Low leakage glazing system for space frame structures
First Claim
1. A glazing panel comprising:
- a polygonal sheet of transparent glazing material;
a metal frame surrounding the sheet, the frame comprising members extending along each edge of the sheet, each frame member being spaced apart from an adjacent edge of the sheet, each frame member having mitered ends and having a length less than the length of the adjacent edge of the sheet, thereby leaving an open diagonal gap between the ends of the members at each corner of the panel;
means for connecting the ends of the frame members together at each corner without obstructing the open diagonal gap; and
a resilient wet sealant filling space between the frame members and the edge of the sheet, including filling the diagonal gap at each corner of the panel.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The substantially leak proof glazing system comprises a plurality of panels, each of which comprises a sheet of glass surrounded by a frame. The frame is formed of two angle members along each edge of the sheet which are slightly shorter than the edge of the sheet so that there is an open diagonal gap at the corner of the panel which leaves the corner open for receiving sealant. A resilient bezel is between each outer angle member and the outer surface of the corresponding sheet. The balance of the space between the edge of the sheet and the angle members is filled with a silicone sealant applied wet and cured in place. Channels in the faces of the bezel permit the detection of gas leakage through the seals. The glazing system has a generally U-shaped bond breaker covering a portion of the supporting structure. A quantity of silicone sealant is bonded between the edges of adjacent panels and the bond breaker, forming a substantially air tight seal between the panels. The bond breaker provides a surface which the sealant will not adhere to. The outer legs of the bond breaker are sinuous in transverse cross-section and elastically engage the supporting member and adjacent frames.
53 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A glazing panel comprising:
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a polygonal sheet of transparent glazing material; a metal frame surrounding the sheet, the frame comprising members extending along each edge of the sheet, each frame member being spaced apart from an adjacent edge of the sheet, each frame member having mitered ends and having a length less than the length of the adjacent edge of the sheet, thereby leaving an open diagonal gap between the ends of the members at each corner of the panel; means for connecting the ends of the frame members together at each corner without obstructing the open diagonal gap; and a resilient wet sealant filling space between the frame members and the edge of the sheet, including filling the diagonal gap at each corner of the panel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A glazing panel comprising:
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a sheet of transparent glazing material; a metal frame surrounding the sheet, the frame comprising; an outer angle member along each edge of the sheet having a first arm extending over an edge of the outer surface of the sheet and a second arm extending at an angle to the first arm, the length of the angle member being less than the length of the edge of the sheet, thereby leaving a gap at each corner of the panel; an inner angle member along each edge of the sheet having a first arm extending over an edge of the inner surface of the sheet and a second arm extending at an angle to the first arm, the length of the angle member being less than the length of the edge of the sheet, thereby leaving a gap at each corner of the panel; means for securing the second arms of the inner and outer angle members together; and a corner bracket at each corner of the panel securing the angle members together while still leaving a gap at the corner; a resilient bezel along each edge of the sheet between the first arm of the outer angle member and the outer surface of the sheet; and a resilient sealant filling the balance of the space between the angle members and the edge of the sheet and filling the corner gaps. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A glazing panel comprising:
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a sheet of glazing material having an edge margin, an inner surface and an outer surface; a frame member along the edge margin of the sheet; means for sealing the frame member and the edge margin of the sheet for substantially preventing the passage of air from the inner surface to the outer surface of the sheet between the sheet and the frame member; and channel means for channeling gas leaking past a surface of the sealing means, toward an end of the frame member, the surface of the sealing means being adjacent to the frame member or adjacent to the sheet. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A glazing panel comprising:
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a sheet of glazing material having an edge margin, an inner surface and outer surface; an inner angle member and an outer angle member along the edge margin of the sheet, a first arm of the inner angle member being near the inner surface of edge margin of the sheet, a first arm of the outer angle member being near the outer surface of the edge margin of the sheet, the second arm of the inner angle member and the second arm of the outer angle member being connected together; a quantity of resilient sealing material placed between the sheet and the angle members forming a substantially air tight seal therebetween; and means for channeling any gas leaking between the sheet and the angle members toward an end of one of the angle members. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A glazing system comprising:
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at least a pair of adjacent glazing panels, each panel comprising a sheet of glazing material and a surrounding metal frame; a supporting member between the panels and connected to the frames of the panels; and a generally U-shaped bond breaker straddling the supporting member comprising; a pair of inner arms engaging an edge of the supporting member for at least temporarily securing the bond breaker on the supporting member; and a pair of outer legs between the supporting member and the adjacent frames. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A glazing system comprising:
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at least two glazing panels having substantially parallel connecting edge margins; a supporting fin between the connecting edge margins of the glazing panels; a generally U-shaped bond breaking means over the supporting fin for providing a bond resistant surface, the bond breaking means comprising a pair of spaced apart arms for straddling the supporting fin and a pair of spaced apart legs for engaging the connecting edge margins of the glazing panels; means for joining the connecting edge margins of the glazing panels to the supporting fin with the bond breaking means therebetween; and a quantity of wet sealing material adjacent the bond breaking means, bonded between the connecting edge margins of the glazing panels, such that a substantially air tight seal is formed between the panels without bonding to the bond breaking means. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification