Mullion-Transom Structure
A mullion-transom structure, especially for facades or glass roofs, includes a supporting profile to which at least one infill element is fastened. An insulating strip is arranged on an end face of the infill element. The insulating strip is held on the supporting profile and has at least one hollow chamber. The insulating strip has at least one mobile cover by which the hollow chamber of the insulating strip can be closed.
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The present invention relates to a mullion-transom structure, especially for facades or glass roofs, comprising a supporting profile to which at least one infill element is fastened, wherein an insulating strip is arranged at an end face of the infill element, which insulating strip is held on the supporting profile and comprises at least one hollow chamber.
EP 1 352 134 discloses a mullion-transom structure, in which a screw groove is formed on the mullion profile between two glass panes. An insulating profile, which comprises a hollow chamber, is inserted into the screw groove. Several screws can be mounted in the insulating profile and the screw groove for fixing the glass panes via a pressure strip. The arrangement of such an insulating profile on the screw groove has proven its worth. However, heat insulation is limited because the insulating profile mostly consists of a harder plastic material which comes with comparatively high heat conduction. Furthermore, heat insulation cannot be adjusted due to the closed configuration of the hollow chamber of the insulating profile.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a mullion-transom structure which has improved heat insulation and allows flexible adjustment of the insulation properties.
This object is achieved by a mullion-transom structure in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
In accordance with the invention, the insulating strip comprises a hollow chamber at a face end of an infill element, which hollow chamber can be closed via at least one mobile cover, so that access to the hollow chamber is enabled via the cover. Heat-insulating strips or other elements can be inserted into the hollow chamber as required, which allows a flexible adjustment of the insulating strip. The term “cover” shall comprise any element which can enable access to the hollow chamber, irrespective of whether the cover is pivotable or closable, or creates access in any other manner.
The cover is preferably detachably fixed to the insulating strip. Multiple opening and closing actions can thus be performed. The cover can be latched onto the insulating strip.
The insulating strip preferably comprises at least one film hinge, on which a cover is pivotably mounted. It is possible that the insulating strip is formed from two parts, wherein in this case one part forms the cover and is pivotably held via the film hinge. It is also possible to pivotably hold the cover via two or more adjacently arranged film hinges, so that especially wide opening angles can be realized.
According to a preferred embodiment, a material which has higher heat insulation than a shaped body of the insulating strip is inserted at least partly into the hollow chamber. The materials can especially be formed from insulating foam or any other insulating material which is formed for example from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, polystyrene, phenolic resin and/or mineral wool. All materials can be used as insulating materials which have an effect with respect to thermal insulation, noise insulation, fire protection or a combination of these functions.
It is additionally possible that the insulating strip comprises a shaped body in which an insulating strip of higher heat insulation than the shaped body is fixed to its exterior side at least in sections. The aforementioned insulating materials, especially such from an insulating foam, can also be used for the heat-insulating strips arranged on the exterior side on the insulating strips.
The insulating strip can comprise a shaped body for especially high heat insulation, which shaped body comprises a plurality of breakthroughs in the longitudinal direction. The shaped body of the insulation strip mostly consists of a dimensionally stable plastic body which has a comparatively high thermal conductivity. The heat flow is reduced by reducing the cross-sectional surface of the shaped body by the breakthroughs, wherein the breakthroughs can be arranged for this purpose in at least one strip in the longitudinal direction. The area of the breakthroughs can be more than 50%, especially more than 70%, on this strip.
The shaped body of the insulating strip which is made of plastic can preferably be formed with thin walls in order to ensure good thermal insulation. The wall thickness of the shaped body can lie in a range of between 0.3 mm to 1.6 mm, especially 0.5 mm to 1.3 mm.
The hollow chamber of the insulating strip can be subdivided by at least one separating wall for a further increase in the insulation. The stability of the shaped body can also be increased by the separating wall.
An insulating element in form of a shaped body is preferably inserted into the hollow chamber. The insulating element can be inserted as a loose strip. It is also possible to foam an insulating strip into the hollow chamber, e.g. by co-extrusion.
In a preferred embodiment, a base of a groove of the insulating strip comprises a film hinge, by means of which the insulating strip is pivotable in two halves. As a result, the insulating strip is formed in a closed way in the mounted state on the exterior side, so that the insulating strip is not inadvertently opened when a screw is twisted into the groove and a screw groove arranged behind said groove. Latching means for fixing the shaped body in the closed position to an insert part are therefore preferably formed, which insert part is inserted into a screw groove.
