GB2143570A - Glazing gasket with capping strip - Google Patents

Abstract

In a curtain walling system, double glazing units 6 are retained in glazing bars 1 by means of resilient gasket members 5. The gasket members 5 are load bearing, and in order to conceal them from view, decorative cappings 9 are press fitted directly onto the gasket members and retained by detente arrangement 8, 11. The cappings 9 may be coloured, patterned and/or textured. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Glazing gaskets and glazing systems This invention relates to glazing gaskets and glazing systems.

It is particularly although not exclusively concerned with glazing systems such as are used in what is known as "curtain walling".

In curtain walling systems, it is usual to have a framework of glazing bars (typically, extruded aluminium or mild steel profiles), to which glazing units are secured. It is known to use some sort of resilient gasket around the glazing units both to seat the units in the glazing bars and to provide a seal against weather. A potential disadvantage of this system is that, when the curtain walling is finished, the resilient gaskets around the glazing units are usually quite conspicuous. Being resilient, they tend to have the appearance of soft rubber, and architects do not always find such an appearance attractive. The gaskets may be particularly conspicuous where they are load bearing--e.g. where they serve to retain the glazing units in place under negative wind loads.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention aim to provide glazing gaskets which may be improved in this respect.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a glazing gasket comprising a resilient gasket member which is adapted to fit along at least one edge of a glazing unit to provide a seal, and is provided with an external capping which extends along the gasket member and is provided with securing means by which the capping engages the gasket member as a press fit.

In this specification, the term "glazing unit" is used in the general sense prevalent in the art, to include not only units of glass but infill panels of any material, for functional and/or decorative purposes.

Preferably, the capping is rigid in relation to the gasket member.

The securing means may comprise at least one spring clip which engages both the gasket member and capping to secure them together as a press fit. The or each spring clip may be formed integrally with the capping.

The gasket member and securing means may be provided with at least one interengaging rib and groove to afford the said press fit.

Such a rib or groove is preferably discontinuous along part of the gasket member or sealing means, to afford a water drainage path. In particular, the rib may be omitted at corner portions of the gasket member or securing means, where the gasket member is adapted to fit around corners of a respective glazing unit.

The gasket member may be provided with resilient means for engaging a glazing bar as a press fit.

The gasket member may be load bearing.

Preferably, the gasket member is adapted to fit completely around a glazing unit.

A glazing gasket in accordance with the invention may comprise two said gasket members each adapted to fit around a respective one of two adjacent glazing units, and a common said capping which extends along adjacent portions of the two gasket members.

The or each gasket member may be provided with a plurality of said cappings, each extending along a respective side of the gasket member, there being provided a space between each two adjacent cappings, to afford a water drainage path.

There may be provided a plurality of said cappings, of different colours and/or shapes and/or textures.

The or each capping may be of metal, or may be of a plastics material.

Preferably, the or each capping is of such a size as substantially to conceal the or each gasket member from view.

The invention also extends to a glazing system comprising at least one glazing gasket according to the first aspect of the invention, fitted to a respective glazing unit. The invention further extends to such a glazing system in which each glazing gasket is fitted to a glazing bar.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows, in cross-section, a mullion which is part of a glazing system embodying the invention; and Figure 2 shows, in cross-section, a transom which is another part of the glazing system.

The illustrated glazing system is constructed as a curtain walling system, and is built up as a framework of mullions and transoms, generally as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The principal member of each mullion is a glazing bar 1, and the principal member of each transom is a glazing bar 22, each of the glazing bars being an extruded aluminium profile. The figures show just two examples of suitable profiles; many other suitable profiles are well known. The glazing bar 1 has a head 2 affording two grooves 3, in each of which there is resiliently engaged, as a press fit, a rib 4 of a respective gasket member 5. Each gasket member 5 is of NEOPRENE or other suitable material, and is fitted around a respective double glazing unit 6, to provide a seal thereon. Each of the double glazing units 6 is retained between the respective gasket member 5 and a resilient seal 7 on the glazing bar 1. Thus far, the glazing system is of a fairly conventional design.

However, it will be appreciated that each of the gasket members 5 is load bearing. It is the only means provided for retaining the respective glazing unit 6 against negative wind loads. Moreover, each of the gasket members 5 is provided with a rib 8, which extends around the periphery of the gasket member 5, except in the region of the corners of the respective double glazing unit 6, where the rib 8 is omitted.

A decorative aluminium capping 9 is provided with a pair of inwardly projecting tongues 10, each of which defines a respective groove 11, which is adapted to engage a rib 8 on one of the gasket members 5. The capping 9 extends in a substantially vertical position, parallel to the glazing bar 1. As may be seen in Figure 2, further cappings 12 extend substantially horizontally, parallel to the glazing bars 22, and are provided with inwardly facing projections 13 and 14, each of which defines a respective recess 15 for engaging the ribs 8 on the gasket members 5.

Also visible in outline in Figure 2 is a recess 17 formed in the mullion capping 9, through which recess the gasket members 5 pass at the corner regions of the glazing units 6, The illustrated glazing system is constructed in a conventional manner, up to the positioning of the double glazing units 6 between the gasket members 5 and the seals 7. Thereafter, the cappings 9 and 12 are simply engaged directly with the gasket members 5 as a press fit, to transform the appearance of the glazing system as a whole. The rounded appearance of the gasket members 5 is concealed behind the cappings 9 and 12. which therefore give much harder and sharper lines to the whole glazing system.

