Fire-resistant glazing with stepped rebate and segmented seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire-resistant glazing systems lack stability and effective sealing, as the single continuous seal can be easily damaged by flames and heat, compromising fire and smoke protection, especially in high-fire-protection-class scenarios.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of fire-resistant glazing with a shiplap design between glass panes, where one pane is protruding or recessed relative to the other, creating a sealed space using multi-part sealing arrangements such as P-seals, profiles, or jointing with sealants like silicone, butyl rubber, or polysulfide, which slows down seal destruction and enhances stability by allowing neighboring panes to support each other.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single continuous sealing arrangement is used between fire-resistant panes, then the sealing is simple to implement, but it is more susceptible to damage from flames and heat and provides insufficient stability
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing arrangement is divided into multiple separate sealing elements (first sealing element and second sealing element) positioned at different locations between the fire-resistant panes. This segmentation allows each sealing element to independently function, so that if one is damaged by fire or heat, the other continues to provide sealing protection, thereby improving reliability without requiring an overly complex integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing elements are arranged in different spatial dimensions and positions between the panes rather than as a single continuous seal. This dimensional distribution creates multiple barriers to fire and smoke passage, enhancing protection reliability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be implemented using conventional glazing techniques.
2Stability of the object's composition
If glass panes are arranged flush with each other, then the structure is simple, but the stability of the glazing is insufficient as the sealing arrangement alone cannot withstand forces acting upon it
Solution Approach 1:
The glass panes are arranged asymmetrically with different projection depths relative to the plane of the other panes. Specifically, at least one pane projects forward or backward relative to its adjacent pane, creating a stepped configuration. This asymmetric arrangement provides mechanical interlocking and structural stability, allowing the panes to support each other against forces such as wind pressure and thermal expansion, while maintaining a relatively simple construction approach.
3Reliability
If a stepped rebate is formed between glass panes, then stability and sealing are improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stepped rebate configuration is achieved by segmenting the glass panes into different height levels rather than creating a complex integrated structure. Each pane is processed and positioned independently at its specific projection depth, which simplifies manufacturing compared to creating monolithic stepped components. This segmentation approach maintains fire and smoke protection reliability while improving ease of manufacture through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The stepped rebate creates local variations in pane projection depths at specific locations (edge regions) while the central areas of the panes remain uniform. This localized differentiation provides the necessary sealing and stability functions at the edges without requiring complex processing of the entire pane surface, thereby improving fire and smoke protection while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through localized rather than global modifications.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a fire-resistant glazing 1 for preventing the passage of fire and smoke from one room to another in the event of a fire, comprising at least two fire-resistant panes 2 arranged side by side or one above the other with their butt edges 3 adjacent to each other, wherein the fire-resistant panes 2 each consist of at least two parallel and spaced-apart glass panes 4 and a fire-resistant material 7 arranged in the space between these glass panes 4, and forming a stepped rebate at at least one of their edge butt edges 3 by the first glass pane 4 projecting or recessing relative to the second glass pane 4, and wherein a space defined between the butt edges 3 of the fire-resistant panes 2 by the formed stepped rebate is sealed in a fire- and smoke-tight manner by means of at least one sealing arrangement 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.