KR20070093110A - Windows having multiple polymer layers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of windows having multiple layer polymers disposed thereon, and more specifically, the present invention is in the field of multiple pane windows having multiple layer polymers disposed on one or more panes.

Description

WINDOWS HAVING MULTIPLE POLYMER LAYERS}

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of windows having composite polymer layers disposed on glass panes, and more particularly, to the field of composite window panes having composite polymer layers disposed on one or more panes.

Poly (vinylbutyral) (PVB) is commonly used in the manufacture of polymer sheets that can be used as interlayers in light transmissive laminates such as safety glass or polymer laminates. Safety glass typically means a transparent laminate comprising a poly (vinylbutyral) sheet disposed between two sheets of glass. Safety glass is mainly used to provide transparent barriers in architectural and automotive openings. Its main function is to absorb energy, such as caused by a blow from an object, without allowing penetration through the opening.

Insulated glass units (IGUs), commonly used in architectural windows, may comprise two sheets of glass separated by an enclosed space. Enclosed spaces that can be sealed and filled with insulating gas are provided to improve the thermal conductivity of the windows, which can improve the thermal performance of the windows. Performance films, such as those made of poly (ethylene terephthalate), may add one or two panes of glass to the insulating glass unit to improve the optical and thermal properties of the window.

Insulated glass units can be made of conventional laminated safety glass instead of one or more single panes. However, these configurations add weight to the unit because they require at least one additional pane. Moreover, the design of the window frame will generally have to be changed to significantly increase the thickness of one or more panes. In addition, the insulation value of the unit can be negatively affected by the inclusion of additional panes.

As an alternative to conventional safety glass, window films can also be applied to insulating glass units. These window films, which may include poly (ethyleneterephthalate), may be applied to, for example, the glass surface of the unit exposed on the interior side of the window, where they are impact resistant, light transmittance, and / or thermal of the unit. It can function to improve properties and provide greater impact resistance without reducing thermal properties. However, such films do not necessarily provide the desired impact resistance and are subject to physical damage such as scratching and poor quality due to exposure to cleaning chemicals. Sometimes hardcoats applied over films further increase scratch resistance, but over time, even these do not prevent scratching and surface defects.

Accordingly, there is a need for further improved compositions and methods for improved window units that can provide significant impact resistance and thermal properties without significantly increasing weight or reducing insulation.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the present invention, composite pane windows are provided incorporating composite polymer layers over one or more interior surfaces of the glass. In addition, methods of manufacturing such windows are provided.

The present invention includes a composite pane window comprising: a first pane having an interior surface; A second pane having an inner surface, wherein the second pane is disposed corresponding to the first pane so as to form a space between the first pane and the second pane; A polymer sheet layer disposed in contact with said inner surface of said first pane, wherein said polymer sheet layer has a thickness of 0.2-3.0 mm and comprises at least one polymer sheet; And a polymer film disposed in contact with the polymer sheet layer.

The present invention includes a composite pane window comprising: a first pane having an interior surface; A second pane having an inner surface, wherein the second pane is disposed corresponding to the first pane so as to form a space between the first pane and the second pane; A polymer sheet layer disposed in contact with said inner surface of said first pane, wherein said polymer sheet layer comprises at least one polymer sheet; And a polymer film disposed in contact with the polymer sheet; Wherein the impact strength of the first pane having the polymer sheet layer and the polymer film is at least 3 meters.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention relates to a composite glazing window having composite polymer layers attached on the interior surface of one or more panes of the composite glazing window. Such arrangements can provide both an increase in impact resistance and an improvement in thermal properties.

As used herein, a "multiple pane window" refers to any window for use as an architectural use, having two or more panes, if arranged in a frame or otherwise fixed in a corresponding position, Here at least two panes are separated by a space, which can be filled with any suitable gas, for example a gas comprising air. In various embodiments, the composite glazing window is configured in parallel and planar form and comprises or is an insulating glass unit having two panes separated by a space.

These windows can be used for residential and commercial applications instead of standard single pane windows. In addition to the two glazing insulated glass units, the composite glazing windows of the invention also include windows having two or more glazings. For example, the structure of three panes arranged in a separate, parallel and planar arrangement may comprise the composite polymer layers according to the invention. In embodiments of the invention where two panes of insulated glass units are used, any conventional unit capable of receiving the polymer layers of the invention on at least one inner surface may be used.

