US2173664A - Double windowpane construction - Google Patents

Description

* Sept. 19, 1939.A

`L. W. SHUTTS DOUBLE wINDowPANE CoNsTRUcrrmil` Filed March 25, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l SPt- 19, 1939. L. w. sHuTTs f 2`,173,664

DOUBLE wmDowPANE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 2:5, 1936 s sheets-sheet 2 l DOUBLE WINDOWPANE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 23, 193s s vsheets-smet s Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,173,664 DOUBLE wmnowrANE CONSTRUCTION Leroy W. Shutts, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 23, 1936, Serial No. 70,182

2 Claims.

tion on the window when there is a diiferent temperature on either side thereof and a high relative humidity on the warmer side.

It has long been appreciated that the use of an 10. insulating air space between two panes would retain the temperatures of the respective panes more nearly at the temperatures on the inside and outside of the window, and attempts havebeen made to secure this in many different ways,

for particular purposes.

The development of air conditioning for rooms and the maintenance of ideal indoor atmospheric conditions irrespective of the outside conditions has increased the demand'for a satisfactory double glazed window of simple construction.

The eicacy of the air insulation depends on the extent to which the space between the panes is sealed from the inside and outside atmospheres. In any design in which the panes cannot be readily separated for cleaning the adjacent sides of the panes, the insulating air space should be completely and permanently sealed to preventthe breathing which occurs with expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, and the consequent collection of moisture and dust within the separating space, which occurs if there is any leakage, however slight. Such collection of moisture and dust may not be in evidence until after a considerable number of temperature variations when it mayA appear as a more or less'permanent condensation, particularly on the inner surface of the outer pane.

Heretofore the foregoing requirements for maintaining eifective air insulation with the n panes either readily separable or permanently sealed, have been but indifferently met.

The object of the present invention is a double window pane of practical construction in which the air space between the panes is completely and a permanently sealed.

A further object of the invention is a double Window pane unit adapted for factory production in standard sizes, but which isI capable of construction in any desired size, on any given site,

f with but little necessary apparatus.

The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

According to the invention the panes of glass, 0r other transparent material are mounted and (Cl.A 20-56.5)

suitable channeled section strip material. The strip material has a pair of channels for the panes spaced by an intervening separating ridge, the .outer edges of the channels embracing the outside edges of the panes which are held and hermetically sealed in the frame so provided by a suitable thermoplastic sealing compound.

The drawings show the various parts of a double glass window pane unit, and the manner in which it is assembled,

In the drawings- Figure 1 shows a completed double glass win- Figure 6 shows a perspective View of the cornponent parts of the double glass window pane unit all assembled in proper relationship with the exception of one crner piece ofthe frame.

Figure 7 shows a spring loaded jig in which the assembly is placed before being heated to the free flowing temperature of the sealing compound at which the spring load is capable of squeezingthe parts of the assembly together into their final closed position.

Figure 8 shows the double glass window pane assembly in position in the jig, with springs exerting an equilibrated pressure on all sides there- Referring now to Figures 1 to 6, the panes of glass i and 2 are heldin separated relationship in frames of a suitable material such as copper and consisting of side members 3 and 4, end members 5 and 6 and corner pieces 1', 8, 9 and I0. The side and end members are cut with mitered ends from suitable strip copper rolled to the section shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 3. The channel grooves are suiciently wide to provide a free t, of capillary dimensions between the channel and glass.

Air insulating space of any desired thickness may be provided by making the strip with a separating portion of the requisite width between the two channels. A separation as small as M3" has been found sufficient for all normal requirements A vent hole is provided in one of the members l sealed in spaced -relation in frames built from 31. 4,. 5 or 6 for reasons later to be given. In the f drawings this vent hole is shown at Il in the member 3 in Figure 3.

Bitumen has been found a satisfactory sealing compound. `By extrusion into cold water the bitumen may be formed into a string at room temperature in which form it can be very conveniently used.

