SPACER FOR INSULATING GLAZING

Abstract

A spacer for insulating glazings includes a polymeric main body including first and second pane contact surfaces, a glazing interior surface, an outer surface and a hollow chamber. The first and second pane contact surfaces run opposite one another and parallel to one another. The glazing interior surface and the outer surface are connected to one another via the first pane contact surface and the second pane contact surface. The hollow chamber is enclosed by the glazing interior surface, the outer surface, the first pane contact surface, and the second pane contact surface. The outer surface has a first angled section adjacent the first pane contact surface and a second angled section adjacent the second pane contact surface. Each of the first and second angled sections assume an angle of 120 to 150 relative to the respective adjacent first pane contact surface and second pane contact surface.

Claims

1. A spacer for insulating glazings comprising a polymeric main body at least comprising a first pane contact surface, a second pane contact surface, a glazing interior surface, an outer surface, and a hollow chamber, wherein the first pane contact surface and the second pane contact surface run opposite one another and parallel to one another, the glazing interior surface and the outer surface are connected to one another via the first pane contact surface and the second pane contact surface, the hollow chamber is enclosed by the glazing interior surface, the outer surface, the first pane contact surface, and the second pane contact surface, the outer surface has a first angled section adjacent the first pane contact surface and a second angled section adjacent the second pane contact surface, the first angled section and the second angled section assume in each case an angle of 120 to 150 relative to the respective adjacent first pane contact surface and second pane contact surface, and the polymeric main body has at least one corner inside the hollow chamber in a region of at least one of the first and second angled section and the respective first or second pane contact surface adjacent thereto, which corner is rounded with a radius R.sub.1 of 0.4 mm to 2.5 mm, the polymeric main body has, in the region of the first angled section and the region of the second angled section, at least one corner inside the hollow chamber with the outer surface, which corner is rounded with a radius R.sub.2 of 0.4 mm to 2.5 mm, the glazing interior surface assumes in each case an angle of 87 to 93 with the first pane contact surface and the second pane contact surface, and the polymeric main body has a corner inside the hollow chamber in a region of the glazing interior surface and the first pane contact surface and/or the second pane contact surface, which corner is rounded with a radius R.sub.3 of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm.

2. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the first angled section and the second angled section assume an angle of 130 to 140 in each case relative to the respective adjacent first pane contact surface and second pane contact surface.

3. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein each corner inside the hollow chamber of an angled section with the adjacent pane contact surface is rounded with the radius R.sub.1 of 0.4 mm to 2.5 mm.

4. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the first angled section and the second angled section have in each case a corner inside the hollow chamber with the outer surface, which is rounded with the radius R.sub.2 of 0.4 mm to 2.5 mm.

5. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the glazing interior surface assumes an angle of 89.5 to 90.5 in each case with the first pane contact surface and the second pane contact surface and the corners inside the hollow chamber of the glazing interior surface with the first pane contact surface and the glazing interior surface with the second pane contact surface are rounded with the radius R.sub.3 of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm.

6. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric main body has, between the first and second pane contact surfaces and the first and second angled sections as well as between the first and second angled sections and the outer surface, outside corners that are rounded with a radius R.sub.5 of 0.125 mm to 0.7 mm.

7. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein a height of the first and second pane contact surfaces is between 55% and 80% of an overall height of the spacer.

8. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein a wall thickness of the polymeric main body is between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm.

9. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein a perforation groove that has multiple openings in the glazing interior surface runs substantially parallel to the first and second pane contact surfaces in the glazing interior surface.

10. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric main body includes a thermoplastic polymer as base material.

11. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric main body has a foamed pore structure.

12. The spacer according to claim 11, wherein the polymeric main body is foamed by a foaming agent comprising a blowing agent and a carrier material.

13. The spacer according to claim 11, wherein the polymeric main body contains a thermoplastic polymer as base material at a proportion of 30.0 wt.-% to 70.0 wt.-%, as an elastomeric additive, a thermoplastic elastomer, and/or a thermoplastic terpolymer having an elastomeric component at a proportion of 0.5 wt.-% to 20.0 wt.-% in total, and a reinforcing agent at a proportion of 20.0 wt.-% to 45.0 wt.-%.

14. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein a gas- and water-tight barrier film is applied at least on the outer surface and the first and second angled sections of the polymeric main body.

