Window Banding Clip Assembly for Frame Bowing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance windows with multiple layers and complex designs face issues with frame bowing due to residual stress, leading to sealant displacement during curing and installation, and external forces can cause further bowing and bending, resulting in sealant failure and installation challenges.
Innovation Solution
A universal window banding clip system that uses a banding strap routed through cutouts in clips engaged with window frame channels, applying tension to maintain frame separation and prevent bowing until sealant curing, featuring a hook plate and canted projections for secure engagement and easy assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If frame members are extruded and assembled, then window fabrication can proceed, but residual stress causes frame bowing that displaces sealant from proper position
Solution Approach 1:
The banding clip system is installed on frame members before sealant application to pre-establish proper spacing and prevent bowing during the critical curing period. This preliminary constraint ensures sealant remains in correct position throughout the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The banding clip acts as an intermediary device between frame members, maintaining proper spacing and preventing direct contact that would allow bowing. This intermediary constraint protects the sealant positioning without requiring permanent modifications to the frame structure.
2Ease of operation
If external forces are applied to fabricated windows, then installation can proceed, but forces cause bowing and bending that pulls sealant away from surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The banding clip system is installed before sealant curing to establish proper frame alignment and prevent bowing during subsequent handling and installation operations. This preliminary constraint protects the sealant bond from external forces applied during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The banding clip provides beforehand cushioning by maintaining frame spacing and preventing bowing before external forces are applied during installation. This protective measure prevents sealant displacement that would occur under installation loads.
3Manufacturing precision
If banding clips constrain frame members, then frame separation is maintained, but clips must engage with internal channels requiring precise geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The banding clip design allows the internal channel geometry of the frame member to define the engagement features, rather than requiring complex molded features in the clip itself. The clip serves itself by adapting to the existing frame channel geometry, simplifying clip manufacturing while maintaining precise frame separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The banding clip is designed with universal engagement features that work with standard internal channels found in various frame members. This multi-functional design allows a single clip geometry to maintain frame separation across different window configurations without requiring custom geometries for each application.
Data Source
AI summary
A universal clip assembly for use in restraining in position two window frame members post-assembly until sealant applied to the frame members fully cures. The universal clip assembly includes an upper panel, a lower panel and a hook plate disposed between the upper and lower panels. Each panel includes one or more protrusions extending outwardly from an interior surface of the panel. Interior surfaces of the upper and lower panels are positioned to face one another and the one or more protrusion from each of the upper and lower panels passes into an opening in the opposite panel as well as openings in the hook plate to secure the hook plate in position therebetween the panels.