As shown in the schematic cross-section of FIG. 1, in a conventional two pane window unit, which is generally represented by 10, the first pane 12 is the second pane 14 to create a space 16 between the two panes. It is arranged in the plane direction substantially parallel to). Two panes 12, 14 are generally arranged in window frames (not shown), which maintain a fixed distance from each other. In other embodiments, two or more panes can maintain a fixed distance apart from each other and can be optionally sealed to form a composite pane window that can be inserted into an appropriately sized opening. The two panes 12, 14 may be sealed with a frame to prevent entry of gases or contaminants between the space 16 and the environment on either side of the window. The space 16 can include air or gas, as commonly used in the art. The panes 12, 14 are any of those used in composite pane windows in the art, including loE type panes, solar controlled panes, and other panes specially designed to improve the thermal performance of the pane. Can be.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the first pane 12 and the second pane 14 each have an interior surface 18. As used herein, the "inner surface" of the pane in a composite pane window is a surface that is exposed to the space 16 area of the window and not exposed to the outside. For two pane windows, each pane will have one interior surface. In a three pane window, the central pane can have two surfaces that can be an "inner surface".

The present invention provides improved composite pane windows, among other improvements, by adding a composite polymer layer structure that provides improved impact resistance to the inner surface of at least one pane. In addition, due to the design of the present invention in which the polymer layers are placed inside the composite pane window, the polymer layers are not subjected to physical damage such as scratching that may occur when the polymer layers are exposed to the external environment in which the windows are placed.

As shown in the schematic cross section of FIG. 2. The first pane 12 may, for example, have a polymer sheet 24 disposed on the inner surface 18, and a polymer film 26 disposed on the polymer sheet 24. The polymer sheet 24 and the polymer film 26 together form a composite polymer layer 28. As discussed in detail below, polymer sheet 24 may be any suitable polymer having suitable optical, adhesive and shock absorbing properties. As discussed in further detail below, polymer film 26 may be any polymer in which optical and physical properties are suitable.

In addition to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, further layers may be incorporated into the composite polymer layer 28 according to the present invention. For example, additional layers of polymer sheet can be added between the glass and the polymer film. Other embodiments include a structure having the following layers: glass / polymer sheet / polymer film / polymer sheet / polymer film. Other embodiments include two or more thermoplastic polymer sheets disposed between a glass or rigid substrate and a polymer film. In these embodiments, for example, in two polymer sheet embodiments, the polymer sheets may have different compositions that allow to suppress desirable properties, such as noise.

In still other embodiments, the rigid substrate can be any conventional plastic or glass, and in particular embodiments, the glass can be tempered glass or heat treated glass, the use of which provides greater strength to the window. Will add.

In other embodiments, solar control glass, or solar glass, is used for one or more laminated glass panels of the present invention. The solar glass can be any conventional glass incorporating one or more additives to enhance the optical properties of the glass, and in particular, the solar glass can reduce or eliminate the transmission of light of undesirable wavelengths, such as near infrared and ultraviolet. Will typically be formulated. Solar thermal glass may also be tinted in some applications to preferably reduce the transmission of visible light. Examples of solar glass useful in the present invention are bronze glass, gray glass, loE glass and solar glass panels as known in the prior art, including those disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6,737,159 and 6,620,872.

The present invention includes certain composite pane windows with any composite polymer layers described herein disposed on at least one interior surface. In various embodiments, the present invention comprises composite glazing windows having two interior surfaces, each of which has a composite polymeric layer structure of the invention disposed thereon. In these embodiments, the composite polymer layers may be the same or different on each pane. Still other embodiments include three or more composite polymer layers on three or more inner surfaces.

With respect to certain embodiments of the present invention, in order to provide a desirable level of safety, it is desirable that a composite glass panel layer, such as a glass / polymer sheet / polymer film structure, has sufficient “impact strength” as defined herein. desirable. In various embodiments of the present invention, the glazing in which any of the composite polymer layer structures described herein is laminated is at least 3 meters, at least 4 meters, at least 5 meters, at least 6 meters, at least 7 meters, at least 8 It may have an impact strength of meters, at least 9 meters, or at least 10 meters. In embodiments having such a structure in which one or more panes are laminated thereon, the additional panes may have the same impact strength, in any combination. For example, in embodiments in which two layers of glass in the insulating glass unit each have a composite polymer layer on their inner surface, each glass // composite polymer layer may have an impact strength of at least 5 meters.

