Multi-Part Glazing Assembly for Small-Radius Curved Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass bending processes have technical limitations that prevent the production of glazings with very small bending radii, especially when the glass is bent in multiple directions, leading to stress and potential breaking at curved surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A multi-part glazing system comprising a first glass piece and additional glass pieces connected via an attachment piece, which allows for the formation of curved shapes with small radii of curvature by distributing stress and enabling angles and corners that conventional methods cannot produce.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional glass bending processes are used to produce curved glazings, then the glass can be formed into curved shapes, but the minimum bending radius is limited and stress concentrates at curved surfaces leading to potential breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The glazing is divided into multiple separate glass pieces (first glass piece, second glass piece, third glass piece) that are joined together at attachment pieces. This segmentation allows each glass piece to have larger radii of curvature while the attachment pieces create the sharp corners and small radius regions, eliminating stress concentration in the glass itself.
Solution Approach 2:
Attachment pieces are introduced as intermediary elements between the glass pieces. These attachment pieces (made of polymer material or metal) assume the role of creating sharp bends and corners, thereby protecting the glass from stress concentration at small radius locations while still achieving the desired overall curved shape.
2Adaptability or versatility
If glass is bent in multiple directions to achieve complex curved shapes, then the design flexibility is improved, but the manufacturing capability is exceeded due to technical limits of bending processes
Solution Approach 1:
The complex multi-directional curved shape is achieved by segmenting the glazing into multiple glass pieces that can be manufactured separately using conventional bending processes. Each piece is bent in fewer directions with larger radii, while the overall complex shape emerges from the assembly of these segments with attachment pieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from attempting to bend a single piece of glass in multiple directions (3D curvature in one element) to assembling multiple 2D or singly-curved glass pieces in three-dimensional space. This dimensional redistribution allows complex shapes to be achieved through assembly rather than single-piece forming.
3Device complexity
If a single piece of glass is used to maintain structural simplicity, then the device complexity is low, but the ability to achieve small radius curvature is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The glazing is divided into multiple glass pieces joined by attachment pieces. This segmentation enables the creation of sharp corners and small radius curvature regions at the attachment pieces while maintaining relatively simple individual glass piece geometries that can be manufactured with conventional processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-part glazing according to this disclosure comprises a first glass piece (110) having an outer major surface, a second glass piece (120) having an outer major surface, and an attachment piece (140) provided between the first glass piece and the second glass piece to connect the first glass piece and the second glass piece. The outer major surface of the first glass piece is arranged in a continuous surface with the outer major surface of the second glass piece by a prescribed angle via an outer surface of the attachment piece.