Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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THERM~LLY INS ULATED COMPOSITE SECTIONS,
AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME
The present invention relates to a method of pro-
ducing thermally insulated composite sections, wherein at
least two metal sections held spaced apart form a free space
which is sealed at the bottom. ~rom its open side, the space
is filled with an insulating material that is at first in
liquid form and then hardens. Composite sections produced by
this method are used mainly in the construction of doors and
windows, a field in which they are of increasing importance
for reasons of energy saving.
One method of the type defined above is described
in German Patent Applica;tion P 29 08 618.8. Its starting
point is that at the beginning of the process the metal
sections are inserted into a holder which supports them in
such a manner, that they form the free space intended to
receive the insulating material. As a Eesult, the free space
laterally bounded by the metal sections is closed, both from
above and at the ends of the metal sections, by a self-
adhesive cover strip adhering to the metal sections. A
channel-shaped guide section is disposed over the metal
sections. In a further stage of the process, the channel-
shaped guide section, together with the metal sections andtheir holder, is turned about 180 in the longitudinal axis.
The holder, which thus comes to lie at the top, is removed
from the metal sections. ~he insulating material, which is
in liquid form, is then introduced into the free space through
the side of the latter which remains uncovered. After the
insulating material has hardened r the finished composite
section can be removed from the guide section.
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From German Offenlegungsschrift 21 29 964 and
German Offenlegungsschrift 27 05 870 other methods are known,
in which metal sections to be joined together by a layer of
insulating material are disposed, spaced apart from one
5 another, in a mold and sealed by a movable strip on the
bottom side along the free space existing between them.
Alternatively, for the same purpose, they are pressed down
against a bottom covering in the mold. The free space, which
is thus open only at the top, can then be filled with liquid
10 insulating material in order to form the composite section.
From German Auslegeschrift 12 45 567 the metal
sections, which are separated from one another in the
composite section, are also known to be produced as a one-
piece section before the free space is filled with insulating
1:5 material. They are joined together below the free space by a
bridging web which closes the free space and which, after the
layer of insulating material has hardened, is cut away or
mechanically removed by other means.
In order, on the one hand, to improve the thermal
20 efficiency of the layer of insulating material of composite
sections of the kind in question, and on the other hand, to
save expensive insulating material, particularly for large
sections, it has already frequently been proposed to use the
insulating material introduced into the free space formed by
25 the metal sections only for forming individual connecting webs
between the metal sections, leaving an air-filled cavity free
from insulating material. Methods of this kind are explained
in German Offenlegungsschrift 22 54 762 and German Offenleg-
ungsschrift 27 21 367, in which the free space is divided into
30 a ~l,urality of chambers by spaced hollow dividing pieces or
separating strips.
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Because of the introduction of these dividing
means, and also because of their subsequent removal, these
known methods of production are very time-consuming and
therefore very expensive. It is also not possible to reduce
costs by leaving the dividing means as lost pieces in the
composite section, because their cost, which although low is
nevertheless not negligible, still increases production costs.
Moreover, dividing pieces or separating strips which remain
in the composite section form temperature bridges between the
metal sections thermally insulated from one another, whereby
the action of the layers of insulating material is impaired.
A disadvantage of airfilled cavities arises from
the fact that these cavities must be provided with drain
holes, which at the same time are indispensable for vapor
pressure equalization. Consequently, there is a continuous
exchange of air, which not only basically reduces the
insulating action of the cavity, but at low temperatures also
gives rise to the formation of ice, which completely destroys
the insulating action. It is therefore more advisable to
fill the cavities between the insulating layers with a
material of lower thermal conductivity, because in this way,
a controlled insulating action can be achieved. Moreover,
the acoustically disturbing resonance effect of cavities is
thereby avoided.
The filling of the cavities in the insulation region
of composite sections is already mentioned in German Offen-
legungsschrift 27 21 367. Among varlous examples of
embodiment mention was made therein of the possibility oE
inserting into the cavity, as support for forming the upper
insulation layer, a separating strip of expanded rubber or
other similar material, and ~eaving it in -the cavity. It is
true that the air gap in the composite section would thus be
B ~
eliminated, but the introduction of a separating strip of
this kind requires another very expensive operation, which in
addition assuredly gives rise to production difficulties.
This last point may also be the reason that the practical
application of ~his stage of the process is not yet known to
have occurred.
Taking as starting point the state of the art as
expalined above, the problem underlying the invention is that
of indicating a method of production by which thermally
insulated composition sections, even of large sizes, can be
produced in the simplest and most inexpensive manner~ These
composite sections should, at the same time, have a completely
closed insulating region with particularly advantageous heat
insulation values. For the introduction of the multilayer
insulating core it is endeavored in the most expedient conduct
of the process, to employ a single operation, in order to
reduce considerably the cost of production. This should in
addition be achieved with very economical consumption of
insulating material. This economy is based on the fact that
expensive material of great strength is not used for the
entire insulating zone, but that the use of such material is
restricted to supporting portions thereof. With regard to the
remainder of the filling material it is endeavored to achieve
the lowest possible thermal conductivity.