Polymer  film

As used herein, "polymer film" means a relatively thin, rigid polymer layer that functions as a performance enhancing layer. The polymer films differ from the polymer sheets as used herein in that they do not provide the necessary penetration resistance and glass preservation properties for the pane structure of the direct composite layer, but provide performance improvements such as infrared absorption properties. Poly (ethylene terephthalate) is most commonly used as a polymer film.

The polymer film 26 shown in FIG. 2 can be any suitable film that is relatively flat and hard enough to provide a stable surface, for example, these polymer films have typically been used as performance enhancing layers in multilayer glass panels. The polymer film is preferably optically transparent (ie, objects close to one side of the layer can be seen comfortably by the eyes of a particular observer looking through the layer from the other side), regardless of the composition, In some embodiments it has a much larger tensile modulus than the tensile modulus of the adjacent polymer sheet.

In various embodiments, the polymer film comprises a thermoplastic material. Among the thermoplastics having suitable properties are nylons, polyurethanes, acrylics, polycarbonates, polyolefins such as polypropylene, cellulose acetates and triacetates, vinyl chloride polymers and copolymers and the like. In various embodiments, the polymer film includes materials such as re-stretched thermoplastic films having noteworthy properties, including polyesters. In various embodiments, the polymer film comprises or consists of poly (ethylene terephthalate), and in various embodiments, polyethylene terephthalate is biaxially stretched to improve strength, And / or heat stabilized to provide low shrinkage properties upon treatment at high temperatures (eg, less than 2% shrinkage in both directions after 30 minutes at 150 ° C.).

In various embodiments, the polymer film may have a thickness ranging from 0.013 to 0.20 mm, 0.025 to 0.1 mm, or 0.04 to 0.06 mm. The polymer film may be surface treated or coated with a functional performance layer to improve one or more properties, such as adhesion or infrared radiation reflection. These functional performance layers include a multi-stack to transmit visible light, for example to reflect infrared solar radiation upon exposure to sunlight. This multilayer stack is known from the prior art (see eg WO 88/01230 and US Pat. No. 4,799,745) and is arranged in one or more (eg two) sequences with, for example, one or more Angstrom's thick metal layers. And insulator layers that are optically cooperative. As is also known (see, eg, US Pat. Nos. 4,017,661 and 4,786,783), the metal layer (s) can be optionally electrically resistant upon heating to defrost or defoam any related glass layers. Various coating and surface treatment techniques for poly (ethyleneterephthalate) films and other polymer films that can be used in the present invention are disclosed in published European Application No.0157030. The polymer films of the present invention may also include a hard coat and / or fog suppression layer, as known in the art.

Polymer sheet

As used herein, a "polymer sheet" is, by any suitable method, in a thin layer made alone or in one or more layers, for use as an inner layer that provides adequate penetration resistance and glass preservation to laminated panes of panels. By any thermoplastic polymer composition formed into a stack. Plasticized poly (vinylbutyral) is most commonly used to form polymer sheets.

Particularly excluded from the definition of "polymer sheet" are layers of poly (vinylbutyral) and similar types of materials applied in very thin layers for adhesion purposes only. These very thin layers applied for bonding two non-adhesive layers (eg poly (ethyleneterephthalate) and glass) are generally less than 0.2 mm in thickness. In various embodiments of the present invention, the polymer sheet layer has a thickness of 0.2-3.0 mm, 0.2-1.0 mm, 0.25-0.5 mm or 0.3-0.4 mm.

One or more polymer sheets disposed in contact with each other form a “polymer sheet layer” as used herein. That is, one polymer sheet layer may include one or more polymer sheets stacked together to form a single polymer sheet layer. For example, such structures are useful if two thin polymer sheets having different properties are stacked together to form a polymer sheet layer that is applied between the pane and the polymer film layer.

The polymer sheets of the present invention may comprise any suitable polymer, and as illustrated above, in a preferred embodiment, the polymer sheet comprises poly (vinylbutyral). Among the embodiments of the invention comprising poly (vinylbutyral) as the polymer component of the polymer sheet, other embodiments include or consist essentially of poly (vinylbutyral) or the polymer component. do. In these embodiments, any of the various additives including the plasticizers disclosed herein can be used in polymer sheets having a polymer consisting of poly (vinylbutyral) or consisting essentially of poly (vinylbutyral).

