Patent Application
20050183351
This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 04 001 031.6, filed Jan. 19, 2004, and European Patent Application No. 05 000 249.2, filed Jan. 7, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a composite profile, and in particular to a composite profile for window, door and facade elements.
Composite profiles for window, door and facade elements of the type related hereto comprise two profile members, an outer profile and an inner profile, which are connected to each other by one or a plurality of insulating elements formed as connection members. 90% of the composite profiles used today are made of aluminum, wherein the connection of the profile members and the insulating members is accomplished by rolling (bending) as described, for example, in DE 1 101 734.
The composite profiles manufactured by such a known connecting method have technical limits, if the aim is to achieve improved thermal values and/or to use different or other materials such as wood, plastics and steel in addition to or alternatively to aluminum for the inner profile members and the outer profile members.
The thicknesses of the composite profile and its parts in the direction in which the two profile members face each other (i.e. direction x shown in
The thickness of the walls for the inner profile members and outer profile members made of aluminum must be larger for a reliable rolling process than is necessary to provide adequate static mechanical strength. For example, a wall thickness of about 2 mm is needed for a reliable rolling process, whereas a wall thickness of only about 1.5 mm is necessary to provide the adequate static mechanical strength.
If the construction depth of the insulating elements is selected to be relatively large in order to provide good thermal values, the construction depth of the composite profiles increases significantly. In this case, for example, many window types having relatively small dimensions can not be opened with pivot-and-bottom-hung-mountings.
Furthermore, composite profiles having such large construction depths also require larger manufacturing tolerances in the direction of the construction depth. The reasons are mainly that (i) the insulating elements made of plastic have (relatively large) manufacturing tolerances and (ii) dimension changes occur after manufacturing due to further crystallization and/or moisture absorption and/or moisture release or the like by the plastic material.
The prior art discloses several different techniques for improving the properties of such composite profiles. For example, EP 0 103 272 A2 (family member U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,408) discloses a foaming method. DE 1 260 105 (family member GB 1,078,503) discloses a composite profile where the members are connected using an adhesive. DE 75 22 009 U discloses a composite profile, wherein the profile members snap into recesses in a profile rod and a curable adhesive is used for securing the same. DE-OS 2 033 442 A (family member U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,934), DE 27 12 956 A, DE 34 23 712 (family member U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,754), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,487 each disclose composite profiles using a curable resin in composite profiles. DE 100 33 861 A1 discloses a composite profile, wherein the insulating profile is inserted in the longitudinal direction and is connected using a curable resin afterwards.
EP 0 085 410 A2 discloses another composite profile manufactured by rolling, wherein an auxiliary material such as an adhesive is used for an additional securing of the connection. U.S. 2003/0217818 A1 discloses a folding device for a room divider or room closure using composite profiles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,753 discloses an arrangement for connecting two profile members, wherein a cavity can be filled with a hardenable filler. Also, DE 26 50 944 A1 discloses a composite profile for window and facade constructions, wherein the connection between the outer profile and the inner profile is made by a connecting bar and the use of a curable filler, which connection permits movement of the profiles relative to the connecting bar in the longitudinal direction thereof.
All the known techniques using curable adhesives or resins have the disadvantage that the shearing strength in the longitudinal direction tends to reduce as the adhesive material ages. Only the above described rolling approach, in which a significant knurling or roughened or ridged surface is provided on the inner side of the aluminum profile member, exhibits sufficient shearing strength for long term use. The other described composite profiles made by foaming, adhesives, clips or the use of curing resins may not exhibit sufficient shearing strength in the longitudinal direction due to deterioration the foaming materials, the adhesives, the resins, etc., over time.
Furthermore, when curable materials are used, problems with surplus material and the visibility of such surplus material frequently occur.
DE 30 33 206 A1 (family member GB 2 083 116 A) discloses a composite profile that utilizes a form fit of recesses and protrusions.
It is an object of the present teachings to provide improved composite profiles that overcome one or more problems of the known art.
The present composite profiles advantageously maintain adequate shearing strength in the longitudinal direction of the composite profile even if the adhesion between a cured (hardened) connecting material and profile members and/or the connecting member fails due to aging. Preferably, a form fit is provided between form fit elements, such as a first and second holding element, which form fit, is maintained by the cured (hardened) connecting material. This form fit is present in both the transverse and longitudinal directions, i.e., not only in the longitudinal direction as in the known art. Because rolling (bending) is no longer necessary to form the composite profiles, a variety of materials, such as aluminum, wood, plastics, etc., can be used in any combination for the profile members.
Furthermore, constructive constraints caused by the known rolling process are alleviated, such that the amount or percentage (length) of the profile members in the construction depth of the composite profile can be reduced and the arrangement of the profile member connecting portions and the connecting member connecting portions is possible without the geometrical constraints caused by the known rolling process.