15. An insulated glazing-at-least comprising a spacer according to claim 1, a first pane and a second pane, wherein the first pane is attached to the first pane contact surface of the spacer via a sealant and the second pane is attached to the second pane contact surface of the spacer via a sealant.

16. The spacer according to claim 3, wherein the radius R.sub.1 is from 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm.

17. The spacer according to claim 4, wherein the radius R.sub.2 is from 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm.

18. The spacer according to claim 5, wherein the radius R.sub.3 is from 1.3 mm to 1.7 mm.

19. The spacer according to claim 6, wherein the radius R.sub.5 is from 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm.

20. The spacer according to claim 7, wherein the height of the first and second pane contact surfaces is between 60% and 75% of the overall height of the spacer.

Description

[0107] The invention is explained in detail in the following with reference to drawings. The drawings are purely schematic representations and not to scale. They in no way restrict the invention.

[0108] They depict:

[0109] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of the spacer according to the invention in cross-section,

[0110] FIG. 2a a schematic representation of an insulating glazing with a spacer according to the invention in cross-section,

[0111] FIG. 2b the insulating glazing of FIG. 2a in plan view.

[0112] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic representation of the spacer 1 according to the invention comprising a polymeric main body 5 with two pane contact surfaces 7.1 and 7.2, a glazing interior surface 8, an outer surface 9, and a hollow chamber 10. The outer surface 9 has an angled shape, wherein the angled sections 9a, 9b of the outer surface adjacent the pane contact surfaces 7.1 and 7.2 are inclined at an angle of =45 relative to the pane contact surfaces 7.1 and 7.2.

[0113] This improves the stability of the main body 5. The angle between the pane contact surfaces 7.1, 7.2 and the glazing interior surface 8 is in each case =90. A water- and vapor-tight barrier film (not shown) that reduces the heat transfer through the polymeric main body 5 into the glazing interior of an insulating glazing is applied on the outer surface 9, the angled sections of the outer surface 9a, 9b, and, optionally, sub-regions of the pane contact surfaces 7.1, 7.2 of the spacer 1. A water- and vapor-tight barrier film (not shown) that reduces the heat transfer through the polymeric main body 5 into the glazing interior of an insulating glazing is applied on the outer surface 9 of the spacer 1. The barrier film has three polymeric layers of polyethylene terephthalate with a thickness of 12 m and three metallic layers of aluminum with a thickness of 50 nm. The metallic layers and the polymeric layers are in each case applied alternatingly, with the layer of the barrier film facing the outer interpane space of the insulating glazing in the installed state of the spacer being a metallic layer. The barrier film is bonded to the main body 5. The hollow chamber 10 is suitable for being filled with a desiccant. The glazing interior surface 8 of the spacer 1 has openings 12, which are made at regular intervals circumferentially within a perforation groove 14 along the glazing interior surface 8 to enable a gas exchange between the interior of the insulating glazing and the hollow chamber 10. Thus, any humidity present in the interior is absorbed by the desiccant 11. The openings 12 are preferably implemented as slits with a width of 0.2 mm and a length of 2 mm. The material thickness (thickness) of the walls of the main body 5 is roughly the same circumferentially and is, for example, 1 mm. The main body has, for example, a height of 6.85 mm and a width of 15.30 mm. The pane contact surfaces 7.1, 7.2 have a height of 4.313 mm and thus accommodate 63% of the overall height of the spacer 1.

[0114] The mixture from which the main body 5 of FIG. 1 was extruded comprises styrene acrylonitrile as a thermoplastic base material at a proportion of 30 wt.-% to 35 wt.-% glass fibers, 1.0 wt.-% of a foaming agent, and color pigments. The main body 5 has pores in a size of 30 m to 70 m. The main body 5 had good mechanical strength, reduced thermal conductivity, and reduced weight.

