Assembly of profile sections, assembly method and frame obtained by such a method

Abstract

An assembly comprises two sections (90) of profile (2), each section (90) having at least one chamber (22), the assembly comprising a thermoplastic joining piece (91), the joining piece (91) having two arms (910) extending in respective longitudinal directions forming an angle with each other, each arm (910) being inserted into the chamber (22) of one of the sections (90) with a welded surface (914) bearing against a first face (221) of the chamber (22), and at least one spacer extending between the welded surface (914) and a second face of the chamber (22) opposite the first face (221), the welded surface (914) being welded to the first face (221) of the chamber (22). Frame formed by such assemblies and method for making such assemblies. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 3

Description

Title of the invention: Assembly of profile sections, assembly method and frame obtained by such a method. Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to an assembly of profile sections comprising a chamber, with a part having branches that fit into the chambers. It also relates to an assembly method for obtaining such an assembly. Furthermore, it relates to a frame comprising such assemblies, in particular a solar panel frame. Previous technique

[0002] Frames with profile sections comprising at least one chamber are found in many fields. Such frames are particularly common in joinery, both for fixed parts such as jambs and for moving parts such as windows or doors. These frames are also found in the manufacture of solar thermal or photovoltaic panels, where the frame serves to fix a flat element such as a pane of glass or the active part of the photovoltaic panel. The profiles used comprise a chamber delimited by a tube and a first flange projecting from the tube. This first flange has a return extending parallel to a first wall of the tube so as to define a groove. The groove is designed to receive the periphery of the flat element. The profiles used to construct the frames are frequently produced by extruding aluminum or by pultrusion of thermosetting synthetic material.

[0003] Document EP 4 258 542 A1 shows an example of such a profile produced by a thermosetting matrix pultrusion process. The profiles are mitered to form a frame for photovoltaic solar panels with brackets inserted into the tubular parts, also called chambers.

[0004] The assembly of the brackets and profiles uses nails, which induces mechanical stresses within the profiles and tends to weaken them. Furthermore, such profiles are made of thermosetting resin, resulting in low recyclability of panels made with these profiles.

[0005] In document CN115913085A, the structure of a joining bracket is detailed. This joining piece is completely concealed by the profiles once the assembly is complete. The frame angle is formed by the junction of the mitered profiles. It is necessary to prepare the profiles to achieve a snap-fit ​​assembly between each profile and the joining piece. Rough-cut profiles can be sharp and prone to sharp edges. It is therefore common to Plan for a finishing operation to round the angle, for example by sanding, creating a chamfer or a fillet. This operation has the disadvantage of removing the surface layer of the profiles, and with it its functions, which may be aesthetic with a colored layer or corrosion protection, particularly in the case of aluminum profile sections. Description of the invention

[0006] One objective of the invention is to provide an easy-to-manufacture assembly of profile sections, limiting the risk of injury during handling of the assembly, while preserving the surface functions of the profiles. Another objective is to provide an assembly whose recyclability is facilitated.

[0007] With these objectives in view, the invention relates to an assembly comprising two profile sections, each section comprising at least one chamber, the assembly comprising an assembly piece made of a first thermoplastic material, the assembly piece comprising two branches extending along respective longitudinal directions forming an angle between them, each branch being inserted into the chamber of one of the sections, characterized in that the sections have a matrix made of a second thermoplastic material, each branch comprising at least one welding surface bearing against a first face of the chamber, and at least one spacer extending between the welding surface and a second face of the chamber opposite the first face, the welding surface being connected by welding to the first face of the chamber.

[0008] The use of a thermoplastic assembly piece and sections allows for assembly by welding, whereby the first thermoplastic material is melted so that it bonds to the section. To ensure that the weld face remains in contact with the first face of the chamber during welding, an interlayer is provided to hold the weld surface in place, for example, by clamping the tubular portion of the profile. The interlayer can be designed to fit snugly inside the tube and to slightly deform the tube elastically during the welding operation. Alternatively, the interlayer can be forced in, causing elastic deformation of the tube, which then presses the weld face against the first face of the profile.Examples of thermoplastic materials include polyamide, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

[0009] According to an improvement, the welding surface has a plurality of raised features bearing against the first face of the chamber. This allows for localized heating of the material during the welding operation. Better weld strength results are observed with such an arrangement.

[0010] According to one constructive arrangement, the ridges are raised edges extending parallel to each other. The ridges are separated by grooves into which the material from the ridges can flow during welding.