In one embodiment, the polymer sheet comprises a polymer based on partially acetalized poly (vinyl alcohol) s. In another embodiment, the polymer sheet comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly (vinylbutyral), polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, poly (ethylenevinylacetate), combinations thereof, and the like. In other embodiments, the polymer sheet comprises plasticized poly (vinylbutyral). In still other embodiments, the polymer sheet includes poly (vinylbutyral) and one or more other polymers. Other polymers with suitable glass transition temperatures can also be used. Herein, with respect to poly (vinylbutyral) (eg, without limitation, for plasticizers, component percent, thickness and property-enhancing additives), the particular ranges, values and / or methods given in particular, Where possible, it is also applicable to other polymers and polymer blends disclosed as useful as a component of a polymer sheet.

With respect to embodiments comprising poly (vinylbutyral), poly (vinylbutyral) reacts poly (vinylalcohol) (PVOH) with butylaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst, then neutralizes the catalyst, separates the resin It may be prepared by known acetalization processes including stabilization and drying.

In various embodiments, the polymer sheet comprising poly (vinylbutyral) has 10 to 35 weight percent hydroxyl group calculated as PVOH, 13 to 30 weight percent hydroxyl group calculated as PVOH, or 15-22% by weight of hydroxyl groups, calculated as PVOH. The polymer sheet also includes less than 15 wt% residual ester groups, 13 wt%, 11 wt%, 9 wt%, 7 wt%, 5 wt% or 3 wt% residual ester groups, calculated as polyvinyl acetate. And the remainder is acetal, preferably butylaldehyde acetal, but may optionally include trace amounts of other acetal groups, such as 2-ethyl hexanal group (see, eg, US Pat. No. 5,137,954).

In various embodiments, the polymer sheet has a molecular weight of at least 30,000, 40,000, 50,000, 55,000, 60,000, 65,000, 70,000, 120,000, 250,000 g / mole (or Daltons) or at least 350,000 g / poly (vinylbutyral) having a molecular weight of mole. Small amounts of dialdehyde or trialdehyde may also be added during the acetalization step to further increase the molecular weight of at least 350 g / mole (see, eg, US Pat. Nos. 4,902,464; 4,874,814; 4,814,529; 4,654,179). As used herein, the term "molecular weight" means the weight average molecular weight.

Various adhesion modifiers can be used in the polymer sheets of the invention, including sodium acetate, potassium acetate and magnesium salts. Magnesium salts that can be used in these embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, magnesium salicylate, magnesium nicotinate, magnesium di- (2-aminobenzoate), magnesium di- (3-hydroxy- 2-naphthoate) and magnesium bis (2-ethyl butyrate) (Chemical Abstract No. 79992-76-0), including those disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,728,472. In various embodiments of the invention, the magnesium salt is magnesium bis (2-ethyl butyrate).

The additives can be incorporated into the plymer sheet to improve its performance in the final product. Such additives include, but are not limited to, the following formulations: antiblocking agents, plasticizers, dyes, pigments, stabilizers (eg, UV stabilizers), as known in the prior art, Antioxidants, flame retardants, UV absorbers, IR absorbers and combinations of these additives, and the like.

In various embodiments of the polymer sheets of the invention, the polymer sheets are 20 to 60 parts by weight, 25 to 60 parts by weight, 20 to 80 parts by weight, or 10 to 70 parts by weight of plasticizer per 100 parts by weight (phr) of the resin. It may include. Of course, other amounts of plasticizers can be used as appropriate for a particular application. In some embodiments, the plasticizer has a hydrocarbon fragment having less than 20, less than 15, less than 12 or less than 10 carbon atoms.

The amount of plasticizer can be adjusted to affect the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the poly (vinylbutyral) sheet. In general, higher amounts of plasticizer may be added to reduce the Tg. The poly (vinylbutyral) polymer sheets of the present invention may have a Tg of 40 ° C. or less, 35 ° C. or less, 30 ° C. or less, 25 ° C. or less, 20 ° C. or less, and 15 ° C. or less.