The invention will be explained below in closer detail by reference to several embodiments shown in the enclosed drawings, wherein:
A mullion-transom structure comprises a supporting profile 1, which can be formed as a mullion or transom, wherein a screw groove 2 is provided on an exterior side. Retainers 3 for sealing strips 4 are formed on both sides of the screw groove 2, which sealing strips rest at the edge on an infill element 5, especially an insulating glass pane. A pressure strip 7 is provided to fix the infill element 5, which pressure strip is arranged with seals 8 on an exterior side of the infill elements 5. The infill elements 5 are respectively clamped at the edge between the seals 8 and the sealing strips 4. The pressure strip 7 is fixed via several screws 11, which are arranged in an intermediate space 6 between the face ends of the infill elements 5 and engage in the screw groove 2.
An insulating strip 10 is further provided at the face end of an infill element 5, which insulating strip 10 is penetrated by the screw 11 and comprises a shaped body 12, on the exterior side of which a heat-insulating strip 13 made of a material with high heat insulation such as a foam-embedded heat-insulating strip is arranged. The heat-insulating strip 13 comprises several sealing lips 14 which rest on a face end of the infill elements 5.
Different embodiments of such an insulating strip 10 will be described below, wherein the same components are provided with the same reference numerals.
Heat-insulating strips 28 are provided on two opposite side surfaces of the shaped body 21, which heat-insulating strips comprise several outwardly protruding sealing projections 29 or sealing lips. The material of the heat-insulating strips 28 consists of a material of higher heat insulation than the shaped body 21, such as insulating foam.
An insert element 26 is formed on the shaped body 21 on the side opposite of the groove 23, on which a latching device 27 is provided. As is shown in
It can be decided during mounting whether a shaped part 15 is inserted into the hollow chamber 22 for higher heat insulation and which material is selected for the shaped part 15. This leads to a high degree of flexibility concerning the purpose of the insulating strip 20. After inserting the shaped part 15 into the hollow chamber 22, the shaped body 21 of the insulating strip 20 can be pivoted about the film hinge 25 until the latching device 27 latches and the insulating strip 20 can now be mounted on the mullion-transom structure, as shown in
A modified insulating strip is shown in
In
A latching device with latching receivers 35 and latching webs 36 is provided in
A latching device with a latching receiver 37 and a latching web 38 is formed in
Integrally formed latching devices can be provided for latching the shaped body 21, which latching devices can be formed as pushbuttons, undercut contours, latching webs, snap-on connections or other kinds of snap-on connections.
A further embodiment of an insulating strip is shown in
The cover 40 is shown in an open position in
A further embodiment of an insulating strip is shown in
Two shaped parts 75 which are substantially rectangular in their cross-section are provided in
The material of the shaped body 21 is reduced by the breakthroughs 80, so that thermal conduction is reduced since thermal conduction is reduced from the outside to the inside by the reduction of the cross-section of the shaped body 21 from the insert element 26 to the groove 23 in the mullion-transom structure of
It is also alternatively possible according to
The breakthroughs 80 are schematically shown in
The breakthroughs 82 are shown in rectangular form in
Triangular breakthroughs 83 are provided in
The breakthroughs 84 are formed in a trapezoidal manner in the embodiment shown in
The breakthroughs 80, 82, 83 and 84 can also have other geometric shapes and the number of the strips with the breakthroughs can be selected freely depending on the size of the profile body 21 and the breakthroughs.
An insert element 26 is formed on the side opposite the groove 23, which insert element is formed from two spaced wall sections which surround the hollow chambers 94 and 95. The wall sections of the insert element 26 can be fixed via latching webs 90, 91 and 92, 93, which are formed in the shape of hooks and fix the closed position of the shaped body.
In order to provide access to the hollow chamber 22, the two halves of the shaped body 21 can be pivoted about the film hinge 25. It is additionally or alternatively possible to open the hollow chamber 22 in that one side of the shaped body 21 is pivoted about a further film hinge 96 which is formed on a side wall of the hollow chamber 22 adjacent to the groove 23. Especially large opening angles can be obtained when using the two film hinges 25 and 96. The film hinge 96 can also be provided on opposite sides of the hollow chamber 22 instead of only one side.
The described embodiments can be combined with each other at will, e.g. it is also possible to provide several hollow chambers on the insulating strip instead of only one single hollow chamber. Moreover, one or several hollow chambers can be filled with shaped bodies made of heat-insulating material, wherein the material of the shaped parts can be used depending on the desired function. In particular, it may be necessary for reasons of fire protection to use only specific insulating materials, whereas other materials can be preferred for optimal heat insulation. The shaped parts 15 can be fixed in the hollow chamber mechanically and also glued or foam-embedded in said chamber.
