Reinforcement element for window or door hollow chamber profiles and method for reinforcing a window or door hollow chamber profile

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a reinforcing element for hollow chamber profiles of windows or doors, wherein the reinforcing element comprises a fastening side and at least one contact side connected to the fastening side via a connection area, wherein the fastening side and the at least one contact side at least partially enclose an interior space of the reinforcing element. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for reinforcing a hollow chamber profile of windows or doors in which such a reinforcing element is used.

[0002] Such reinforcing elements, commonly referred to as reinforcing profiles or simply reinforcements, are known in the prior art. For example, DE 196 26 182 A1 describes a window consisting of a frame and a sash, wherein an approximately L-shaped reinforcing element is inserted into the reinforcing chamber of the sash. The reinforcing element is attached to the hollow chamber profile of the window sash via the fastening side facing the glazing rebate, for example by screwing a screw from the rebate side through the profile wall of the sash profile into the fastening side of the reinforcing element. As the screw penetrates the profile wall of the sash profile, material shavings from the profile material are forced between the profile wall and the fastening side of the reinforcing element, thus only attaching the fastening side of the reinforcing element to the sash profile at specific points.Under thermal stress, this can lead to warping of the reinforced sash profile, which can negatively affect the smooth opening and closing of the window, especially at high temperatures. Furthermore, due to its only point contact, the reinforcing element tends to tilt within the reinforcement chamber. GB 2 353 316 A discloses an extruded section of a plastic frame with a reinforcing element. EP 0 077 412 A1 describes a metal profile for reinforcing hollow plastic profiles. DE 20 2008 016467 U1 describes a frame assembly for closing building openings such as windows, doors, and the like, comprising at least one frame profile and at least one reinforcing element, designated as a reinforcement component, which consists at least partially of a metallic material.

[0003] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcing element that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, the reinforcing element according to the invention should be able to be stably attached to a hollow chamber profile for windows or doors, so that twisting of the reinforced hollow chamber profile is prevented, especially under thermal stress. Furthermore, the present invention also aims to provide a method for reinforcing a hollow chamber profile for windows or doors in which a reinforcing element according to the invention is attached to a hollow chamber profile for windows or doors.

[0004] These and other problems are solved according to the invention by a reinforcing element for a window or door hollow chamber profile with the features of claim 1 and by a method for reinforcing a window or door hollow chamber profile with the features of claim 7. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0005] According to the present invention, it has been found that material chips between the profile wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile and the fastening side of the reinforcement element prevent the fastening side from making full contact with the inner wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile. According to the invention, the material chips are contained in a cavity located between the profile wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile and a recessed area of ​​the fastening side of the reinforcement element, arranged between two contact areas. The fastening side of the reinforcement element rests against the inner wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile via the two contact points of the fastening side. This effectively prevents both tilting of the reinforcement element within the window or door hollow chamber profile and twisting of the reinforced window or door hollow chamber profile, particularly under thermal stress.

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention lies in providing a reinforcement element for window or door hollow chamber profiles, wherein the reinforcement element comprises a fastening side and at least one contact side connected to the fastening side via a connection area, wherein the fastening side and the at least one contact side at least partially enclose an interior of the reinforcement element, wherein the fastening side has at least one recessed area arranged between two contact areas, which is offset from the contact areas in the direction of the interior of the reinforcement element, characterized in that the recessed area extends over at least 40% of the width of the fastening side and the maximum offset of the recessed area of ​​the fastening side from the contact areas is at most 20% of the width of the fastening side.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention comprises a method for reinforcing a window or door hollow chamber profile, comprising the steps of (a) providing a window or door hollow chamber profile; (b) providing a reinforcing element according to the invention; (c) inserting the reinforcing element into a hollow chamber of the window or door hollow chamber profile, wherein a cavity is formed between a profile wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile and the recessed area on the fastening side of the reinforcing element; and (d) fastening the reinforcing element in the hollow chamber using a fastener that penetrates the profile wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile and the recessed area on the fastening side of the reinforcing element, wherein the material chips generated when penetrating the profile wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile are received in the cavity.

[0008] With regard to the reinforcement element according to the invention, it can be helpful if the lowering area is designed as a curvature of the fastening side towards the interior of the reinforcement element. In this way, a wide lowering area, which can readily accommodate the often elongated material chips of the window or door hollow chamber profile, can be easily produced using appropriate manufacturing processes.