In order to form the polymer sheets, any suitable plasticizers may be added to the polymer resins of the present invention. Plasticizers used in the polymer sheets of the present invention may include esters of polyacids or esters of polyhydric alcohols, among others. Suitable plasticizers are, for example, triethylene glycol di- (2-ethylbutyrate), triethylene glycol di- (2-ethylhexanoate), triethylene glycol diheptanoate, tetraethylene glycol diheptanoate, dihexyl adipate Polymer plasticizers such as dioctyl adipate, hexyl cyclohexyl adipate, mixtures of heptyl adipate and nonyl adipate, diisononyl adipate, heptylnonyl adipate, dibutyl sebacate, oil-modified sebaic alkyds And mixtures of phosphates and adipates as disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,841,890 and adipates as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,144,217 and mixtures and combinations of the foregoing. Other plasticizers that can be used are as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,013,779 No., C ₄ ~ C ₉ with an alkyl alcohol and cyclo C ₄ ~ C _10, such as a mixed adipate and hexyl adipate prepared from the alcohols, C ₆ ~ C ₈ adipate esters. In various embodiments, the plasticizer used is dihexyl adipate and / or triethylene glycol di-2 ethylhexanoate.

As used herein, "resin" refers to a polymer (eg, poly (vinylbutyral)) component recovered from a mixture resulting from acid catalysis of polymer precursors followed by neutralization. The resin may generally have other components besides polymers such as poly (vinylbutyral) such as acetates, salts and alcohols, for example. As used herein, “melt” means a molten mixture of resin and plasticizer and any other additives.

Any suitable method can be used to make the polymer sheets of the present invention. Details of suitable processes for making poly (vinylbutyral) are known to those skilled in the art (see, eg, US Pat. Nos. 2,282,057 and 2,282,026). In one embodiment, the solvent method described in Vinyl Acetal Polymers in BE Wade 's Encyclopedia (2003), Polymer Science & Technology, 3rd Edition, Volume 8, pages 381-399, can be used. In other embodiments, the aqueous method described herein may be used. Poly (vinylbutyral) is, for example, a Butvar ^™ resin as St. Solutia Inc. of Louis, Missouri. Products are commercially available in many forms.

The poly (vinylbutyral) polymer and plasticizer additives may be heat processed according to methods known to those skilled in the art, for example, to form a sheet. One exemplary method of forming a poly (vinylbutyral) sheet is to extrude a molten poly (vinylbutyral) (hereinafter “melt”) comprising resin, plasticizer and additives and forcibly melt the die (Eg, a die having an opening substantially larger on one side than the vertical width). Another exemplary method of molding a poly (vinylbutyral) sheet includes casting a melt from a die onto a roller, solidifying the resin, and then recovering the solidified resin in sheet form.

Composite Polymer Layers on Glass of  Formation method

The windows of the present invention can be manufactured by any method known in the prior art. In various embodiments, a single glazing and composite polymer layer are formed by stacking the following layers after stacking: glass // polymer sheet // polymer film // glass. Lamination of this stack can be performed by any suitable lamination process known in the art, including known autoclave processes. After lamination, the glazing in contact with the polymer film is peeled away from the polymer film, leaving a single glazing having a polymer sheet disposed on the window glass and a polymer film disposed on the polymer sheet.

The present invention also includes methods of making a glazing in which any one of the composite polymer layers of the present invention comprises the use of a vacuum non-autoclave process. In various embodiments of the present invention, a pane with one of the composite polymer layers of the present invention disposed thereon uses an embodiment of a vacuum deairing non-autoclave process described in US Pat. No. 5,536,347. It is manufactured by. In various other embodiments, embodiments of the nip roll non-autoclave process described in published US patent application 2003/0148114 A1 are used.

According to the invention, another process-a "double bilayer" process-is described, whereby a stack of layers with two complete glass and polymer structures is formed, and then Stacked in any suitable way to form a stacked stack having two complete glass / composite polymer layer structures, which are separated at the polymer film / polymer film interface, resulting in two single panes each having a composite polymer layer disposed thereon. Can be formed. This method eliminates the need for a sacrificial glass layer and allows two sacrificial panels to be formed in each stack, so that sacrificial glazing is used during the lamination process of a single pane with a composite polymer layer disposed thereon. Is an improved way.

In various embodiments, two structures are formed into a stack for lamination, wherein each of the two structures has a glass layer on one side and a polymer film on the other side, wherein the glass layer and the polymer film layer It has one or more additional layers disposed in between. The stack is formed in the form of two outer polymer film layers disposed in contact with each other. This stack layout can be described as follows: glass // (one or more additional layers) // polymer film // polymer film // (one or more additional layers) // glass. After lamination, the two structures can easily be separated at the polymer film // polymer film interface, thereby producing two laminated panels.