With low expenditure of time and at low cost it is
now possible, thereby, to produce composite sections which
between their individual sections, that are not metallically
connected, have an insulating zone possessing the most
advantageous properties. These consist in that the insulating
zone is composed both of layers of insulating material o~
great strength for the positive and frictional connection of
the metal sections, and of insulating layers which have a still
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better insulating action but do not serve as supports, and
whose construction and thickness can be adapted to any shape
of section without needing additional process steps ox
operations. Consequently, the selection of materials is
simplified, with the result that it is always possible to use
inexpensive materials, for which, within the composite sections
of the invention, it is even possible to use the same starting
material. The structure of the latter is then suitably varied
solely by adding expanding agents.
Embodiments of the invention are described below as
examples with reference to the drawings, in which:
Figures 1 to 4 show the stages of the process in
the production of a thermally insulated composite section, in
end elevation,
Figure 5 is a cross-section of another composite
section in course of production,
Figure 6 illustrates the method of production by
means of a longitudinal section of the composite section
shown in Figure 4, and
Figure 7 is a cross-section of a composite section
produced by the method of the inventi~n.
As can be seen in Figure 1, at the beginning of the
process two metal sections 1 and 2 shown in end elevation are
inserted, spaced apart, into a holder 3, which is likewise
shown viewed from the end face~ The holder 3 supports the
metal sections 1 and 2 and forms a fxee space 4 situated
between them. As shown in Figure 2, the free space 4 is closed
at the top and also at the ends of the metal sections 1 and 2
by a self-adhesive cover strip 5.
A channel-shaped guide section 7~ which is shown in
Figure 3 and which has the same cross-section as the holder 3,
is then placed over the metal sections 1 and 2. These have
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already been loosely joined together to form a composite
section 6, and~ likewise as shown in Figure 3, this guide
section together with the metal sections 1 and 2 and the
holder 3 is turned 180 in the direction of the arrow 8.
As shown in Figure 4, the guide section 7 then comes to lie
at the bottom~ whereupon the holder 3, now lying at the top,
has completed its mission and therefore can be removed from
the metal sections 1 and 2. In the state shown in Figure 4,
the free space 4 is sealed at the bottom, and from its open
longitudinal side can be filled by means of an inlet nozzle 9
with an insulating material 10 which at first is in li~uid
form and then hardens.
According to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5,
the free space 4, which is provided between the metal sections
1 and 2 and which is closed at the bottom~ may also be formed
by producing the metal sections 1 and 2 as a one-piece section
before being filled with the insulating material 10, being
joined together under the free space 4 by a bridging web 11.
In both embodiments the free space 4 is then filled with the
insulating material supplied by the nozzle 9 in that solid
insulating material layers 12~ 13 positively and frictionally
joining together the metal sections 1 and 2 and one or more
insulating layers 14 hardening with a porous structure are
introduced in alternating succession. Each layer fills only
partly the free space 4. For the porous insulating layer 14
it is possible to use the same material as ~or the solid
insulating material layers 12 and 13, if for the porous
insulating layers 14 a blowing agent providing them with a
porous structure, for example in the form of closed-cell
polyurethane foam, is added.
A further improvement of the production method of
the invention is achieved in accordance with Eigure 6 by
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depositing the composite section 6, which has been obtained
as the result of the process steps illustrated in Flgures 1
to 4, together with the guide section 7, on a roller conveyor
15 and moving under stationary inlet nozzles 16, 17, and 18.
These inlet nozzles 16, 17, and 18 are disposed one following
the other in the working direction l9 of the filling operation,
and thus are chronologically staggered in the introduction of
the two layers of insulating material 12 and 13 and the
interposed insulating layer 14. As the result of this
arrangement it is possible to produce all the layers 12, 13,
and 14 in a single operation. With a suitably modified
apparatus it would of course also be possible to produce the
bottom insulating material layer 13 during the movement of
the composite section 6 in the working direction, the following
insulating layer 14 during the return movement of the composite
section 6, and the upper layer of insulating material 12 like-
wise in the working direction 19.
Figure 7 shows the structure of the composite section
6 produced by the process stages described above. From this
Figure it can be seen that the metal sections 1 and 2 are now
joined together only by the two solid insulating material
layers 12 and 13 after the self-adhesive cover strip 5 shown
in Figure 4 and the bridging web 11 shown in Figure 5 have
been removed from the metal sections 1 and 2. The purpose of
the insulating layer 14, which on hardening is of porous
structure, is to serve as a support for the formation of the
upper layer of insulating material 12 during the introduction
of the latter and also to ensure that no cavity arises between
the insulating material layers 12 and 13, while it is not
intended to play any part in the joining together of the metal
sections 1 and 2. In contrast to the composite section 6
illustrated, it is possible, in particular for sections of
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larger sizes, to introduce more than two layers 12, 13
of insulating material, and consequently also a
plurality of interposed insulating layers 14.
The table below gives particulars of the
German references mentioned in the initial part of the
specification:
GERMANY
REFERENCE
NUMBER FILING DATE APPLICANT
12 45 567 21.12.1963 Eduard Hueck, Ludenscheid
21 29 96~ 16.06.1971 American Metal Climax,
New York
22 54 762 09.11.1972 Eduard Hueck, Ludenscheid
27 05 870 11.02.1977 Vereinigte Metall-
werke, Braunaua. Inn
27 21 367 12.05.1977 Eduard Hueck~ Ludenscheid
29 08 618 06.03.. 1979 Manfred Muhle, I,ohne
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