[0009] It can also be advantageous if the recessed area extends over at least 40% of the width of the fastening side, in particular over at least 50% of the width of the fastening side, and preferably over at least 60% of the width of the fastening side. Such a wide recessed area is well suited to accommodating the often elongated material chips from the hollow chamber profile of the window or door.

[0010] It is preferable if the recessed area is positioned approximately in the middle of the width of the mounting surface. This facilitates the insertion of the fastener.

[0011] It has proven sufficient if the maximum offset of the lowering area of ​​the fastening side relative to the contact areas is at most 20% of the width of the fastening side, in particular at most 15% of the width of the fastening side and preferably at most 10% of the width of the fastening side.

[0012] It can also be helpful if the reinforcing element is made of a metallic material, in particular aluminum, steel, or iron, a polymeric material, in particular a fiber-reinforced polymeric material, or, in sections, a combination of the aforementioned materials. Such materials have proven to be particularly suitable in practice.

[0013] It can also be helpful if the reinforcing element has an essentially L-shaped, C-shaped, rectangular or square cross-section.

[0014] It can also prove useful if the fastening side of the reinforcing element is positioned between two legs of the reinforcing element. In this case, when the fastener is tightened into the window or door hollow chamber profile, the two legs between which the fastening side of the reinforcing element is positioned are spread outwards against the window or door hollow chamber profile. This process traps the plastic shavings released by the window or door hollow chamber profile between the window or door hollow chamber profile and the lowering area of ​​the reinforcing element. In this way, the reinforcing effect on the window or door hollow chamber profile caused by the reinforcing element according to the invention is significantly increased.

[0015] It can also be advantageous if the material of the window or door hollow chamber profile is a thermoplastic. This allows the window or door hollow chamber profile to be manufactured using a known extrusion process. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in particular rigid PVC (PVC-U) or post-chlorinated PVC, is preferred as the material for the window or door hollow chamber profile. The material can also be fiber-reinforced, in particular glass fiber-reinforced. The hollow chamber profile according to the invention can most preferably be manufactured by extrusion or co-extrusion in a known manner. It can be particularly advantageous if the material of the window or door hollow chamber profile is fiber-reinforced, in particular glass fiber-reinforced, at least in certain areas of its cross-section. This contributes to the mechanical stability of the frame assembly formed from sections of the hollow chamber profile according to the invention.

[0016] With regard to the method according to the invention, it can be advantageous if the two contact areas on the fastening side of the reinforcing element are in contact with the profile wall of the window or door hollow chamber profile. This increases the stabilizing effect of the reinforcing element according to the invention in the window or door hollow chamber profile.

[0017] It can also be helpful if the fastening side of the reinforcing element according to the invention is arranged between two legs of the reinforcing element according to the invention, and if, when fastening the reinforcing element according to the invention in the hollow chamber, the two legs are pressed at least partially against the window or door hollow chamber profile using a fastening means. In this way, the reinforcing effect effected by the reinforcing element according to the invention is significantly increased once again.

[0018] The reinforced hollow chamber window or door profiles obtained by the inventive method are preferably used to manufacture a frame assembly for a plastic window or door. A window or door frame can be obtained by welding mitered pieces of a reinforced hollow chamber window or door profile together. The resulting window or door frame is intended for, or can be installed in, an opening in the wall of a building.

[0019] The reinforcing element according to the invention, as well as individual parts thereof, can also be manufactured row by row or layer by layer using a row-building or layer-building manufacturing process (e.g. 3D printing), but manufacturing by extrusion, coextrusion or extrusion is preferred.

[0020] The present invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the figures. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a reinforcement element according to the prior art; Figure 2 shows a detail from a cross-sectional view of a reinforced window hollow chamber profile, wherein the following is inserted into a hollow chamber of the window hollow chamber profile. Fig. 1 Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a reinforcing element according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a section of a cross-sectional view of a reinforced window hollow chamber profile, wherein the element shown in Figure 3 is inserted into a hollow chamber of the window hollow chamber profile. Fig. 3 The reinforcement profile shown according to the invention is used.

[0021] In Fig. 1 A cross-sectional view of a reinforcement element 1 according to the prior art is shown. This element is a steel reinforcement profile produced by extrusion. The reinforcement element 1 comprises a fastening side 2 and two contact sides 3, 3', each connected to the fastening side 2 via a connection area 4, 4' designed as a rounded corner. To increase the mechanical stability of the reinforcement element 1, the ends of the contact sides 3, 3' facing away from the fastening side 2 are bent over. The fastening side 2 of the reinforcement element 1 is planar. The fastening side 2 and the two contact sides 3, 3' form three sides of an interior space 5 of the reinforcement element 1, which is thus partially enclosed by the fastening side 2 and the contact sides 3, 3'.