[0011] According to a preferred arrangement, the beads extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the branch bearing the beads. The best weld strength results are obtained with this arrangement. Moreover, in the case of a molded assembly part, this arrangement is less restrictive on the shape of the beads for demolding the part.

[0012] According to an improvement, the assembly part is made of a thermoplastic material reinforced with short fibers. The fibers are considered short if they are less than 10 mm long, although the material may also incorporate fibers shorter than 1 mm, or even 0.1 mm. The fibers can be of any type commonly used as reinforcing material in composite materials. They can be glass, carbon, basalt, aramid fibers, or natural fibers such as hemp or flax. Such a part can be produced by an injection molding technique using a first thermoplastic material that is melted and mixed with the short fibers in an extruder.

[0013] According to a preferred arrangement, the profiles of the sections are obtained by pultrusion with a reinforcing material made of fibers. The second thermoplastic material is obtained, for example, during reactive pultrusion in which liquid precursors are mixed and the mixture is injected into a pultrusion die to wet a bundle of fibers. The mixture polymerizes and forms the thermoplastic material from which the profile emerges. In addition to the recyclability of such a product, the profiles thus obtained are suitable for welding to the assembly part, which is also made of thermoplastic material. Existing reactive systems for pultrusion are mainly based on anionic polymerization mechanisms of monomers, such as polyamide 6 from ε-caprolactam, polyamide 12 from lauryllactam, or radical polymerizations, such as PMMA from methyl methacrylate.

[0014] According to a preferred characteristic, the reinforcement material of the profile represents more than 50%, and preferably more than 60%, of the profile's volume. Such a proportion of reinforcement material makes it possible to obtain very desirable mechanical characteristics in terms of strength and rigidity. This reinforcement ratio is easily achieved by the thermoplastic reactive pultrusion process, in which the mixture before polymerization is very fluid and allows for excellent fiber wetting.

[0015] According to one design feature, the spacer is a rib extending substantially perpendicularly to the weld surface and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the branch bearing said weld surface. Such a rib is sufficient to transmit forces to the weld surface while limiting the cross-section of the spacer, making it compatible, in particular, with injection molding. It can, of course, be supplemented by other ribs to increase rigidity.

[0016] According to one design feature, the assembly comprises a pillar connecting the two arms. The pillar has stop means projecting from the arms so that the section abuts against the stop means after the arm slides into the chamber. Thus, the pillar remains visible, particularly at the corner of the assembly, which allows for a less aggressive shape without subsequent reworking of the profiles. The surface quality of the profiles is therefore preserved.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the sections comprise at least one first flange projecting from the tube, the first flange having a return extending parallel to a first wall of the tube so as to define a groove, the post further comprising a housing for the extension of the grooves, the housing being delimited by a first plate opposite the returns and by corner walls opposite the first flanges. Such an assembly makes it possible to fix a flat element which is inserted into the grooves and into the housing. The post here also forms the angle over the entire thickness of the product, also ensuring the continuity of the grooves to accommodate the top of the flat element.

[0018] In particular, the pillar has, for each arm, a stop face extending perpendicularly to the direction of the arm. This allows for a connection between the pillar and the profile sections with a straight cut of the sections. The straight cut reduces profile waste compared to a mitered cut. It also limits the weakening of the section by preventing the creation of a sharp point.

[0019] Alternatively, the sections have a partially straight cut and a partially oblique cut on one inner side, the straight-cut portion abutting the buttress face, while the obliquely cut portions face each other on the inside of the angle formed by the arms. This achieves a compromise between a straight cut and a mitre cut, while limiting the size of the pillar. Furthermore, since this mitre cut is hidden, being located inside the profile, it is easier to manufacture as it allows for greater manufacturing tolerances.

[0020] Alternatively, the pillar comprises, for each branch, an oblique abutment face extending parallel to a plane bisecting the angle formed by the branches. This limits the visible part of the pillar, for example for aesthetic reasons and also to limit the size of the assembly piece.

[0021] According to a constructive arrangement, each branch has an E-shaped cross-section. This shape allows the branch to bear on all faces of a chamber of the rectangular profile, with thicknesses of a dimension compatible with the molding technique. Furthermore, the central flange of this E-shaped section can be the intermediate rib.

[0022] The invention also relates to a frame comprising a plurality of profile sections, the sections being assembled two by two by an assembly, as described above.

