A device for reducing impact forces upon a surface includes a base comprising a first contact portion and a transition portion, a contact member disposed between the base and the surface; and a biasing portion disposed between the first contact portion of the base and the surface. At least a first portion of an impact force upon the surface is transferred from the contact member to the base, and a second portion of the impact force is subsequently returned to the surface, the second portion being less than the first portion.

A high-strength translucent structures that can be used in industrial and civil construction serving as facade or window structures, as well as for filling gaps in ceilings or raised floors with translucent elements, in the structures of separate sections of both walls and zenith skylights of buildings in required spatial altitude. The translucent enclosing structure includes glass units wherein the sheets of glass are hermetically connected to each other and fixed relative to each other by an internal rigid strengthening profile and a spacer frame, and the glass units are additionally provided with an external strengthening profile of Π-shaped cross-section in the form of a pultruded profile made of glass-plastic. There has been created a sufficiently strong and, therefore, reliable, durable, and cheap translucent enclosing structure designed for use in industrial and civil buildings.

A spacer for a multi-pane insulating glazing unit includes a spacer body made from a first material with first and second hollow desiccant chambers extending in a longitudinal direction and a longitudinal groove between the first and second chambers open to a first side of the spacer for holding an intermediate pane of the glazing unit, the groove being delimited in a width direction by first and second side walls and having a bottom wall, and the spacer body having a gas barrier on a second side opposite the first side. The first side wall and/or the second side wall and/or the bottom wall of the groove include at least two electrically conductive portions electrically isolated from each other and configured to make electrical contact with at least one electrical contact of the intermediate pane.

A glass unit including a spacer, a front glass pane attached to a front side of the spacer, a back glass pane attached to a back side of the spacer, and a pressure equalization conduit defined by and within the spacer, wherein the pressure equalization conduit has a first end and a second end, wherein the pressure equalization conduit contains a desiccant and is in fluid communication with an exterior of the glass unit at a first end port adjacent to the first end and with an interior space of the glass unit at a second end port adjacent to the second end. The glass unit may further include one or more intermediate layers contained within the interior space and one or more floating suspension systems for supporting the intermediate layers.

An insulating glazing unit, having a first pane, a second pane, and a third pane and a circumferential spacer is described. The spacer includes a polymeric main body described as a first pane contact surface and a second pane contact surface, a first hollow chamber and a second hollow chamber, an outer surface a groove to accommodate a pane where the lateral flanks of the groove are formed by the walls of the first hollow chamber and of the second hollow chamber, the outer surface is divided into a first outer surface, a second outer surface, and a bearing edge, the bearing edge runs substantially perpendicular to the pane contact surfaces and connects the first outer surface and the second outer surface to one another, the first outer surface and the second outer surface enclose in each case an angle α (alpha) of 100°<α<160° with the bearing edge, where wherein the panes are connected via one seal each to the pane contact surfaces, the third pane is inserted into the groove of the spacer (I).

A spacer frame assembly and method of manufacturing that includes a substantially linear channel comprising two lateral walls connected by a base wall, the channel having first and second ends that when assembled, includes at least three sides and corresponding corners between each of the sides; the linear channel further includes a nose portion of the first end and a receiving portion of the second end having a channel for receiving the nose portion; and the nose portion comprising a first undulation in the first end and the receiving portion comprising a second undulation in the second end. The first and second undulations nest when the ends are in an assembled position.

A spacer for insulating glass units, includes a U-shaped main body extending in the longitudinal direction including a first metallic side section, a second metallic side section arranged parallel thereto, a polymeric connecting piece extending in the transverse direction, which connects the two metallic side sections and forms the lower limit of the main body, and an intermediate space arranged above the polymeric connecting piece between the metallic side sections. The first and second metallic side sections each include a side wall for connecting to a glass pane and a retaining arm, which protrudes into the intermediate space, and the retaining arm forms an assembly groove with the side wall, which groove runs substantially parallel to the side wall. The polymeric connecting piece is U-shaped and its two legs are inserted into the assembly grooves of the two metallic side sections.

A spacer is provided that is shapable into a spacer frame, and during manufacture of an insulating glass unit, can be mounted on the glass panes. The spacer is formed having an inner surface, an outer surface and two lateral surfaces extending at either side of the spacer from the inner surface to the outer surface, and comprises a profiled body. The profiled body comprises two mutually spaced lateral faces running parallel to its longitudinal direction and a base body that extends between the lateral faces and has an outer and an inner face. The profiled body comprises at least in one part of its volume a quantity of particulate desiccant that is embedded in a plastics material. The spacer is coilable about an axis, perpendicularly to the lateral surfaces, and takes a flexurally rigid form in a plane perpendicular to the lateral surfaces.

An insulating glazing having at least two panels made of transparent or semi-transparent material is provided. At least one of these panels is a luminescent solar concentrator.

This invention describes an apparatus for assembling triple pane insulating glass units from a plurality of insulating spacer frames having sealant or adhesive applied to opposite sides of said spacer frames.