[0022] Fig. 2 a partial cross-sectional view of a window hollow chamber profile 6, which is connected to the one in Fig. 1 The reinforcement element 1 shown is reinforced. In alternative embodiments, the reinforcement element 1 can also be inserted into a door hollow chamber profile 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the window hollow chamber profile 6 is designed as a window frame profile. It is manufactured by extrusion from a thermoplastic polymer material, preferably polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in particular rigid PVC (PVC-U) or glass fiber reinforced PVC, to which additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, pigments, and the like are added. The reinforcement element 1 is inserted into the main hollow chamber 7, which is also commonly referred to as the reinforcement chamber, with the fastening side 2 facing a profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6. The reinforcement element 1 is fastened with a fastening element 9, which in the illustrated embodiment is designed as a screw.The fastener 9 penetrates the profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6 and the fastening side 2 of the reinforcement element 1. Upon penetrating the profile wall 8, the fastener 9 displaces PVC material from the profile wall 8, which is expelled as material chips 10, 10'. These material chips 10, 10' are located at the point where the fastener 9 exits the profile wall 8 and thus prevent the fastening side 2 of the reinforcement element 1 from lying flat against the inside of the profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6. In other words, the material chips 10, 10' cause the reinforcement element 1 to be spaced away from the profile wall 8 and therefore unable to fully exert its reinforcing effect. Instead, the reinforcement element 1 tends to tilt within the hollow chamber 7 of the hollow chamber profile 6.Furthermore, especially under thermal stress, warping of the reinforced hollow chamber profile can occur, which can negatively affect the smooth opening and closing of the window, particularly at higher temperatures.

[0023] This is effectively prevented by the present invention, which will be explained below with reference to... Fig. 3 und Fig. 4 will be explained in detail. This will show Fig. 3 a reinforcing element 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention in a cross-sectional view.

[0024] The reinforcing element 1 according to the invention is again designed as a steel reinforcement profile produced by extrusion. It comprises a fastening side 2 and two contact sides 3, 3', each of which is connected to the fastening side 2 via a connection area 4, 4' designed as a rounded corner. To improve the mechanical stability of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention, the ends of the contact sides 3, 3' facing away from the fastening side 2 are bent over. The contact sides 3, 3' correspond to the legs 14, 14'. The two legs 14, 14' and the fastening side 2 arranged between them define a substantially C-shaped contour of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention. The fastening side 2 and the two contact sides 3, 3' form three sides of an interior space 5 of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention, which is thus partially enclosed by the fastening side 2 and the contact sides 3, 3'.The fastening side 2 of the reinforcement element 1 is, in contrast to the reinforcement element 1, according to . Fig. 1 The mounting side 2 is not planar. Rather, it is curved towards the interior 5 of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention. This creates a depression 11 in the mounting side 2, which is arranged between two contact areas 12, 12'. The depression 11 is therefore offset from the contact areas 12, 12' towards the interior 5 of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention. Alternatively, the depression 11 can be curved in the direction of the interior 5 of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention. Fig. 3 The contact areas 12, 12' can be arranged in a square, elliptical, circular, or similar shape relative to the interior 5 of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention. The maximum offset is reached approximately at the midpoint of the width of the mounting side 2. The maximum offset relative to the contact areas 12, 12' is approximately 4% of the width of the mounting side 2.

[0025] The effect of the lowering zone 11 is from Fig. 4 clearly visible, which shows a partial cross-sectional view of a window hollow chamber profile 6, in whose main hollow chamber 7 the in Fig. 3 The reinforcement profile 1 according to the invention is inserted and fastened with a fastening means 9. The window hollow chamber profile 6 is in turn made of a thermoplastic polymer material, preferably polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in particular rigid PVC (PVC-U) or glass fiber reinforced PVC, to which additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, pigments and the like are added, by means of extrusion. The main hollow chamber 7 is also fitted according to Fig. 4The reinforcing element 1 according to the invention is inserted, with the fastening side 2 facing a profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6. To fasten the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention to the window hollow chamber profile 6, a fastening element 9 designed as a screw is guided through the profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6 and the fastening side 2 of the reinforcing element 1. In alternative embodiments, a bolt, a nail, a rivet, or the like can also be used as the fastening element 9 instead of a screw. When penetrating the profile wall 8, the fastening element 9 displaces PVC material from the profile wall 8, so that material chips 10, 10' are forced out of the profile wall 8.These material chips 10, 10' are located at the exit point of the fastening element 9 from the profile wall 8 and are received there in a cavity 13 formed between the fastening side 2 of the reinforcing element 1 and the profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6. At the same time, the two contact areas 12, 12' of the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention rest against the inside of the profile wall 8 of the hollow chamber profile 6. This prevents the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention from tilting within the hollow chamber profile 6. Even under thermal loads, no twisting of the reinforced hollow chamber profile can occur.

