COLD-BENT INSULATING GLAZING

Abstract

The invention relates to a glazed module comprising a metal framework and an insulating glazing comprising a water-tight barrier, said insulating glazing being cold-bent, the metal framework and the insulating glazing being rendered integral by a holding means which forces the insulating glazing to retain the bent shape conferred on it by the framework. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of the glazed module comprising a metal framework and an insulating glazing, the insulating glazing being cold-bent, after it has been assembled with a water-tight barrier, by a force which causes it to take the shape of the metal framework and then held in this bent shape by a holding means.

Claims

1-24. (canceled)

25. A glazed module, comprising: a metal framework; a cold-bent insulating glazing, and a holder, wherein the metal framework and the insulating glazing are rendered integral by the holder, which forces the insulating glazing to retain a bent shape conferred on it by the framework and prevents the insulating glazing from reverting to an original pre-cold-bent shape.

26. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing comprises a water-tight barrier.

27. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing comprises a laminated glazing comprising glass substrates separated by an interlayer made of polymer material.

28. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing comprises two laminated glazings separated by a gas-filled cavity.

29. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulated glazing comprises glass substrates, wherein at least one of the glass substrates comprises a tempered glass sheet.

30. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing has a main face with an area of greater than 3 m.sup.2.

31. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing is bent in order for its surface to exhibit, at at least one point, a radius of curvature of between 5 and 20 m in at least one direction.

32. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing is composed of glass substrates each comprising a single glass sheet which are separated by a gas-filled cavity and does not comprise a laminated glazing.

33. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing comprises: a water-tight barrier; and a laminated glazing comprising glass substrates separated by an interlayer made of polymer material.

34. The module of claim 33, wherein the insulated glazing comprises at least one glass substrate comprising a tempered glass sheet.

35. The module of claim 25, wherein the insulating glazing comprises a water-tight barrier, and wherein the insulating glazing is composed of glass substrates each comprising a single glass sheet which are separated by a gas-tilled cavity and does not comprise a laminated glazing.

36. The module of claim 35, wherein the insulated glazing comprises at least one glass substrate comprising a tempered glass sheet.

37. The module of claim 25, wherein the cold-bent insulating glazing comprises glass substrates which are separated by a gas-filled cavity; and a water-tight barrier is located between the glass substrates and framing the glazing.

38. The module of claim 37, wherein the cold-bent insulating glazing comprises at least three of said glass substrates, and wherein at least two of said glass substrates form a laminated glazing in which the at least two glass substrates are separated by an interlayer made of polymer material.

39. The module of claim 37, wherein the cold-bent insulating glazing is comprised of said glass substrates separated by said gas-filled cavity and does not comprise a laminated glazing.

40. The module of claim 37, wherein said water-tight barrier comprises a hollow interlayer adhesively bonded to two glass substrates and an external polymeric seal that goes all around the insulating glazing.

41. The module of claim 25, wherein the original pre-cold-bent shape of the insulating glazing is a flat shape.

Description

[0027] FIG. 1 represents a device which makes it possible to apply deformations to a glazing and to measure the stresses experienced.

[0028] FIG. 2 represents the sum of the absolute values of the forces measured in two temperature cases (20 and 70 C.) and as a function of the deflection imposed on a laminated glazing by the device of FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows the change over time in the sum of the absolute values of the forces in two temperature cases for application of deformations (20 and 70 C.).

[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates the structure of the edge of an insulating glazing, well known to a person skilled in the art. The two glass substrates 10 and 11 are separated by a gas-filled cavity 12. The water-tight barrier 13 isolates the gas-filled cavity 12 from the outside world. The water-tight barrier comprises a hollow interlayer (or spacer) 14 adhesively bonded to the glass substrates 10 and 11 by a butyl adhesive 15 and an external seal 16 made of polymer goes all around the insulating glazing.

EXAMPLE 1

[0031] A dip-coated laminated glazing is manufactured by combining 2 dip-coated monolithic glazings, each at 120 MPa of compressing of the skins, each glazing having dimensions of 19388768 mm, with 4 PVB interlayers (4 times 0.38 mm of PVB thickness). The glazing is subsequently subjected to a deformation as represented in FIG. 1. A fixed width 2 and a fixed length 3 of the glazing 1 are maintained and displacements are applied to the sides not kept fixed, as represented in FIG. 1, via vertical vectors directed downward. This was carried out after having brought the assembled glazing to the temperatures of 20 C. in one case and 70 C. in another case. Force sensors 4 placed under the tie rods exerting the displacements make it possible to measure the forces applied at different points on the periphery of the glazing. At some points, the forces are in tension and at other points the forces are in compression, so that the resultant is zero. The loads endured by the glazing are thus assessed by adding the absolute values of the forces. FIG. 2 represents the sum of the absolute values of the forces measured in the two temperature cases and as a function of the deflection. It is seen that the heating at 70 C. makes possible a reduction in the loads of the order of 30%. FIG. 3 shows the change in the sum of the absolute values of the forces as a function of the time, it being known that, for the test with preheating to 70 C., the glazing is immediately placed back in ambient air at 20 C. The fall in temperature of the glazing between 70 and 20 C. has been shown as a function of the time. It is seen that the resultant of the forces remains much lower in the case of preheating to 70 C., the saving of 30% being retained and even improved if the glazing deformed at 20 C. and that deformed at 70 C. and returned to 20 C. are compared. The interlayer in the case of the preheating to 70 C. will consequently age better, have less tendency to delaminate and have less tendency to turn white. This laminated glazing can be incorporated in an insulating glazing, it being possible for the latter to be cold-bent.

EXAMPLE 2

[0032] A description is given, in this example, of the preparation of an insulating glazing combining a laminated glazing and a dip-coated glazing. The laminated glazing combined two 1.4 m0.7 m glass sheets each with a thickness of 6 mm, assembled with 4 thicknesses of 0.38 mm of PVB. The dip-coated glass had dimensions of 1.4 m0.7 m with a thickness of 8 mm. This laminated glazing and this dip-coated glazing were assembled in an insulating glazing comprising an argon-filled cavity having a thickness of 16 mm with a water-tight barrier comprising a spacer adhesively bonded to the glass with a butyl resin, a silicone strip going all around the insulating glazing between the spacer and the outside of the glazing. The assembly is left to polymerize in the open air for 15 days. The glazing is subsequently placed on a metal framework of cylindrical shape (curved in one direction but not perpendicularly to this direction), the radius of curvature of which was 15 m. The glazing is caused to take the shape of the framework and this shape is maintained by virtue of a metal profiled element which is screwed onto the framework. This bending was carried out at 20 C. The insulating glazing withstands the bending well owing to the fact that it is exerted in the elastic region of all its components.