WINDOW OR DOOR HOLLOW CHAMBER PROFILE AND CORNER CONNECTION COMPRISING THE SAME

Abstract

The present invention relates to a window or door hollow chamber profile (1), comprising (a) a core profile (30) comprising a plastic matrix formed of thermoplastic material and reinforcing fibres contained in the plastic matrix; and (b) a sheath profile (40) at least partially sheathing the core profile (30) and made of a thermoplastic material compatible with the plastic material of the core profile (30), wherein the window or door hollow chamber profile (1) is distinguished in accordance with the invention in that the thermoplastic material of the core profile (30) is a polyamide material and the reinforcing fibres are short fibres with an average fibre length in the range from 0.1 mm to 12 mm. In addition, the present invention also relates to a corner connection that has been obtained by welding at least partially mitred portions of a window or door hollow chamber profile (1) of this kind.

Claims

1. A window or door hollow chamber profile, comprising (a) a core profile comprising a plastic matrix formed of thermoplastic material and reinforcing fibres contained in the plastic matrix; and (b) a sheath profile at least partially sheathing the core profile and made of a thermoplastic material compatible with the plastic material of the core profile, wherein the thermoplastic material of the core profile is a polyamide material and the reinforcing fibres are short fibres with an average fibre length in the range from 0.1 mm to 12 mm.

2. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing fibres are contained in the core profile in a proportion from 10% by weight to 60% by weight, in relation to the weight of the core profile.

3. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 1, wherein the average fibre length of the reinforcing fibres is in the range from 0.3 mm to 3.8 mm, in particular in the range from 1.5 mm to 3.0.

4. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claims 1, wherein a weather-side outer wall and/or a room-side outer wall are at least partially formed by the sheath profile.

5. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 4, wherein the weather-side surface of the weather-side outer wall and/or the room-side surface of the room-side outer wall are formed by a of the sheath profile.

6. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the layer of the sheath profile lies within a range of 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm.

7. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claims 1, wherein the polyamide of the core profile is selected from the group comprising polyamide-6 (PA 6), polyamide-6.6 (PA 6.6), polyamide-6.10 (PA 6.10), polyamide-4.6 (PA 4.6), polyamide-12 (PA 12) and blends of the aforementioned polyamides.

8. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 1, wherein thermoplastic material of the sheath profile that is compatible with the plastic material of the core profile is selected from the group comprising polyamide 6 (PA 6), polyamide 6.6 (PA 6.6), polyamide 6.10 (PA 6.10), polyamide 4.6 (PA 4.6), polyamide 12 (PA 12) and blends of the aforementioned polyamides with each other and with other polymers or copolymers, in particular acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymers (ABS) and acrylonitrile-acrylic ester-styrene terpolymers (ASA).

9. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 1, wherein it has a modulus of elasticity according to DIN EN ISO 527-2:2012-06 in the range from 4000 N/mm.sup.2 to 22000 N/mm.sup.2.

10. The window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 1, wherein the weather-side outer wall and/or the room-side outer wall is/are dark-coloured and/or provided with a dark film, paint or coating and/or co-extruded with a dark layer.

11. A corner connection, obtained by welding at least partially mitred portions of a window or door hollow chamber profile according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In the following, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the figures, in which

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a window or door hollow chamber profile designed as a window sash profile according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a window or door hollow chamber profile, also designed as a window sash profile, according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention using the example of a sash profile for a plastic window in a cross-sectional view. The window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention comprises a weather-side outer wall 2 and a room-side outer wall 3. Two cavities 4, 5 adjoin the weather-side outer wall 2 and are bounded by walls 6, 6, 6 formed as webs and by the weather-side outer wall 2. In the centre, the hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention comprises a main cavity 7. The upper web 8 of the main cavity 7, together with an outer folded-over portion 5, forms a rebate region 10, in which a panel element, not shown, in particular an insulating glazing unit, can be accommodated. The panel element is stabilised by a glazing bead (not shown), which can be anchored in a glazing bead groove 11 of the cavity profile 1 according to the invention. The outer wall 12 of the hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention, which is arranged at the bottom in FIG. 1, is referred to as the outer profile wall 12 on the fitting side, while the side opposite the fitting side is referred to as the rebate side with an outer profile wall 13 on the rebate side.

