Glass wall for internal partitions

Abstract

The invention relates to the door and window sector and concerns a glass wall for internal partitions capable of offering high soundproofing performance. Said glass wall (1) for internal partitions is adapted to close an opening of a wall to separate two contiguous rooms, and comprises: a frame (2) adapted to be fixed to sides of said opening; a first glass sheet (3) and a second glass sheet (4), surrounded by said frame (2), arranged facing and spaced from each other to provide a sealed unit (5), Said frame (2) comprises a first frame (12) that surrounds said first glass sheet (3) and a second frame (22) that surrounds said second glass sheet (4), where said first (12) and second (22) frame comprise solid wood elements and are spaced from each other defining an air space (6) adapted to house a multilayer composite panel (7) of another kind, positioned in contact with said first (12) and second (22) frame, adapted to facilitate soundproofing of the glass wall (1).

Description

[0001] GLASS WALL FOR INTERNAL PARTITIONS

[0002] Technical field of application

[0003] The invention relates to the door and window sector and concerns a glass wall for internal partitions capable of offering high soundproofing performance.

[0004] Background art

[0005] The soundproofing capacity of a glass wall is determined by the Rw value, which is a value expressed in decibels (dB) and declares the capacity of an element to reduce the passage of noise. The higher the Rw value, the better the soundproofing performance of the element in question, and the better the noise attenuation.

[0006] Soundproofing indicates the amount of sound energy that can pass through relative to the original amount. If the insulation is equal to 10 dB, 1 / 10 of the original sound energy passes through, while if it is equal to 20 dB, 1 / 100 passes through, and if it is equal to 30 dB 1 / 1000 passes through, and so forth.

[0007] The efficacy of soundproofing depends, essentially, on various factors, and the main factors undoubtedly include the material of the frame and the type of insulating glass, in addition to the presence of any seals.

[0008] In the construction industry glass walls are known, adapted to close an opening in a wall, for example being fixed between a floor, a ceiling or an upper support, and a first and a second lateral support, to separate two adjacent rooms letting light pass through and allowing visibility between them.

[0009] These glass walls must be soundproofed and guarantee a high level of acoustic insulation.

[0010] Currently, these glass walls for internal partitions are mostly produced with aluminium frames, and allow acoustic insulation values up to a Rw value of 44 / 46 dB to be obtained.

[0011] By way of example, said glass walls for internal partitions comprise:

[0012] - a frame, adapted to be fixed to sides of said opening, and created with extruded profiles, for example made of aluminium;

[0013] - a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet, surrounded by said frame, arranged facing and spaced from each other to provide a sealed unit.

[0014] Extruded profiles made of aluminium are hollow inside, and due to their structure with shaped cavities offer good acoustic insulation performance: the soundwaves impacting the glass wall are in fact damped by the presence of the cavities of the profiles.

[0015] However, glass walls with a metal frame offer limited aesthetic and somewhat inelegant performances: aluminium is, for example, a material with a cold and sharp appearance, difficult to harmonize in architectural contexts in which one wishes to create warm and sophisticated ambiences.

[0016] In order to give aluminium frames a more attractive aesthetic look, they can be covered with wooden sheets or coverings, having a purely decorative function, but these unfortunately cause complications during assembly and installation, as well as increasing costs. Moreover, fixing of the aluminium frame to the structural elements (floor, ceiling, upper support and lateral supports) takes place using screws and thus requires holes to be made in these structural elements; the fixing means remain visible.

[0017] Glass walls with a metal frame have a relatively standardized size: in order to create solutions of large size, and even full height solutions, several metal profiles must be joined to one another by overlaps and screw connection elements that are also visible and not very aesthetically pleasing.

[0018] Currently, there are no glass walls for internal partitions with solid wood frames that achieve the same soundproofing performance as metal frames.

[0019] Presentation of the invention

[0020] The invention intends to overcome these limits, by producing a glass wall for internal partitions made of solid wood, which combines achieving high soundproofing performance and attention for an attractive aesthetic appearance.

[0021] It is also an object of the invention to produce a glass wall for internal partitions that is easy to produce and easy to install.

[0022] These objects are achieved with a glass wall for internal partitions adapted to close an opening of a wall to separate two contiguous rooms comprising:

[0023] - a frame adapted to be fixed to sides of said opening;

[0024] - a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet, surrounded by said frame, arranged facing and spaced from each other to provide a sealed unit, characterized in that said frame comprises a first frame that surrounds said first glass sheet and a second frame that surrounds said second glass sheet, where said first and second frame comprise solid wood elements and are spaced from each other defining an air space adapted to house a multilayer composite panel of another kind, positioned in contact with said first and second frame, adapted to facilitate soundproofing of the glass wall.

