting to the first or second mounting system for mounting a range of different panels such as glazing, louvres or cladding to the rail.
22. A mullion post substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
23. A transom rail substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.