It will be appreciated that the tongues 10 and projections 13, 14 serve effectively as continuous spring clips which serve to secure together the gasket members 5 and cappings 9, 12, each as a press fit. As an alternative, each capping 9, 12 may be provided with a plurality of separate spring clips, each of which engages both a respective gasket member 5 and a respective capping 9, 12, to secure the gasket member and capping together as a press fit.

It will be seen from Figure 1 that the glazing bars 12 and 9 are not butted up close together at the corners of the glazing units 6.

Instead, they afford gaps 16. As the ribs 8 of the gasket members 5 are omitted at the corners of the double glazing units 6, this facilitates drainage.

It will be appreciated that, within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, alternative cappings 9 and 12 of any desired configuration and/or pattern may be employed, and there may be provided alternative ways of securing the cappings 9 and 12 to the gasket members 5.

However, the illustrated configuration of the interengaging parts of the gasket members 5 and he cappings 9 and 12 is found to be particularly convenient, as regards both ease of assembly and affording adequate drainage.

The illustrated system is particularly convenient where it is desired to provide different coloured effects. In this respect, it will be appreciated that colouring effects can be of great importance to an architect, as they may completely transform the appearance of a building to which a curtain walling system is applied.

For loading bearing gasket members such as the gasket members 5, the choice of NEO PRENE material is particularly good, for desirable mechanical properties. However, this material is almost invariably black. It is conceivable to use other materials of other colours, but mechanical properties may then be not as desired. In any event, the provision of alternative gasket materials of different colours will naturally tend to be costly and, once a colour is chosen, this colour will, for practical purposes, be the same all around each glazing unit.

By contrast to this, the illustrated system allows decorative cappings 9, 12 of different colours readily to be clipped to the gasket members 5, which are thereby concealed.

Cappings 9, 12 of different colours may be produced quite economically-for example, different colours may be achieved simply by different surface finishes, although self-coloured materials for the cappings may be employed. It is particularly convenient that the cappings 9, 12 may be simply press fitted to the gasket members 5, without the use of special tools and/or fittings. In this way, any desired pattern of cappings may be built upfor example, vertical cappings of one colour and horizontal cappings of another colour. The press fit feature means that the pattern and/or colour of the cappings may readily be changed, with a minimum amount of labour and at a reasonable cost.

It will be appreciated that textures are also of importance to an architect, and that there is equal facility in the illustrated system to use cappings of differing textures, as there is to use cappings of differing colours and/or patterns.

Although the illustrated gasket members 5 are arranged to be load bearing against negative wind loads, it will be appreciated that if the system is reversed such that glazing is carried out from the inside of a building, the gasket members 5 will then be load bearing against positive wind loads.

As illustrated, the gasket members 5 fit completely around the glazing units 6. However, the illustrated system may be adapted for use where similar gasket members each fit along just one edge of, or just partially around, a respective glazing unit. For example, strip form gasket members may be used in conjunction with a system having only vertical glazing bars7e.g. as in what is known as a "patent glazing" system.

Claims (20)

1. A glazing gasket comprising a resilient gasket member which is adapted to fit a long at least one edge of a glazing unit to provide a seal, and is provided with an external capping which extends along the gasket member and is provided with securing means by which the capping engages the gasket member as a press fit.

2. A glazing gasket according to Claim 1, wherein the capping is rigid in relation to the gasket member.

3. A glazing gasket according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the securing means comprises at least one spring clip which engages both the gasket member and capping to secure them together as a press fit.

4. A glazing gasket according to Claim 3, wherein the or each spring clip is formed integrally with the Capping.

5. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the gasket member and securing means are provided with at least one interengaging rib and groove to afford said press fit.

6. A glazing gasket according to Claim 5, wherein said rib or groove is discontinuous along part of the gasket member or securing means, to afford a water drainage path.

7. A glazing gasket according to Claim 6, wherein said rib is omitted at corner portions of the gasket member or securing means, where the gasket member is adapted to fit around corners of a respective glazing unit.

8. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the gasket member is provided with resilient means for engaging a glazing bar as a press fit.

9. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the gasket member is load bearing.

10. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the gasket member is adapted to fit completely around a glazing unit.

11. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, including two said gasket members each adapted to fit around a respective one of two adjacent glazing units, and a common said capping which extends along adjacent portions of the two gasket members.

12. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each gasket member is provided with a plurality of said cappings, each extending along a respective side of the gasket member, there being provided a space between each two adjacent cappings, to afford a water drainage path.

13. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, including a plurality of said cappings of different colours and/or shapes and/or textures.

14. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each capping is of metal.

15. A glazing gasket according to any one of Claims 1 tol3, wherein the or each capping is of a plastics material.

16. A glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each capping is of such a size as substantially to conceal the or each gasket member from view.

17. A glazing gasket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A glazing system comprising at least one glazing gasket according to any preceding claim, fitted to a respective glazing unit.

19. A glazing system according to Claim 18, wherein the or each glazing gasket is fitted to a glazing bar.

20. A glazing system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.