[0025] Further features of the glass wall for internal partitions of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0026] The invention has numerous advantages.

[0027] The glass wall is obtained with frames made entirely of solid wood, advantageously oak, which combines its great aesthetic qualities with excellent soundproofing performance and a low environmental impact.

[0028] Wooden frames are very versatile and offer great possibilities of customization, with the possibility of producing two-tone solutions or combining glass walls with solid wood doors to create compositions in which glass and wood are alternated.

[0029] Solid oak is a noble, living and warm material, and is linked to a vision of sustainable and environmentally friendly architecture: the glass wall of the invention, made using reforestation timber strictly with FSC and PEFC certification, is an environmentally sustainable and flexible product.

[0030] Thanks to the use of a multilayer composite panel, positioned in contact with two frames along the whole of their perimeter, the glass wall achieves high levels of soundproofing, up to 48 dB, guaranteeing a very high degree of living comfort, both in working and residential environments.

[0031] Unlike aluminium walls, which are at times covered with wood coverings, the glass wall of the invention is made entirely of wood, without dimensional limitations in height, except for those dictated by the manufacturing possibilities of the glass sheets. Thanks to formfitting mechanical joining systems used in carpentry, which allow the continuity of the wooden elements forming the frames, planning flexibility is extreme, allowing made-to-measure solutions.

[0032] The design of the glass wall according to the invention is very clean and minimal.

[0033] Brief description of the drawings

[0034] The advantages of the invention will be more apparent in the following description of a preferred embodiment provided by way of non-limiting example, and with the aid of the drawings, wherein:

[0035] - Figs. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c represent, in front plan view, in vertical section and in horizontal section, respectively, a glass wall for internal partitions according to the invention;

[0036] - Fig. 2 represents, in section, a detail of the glass wall according to the invention;

[0037] - Fig. 3 represents, in front plan view, a further detail of the glass wall according to the invention.

[0038] Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

[0039] With reference to Figs. 1a, 1 b and 1 c, there is illustrated a glass wall 1 for internal partitions adapted to close an opening of a wall to separate two contiguous rooms.

[0040] Said glass wall 1 is adapted to be fixed between a floor, an upper support, and a first and a second lateral support; in possible variants said glass wall 1 has a height such as to be fixed directly between floor and ceiling.

[0041] Said glass wall 1 comprises: a frame 2 adapted to be fixed to sides of said opening; a first glass sheet 3 and a second glass sheet 4, surrounded by said frame 2, arranged facing and spaced from each other to provide a sealed unit 5.

[0042] The composition of the glass sheets 3, 4 is chosen also depending on the soundproofing standard to be obtained: a first glass sheet 66.2 coupled to a second glass sheet 44.2 allows, glass contribution, a glass wall at 45 dB to be obtained, or two glass sheets, both 66.2, allows, glass contribution, a glass wall at 48 dB to be obtained.

[0043] With particular reference to the section of Fig. 2, said frame 2 comprises a first frame 12 that surrounds said first glass sheet 3 and a second frame 22 that surrounds said second glass sheet 4.

[0044] Said first 12 and second 22 frames are adapted to be fixed to the sides of said opening by means of elastic adhesive means 8, preferably silicone, and do not require mechanical screw connections means.

[0045] Said first frame 12 and said second frame 22 comprise solid wood elements, preferably oak, made with reforestation timber. Said first frame 12 and said second frame 22 are arranged spaced from each other and define an air space 6.

[0046] A multilayer composite panel 7 with high soundproofing performance is housed inside said air space 6, positioned in contact with said first and second frame along the whole of their perimeter, capable of stopping the passage of sound waves from one room to the other. Said composite panel 7 guarantees soundproofing in a direction transverse to the plane containing the glass wall 1 .

[0047] Said multilayer composite panel 7 is a sandwich panel: it comprises an XPS extruded polystyrene core 7a, covered by a first 7b and a second 7c HPL high pressure laminate sheet. Excellent results have been obtained with the HPL composite panel manufactured by the company RENOLIT.

[0048] Said multilayer composite panel 7 is arranged in said air space 6 so that said laminate sheets 7b, 7c rest on said first frame 12 and said second frame 22 respectively.

[0049] Said first 12 and second 22 frames each comprise a recess 9: said recesses 9 are adapted when installed to define a central channel 10, located astride said air space 6, and open towards said elastic adhesive means 8.

[0050] Said channel 10 has a width at least equal to the distance between said two glass sheets 3, 4.