[0024] In the embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, the central region, which comprises, for example, the walls 6, 6, 6, portions of the glazing bead groove 11, a part of the fitting-side profile outer wall 12 and a stop 14 as well as the rebate-side profile outer wall 13, is formed by a core profile 20. The weather-side outer wall 2, the room-side outer wall 3 and the remaining parts of the glazing bead groove 11, the fitting-side outer profile wall 12 and the stop 14 are formed by a sheath profile 40. The core profile 30 is thus partially sheathed by the sheath profile 40. The sheath profile 40 largely forms the outer side of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention, while the core profile is only exposed to the outside in the region of the rebate-side profile outer wall 13 and adjacent thereto.

[0025] According to the embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, the core profile 30 comprises a plastic matrix of polyamide 6, to which additives customary for the extrusion of window or door hollow chamber profiles, such as stabilisers, plasticisers, pigments and the like, are added. Short glass fibres with an average fibre length of 2.6 mm are embedded in the plastic matrix for reinforcement in a proportion of 48% by weight, in relation to the weight of the core profile 30 as 100% by weight. The cover profile 40 forms a blend of polyamide 6 with acrylonitrile-acrylic ester-styrene terpolymer (ASA). This blend is compatible with the core profile 30. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, acrylonitrile-acrylic ester-styrene terpolymer (ASA) is contained in the blend in a proportion of 38% by weight, in relation to the weight of the sheath profile 40 as 100% by weight.

[0026] The window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. has a very good weather resistance and a high mechanical stability both in the longitudinal direction (modulus of elasticity according to DIN EN ISO 527-4:2022-03 of 3400 to 9400 N/mm.sup.2) and perpendicular thereto.

[0027] The window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention was produced by coextruding the core profile 30 and the sheath profile 40. Polyamide 6 obtained by a recycling process was used for the core profile 30, while non-recycled polymer material was used for the sheath profile 40.

[0028] Despite the high fibre content in the core profile 30, the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention can be welded well according to methods known to a person skilled in the art, forming a corner connection according to the invention, without additional measures being taken beyond standard methods for welding plastic profiles. For this purpose, corresponding portions are cut to length from the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention, mitred and welded together using a welding table to form a corner connection according to the invention. The resulting corner connection according to the invention has a high corner strength.

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention. In order to avoid repetition, only differences from the embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 are therefore described below. The embodiments of FIG. 1 also apply accordingly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. Like elements are identified in the figures by identical reference signs.

[0030] In FIG. 2, a further embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention is also shown using the example of a sash profile for a plastic window in a cross-sectional view. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from the embodiment described in FIG. 1 with regard to the distribution of the core profile 30 and the sheath profile 40 across the profile cross-section. Thus, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the core profile forms the inner walls and the rebate-side profile outer wall 13 completely, as well as the weather-side outer wall 2 and the room-side outer wall 3 partially facing the inside of the profile. On the visible surfaces, the core profile 30 is surrounded by an approximately 0.7 mm thick cover layer of the sheath profile 40.

[0031] According to the embodiment of the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 2, the core profile 30 in turn comprises a plastic matrix of polyamide 6, to which additives customary for the extrusion of window or door hollow chamber profiles, such as stabilisers, plasticisers, pigments and the like, are added. Short glass fibres with an average fibre length of 2.8 mm are embedded in the plastic matrix for reinforcement in a proportion of 45% by weight, in relation to the weight of the core profile 30 as 100% by weight. The sheath profile 40 is a blend of polyamide 6 with acrylonitrile-acrylic ester-styrene copolymer (ASA), which is compatible with the core profile 30.

[0032] The resulting window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. has very good weather resistance and has a high mechanical stability both in the longitudinal direction (modulus of elasticity according to DIN EN ISO 527-2:2012-06 of 10,600 N/mm2) and perpendicular thereto.

[0033] The window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention was produced by coextruding the core profile 30 and the sheath profile 40. Also according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, polyamide 6 obtained by a recycling process was used for the core profile 30, while non-recycled polymer material was used for the sheath profile 40.

[0034] A corner connection according to the invention can also be formed from the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 shown in FIG. 2 using welding methods known to a person skilled in the art, without the need to take additional measures over and above standard methods for welding plastic profiles. To form the corner connection according to the invention, corresponding portions are cut to length from the window or door hollow chamber profile 1 according to the invention, mitred and welded together using a welding table to form a corner connection according to the invention. The resulting corner connection according to the invention in turn has a high corner strength

[0035] The present invention has been described by way of example with reference to hollow chamber profiles for the sash frame of a window. It is understood that the present invention is also applicable to other window or door hollow chamber profiles, in particular frame profiles for a window as well as for frame, architrave or sash frame profiles of a door accordingly.