Structural Glazing Bonding System for Glass Facades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for securing structural glass components to buildings, such as drilling holes and using penetrative fastening systems, are difficult, time-consuming, and limited by the potential locations of holes, while non-penetrative clamping systems may not fully address the need for strong, visually minimal mounting solutions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a tempered structural component with an attachment zone covering at least 22% of its surface area, where a frit is applied to the attachment zone, and the component is bonded to a building using a structural glazing sealant, eliminating the need for holes and allowing for a strong, visually unobstructed bond.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If holes are drilled in the glass for mounting, then the glass component can be securely fastened to the building, but the process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the mounting function from the glass material itself by applying a frit coating to the glass surface. Instead of drilling holes through the glass, the frit layer provides attachment zones that can be bonded to the building structure, thereby securing the glass component without penetrating the glass and reducing installation complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The frit coating acts as an intermediary layer between the glass component and the building structure. This intermediate layer provides bonding surfaces that facilitate secure mounting while avoiding the need to drill holes in the glass, thus simplifying the installation process and reducing time requirements
2Ease of manufacture
If holes are made in the glass before tempering, then mounting locations are predetermined, but design flexibility is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The frit coating is applied to the glass surface before tempering, creating predetermined attachment zones that guide the mounting process. This preliminary action establishes mounting locations without requiring holes to be drilled through the glass, maintaining design flexibility while facilitating ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state and properties of the glass surface by applying a frit coating. This parameter change creates attachment zones with different bonding characteristics, allowing for flexible mounting design decisions to be made after tempering while the glass maintains its structural integrity
3Reliability
If silicone sealant is used for bonding, then structural attachment is achieved, but extensive surface preparation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The frit coating serves as an intermediary bonding layer between the glass and the building structure. This intermediate frit layer provides a surface that requires minimal preparation compared to direct silicone sealant application, as the frit creates a mechanically interlocked bonding surface that is more tolerant of minor surface contaminants
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite bonding system consisting of the frit coating layer combined with sealant material. This composite approach leverages the mechanical bonding capabilities of the frit while supplementing it with the adhesive properties of the sealant, achieving strong structural attachment with reduced surface preparation requirements
4Illumination intensity
If non-penetrative clamping systems are used, then visual impact is minimized, but mounting strength may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from point-based clamping contact to area-based frit coating contact. By distributing the mounting function across a two-dimensional attachment zone on the glass surface, the system achieves both visual clarity (no visible holes or clamps) and sufficient mounting strength through increased contact area
Solution Approach 2:
The frit coating is applied to specific local zones on the glass surface rather than uniformly across the entire surface. These localized attachment zones provide concentrated bonding strength where needed while leaving the rest of the glass surface visually clear and unobstructed
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 method provides a strong, visually unobstructed bond between the glass component and the building, meeting the requirements for a C5 barrier in crowd-loaded situations, while allowing for aesthetic design options and simplifying the installation process.
Implementation Method 1
a frit is applied to the attachment zone, and the component is bonded to a building using a structural glazing sealant
Implementation Method 2
the tempering step is carried out to 90 mega-pascals (MPa). More preferably the tempering step is carried out to 130 to 160 MPa
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A method of bonding a structural component to a building, including the steps of: (i) receiving a structural component including an attachment zone constituting at least 10% of the total surface area of one side of the structural component, wherein the attachment zone has been prepared according to a method including the steps of: a. applying a frit to the attachment zone; and b. tempering the structural component so as to bond the frit to the structural component; (ii) providing a building engagement face at least coextensive with the attachment zone of the structural component; (iii) applying a bonding sealant to a majority of at least one of the attachment zone or the building engagement face; and (iv) engaging the bonding sealant with the other of the attachment zone or the building engagement face.