In these embodiments, the two panels manufactured according to the method just described may be the same or different, as may be any individual layer. For example, the polymer films may all have the same properties or may have different properties. One or more additional layers may be any combination of polymer sheet, polymer film or pane layers. Examples of one or more additional layers include, but are not limited to: polymer sheet; Polymer sheet // polymer film // polymer sheet; Polymer sheet // glass // polymer sheet, and variants thereof.

As shown in FIG. 3, various embodiments of this dual bilayer method include forming a stack of layers having the following arrangement: glass 30 // polymer sheet 32 // polymer film 34 ) // polymer film 34 '// polymer sheet 32' // glass 30 '. After lamination, the two multilayer structures can be easily separated at the interface between the two polymer film layers 34, 34 ', thereby obtaining two separate panes as in the scheme shown in FIG. And a polymer sheet disposed on one side of the window pane and a polymer film disposed on the polymer sheet. In these embodiments, the corresponding layers (ie, two polymer sheets 32, 32 ') may be the same or different.

In still other embodiments, one or more release film layers are integrated between the polymer film layers 34, 34 ′ of the structure shown in FIG. 3 prior to the lamination process. After lamination, the two bilayers may be separated at the contact between the release film and the polymer film layer 34 or 34 'in embodiments in which a single release film is used, or in embodiments where more than one release film is used. For example, two bilayers may be separated at the contact between the two release films. One or two resultant bilayers will have a release film disposed on the polymer film layer 34 or 34 'surface. As is known in the prior art, release films are useful for protecting the base layer or base layers from mechanical damage such as scratching and / or other damage. After installation of the bilayer, the release film is produced so that removal of the release film can be completed simply and without harming the substrate layers.

In various embodiments of the dual bilayer method, a non-autoclave process using a nip roll disclosed in US Patent 2003/0148114 A1, or a vacuum bag disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,536,347. A non-autoclave process is used to stack the multilayers. For example, a prelaminate can be formed having the following arrangement: glass // (one or more additional layers) // polymer film. A second prelaminate with the same arrangement is then formed, which can be added to the first prelaminate stack by bringing the polymer films into contact with each other to form a double bilayer stack. Alternatively, a single stack may be formed at one time to have all of the desired layers needed to allow the two panels to be fabricated after the lamination and separation processes. In both cases, the entire stack can then be stacked using any of the nip roll non-autoclave processes, vacuum bag non-autoclave processes, or conventional autoclave processes. In the nip roll process, for example, in various embodiments, the moisture content of the polymer sheet (s) is maintained at less than 0.35% by weight, more preferably prior to the final lamination process carried out under conditions of high heat and atmospheric pressure. And less than about 0.30% or 0.01% to 0.2% by weight. Alternatively, the moisture content of the polymer sheet (s) may be greater than 0.2% by weight, or may be 0.4% to 0.6% by weight, and the final lamination process may be carried out at high temperature with continuous vacuum reduction without the need for autoclaving. It can be carried out in.

The invention relates to windows and window panes made from the glass panels, in particular insulating glass units having the composite polymer layers of the invention on at least one inner surface, as well as to the double bilayer process of the invention. It includes glass panels in which composite polymer layers are disposed.

After fabricating any of the glass panels with the composite polymer layer described above, conventional methods can be used to integrate one or more structures into the window. Of course, in addition to being used for composite window panes, glass panels with composite polymer layers produced by the dual double layer method can be used for other applications in which such structures are useful, in addition to the use of composite window panes, for example, It can be used in single glazing windows where safety is required.

In addition to the embodiments given above, other embodiments include rigid substrates other than glass. In these embodiments, which may have the same composite polymer layers given above, the rigid substrate may include acrylic, Plexiglass ^® , Lexan ^® and other plastics conventionally used as panes.

The invention also includes composite glazing windows having any of the composite polymer layer structures described herein as part of the invention.

The invention also includes plasma display panels having any of the glass // composite polymer layer structures described herein.

The invention also includes a method of making composite glazing windows comprising forming any of the glass // composite polymeric layer structures of the invention and then placing the structures in a frame to form a composite glazing window. .

