Vacuum-Intumescent Glazing Assembly for Leak-Free Fire Insulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire resistant glazings face challenges with limited thermal performance, especially at high and low temperatures, and gas leakage issues in double and triple glazing systems, which affect their durability and optical properties.
Innovation Solution
A fire resistant vacuum insulating glazing assembly (FR-VIG) comprising a vacuum insulating glazing unit (VIG) with discrete pillars and a hermetically sealed internal volume, combined with one or more intumescent glazing units, featuring a layer of intumescent material that expands upon heating, and a circumferential spacer frame to maintain distance between glass panes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If double or triple glazing is used to improve thermal performance, then thermal insulation is enhanced, but gas leakage occurs over time and durability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gas-filled cavity from the glazing structure and replaces it with a vacuum. This extraction of gas eliminates the source of gas leakage while maintaining thermal insulation performance, as the vacuum provides superior thermal resistance compared to gas-filled spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an inert vacuum environment between the glass panes to prevent heat transfer through conduction and convection. This inert vacuum space provides durable thermal insulation without the degradation issues associated with gas-filled cavities in double or triple glazing systems.
2Reliability
If intumescent material layer extends to the edges of glass panes (first mode), then fire resistance is achieved, but optical stability deteriorates at high temperatures requiring UV protection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a peripheral spacer as an intermediary element that positions the intumescent material layer away from the edges of the glass panes. This mediator allows the intumescent layer to maintain fire resistance while preventing direct exposure to UV radiation at the edges, thereby preserving optical stability without requiring additional UV protection layers.
3Ease of manufacture
If intumescent layer has high water content (second mode), then ease of manufacture is improved, but resistance to low and high temperatures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the water content parameter of the intumescent layer to an optimized range that balances manufacturability with temperature resistance. By controlling water content within specific limits, the patent maintains the ease of casting and forming during manufacture while ensuring the material can withstand both low and high temperature conditions without freezing damage or excessive creep.
4Reliability
If thicker intumescent layers are used to improve fire resistance, then fire performance is enhanced, but weight and space occupation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vacuum environment to enhance the effectiveness of thinner intumescent layers. The vacuum provides additional thermal resistance that compensates for the reduced thickness of the intumescent material, allowing fire resistance to be maintained with less material weight compared to conventional glazing systems.
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
The FR-VIG achieves superior thermal performance, improved fire resistance, and reduced weight and space occupation, while maintaining stability over time and preventing gas leakage, with enhanced durability and optical properties.
Implementation Method 1
an internal volume, V, defined by the first and second glass panes and closed by the hermetically bonding seal; wherein there is a vacuum of absolute pressure of less than 0.1 mbar
Implementation Method 2
The intumescent materials under the effect of heat, expand by forming a foam opaque to radiation, that keeps the glass walls in position even when the latter are fragmented under the effect of heat
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a fire resistant vacuum insulating glazing assembly including at least one vacuum insulating glazing unit, and at least one intumescent glazing unit. Also provided is the use of a vacuum insulating glazing unit in a fire resistant vacuum insulating glazing assembly to improve fire resistance.