[0023] According to one embodiment, when the profiles have a groove, the frame is designed to support a thermal or photovoltaic solar panel, with a flat element being received in the grooves of the sections and the housings of the assemblies. Welded assembly allows for high productivity by eliminating the need to create notches in the profile sections to accommodate traditional snap-fit ​​assembly systems. The sections simply need to be cut, fitted with the assembly pieces, and then welded to form the frame. The flat element is positioned in the grooves when the sections are fitted with the assembly pieces. When using assembly pieces with the posts, the resulting angle eliminates any risk of injury during panel handling, even during the welding process.

[0024] The invention also relates to a method for creating an assembly as described above, in which the profile sections are inserted onto the arms, a welding tool is placed against the profile along the first face, an anvil is placed against the profile along the second face, the anvil is clamped in the direction of the welding tool, and the welding tool is operated to melt the weld surface and create a weld between the arm and the section at the first face. Various welding techniques can be used, such as high-frequency currents, ultrasound, or hot irons. Clamping against the anvil allows a compressive force to be applied between the weld face and the first face of the profile so as to forge the weld after the thermoplastic material has melted.

[0025] According to a particular embodiment of the process, the welding tool is a sonotrode for generating ultrasound. The vibrations transmitted by the sonotrode induce friction at the contacting surfaces, which generates heat until the thermoplastic material melts. When the ultrasound emission ceases, the localized heat dissipates and the material hardens again fairly quickly, having completed the weld.

[0026] According to our embodiment, the assembly part is produced by a reactive thermoplastic pultrusion process in the shape of an L-shaped profile and by cutting the profile perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. This process allows for continuous manufacturing of the assembly parts. During the manufacturing of the profile, reinforcements in the form of mats can be provided on the surface, particularly near the angle of the arms.

[0027] According to an improvement, the pultrusion process includes a step of depositing an outer layer of thermoplastic material by co-extrusion. This outer layer can be of a thermoplastic material with no reinforcement or with little reinforcement. It advantageously acts as an intermediate adhesive between the assembly part and the profile during the welding operation.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the assembly part is produced by an injection molding process using thermoplastic material. This technique is well-suited to manufacturing the assembly part to obtain substantially isotropic mechanical properties and shapes that can be complex, particularly with the presence of the pillar. The mold used for manufacturing may have a parting surface between two shells, the parting surface being, for example, flat and extending to mid-thickness of the arms. The parting surface may also extend perpendicularly to the plane of the arms, following their direction. Brief description of the figures

[0029] The invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description, the description referring to the accompanying drawings, among which:

[0030] - [Fig. 1] is a top view of a frame conforming to a first mode of realization of the invention; - [Fig.2] is a perspective view of an assembly part for one corner of the frame of [Fig.1]; - the [Fig.3] another perspective view of the assembly part of the [Fig.2]; - [Fig.4] is a cross-sectional view of the assembly part of [Fig.2]; - [Fig.5] is a view of detail V of [Fig.4]; - [Fig.6] is an end view of a profile used for solar panel frames according to the invention; - [Fig.7] and a view similar to [Fig.3] according to a second embodiment of an assembly. Detailed description

[0031] A frame 9 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in [Fig. 1]. Such a frame comprises four sections 90 of profile 7 cut and joined in the form of a rectangle. At each corner, a connecting piece 91 has two arms 910 forming an angle with each other. The connecting piece 91 is used to join two profile sections 90 together. For this purpose, one of the arms 910 of the connecting piece 91 is inserted into a chamber 22 of the profile 7, preferably with a tight fit. In addition, the connecting piece 91 has stop means 8 against which the ends of the sections 90 bear. The angle of the frame 9 is then formed by the connecting pieces 91, which are thus at least partially visible.

[0032] Referring to Figures 2 to 5, each arm 910 of the assembly part 91 has an E-shaped cross-section, i.e., with two stiffeners 911 connected by a central portion 912 extending from the inner side of the angle, and an intermediate rib 913 extending midway between the two stiffeners 911 and parallel to them. The central portion 912 has a welding surface 914 opposite the intermediate rib 913. Each arm 910 is also connected to a pillar 915 that forms the angle of the frame 9. The welding surface 914 is provided with raised ridges 9140 extending parallel to each other and perpendicular to the main direction of the arms 910, as shown in the detail of [Fig. 5].