Measurement techniques

Hereinafter, various polymer sheets and / or laminated glass properties and measurement techniques for use in the present invention will be described in detail.

The transparency of the polymer sheet, and in particular the poly (vinylbutyral) sheet, can be determined by measuring the haze value, which is a quantification of the light not transmitted through the sheet. The haze% can be measured according to the following technique. The hazemeter model D25 (manufacturer of Hunter Associates (Reston, VA)), a device for measuring the amount of haze, uses ASTM C1003-61 (re-approved in 1997), using illuminant C, at an observer angle of 2 degrees. Can be used according to process A. In various embodiments of the invention, the haze percentage is less than 5%, less than 3%, and less than 1%.

Pummel adhesion can be measured according to the following technique, where "pummel" is referenced to quantify the adhesion of the polymer sheet to the glass, and the following technique is used to determine the firmmel. Two layers of glass laminate samples are prepared under standard autoclave lamination conditions. The stacks were cooled to about −17 ° C. (0 ° F.) and manually battered with a hammer to break the glass. After all broken glass that is not attached to the poly (vinylbutyral) sheet is removed, the remaining amount of glass attached to the poly (vinylbutyral) sheet is visually compared to the standard set. Standards correspond to varying degrees of amount of glass remaining attached to a poly (vinylbutyral) sheet. Specifically, at the fummel standard value 0 (zero), there is no glass remaining attached to the poly (vinyl butyral) sheet at all. At the standard 10, the glass's firmmel, 100% of the glass remains attached to the poly (vinylbutyral) sheet. For the laminated glass panels of the present invention, various embodiments have a pumpel value of at least 3, at least 5, at least 8, at least 9 or 10. Other embodiments inclusive have a firmmel value of 8-10.

The “yellow index” of the polymer sheet can be measured according to the following: A transparent polymer sheet disk molded to a thickness of 1 cm is formed, which has a smooth polymer surface that is necessarily planar and parallel. The index is determined from the light transmission of the spectrophotometer in the visible spectrum, according to ASTM method D 1925, "The Yellow Index Standard Test Method for Plastics." The measured value is calibrated to 1 cm thickness using the measured specimen thickness.

The "impact strength" of any of the laminated multilayer structures of the present invention can be determined according to the following technique:

A 350 mm x 305 mm (12 in x 12 in) laminated panel ("test specimen") is maintained at a temperature of 21 ° C to 29 ° C (70 ° F to 85 ° F) for at least 4 hours immediately prior to testing to ensure a constant test temperature. do. The test specimen is supported by a steel frame made in accordance with ANSI Z26.1.

The frame with the specimen is placed in a substantially horizontal position. 224-230 g (0.5 pound +/- 0.1 ounce) of smooth, steel spheres are dropped from a fixed starting position, freeing the determined height, at which point the sphere is within 25 mm (1 inch) of the center of the specimen. Price the specimen at Position the specimen so that the steel spheres hit the surface of the specimen, representing the face fitted to the outside of the window unit. In the test, failure of the specimen to allow sufficient penetration of the steel spheres is recorded as a failure. If the specimen remains intact or the sphere does not penetrate, the test is recorded as a pass.

The "impact strength" of the specimen corresponds to the maximum starting height at which the sphere cannot penetrate the specimen.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of two panes.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a single pane with a composite polymer layer disposed thereon.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of panes and composite polymer layers during processing and before being used as a window.

Six panels are tested for impact strength. The table below shows the composition of each panel and the results of the impact strength test. The polymer sheet is a poly (vinylbutyral) sheet having a residual poly (vinyl alcohol) content of about 18.7% and a triethylene glycol bis (2-ethyl) hexanoate of about 39 phr. Polymer films are formed from poly (ethyleneterephthalate). Layer thicknesses are given in parentheses.

Specimen structure Drop height result Glass (3.175 mm (0.125 ")) 3.07 meters (10.08 ') failure Glass (3.175 mm (0.125 ")) 3.06 meters (10.03 ') failure Glass // Polymer Sheet // Polymer Film (2.29mm (0.090 ") / 0.762mm (0.030") / 0.178mm (0.007 ") 3.07 meters (10.06 ') Pass Glass // Polymer Sheet // Polymer Film (2.29mm (0.090 ") / 0.762mm (0.030") / 0.178mm (0.007 ") 4.59 meters (15.06 ') Pass Glass // Polymer Sheet // Polymer Film (2.29mm (0.090 ") / 0.762mm (0.030") / 0.178mm (0.007 ") 6.09 meters (19.99 ') Pass Glass // Polymer Sheet // Polymer Film (2.29mm (0.090 ") / 0.762mm (0.030") / 0.178mm (0.007 ") 6.10 meters (20.02 ') Pass

As shown in the table, the glass / polymer sheet / polymer film structures tested had an impact strength of at least 6 meters.

