Glass Anchoring System for Structural Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fastening systems for structural glass panels are unsuitable for outdoor decking applications, as they fail to securely anchor the glass against upward forces such as strong winds, while also maintaining a seamless appearance.
Innovation Solution
A glass anchoring system that laminates blocks into the middle pane of structural glass panels, with a connecting bar and bolt mechanism that secures the panels to a mid support beam, providing a strong and aesthetically pleasing solution for securing multiple panels against upward forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fastening systems are used to secure glass panels, then the panels can be fastened to the support structure, but the seamless appearance and transparency of the glass is spoiled by visible fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The visible portion of the fastening system is extracted and removed from the glass panel surface. Instead of surface-mounted fasteners, the system uses blocks embedded within the glass panels themselves, with only a connecting bar extending into the gap between panels and a bolt securing to the beam below. This extraction of the fastening function from the visible surface resolves the contradiction between fastening strength and seamless appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening components are nested within the glass panel structure. Blocks are embedded inside the glass panels (like dolls within dolls), with the connecting bar nested in the gap between panels and the bolt nested within the support beam. This nesting approach hides the fastening system within the structure itself, maintaining the seamless appearance while providing secure fastening.
2Shape
If the glass panels are left unfastened to maintain transparency, then the seamless appearance is preserved, but the panels cannot withstand upward forces from strong winds
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediary fastening system is introduced that operates below the visible surface. The blocks embedded in the glass panels serve as intermediaries, transferring the load from the glass panels through the connecting bar and bolt to the support beam, while remaining invisible from above. This intermediary mechanism provides the necessary strength without compromising the seamless appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening system is moved from the horizontal dimension (surface mounting) to the vertical dimension (embedded within panels and secured to beam below). By operating in another dimension (below the glass surface), the system provides structural strength while remaining invisible, thus resolving the contradiction between appearance and wind resistance.
3Strength
If blocks are embedded in the glass panels for fastening, then the panels can be securely anchored against wind forces, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocks are preliminarily embedded within the glass panels during the manufacturing process, before installation. This preliminary action of embedding the fastening blocks during glass fabrication simplifies the overall installation process, as the blocks are already in position and the panels can be directly secured using the connecting bar and bolt mechanism without complex on-site fastening operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A glass anchoring system, for securing a pair of adjacent panels of structural glass to a mid support beam and creating a walkable glass. Each panel has a fastening edge and has an upper pane, a middle pane, and a lower pane. The middle pane has a cutout along the fastening edge. A pair of blocks fit within the cutouts and are laminated within the panels. When the panels are positioned upon the mid support beam, the blocks face each other across a gap between the adjacent panels. A connecting bar extends across the gap and into both of the blocks. A bolt extends in the gap, downwardly through the connecting bar, and tightens against the connecting bar as it secures to the mid support beam.