[0026] Furthermore, the two legs 14, 14' are pressed against the profile walls of the window or door hollow chamber profile 6 when the fastening element 9 is inserted, i.e., when the screw is inserted in the illustrated embodiment. This counter-pressure is more pronounced the further the corresponding section of the respective leg 14, 14' is from the fastening side 2. This significantly increases the reinforcing effect exerted by the reinforcing element 1 according to the invention on the window or door hollow chamber profile 6.

[0027] In alternative embodiments, the reinforcing element 1 can also be inserted into a door hollow chamber profile 6.

[0028] The present invention has been described by way of example with reference to hollow chamber profiles of a window. It is understood that the present invention is also applicable to other hollow chamber profiles, in particular hollow chamber profiles of a door, mullion and blind mullion profiles.

Claims

1. Reinforcement element (1) for window or door hollow-chamber profiles (6), wherein the reinforcement element (1) comprises a fastening side (2) and at least one contact side (3, 3') connected to the fastening side (2) via a connecting region (4, 4'), wherein the fastening side (2) and the at least one contact side at least partially enclose an interior space (5) of the reinforcement element (1), wherein the fastening side (2) has at least one lowered region (11) arranged between two contact regions (12, 12'), which is arranged offset relative to the contact regions (12, 12') in the direction of the interior space (5) of the reinforcement element (1), wherein the lowered region (11) extends over at least 40% of the width of the fastening side (2), characterized in that the maximum offset of the lowered region (11) of the fastening side (2) relative to the contact regions (12, 12') is at most 20% of the width of the fastening side (2).

2. Reinforcement element (1) for window or door hollow-chamber profiles (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that the lowered region (11) is formed as a curvature of the fastening side (2) in the direction of the interior space (5) of the reinforcement element (1).

3. Reinforcement element (1) for window or door hollow-chamber profiles (6) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the lowered region (11) is arranged approximately centrally with respect to the width of the fastening side (2).

4. Reinforcement element (1) for window or door hollow-chamber profiles (6) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the reinforcement element (1) is formed from a metallic material, in particular aluminum, steel or iron, from a polymeric material, in particular a fiber-reinforced polymeric material, or in sections from a combination of the aforementioned materials.

5. Reinforcement element (1) for window or door hollow-chamber profiles (6) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reinforcement element (1) has a substantially L-shaped, C-shaped, rectangular or square cross section.

6. Reinforcement element (1) for window or door hollow-chamber profiles (6) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fastening side (2) of the reinforcement element (1) is arranged between two legs (14, 14') of the reinforcement element (1).

7. Method for reinforcing a window or door hollow-chamber profile (6), comprising the following steps: (a) providing a window or door hollow-chamber profile (6); (b) providing a reinforcement element (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a cavity (13) is formed between a profile wall (8) of the window or door hollow-chamber profile (6) and the lowered region (11) on the fastening side (2) of the reinforcement element (1); (c) inserting the reinforcement element (1) into a hollow chamber (7) of the window or door hollow-chamber profile (6); (d) fastening the reinforcement element (1) in the hollow chamber (7) using a fastening means (9), which penetrates the profile wall (8) of the window or door hollow-chamber profile (6) and the lowered region (11) on the fastening side (2) of the reinforcement element (1), wherein the material chips (10, 10') produced when penetrating the profile wall (8) of the window or door hollow-chamber profile (6) are received in the cavity (13).

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the contact regions (12, 12') on the fastening side (2) of the reinforcement element (1) bear against the profile wall (8) of the window or door hollow-chamber profile (6).

9. Method according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterized in that the fastening side (2) of the reinforcement element (1) is arranged between two legs (14, 14') of the reinforcement element (1) and the two legs (14, 14') are, when fastening the reinforcement element (1) in the hollow chamber (7) using a fastening means (9), pressed at least in sections against the window or door hollow-chamber profile (6).