[0033] The pillar 915 extends between an upper face 916 substantially parallel to the plane defined by the arms 910 and a lower face 917 opposite the upper face 916. The assembly piece 91 includes stop means 8 projecting from the arms 910 so that the section 90 abuts against the stop means 8 after the arm 910 slides into the chamber 22. The stop means 8 are supported by the pillar 915 and have, for each arm 910, a stop face 80 extending perpendicularly to the direction of the arm 910. The pillar 915 is formed by two corner walls 9150 extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the arms 910 and forming a right angle with each other. The pillar 915 also includes two connecting walls 9151 extending from the corner walls 9150 to the base of the central portion 912 of the branches 910.The pillar 915 further comprises plates extending parallel to the plane defined by the arms 910, the first two of which 9152 are in line with the stiffeners 911 of the arms 910, and the third 9153 is substantially in an intermediate position between the other two. The pillar 915 also comprises a fourth plate 9154 bearing the upper face 916 and defining a housing 9155 with one of the first plates 9152.

[0034] The assembly part 91 further comprises positioning means 1 having a convex shape 11 projecting from the lower face 917, and a concave shape 12 supported by the upper face 916, the convex shape 11 being intended to fit into the concave shape 12 of an adjacent part of the same type placed on the part. The convex shape is an edge 11, visible in [Fig. 2], and the concave shape is a groove 12. visible on [Fig.3], these forms 11, 12 being oriented along a direction parallel to a bisector of the angle formed by the branches 910.

[0035] The profile 2 from which the sections 90 are cut is shown in [Fig. 6]. It comprises a tube 21 defining a chamber 22 with a substantially rectangular cross-section, a first flange 23 extending from a first wall 211 of the tube 21, and a second flange 24 extending from a second wall 212 of the tube 21 perpendicular to the first wall 211. The first flange 23 has a return 231 extending perpendicularly to the first wall 211 and parallel to a third wall 213 to define a groove 25. A fourth wall 214, parallel to the first wall, has a boss 2140 bearing a first face 221 on the side of the chamber 22. The chamber 22 also has a second face 222 opposite the first face 221. The profiles 2 are produced, for example, by pultrusion.

[0036] Each arm 910 is inserted into the chamber 22 of one of the sections 90 with the stop means 8 in contact with the end of the respective section 90, as shown in [Fig. 4] where only one of the sections 90 is represented. The return 231 is thus opposite the fourth plate 9154 which extends the delimitation of the groove 25 of the profile 2, the welding surface 914 bears against the first face 221 and the intermediate rib 913 bears against the second face 222.

[0037] The assembly part 91 is made of a short-fiber reinforced composite material with a thermoplastic matrix. The thermoplastic material is chosen based on its mechanical properties and resistance to environmental conditions, among other factors. For example, it is chosen from the polyamide family or other families chemically compatible with the profile matrix, such as maleic anhydride-modified polypropylenes in the case of a polyamide matrix profile.

[0038] To assemble the frame 9, sections 90 of the profile 2 are first cut to the desired lengths with a straight cut, followed by a mitered cut 240 of the second flange 24. Four assembly pieces 91 are then placed at the four vertices of the frame 9, with the arms 910 inserted into the chambers. An anvil is placed against the profile 2 opposite one of the arms 910, and a sonotrode is positioned to clamp the profile 2 between the anvil and the sonotrode. Due to this clamping, the weld surface 914 is pressed against the first face 221 of the section 90, notably through the transmission of forces via the spacer 913 in contact with the second face 222. The sonotrode is then activated to generate ultrasound. The interface between the assembly part 91 and the section 90 is subjected to ultrasound which causes heating of this interface.The ultrasound is maintained for a sufficient duration to cause the material to melt at the interface, particularly the material of the 9140 beads. The 9140 beads function by allowing a . Local energy concentration. After the sonotrode stops, the molten material solidifies upon cooling, thus creating a weld that prevents the 910 branch from being pulled out. This operation is repeated for each of the 910 branches of the assembly parts, either simultaneously with multiple tools or successively by moving the tooling.

[0039] To form a photovoltaic solar panel, an active flat element, not shown, is placed before welding, with the edges of the flat element housed in the groove 25 of each of the sections 90.