The insulating strip 20 can further comprise an attachment element instead of an insert element 26 which is inserted into the screw groove 2, which attachment element is attached with two legs on the outside to the screw groove 2.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
- 1 Supporting profile
- 2 Screw groove
- 3 Retainer
- 4 Sealing strip
- 5 Infill element
- 6 Intermediate space
- 7 Pressing strip
- 8 Seal
- 10 Insulating strip
- 11 Screw
- 12 Shaped body
- 13 Heat-insulating strip
- 14 Sealing lip
- 15 Shaped part
- 16 Groove
- 17 Shaped part
- 18 Shaped part
- 20 Insulating strip
- 21 Shaped body
- 22 Hollow chamber
- 23 Groove
- 24 Web
- 25 Film hinge
- 26 Insert element
- 27 Latching device
- 28 Heat-insulating strip
- 29 Sealing projection
- 30 Film hinge
- 31 Web
- 32 Web
- 33 Separating wall
- 34 Pushbutton
- 35 Latching receiver
- 36 Latching web
- 37 Latching receiver
- 38 Latching web
- 40 Cover
- 41 Film hinge
- 42 Spring bar
- 43 Latching recess
- 45 Shaped body
- 50 Bottom part
- 51 Latching projection
- 52 Upper part
- 53 Latching web
- 54 Film hinge
- 60 Nozzle
- 61 Material
- 62, 62′ Material
- 70 Shaped body
- 71 Cover
- 72 Film hinge
- 73 Latching web
- 74 Latching receiver
- 75 Shaped part
- 76 Shaped part
- 80 Breakthrough
- 82 Breakthrough
- 83 Breakthrough
- 84 Breakthrough
- 90 Latching web
- 91 Latching web
- 92 Latching web
- 93 Latching web
- 94 Hollow chamber
- 95 Hollow chamber
- 96 Film hinge
- 97 Heat-insulating strip
Claims
1-13. (canceled)
14. A mullion-transom structure, comprising:
- a supporting profile;
- at least one infill element fastened to the supporting profile;
- an insulating strip arranged at an end face of the at least one infill element, said insulating strip being held on the supporting profile,
- wherein the insulating strip comprises at least one hollow chamber and includes at least one mobile cover by which the hollow chamber of the insulating strip is closable.
15. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the cover is detachably fixed to the insulating strip.
16. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 15, wherein a material is inserted at least partly into the hollow chamber, which material has a higher thermal insulation than a shaped body of the insulating strip.
17. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein a material is inserted at least partly into the hollow chamber, which material has a higher thermal insulation than a shaped body of the insulating strip.
18. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the cover is latchable onto the insulating strip.
19. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the insulating strip comprises a film hinge and the cover is pivotably formed by the film hinge.
20. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the insulating strip comprises a shaped body, on an exterior side of which a heat-insulating strip with higher thermal insulation than the shaped body is attached.
21. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the insulating strip comprises a shaped body which comprises a plurality of breakthroughs in a longitudinal direction of the insulating strip.
22. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 21, wherein the breakthroughs are arranged in a strip-like manner in the longitudinal direction of the insulating strip and an area of the breakthroughs assumes at least 50% in relation to the area of the strip, wherein the width of the strip has the same width as the breakthroughs.
23. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 22, wherein the area of the breakthroughs assumes at least 70% in relation to the area of the strip.
24. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the hollow chamber of the insulating strip is subdivided by at least one separating wall.
25. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein a heat-insulating strip is foam-expanded into the hollow chamber of the insulating strip.
26. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein a base of a groove of the insulating strip comprises a film hinge by which the insulating strip is pivotable in two halves.
27. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein a latch is formed for fixing, in a closed position, a shaped body of the insulating strip on an insert part, which insert part is retained in a screw groove.
28. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the insulating strip comprises a shaped body made of plastic, wherein a wall thickness of the shaped body lies in a range of between 0.3 mm to 1.6 mm,
29. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 28, wherein the wall thickness of the shaped body lies in a range of between 0.5 mm to 1.3 mm.
30. The mullion-transom structure according to claim 14, wherein the structure is configured for a facade or a glass roof.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2014
Publication Date: Aug 4, 2016
Applicant: SCHUECO INTERNATIONAL KG (Bielefeld)
Inventors: Maik NIEHAUS (Buende), Juergen MEYER (Bad Oeynhausen), Andre STOCKHAUSEN (Herford)
Application Number: 15/021,468