In assembling, ythe panes and the metal strips being cut to proper size, a string I2 of bitumen I2 is placed in each channel groove of the strips. The two panes of glass are placed in the grooves of one side strip as shown in AFigure 5 and the opposite strip is placed on top of the panes. The ends of the glass panes are then, in turn, set into the end strips and a small piece of bitumen is placed over the corners within the external groove of the strips and the corner pieces are then pushed on.

The assembly with all its component parts separated by the bitumen string, as shown in Figure 6, is then placed in the self-aligning jig shown in Figure 7. This consists of a pair of end members I3 and I4 and a floating pair of side members I5 and I6. Pivotally attached to the ends of each member I3 and I4 are bell crank levers I'I and I8 each having rollers I9, capable of bearing against the side members I5 and I6. The bell crank levers are so arranged that forces applied, between the bell crank levers at those ends of the end members opposite to each other, in a direction to draw the end members together, will, through the rollers I9, tend to thrust the side members together. The required forces are provided by coil springs which are hooked over the bell crank levers I8 and which through turnbuckles 2I are connected through short pivotal links 22, to the bell crank levers I`I of each end member. v

Figure 8 shows the double glass window pane assembly in position in the jig with the springs exerting a pressure tending to squeeze all the parts together into their proper position.

The entire assembly including the jig is next placed in an oven and heated to an even temperature sufficient to melt the bitumen sealing compound so that it will freely flow, but not high enough to Volatilize the bitumen or to drive 01T any vapors or smoke therefrom. When such a temperature is maintained for a sufcient period of time the bitumen flows between theglass and the channels in the frame and at the same time the window pane assembly is squeezed together by the spring pressure of the jig. The bitumen only fiows and makes a seal and a suflicient bond between the parts, at the places between which there is capillary attraction, and the clearance between the glass and the sides of the channels of the strip must be such as to provide this.

Probably for the reason that due to its expansion, the pressure of the air between the panes is a little higher than the outside pressure, the bitumen does not flow over the inside of the glass panes, although any excess bitumen will flow over the outside of the glass at the edges of the frame.

Theventholeprevlouslymentionedlsprovidedln order to provide a denitepathfortheegress of air from between the panes as it expands in the oven andtopermitareturnowof airbetween the panes as the assembly is returned to room temperature. Without such a vent hole it is found that the air will find its own path of flow out of and into the space between the panes at an indeterminate point, and since the inflow of air takes place therethrough as the asphalt is cooling and solidifying to a point at which it is incapable of flowing, it is not able automatically to seal itself, nor can the place Where sealing is required, be readily found even if it were capable of being sealed by other means. The vent hole provides .a determinate path which can be sealed with bitumen or any other suitable cement when the assembly has cooled to room temperature and there is ordinary atmospheric pressure between the panes.

When the double glass window pane has cooled to room temperature, it is removed from the jig, the vent hole is sealed and the excess sealing compound is scraped off the outside of the glass panes.

The double glass window pane can then be tested for leaks by immersing it in warm water, which heats the air in the space between the panes causing bubbles to form at any minute opening or crack.

The double glass window pane is then a complete unit with all its joints hermetically sealed and with the advantage of protection to the edges of the glass, having the appearance shown in Figure 1, and capable of comparatively rough handling without being broken or spoiled. Furthermore, since the panes are cut somewhat smaller than the inside dimensions of the frame in its final condition of assembly, the glass is not at any time subjected to any considerable pressure during any part of the fabrication of the double glass window pane and the possibilities of breakage in manufacture are thereby reduced.

I claim:

1. A double window pane structure having a frame of strip material for its edges, said strip material being formed with two channels spaced from each other by a separating ridge and pro- Viding a clearance space of capillary dimensions between the sides of each channel and the sides of the pane which is inserted therein, and a thermoplastic sealing compound in the channels, to fill the clearance spaces by capillary attraction and bond and sealV the parts together.

2. The combination according to claim 1 in which corner strengthening and clamping pieces are provided for the outside corners of the frame, said corner pieces being of general L-shaped form to embrace the corners, being press-fitted within the groove formed by the separating ridge of the frame, and being bonded thereto by a thermoplastic sealing compound in said groove.

LEROY W. SHUTTS.

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