Corner Connector for Spacer Bars with Interlocking Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corner connectors for spacer bars in window joinery lack strength to withstand heavy loads, fail to prevent binder leakage, and are difficult to install while maintaining a stable and sealed connection.
Innovation Solution
A corner connector with inclined upper and side projections, reinforcing rods, and sealing projections that provide a durable, sealed, and easy-to-install connection, ensuring high resistance to cracking and twisting, and preventing hygroscopic material spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If existing corner connectors are used, then the connection is simple to install, but the connector lacks strength to withstand heavy loads
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into multiple functional elements: a basic body with two arms, upper projections on the outer surfaces, side projections on the side surfaces, and sealing projections. Each segment serves a specific function - structural support, mechanical interlocking, or sealing - allowing the connector to achieve high strength through distributed load-bearing elements rather than a single complex component
Solution Approach 2:
The connector employs asymmetric projection designs where upper projections extend from outer surfaces and side projections extend from side surfaces at different locations and orientations. This asymmetric arrangement optimizes the distribution of mechanical stresses and creates multiple interlocking points with the spacer bar, significantly enhancing load-bearing capacity while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
2Reliability
If existing corner connectors are used, then the installation process is simple, but the connector fails to prevent binder leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is separated from the structural function through dedicated sealing projections that extend from the basic body. These sealing projections work in conjunction with the binder to create a sealed connection, preventing hygroscopic material spillage while the basic body and projections handle the mechanical loading
Solution Approach 2:
The binder acts as an intermediary material between the connector and the spacer bar. The sealing projections are designed to work in conjunction with this binder, creating a composite sealing system where the projections provide structural support for the seal while the binder fills gaps and creates the actual sealing barrier
3Reliability
If existing corner connectors are used, then the connector structure is simple, but the connection is not sealed preventing hygroscopic material spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The connector integrates multiple functions into a single molded component: the basic body provides structural support, upper projections provide mechanical interlocking, side projections provide lateral securing, and sealing projections provide sealing. All these elements are combined in one injection-molded part, achieving complex functionality while maintaining ease of manufacture through a single-step production process
4Strength
If existing corner connectors are used, then the connector is easy to install, but the connection does not withstand high loads without cracking or twisting
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is segmented across multiple elements: the basic body absorbs primary loads, upper projections provide mechanical interlocking resistance, side projections provide lateral stabilization, and reinforcing rods distribute stresses. This segmentation allows the connector to withstand high loads while maintaining a simple insertion operation
Solution Approach 2:
The connector incorporates elastic elements that can deform under load and then recover. The projections are designed with appropriate flexibility to allow dynamic response to applied forces, absorbing energy through elastic deformation while maintaining the sealed connection and preventing permanent damage
Data Source
Figure 1~3
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Figure 7~9
AI summary
The object of the invention is a corner connector for glass units spacer bars, the corner connector comprising a first arm (1) and a second arm (2) connected with each other by a corner (3) and placed at an angle of 90° to each other, wherein, on each edge area of the longitudinal outer surface (4a, 4b) of the first arm (1) and the second arm (2), there is a plurality of upper projections (5) directed substantially perpendicular to the outer surfaces (4a, 4b), and on the side surfaces (6a, 6b) of the first arm (1) and the second arm (2), there is a plurality of side projections (7) directed substantially perpendicular to the side surfaces (6a, 6b), wherein the arithmetic average of profile deviations from the mean line of the side surface of the corner (3) is greater than the arithmetic average of profile deviations from the mean line of the surfaces of the other elements of the corner connector.