Further advantages and features of the present teachings will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the figures and the appended claims.
The building-side or fixedly disposed part (when mounted on the stationary building frame) of the window frame is formed by a second composite profile 11 that may comprise a third profile member 21 (inner profile) and a fourth profile member 31 (outer profile) connected by a second connecting member 41 formed as an insulating element. The interspace between the two composite profiles 10, 11 is sealed by the seals 64, 65 when the window is closed. The members 21, 31 and 41 are also fixedly connected using a curable connecting material 50, as will be described further below.
The direction x shown in
In
The first profile member 20 comprises a first profile member connecting portion which is shown in the second frame of
First form fit elements are preferably formed as teeth-like protrusions (holding elements) 25 on one of the two walls 23, 24. In the embodiment shown in
A second profile member connecting portion of the first profile member 20, which is not shown in
The first connecting member 40 preferably comprises a first connecting member connecting portion having an assembly protrusion 47. The assembly protrusion 47 is preferably formed as a protrusion because it is inserted into the assembly recess 22 when the profile members 20, 30 and the connecting members 40 are connected. In other words, the assembly protrusion 47 preferably should protrude from the connecting member 40 to at least an extent that allows insertion of the same as described below. On one side of the assembly protrusion 47, form fit elements are formed as protrusions (second holding elements) 45. In the embodiment shown in
In the mounted state (i.e., the right most frame of view c)), the assembly protrusion 47 is inserted into the assembly recess 22. Thus, the first and second holding elements (protrusions 25, 45 face each other and do not overlap in the longitudinal direction. As shown in the middle frame of view c), the assembly recess 22, or more precisely the interspace between the wall 23 having the first holding elements 25 and the assembly protrusion 47 having the second holding elements 45, is filled with a curable (hardenable) connecting material 50 in an uncured (liquid) state before the assembly protrusion 47 is inserted into the assembly recess 22, as will be further discussed below. Thereafter, the connecting material 50 is cured or hardened.
Because the protrusions 25, 45 are arranged in rows with interspaces in the longitudinal direction, a form fit is provided between the first and second holding elements (protrusions) 25, 45 and the cured (hardened) connecting material 50. Accordingly, adequate shearing strength in the longitudinal direction is ensured, irregardless of whether adhesion between the connecting material 50 and the first profile member 20 and/or the connecting member 40 is lost or diminished due to deterioration caused by aging.
Adequate shearing strengths in the transversal direction and the horizontal direction are also ensured by this form fit between the protrusions 25, 45 and the connecting material 50, again irregardless of whether the adhesion between the connecting material 50 and the first or second profile members 20, 30 and/or the connecting member 40 is lost or diminished due to deterioration caused by aging.
In the representative embodiment shown in
However, as can be seen from another representative embodiment shown in
In the representative embodiment shown in
The second profile member 30 preferably comprises a second profile member connecting portion as shown in greater detail in view b) of
As shown in greater detail in
Accordingly, the holding devices of the first representative embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
All assembly recesses 22, 42 are identically oriented, i.e., in the same direction, such that the depth direction is substantially parallel to the transverse direction (e.g., with a deviation from the transverse that <±30°, preferably <±20°, more preferably <±10°, even more preferably <±5°, and most preferably <±2°) and the recesses openings are all oriented in the same direction.
Further, the freestanding walls (clamped elements) 24, 46 of each holding device, i.e., one for each pair of the connection portions of the profile and connecting members 20, 30, 40, are preferably arranged such that they are positioned on the outer side of the corresponding connection portions. As a result, spilled resin (connecting material 50) will not be visible from the outside of the composite profile after the freestanding wall 24, 46 has been inserted into the interspace between the two parallel walls (clamping elements) 44, 46, 47, 49 of the holding device. In this case, the holding device also serves as a connecting material “covering” device or a connecting material “sealing” device. These additional or alternative functions of covering and sealing, respectively, the connecting material are not limited by the holding function. If the holding force is not sufficient to hold the components until the connecting material cured or if external holding devices are used, the sealing function is still maintained.
In this representative embodiment, two types of connecting portions are provided. The first type includes the assembly recess 22 like the first profile member connecting portion and the second connecting member connecting portion. The second type includes the assembly protrusions 37, 47 like the first connecting member connecting portion and the second profile member connecting portion.
Preferably, the connection portions of the same type present in one composite profile all have the same orientation in the transverse direction.
Furthermore, it is noted that the share (proportion) of the first connecting member 40, i.e., the insulating element, along the construction depth is significantly greater than in the prior art. This is possible, because no rolling (bending) process is required, as in the prior art, whereby the connecting portions do not have to be designated to receive a large force without breaking.