[0115] The invention is explained in the following with reference to an Example according to the invention and a Comparative Example not according to the invention. A spacer according to FIG. 1 is used as the Example according to the invention. Used as a Comparative Example not according to the invention is a spacer that corresponds in its basic structure to the spacer of FIG. 1, includes styrene acrylonitrile as the thermoplastic base material with a proportion of 30 wt.-% to 35 wt.-% glass fibers and color pigments; however, in contrast to the Example according to the invention, it is not foamed. The spacer of the Comparative Example is produced with geometry similar to that of the spacer according to the invention, with Table 1 showing the geometry of the spacer according to the invention as the Example and the spacer not according to the invention as the Comparative Example compared to one another. The dimensions, the angles and , and the radii R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 with which the corners 18 inside the hollow chamber are rounded, or the radius R.sub.4, with which the perforation groove is introduced, correspond to those depicted in FIG. 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example Comparative Example Height [mm] 6.85 6.50 Height Pane Contact Surfaces [mm] 4.313 3.465 Width [mm] 15.30 15.50 [] 135 135 [] 90 90 R.sub.1 [mm] 2.00 0.50 R.sub.2 [mm] 2.00 0.50 R.sub.3 [mm] 1.60 0.40 R.sub.4 [mm] 0.36 0.30 Depth Perforation Groove [mm] 0.10 0.30

[0116] The spacers according to Example and Comparative Example were subjected to a lateral pressure test, wherein the test jaws of a press rest against the opposing pane contact surfaces 7.1, 7.2 and the spacer is compressed. In the region of the radii R.sub.1 and R.sub.3, the stresses occurring at the corners inside the hollow chamber were reduced by approx. 27%. At the perforation groove 14, the mechanical load was reduced by 47%. In addition, in a lateral pressure test of the spacer according to the invention per Example, even higher maximum forces are reached before fracture occurs. The non-foamed spacer per Comparative Example reached maximum forces of >1850 N. When this spacer of the Comparative Example is implemented as a foamed spacer, only >1500 N is reached. By comparison, the spacer according to the invention of the Example as a foamed spacer withstands forces of >2500 N before fracture occurs. At the same time, a weight saving of approx. 14% is achieved by means is of the spacer of the Example according to the invention. Furthermore, the spacer geometry of the Example according to the invention enables the introduction of 2.2% more desiccant in der hollow chamber 10 of the spacer of FIG. 1.

[0117] FIGS. 2a and 2b depict an insulating glazing 2 with the spacer 1 according to the invention of FIG. 1, wherein the gas- and vapor-tight barrier film is not shown in detail. FIG. 2a depicts a cross-section of the insulating glazing 2, while FIG. 2b is a plan view. FIG. 2b depicts an overall view of the insulating glazing 2 of FIG. 2a. The spacers 1 are connected to one another at the corners of the insulating glazing 2 by corner connectors 17. The spacer 1 according to the invention is attached circumferentially between a first pane 15 and a second pane 16 via a sealant 4. The sealant 4 connects the pane contact surfaces 7.1 and 7.2 of the spacer 1 to the panes 15 and 16. The hollow chamber 10 is filled with a desiccant 11. Molecular sieve is used as the desiccant 11. The glazing interior 3 adjacent the glazing interior surface 8 of the spacer 1 is defined as the space delimited by the panes 15, 16 and the spacer 1. The outer interpane space 13 adjacent the outer surface 9 of the spacer 1 is a strip-shaped circumferential section of the glazing, which is delimited by one side each of the two panes 15, 16 and on another side by the spacer 1, and its fourth edge is open. The glazing interior 3 is filled with argon. A sealant 4 that seals the gap between pane 15, 16 and spacer 1 is introduced in each case between one pane contact surface 7.1 or 7.2 and the adjacent pane 15 or 16. The sealant 4 is polyisobutylene. In the outer interpane space 13, an outer seal 6 that serves to bond the first pane 19 and the second pane 20 is applied on the outer surface 9. The outer seal 6 is made of polysulfide. The outer seal 6 ends flush with the pane edges of the first pane 15 and the second pane 16.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0118] 1 spacer [0119] 2 insulating glazing [0120] 3 glazing interior [0121] 4 sealant [0122] 5 polymeric main body [0123] 6 outer seal [0124] 7 pane contact surfaces [0125] 7.1 first pane contact surface [0126] 7.2 second pane contact surface [0127] 8 glazing interior surface [0128] 9 outer surface [0129] 10 hollow chamber [0130] 11 desiccant [0131] 12 openings [0132] 13 outer interpane space [0133] 14 perforation groove [0134] 15 first pane [0135] 16 second pane [0136] 17 corner connector [0137] 18 corners inside the hollow chamber