Interlocking Glazing Panel System with Sawtooth Locking Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for assembling and installing modular upstanding seam flange glazing panels are complex, time-consuming, and require substantial skill, leading to increased material usage, weight, and labor costs, while also struggling to efficiently manage wind and snow loads, and accommodating horizontal expansion and contraction.
Innovation Solution
The use of interlocking metal first and second locking engagement members with sawteeth that armor or clad the seam flanges and edges of modular panels, allowing for easier assembly and installation of glazing panel units, reducing the thickness and weight of panels, and enabling the use of thinner materials, while providing enhanced load resistance and improved sealing against air, water, and sound infiltration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional assembly systems with multiple retaining clips and complex locking mechanisms are used, then the glazing panels can withstand wind and snow loads, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming and requires substantial skill
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is divided into discrete modular components: locking members with cavities that receive panel flanges, and separate retaining clips that attach to the locking members. This segmentation allows for simplified assembly where components can be independently positioned and connected, reducing the complexity and time required for installation while maintaining structural integrity for withstanding loads.
2Strength
If traditional thick panels are used to ensure structural strength, then the panels can withstand substantial loads, but the weight and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines different materials strategically: lightweight translucent panels for the glazing surfaces, and metal locking members with sawteeth for structural connection. This composite approach allows the panels to be thinner and lighter while the metal locking components provide the necessary structural strength to withstand wind and snow loads, resolving the contradiction between panel weight and load-bearing capacity.
3Reliability
If complex assembly procedures are used to ensure proper installation, then the glazing units can perform reliably under various conditions, but the labor costs and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking members feature cavities that automatically receive and secure the panel flanges through a snap-fit or insertion mechanism, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures or multiple fastening steps. The sawteeth on the locking members engage with corresponding features on the panels, providing self-aligning and self-securing functionality that ensures reliable installation while significantly reducing the time and skill required compared to traditional assembly methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A panel unit with interlocked first and second engagement members each having panel-receiving cavities for receiving and retaining edge portions of panels, two pairs of opposed transparent or translucent panels mounted in the cavities of the first and second engagement members, in which the panel units are subject to positive and negative forces which may cause the engagement members to pivot with respect to each other and the first engagement member has catch rails for engaging sidewalls defining an interlock cavity in the second engagement member to limit the pivoting movement of the engagement members.