By means of the invention, it is possible to provide composite glazing windows, in particular two glazing insulated glass units having excellent impact resistance, thermal and optical properties.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for these components without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to which the invention teaches without departing from their essential scope. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention, and the invention is to be construed as including all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Furthermore, in order to form one embodiment having a specified value for each component as given throughout this application, any ranges, values or features given for any one component of the present invention, where compatible, It will be appreciated that it may be used interchangeably with any range, value or feature given for any other component of the invention. For example, to form various modifications within the scope of the present invention, the polymer sheet may include poly (vinylbutyral) having residual poly (vinyl alcohol) given in some range in addition to the content of plasticizer given in some range. Can be formed.

It is understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated.

Each reference, including articles, patents, patent applications and books mentioned herein, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims (24)

Composite pane windows, including: A first pane having an inner surface; A second pane having an inner surface, wherein the second pane is disposed corresponding to the first pane to form a space between the first pane and the second pane; A polymer sheet layer disposed in contact with said inner surface of said first pane, wherein said polymer sheet layer has a thickness of 0.2-3.0 mm and comprises at least one polymer sheet; And a polymer film disposed in contact with the polymer sheet layer. The window of claim 1, wherein the polymer sheet comprises plasticized poly (vinylbutyral). 3. The formulation of claim 2, wherein the polymer sheet further comprises an agent selected from the group consisting of antiblocking agents, plasticizers, dyes, pigments, stabilizers, antioxidants, flame retardants, UV absorbers, IR absorbers, and combinations thereof. Including a window. The window of claim 1, wherein the polymer film comprises poly (ethyleneterephthalate). The window of claim 4, wherein the polymer film comprises an infrared reflecting layer. The window of claim 1, wherein the polymer sheet has a thickness of 0.25 mm to 1.0 mm. The window as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer sheet has a thickness of 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm. A window as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first pane and said second pane are arranged in two panes of insulating glass units. The window of claim 1, further comprising a polymer sheet disposed in contact with the inner surface of the second pane. 10. The window of claim 9, further comprising a polymer film disposed in contact with the polymer sheet disposed in contact with the inner surface of the second pane. 2. The window of claim 1, wherein the first pane is tempered glass, heat treated glass, or solar glass. 12. The window of claim 11, wherein the second pane is tempered glass, heat treated glass, or solar glass. Composite pane windows, including: A first pane having an inner surface; A second pane having an inner surface, wherein the second pane is disposed corresponding to the first pane to form a space between the first pane and the second pane; A polymer sheet layer disposed in contact with said inner surface of said first pane, wherein said polymer sheet layer comprises at least one polymer sheet; And A polymer film disposed in contact with the polymer sheet, Wherein the impact strength of the first pane having the polymer sheet layer and the polymer film is at least 3 meters. The window of claim 13, wherein the impact strength is at least 5 meters. The window of claim 13, wherein the impact strength is at least 7 meters. The window of claim 13, wherein the polymer sheet comprises plasticized poly (vinylbutyral). The method of claim 16, wherein the polymer sheet further comprises an agent selected from the group consisting of antiblocking agents, plasticizers, dyes, pigments, stabilizers, antioxidants, flame retardants, UV absorbers, IR absorbers, and combinations thereof. Including a window. The window of claim 13, wherein the polymer film comprises poly (ethyleneterephthalate). 19. The window of claim 18, wherein the polymer film comprises an infrared reflecting layer. The window as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first pane and said second pane are arranged in two panes of insulating glass units. 14. The window of claim 13, further comprising a layer of polymer sheet disposed in contact with said inner surface of said second pane. 22. The window of claim 21, further comprising a polymer film disposed in contact with the polymer sheet disposed in contact with the inner surface of the second pane. The window of claim 13, wherein the first pane is tempered glass, heat treated glass, or solar glass. 24. The window of claim 23, wherein the second pane is tempered glass, heat treated glass, or solar glass.

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