[0051] To guarantee soundproofing also in the plane that contains the glass wall 1 , said glass wall 1 comprises soundproofing expansion bands 11 interposed between said wooden frames 12, 22 and said elastic adhesive means 8 along the whole of the perimeter of said frames 12, 22 and adapted to occupy said channel 10 externally to said panel 7.

[0052] Said expansion bands 11 advantageously comprise polyether foam impregnated with UV ray-enriched acrylic resin, and guarantee soundproofing exceeding 58 dB. Excellent results have been obtained with expansion bands manufactured by the company HANNO.

[0053] Said glass wall 1 further comprises glass stop frames.

[0054] In particular, said glass wall 1 comprises a central glass stop frame 13 arranged between said first glass sheet 3 and said second glass sheet 4 and two lateral glass stop frames 14, 15 arranged at the sides of said glass sheets 3, 4 on opposite sides with respect to said central glass stop frame13.

[0055] As is apparent from the detail section of Fig. 2, said composite panel 7 is closed between said central glass stop frame 13 and said expansion bands 1 and is in contact simultaneously with all said components.

[0056] Said glass stop frames 13, 14, 15 are also made of solid wood, preferably of oak, like the frames 12, 22.

[0057] Said glass stop frames 13, 14, 15 comprise, along an edge thereof facing the respective glass sheet 3, 4, seals 16 made of EPDM rubber, adapted mainly to absorb vibrations, but with the consequent advantage of damping any noises that could be caused by vibrations of the glass sheets.

[0058] Said seals 16 are shaped and comprise a flat surface facing the respective glass stop frame 13, 14, 15 and a concave surface facing the respective glass sheet 3, 4.

[0059] With particular reference to Fig. 3, said frames 12, 22 can be of modular type, i.e. assembled on site to make glass walls 1 for internal partitions of large size, where the dimensional limit is dictated only by the size of the glass sheets.

[0060] The solid wood elements can be arranged continuously and joined during installation using form-fitting joining means 17, for example fixed with concealed wooden pins 18. * * * * *

Claims

CLAIMS1. A glass wall (1 ) for internal partitions adapted to close an opening of a wall to separate two contiguous rooms comprising:- a frame (2) adapted to be fixed to sides of said opening;- a first glass sheet (3) and a second glass sheet (4), surrounded by said frame (2), arranged facing and spaced from each other to provide a sealed unit (5), characterized in that said frame (2) comprises a first frame (12) that surrounds said first glass sheet (3) and a second frame (22) that surrounds said second glass sheet (4), where said first (12) and second (22) frame comprise solid wood elements and are spaced from each other defining an air space (6) adapted to house a multilayer composite panel (7), positioned in contact with said first (12) and second (22) frame, adapted to facilitate soundproofing of the glass wall (1 ).

2. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that said solid wood elements are made of oak.

3. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that said first (12) and second (22) frame are adapted to be fixed to the sides of said opening by means of elastic adhesive means (8).

4. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that said multilayer composite panel (7) comprises an XPS extruded polystyrene core (7a), covered by a first (7b) and a second (7c) HPL high pressure laminate sheet, arranged in said air space (6) so that said laminate sheets (7b, 7c) rest on said first (12) and second(22) frame respectively.

5. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 3, characterized in that:- said first (12) and second (22) frame each comprise a recess (9), where said recesses (9) are adapted when installed to define a central channel (10), located astride said air space (6), open towards said elastic adhesive means (8);- said glass wall (1 ) comprises soundproofing expansion bands (11 ) interposed between said first (12) and second (22) frame and said elastic adhesive means (8) all along the perimeter of said first (12) and second (22) frame and adapted to occupy said channel (10) externally to said panel (7).

6. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 5, characterized in that said expansion bands (11 ) comprise polyether foam impregnated with UV ray-enriched acrylic resin.

7. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 5, characterized in that said channel (10) has a width at least equal to the distance between said first (3) and second (4) glass sheet.

8. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a central glass stop frame (13) arranged between said first glass sheet (3) and said second glass sheet (4) and two lateral glass stop frames (14, 15) arranged at the sides of said glass sheets (3, 4) on opposite sides with respect to said central glass stop frame (13), where said glass stop frames (13, 14, 15) are made of solid wood.

9. The glass wall (1 ) according to claims 5 and 8, characterized in that said composite panel (7) is closed between said central glass stop frame (13) and said expansion bands (11 ) and is in contact simultaneously with all said components.

10. The glass wall (1 ) according to claim 8, characterized in that said glass stop frames (13, 14, 15) comprise, along an edge thereof facing the respective glass sheet (3, 4), appropriately shaped seals (16) made of EPDM rubber.

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