[0040] In the second embodiment, as shown in [Fig. 7], the assembly piece 91' comprises a pillar 915' whose dimensions correspond to the total width of the profile 2' used to make the sections 90'. The pillar 915' also includes the shimming means 1. The profile 2', shown in dashed lines, has a single-tube cross-section. The arms 910 have the same shape as in the first embodiment, and the assembly is carried out in the same way by welding.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] An assembly part 91 was produced by molding and the profiles 2 by pultrusion. A section 90 of the profile 2 was then assembled with the assembly part 91 by welding in accordance with the process described above. The assembly was subjected to a tensile force tending to extract the assembly part 91 from the profile 2. A weld strength greater than 5 MPa was recorded. By dimensioning the size of the arm 910 and the cross-section of the profile 2, a pull-out force greater than 1000 N, or even 1500 N, can be obtained, which is suitable for a large number of applications.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] An assembly part 91 was produced by pultrusion of an L-shaped profile with co-extrusion of a 0.2 mm thick outer layer of thermoplastic material. The profile was cut with straight cuts to produce the assembly parts. A section 90 of the profile was welded to the assembly part 91 according to the process described above. The assembly was subjected to a tensile force tending to extract the assembly part 91 from the profile. A weld strength greater than 12 MPa was recorded, which is suitable for a wide range of applications.

Claims

Demands

1. An assembly comprising two profile sections (90) (2), each section (90) having at least one chamber (22), the assembly comprising an assembly piece (91) made of a first thermoplastic material, the assembly piece (91) having two arms (910) extending along respective longitudinal directions forming an angle between them, each arm (910) being inserted into the chamber (22) of one of the sections (90), characterized in that the sections have a matrix made of a second thermoplastic material, each arm having at least one weld surface (914) bearing against a first face (221) of the chamber (22), and at least one spacer extending between the weld surface (914) and a second face (222) of the chamber (22) opposite the first face (221), the weld surface (914) being welded to the first face (221) of chamber (22).

2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the welding surface (914) has a plurality of reliefs (9140) bearing against the first face (221) of the chamber (22).

3. Assembly according to claim 2, wherein the reliefs are ridges (9140) extending parallel to each other.

4. Assembly according to claim 3, wherein the beads (9140) extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm (910) which carries the beads (9140).

5. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the assembly part (91) is made of a short fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material.

6. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profiles (2) of the sections (90) are obtained by pultrusion with a reinforcing material formed of fibers and a thermoplastic matrix.

7. Assembly according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcing material of the profile (2) represents more than 50% of the volume, preferably more than 60% of the volume of the profile (2).

8. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spacer is a spacer rib extending substantially perpendicularly to the weld surface (914) and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the branch (910) which carries said welding surface (914).

9. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a pillar (915) connecting the two arms (910), the pillar (915) comprising stop means (8) projecting from the arms (910) so that the section (90) is abutted against the stop means (8) after sliding the arm (910) in the chamber (22),

10. Assembly according to claim 9, wherein the sections (90) comprise at least one first wing (23) projecting from the tube (21), the first wing (23) comprising a return (231) extending parallel to a first wall of the tube (21) so as to delimit a groove (25), the pillar (915) further comprising a housing (9155) for the extension of the grooves (25), the housing (9155) being delimited by a first plate (9152) opposite the returns (231) and the corner walls (9150) opposite the first wings (23).

11. Assembly according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the pillar (915) has for each arm (910) a stop face (80) extending perpendicularly to the direction of the arm (910).

12. Assembly according to claim 11, wherein the sections (90) have a partially straight cut and a partially oblique cut on one inner side, the part with a straight cut being abutted against the abutment face (80), the parts with an oblique cut (240) facing each other inside the angle formed by the arms (910).

13. Assembly according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the pillar (915) has for each branch (910) an oblique stop face (80) extending parallel to a bisecting plane of the angle formed by the branches (910).

14. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each arm (910) has an E-shaped section.

15. Frame comprising a plurality of sections (90) of profiles (2), the sections (90) being assembled two by two by an assembly, characterized in that the assemblies are according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. Frame according to claim 15, characterized in that the assemblies are, according to any one of claims 10 to 13, for producing a thermal or photovoltaic solar panel, an element plan being received in the gorges (25) of the sections and the housings (9155) of the assemblies.

17. A method for making an assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the sections (90) of profile (2) are introduced onto the arms (910), a welding tool is placed against the profile (2) along the first face (221), an anvil is placed against the profile (2) along the second face (222), the anvil is tightened in the direction of the welding tool and the welding tool is operated to melt the reliefs (9140) and make a weld between the arm (910) and the section (90) at the level of the first face (221).

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the welding tool is a sonotrode for generating ultrasound.

19. A method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the assembly part (91) is produced by a reactive thermoplastic pultrusion process in the shape of an L-shaped profile and by cutting the profile.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the pultrusion method of the assembly part includes a step of depositing an outer layer of thermoplastic material by co-extrusion.

21. A method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the assembly part (91) is produced by an injection molding process of thermoplastic material.

Images