Insulating Glazing Pressure-Equalizing Edge Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Insulating glazings face issues with pressure equalization during transportation and installation, leading to potential bending of panes and stress on the edge seal, which affects optical quality and reliability, with existing solutions being complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
A pressure-equalizing element is integrated into the edge seal, featuring a temporally limited gas connection that reduces gas permeability over time using a degrading substance like poly(-1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) or polyethylene glycol, ensuring water-tightness and vapor-diffusion-tightness, allowing for initial pressure equalization between the atmosphere and the glazing interior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hermetically sealed insulating glazing is used, then water-tightness and vapor-diffusion-tightness are improved, but pressure differences cause bending of panes and stress on the edge seal during transportation and installation
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure-equalizing element is pre-installed in the edge seal during manufacturing, creating a temporary gas connection before the glazing is sealed. This preliminary action allows pressure equalization to occur automatically during transportation and installation, preventing pane bending and seal stress while maintaining the hermetic seal's water-tightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure-equalizing element acts as an intermediary component between the glazing interior and exterior environments. It provides a controlled temporary gas connection that mediates pressure differences, allowing gas exchange when needed while maintaining the overall hermetic seal integrity for water and vapor protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If existing pressure-equalization systems with multiple movable parts are used, then pressure equalization is achieved, but device complexity and production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of pressure equalization from complex mechanical valve systems with multiple movable parts. By removing the unnecessary mechanical complexity and retaining only the critical gas-permeable function, the solution achieves pressure equalization through a simple element integrated into the sealant strip, dramatically reducing device complexity and production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure-equalizing element is designed as a simple, inexpensive component made from gas-permeable material that performs its function temporarily during transportation and installation. After pressure equalization occurs, the element's function is complete, and it can be a simple disposable component rather than a complex reusable mechanical system.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a temporary gas connection is provided for pressure equalization, then pressure differences are eliminated, but water-tightness and vapor-diffusion-tightness must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure-equalizing element is integrated locally into the edge seal structure at specific positions where gas permeability is needed. The element provides localized temporary gas exchange functionality while the rest of the edge seal maintains its water-tight and vapor-diffusion-tight properties. This local quality approach allows simultaneous achievement of pressure equalization and seal integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a simple, economical means for pressure equalization during and after insulating glazing assembly, reducing production costs and maintaining the integrity of the seal, while ensuring the glazing's optical quality and reliability by allowing initial gas exchange to equalize pressures before significantly reducing further gas exchange.
Implementation Method 1
featuring a temporally limited gas connection that reduces gas permeability over time using a degrading substance like poly(-1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) or polyethylene glycol
Implementation Method 2
at least one pressure-equalizing element is inserted into the sealant strip and the spacer... providing a temporally limited gas connection
Data Source
AI summary
An insulating glazing includes a first a second pane, a spacer between the first and second pane that is fixedly connected to the first and second pane in a water-vapor-tight manner in each case, which spacer has two parallel pane contact walls, an outer wall, and a glazing interior wall and an interior, and a water-tight sealant strip running around the outer wall between the first and second pane. A pressure-equalizing element is inserted into the sealant strip and the spacer, which pressure-equalizing element is open to the surrounding atmosphere and to the interior of the spacer or to the glazing interior between the first and the second pane and is implemented such that it provides a gas connection having a pressure-equalizing function between the atmosphere and the interior of the spacer or the glazing interior which gas connection is temporally limited due to aging and/or atmospheric influences.