The above description applies similarly to the second composite profile 11 shown in
According to the present teachings, the above-noted problems of the prior art with respect to dimensional accuracy in the transverse direction can be solved in a simple manner, because the assembly protrusions 37, 47 are inserted into the assembly recesses 22 until the desired dimension is obtained. After that, the members 20, 30, 40 are maintained with this desired dimension in the transverse direction either by means of an external holding device or by means of the above described integrated holding devices until the connection material 50 is cured. Therefore, dimensional problems caused by varying manufacturing tolerances of the members 20, 30, 40 can be overcome. Such manufacturing tolerances are always present in composite materials, for example, due to (i) manufacturing using different manufacturing machines, (ii) different materials, (iii) subsequent crystallization of the plastic/resin material, (iv) water absorption by the plastic/resin material, (v) water release thereby, etc. Accordingly, a plurality of composite profiles 10, 11 can be manufactured with the same dimensions in the transverse direction (=construction depth) independent of the manufacturing tolerances of their constituent members.
The problems present in the above-described known composite profiles manufactured using a rolling process also can be overcome without the disadvantages of the above-described known alternative solutions. For example, significantly more than 50% of the construction depth of the composite profile can be occupied by the insulating element 40, the wall thicknesses can be reduced, freely selectable materials can be combined for the inner profile members 20 and the outer profile members 30 and relatively high thermal values can be obtained without increasing the construction depth. Moreover, the problems caused by varying or different tolerances in the transversal direction and the visibility of spilled resin or the like also can be overcome. Furthermore, reliability problems can be overcome with respect to reduced shearing strength in the longitudinal direction caused by deterioration of the adhesive due to aging.
Additionally, 5-head-solutions (i.e., composite profiles having 5 pairs of connecting portions) as shown in the composite profile 11 of
The assembly recess 22 serves as a reservoir for the non-cured connecting material. Preferably, the volume of the connecting material 50 filled into the assembly recess 22 does not exceed the volume of the assembly recess 22. More preferably, the volume of the connecting material 50 filled into the assembly recess 22 is less than the volume obtained by subtracting the volume of the assembly protrusion 37, 47 from the volume of the assembly recess 22 (see e.g.,
A further advantage of the representative embodiment shown in
The materials for the profile members 20, 21, 30, 31 can be freely selected from materials such as wood, steel, plastics, aluminum, other metals, etc. For example, weather-resistant materials can be used for the outer profiles on the other hand. On the other hand, the materials for the inner profiles 20, 21 can be selected by putting more emphasis on the insulating properties thereof such as synthetic materials including e.g., polyamide or PET having good heat-insulating characteristics.
The curable connecting material can be selected from a variety of curable resins, such as but not limited to poly-urethanes, poly-ethylenes and/or epoxies.
In preferred embodiments, the resin is suitable for powder coating. For example, the resin preferably may be resistant to degradation at temperatures of 200 to 220° C. for 20 to 30 minutes and/or in a cleaning bath if the composite profile will be subjected to an anodizing process.
Preferably, at least the visible surfaces of the connecting members 40, 41 are conductive (e.g., have an electrical resistance less than 10−9 Ω). This property serves to ensure that the materials can be electrostatically coated. This conductivity can be achieved, e.g., by applying a conductive primer to the surface of the insulating element 40, 41 and/or by introducing a conductive material into the insulating element 40, 41, if necessary.
In
Alternatively, the first and/or second holding elements, i.e., the protrusions and/or recesses, can also be obtained by providing net-like structures, engravements, dimples, especially rough surface structures, such as a roughened wood surface, etc. The present teachings are not particularly limited in this regard.
In all embodiments described and shown in the figures, the orientation of the depth direction of the assembly recesses, the protrusion direction of the assembly protrusions and the corresponding insertion direction of the assembly protrusions into the respective assembly recesses preferably each correspond to the transverse direction, which allows equalization (compensation) of different manufacturing tolerances. The equalization of the tolerances is also possible for orientation of the depth direction of the assembly recess and the protruding direction of the assembly protrusion and the corresponding direction of the insertion of <±90° in relation to the transverse direction. However, even in case of corresponding orientations and an insertion perpendicular to the transversal direction, all advantages except the equalization of the tolerances are obtained.
The first, second and third materials of the claims can be freely selected and they are not limited to a single material. For example, the third material can comprise a plurality of materials, e.g., the connecting member can be formed partly of polyamide and partly of poly-urethane-foam, and/or the first profile member (first material) can be partly a synthetic material like plastic and partly wood and/or the second profile member (second material) can be partly metal and partly a synthetic material like plastic.
Each of the above-described features and teachings may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved insulating window units and methods for designing and using the same. Representative examples of the present invention, which examples utilize many of these additional features and teachings both separately and in combination, were described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the detailed description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the present teachings.
Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings. In addition, it is expressly noted that all features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. It is also expressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 001 031.6 | Jan 2004 | EP | regional |
| 05 000 249.2 | Jan 2005 | EP | regional |
