Process for manufacturing laminated glass window intended for automobiles and capable of reflecting infrared rays

• US 5,980,666 A
• Filed: 02/01/1996
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Inventors: Koette, Rolf, von Alpen, Ulrich, Roth, Rainer, Cornils, Gerd, Kraemling, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Lorin, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US08/593,128
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 156/107, 156/109, 264/261, 359/360
• US Class Current: 156/107
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/08 flexible, e.g. films
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/155 Partial coating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10302 Edge sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10917 between two pre-positioned glass layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10935 as a preformed layer, e.g. formed by extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/0038 involving application of liquid to the layers prior to lamination, e.g. wet laminating B32B37/12 takes precedence

Abstract

A process for manufacturing a laminated glass window equipped with sealing at one or more edges, wherein the laminated glass window contains at least two glass sheets and laminated plastic placed between the two glass sheets, wherein the laminated plastic is made of at least one principal carrier sheet, having on at least one side at least one layer that reflects infrared radiation and outer layers made of one or more thermoplastic polymers; the process involving:

a) forming a plate from the laminated plastic, the plate having a geometrical shape substantially the same as the glass sheets, but wherein the plate is shorter, by an offset distance, on each of one or more edges to be sealed;

b) preparing a preliminary laminated sheet by positioning the plate in relation to the glass sheets while respecting the offset distance on each of the one or more edges to be sealed and removing air from between the layers formed by the glass sheets and the plate;

c) filling the interstice of the one or more edges to be sealed by injecting a melted material containing one or more polymers compatible with the one or more thermoplastic polymers of the outer layers of the laminated plastic;

d) fusing the one or more polymers injected into the interstice of the edges with the one or more thermoplastic polymers of the outer layers of the laminated plastic.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a laminated glass window equipped with sealing at one or more edges, wherein the laminated glass window comprises at least two glass sheets, a laminated plastic placed between said at least two glass sheets, the process comprising:

a) forming a plate from a laminated plastic comprising at least one principal carrier sheet, having, on at least one side, at least one layer that reflects infrared radiation, and outer layers comprising one or more thermoplastic polymers, said plate having a geometrical shape substantially the same as the glass sheets, but wherein said plate is shorter, by an offset distance, on each of one or more edges to be sealed;

b) preparing a preliminary laminated sheet by positioning said plate in relation to the glass sheets while respecting said offset distance of each of said one or more edges to be sealed, removing air from between the layers formed by the glass sheets and said plate and adhering said layers to one another;

c) filling the interstice of the one or more edges to be sealed by injecting a melted material comprising one or more polymers compatible with said one or more thermoplastic polymers of the outer layers of the laminated plastic; and

d) fusing the one or more polymers injected into the interstice of the edges with the one or more thermoplastic polymers of the outer layers of the laminated plastic;

wherein the fusing of said one or more polymers injected into the interstice of the edges with the one or more thermoplastic polymers of the outer layers of the laminated plastic effects sealing of the edges of the laminated glass window to exhibit no visible separation line relative to the thermoplastic layers.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the outer layers of the laminated plastic comprise thermoplastic polyvinylbutyral, and the melted material injected into the interstice of the edges comprises polyvinylbutyral.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the melted material injected into the interstice of the edges further comprises an adhesion agent.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary laminated sheet is heated during injection of the melted material into the interstice of the edges.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the filling step is performed by a remote control robot equipped with an extrusion spray tip.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the filling step is performed by moving the preliminary laminated sheet in front of a fixed extrusion spray tip.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein said offset distance is from 1-10 mm.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein said fusing step is performed using an autoclave at a temperature and pressure sufficient to effect fusion.

9. The process according to claim 2, wherein said polyvinylbutyral used as the melted material is maintained at a temperature sufficient to effect injection but less than 230°

C.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein said preliminary laminated sheet is prepared by heating the layers formed by the glass sheets and the laminated plastic to approximately 80-90°

C. and laminating the layers by compression between two cylinders.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein said preliminary laminated sheet is prepared by submitting the layers formed by the glass sheets and the laminated plastic to a vacuum to remove air trapped between the layers and heating the layers to a temperature of from 70-100°

C.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein said filling step is performed by heating the preliminary laminated sheet to a temperature of from 70-120°

C. prior to injection of said melted material.

13. The process according to claim 8, wherein said fusion is performed at a temperature of approximately 140°

C. and at a pressure of approximately 10 bar.