Unitary Fenestration Frame and Sash Assembly Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fenestration assemblies face challenges in providing a seamless and efficient integration of moving parts, weather sealing, and easy maintenance, particularly in non-linear geometric shapes, while ensuring structural integrity and aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A fenestration assembly design featuring a frame and sash assembly with unitary members formed from single sheets of material, incorporating hidden hinges, continuous weather strips, and biasing members for screen retention, along with a weep path for water management, fabricated using CNC waterjet cutting and routing techniques to ensure precise and efficient assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional multi-part frame and sash assemblies are used, then assembly flexibility is improved, but structural integrity and weather sealing deteriorate due to multiple joints and seams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate frame and sash members into unitary members formed from single sheets of material. This eliminates the joints and seams between multiple parts, thereby maintaining structural integrity and weather sealing while still allowing for assembly flexibility through the overall design configuration.
2Ease of operation
If visible hinges are used to connect sash to frame, then ease of operation is improved, but aesthetic appeal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is extracted from visible view by positioning it within recesses or channels of the unitary frame and sash members. The sash remains operably connected to the frame for easy opening and closing, but the hinge is hidden from external observation, preserving the aesthetic appearance of the fenestration assembly.
3Reliability
If weather strips are positioned internally within frame members, then weather sealing is improved, but device complexity increases due to groove routing and installation complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The weather strip grooves are pre-formed as integral features of the unitary frame and sash members during the sheet material forming process. This preliminary action eliminates the need for separate groove routing operations and simplifies installation, as the weather strips can be directly inserted into the pre-formed grooves without additional complex assembly steps.
4Ease of manufacture
If arcuate portions with uniform groove depth are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but screen assembly retention and water drainage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The groove depth in the arcuate header is varied locally rather than being uniform throughout. The groove is deeper at certain locations to provide enhanced screen retention and water drainage functionality where needed, while maintaining a simpler overall arcuate geometry. This local variation in groove depth optimizes both screen assembly retention and water management without requiring complete redesign of the arcuate portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A fenestration assembly includes a frame assembly, and a sash assembly. The frame assembly includes at least one each unitary frame member formed from a first sheet of material. The sash assembly including at least one unitary member being formed from a second single sheet of material.