ELEMENT DE CONSTRUCTION PLAT

PLATE-SHAPED BUILDING COMPONENT

Abrégé français

L'invention concerne un élément de construction plat destiné à des façades, des plafonds, des portes, des cloisons, des murs séparateurs ou équivalent. Cet élément de construction est constitué d'une plaque de verre dotée, sur au moins une face, d'au moins une couche pouvant être appliquée ultérieurement. Pour que l'intérieur et/ou l'extérieur de la plaque de verre soit dotée durablement d'un motif particulier et, si besoin, d'un renforcement plat, ladite couche est constituée d'un polymère durcissable.

Abrégé anglais

The invention relates to a plate-shaped building component (1) used to form
facades, ceilings, doors, partitions, room dividers or the like, comprising a
glass plate (2) that is provided with at least one subsequent coating (3) on
at least one side. In order to provide the inside or the outside of the glass
plate with a particular permanent decoration and, if required, a flat
reinforcement, said coating (3) is made from a curable polymer.

Revendications

Claims
1. Plate-shaped building component for forming facades, ceilings,
doors, partitions, room dividers or the like, comprised of a
plate of glass which is provided at least at one side with at
least one subsequently applied coating,
characterized in
that the coating (3) is comprised of a curable polymer.
2. Building component according to claim 1,
characterized in
that the coating (3) is comprised of a curable silica gel.
3. Building component according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in
that a gas-permeable and/or liquid-permeable decorative layer
(4) is arranged in the coating (3).
4. Building component according to claim 3,
characterized in
that the decorative layer (4) is comprised of a foil, a non-
woven, paper or textiles.
5. Building component according to claim 1,
characterized in
that a cover layer (5) is arranged on the coating (3).
6. Building component according to claim 5,
characterized in
that the cover layer (5) is comprised of a foil, a laminate,
a fiber fabric, plastic foam or a polymer.
6

7. Building component according to at least one of the claims 1
to 6,
characterized in
that two plates (2) of glass, each provided with a coating (3)
of a curable silica gel, are connected in the area of these
coatings via a bonding agent layer (6).
8. Building component according to claim 7,
characterized in
that the bonding agent layer (6) is comprised of a single-
sided or double-sided sandwich laminate.
7

Description

CA 02353548 2001-05-31
Translation of ~O 00/20699 (PCT/DE99/03210)
Plate-shaped Building Component
The invention relates to a plate-shaped building component for
forming facades, ceilings, doors, partitions, room dividers or the
like, which is comprised of a plate of glass provided at least at
one side with at least one subsequently applied coating.
For forming facades, ceilings, doors, partitions, room dividers and
the like, plate-shaped components are known which are comprised of
a plate of glass. For this purpose, the plate of glass can be
clear, matte, textured, tinted, or can have a vapor-deposited
coating. However, in many situations it is desired that the
building component comprised of glass has at one surface a special
colored decoration. In order to achieve this, it is known to
provide one surface of the plate comprised of glass with a special
painted-on coating. Moreover, it is known to apply a decorative
foil to one surface of the plate of glass. The decorative foil as
well as the painted-on coating have the disadvantage that no
particularly intimate connection with the plate of glass can be
achieved which has the result that the painted-on coating as well
as the decorative foil can become detached from the plate of glass.
Accordingly, the plate-shaped building component loses its pretty
appearance. On the other hand, when the plate of glass breaks,
there is the risk that the detached fragments or broken pieces
cause injuries or accidents. As a result of this risk, such plate-
shaped building components are employed and used only to a limited
extent.
1

CA 02353548 2001-05-31
The invention has therefore the object to provide a plate-shaped
building component for forming facades, ceilings, doors,
partitions, room dividers or the like which is comprised of a plate
of glass which is provided on the interior and/or exterior
permanently with a special decoration and, if needed, also with an
areal reinforcement.
As a solution to this object it is suggested according to the
invention for a plate-shaped building component of the
aforementioned kind that the coating is formed of a curable
polymer.
With such an embodiment, the transverse rupture strength and the
fracture toughness of the building component are increased. When
a fracture occurs, no loose fragments or broken pieces will result.
The plate-shaped building component must not necessarily be plane,
it is also possible that it is rounded or angled. The coating of
the cured polymer provides an especially strong and non-detachable
connection with the glass plate. Moreover, the coating can also
provide a reinforcement for the plate of glass. The polymer can
have different colorations and textures. It is however
advantageous to employ the coating of the curable polymer as a
connecting layer for connecting additional layers of different
materials or material combinations. In this context it is possible
to arrange in the coating of the curable polymer a gas-permeable
and/or liquid-permeable decorative layer. This decorative layer
can be comprised of a liquid, curable coating, a foil, a non-woven,
paper or textiles. It is also possible to arrange on the coating
of curable polymer a special cover layer. This cover layer can also
be formed of a foil, a laminate, a fiber fabric, a plastic foam,
2

CA 02353548 2001-05-31
mineral wool or of a polymer, optionally also of a combination of
these materials. The coating of curable polymer ensures in this
context a non-detachable connection. Finally, it is also possible
to connect two plates of glass to one another, each coated with a
coating of curable polymer, in the area of these coatings, in
particular, by means of a bonding agent layer and/or insulating
layer.
The invention will be explained in more detail in the following
with the aid of embodiments shown only partially in the drawing in
a greatly simplified way. Figs. 1 through 4 show sections of
differently designed building components according to the
invention.
In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the simplest embodiment of the building
component 1 according to the invention is illustrated which is
comprised of a plate 2 of glass. On this plate 2, which may have
a thickness of up to 10 mm and is comprised of glass, a coating 3
of a curable polymer, for example, as silica gel is applied. This
coating 3 can be applied by rolling, casting, painting or spraying.
In order to achieve the desired visual appearance, the coating 3 is
colored in a special way wherein this coloration is uniform or
different across the entire surface area. The curing of the
coating 3 can be realized either by temperature or as a result of
a chemical or photosynthetic reaction, by means of light, a gas, a
solid material or a liquid. The thickness of the coating 3, as a
function of the desired use, can be a few ~, up to approximately 2.0
mm. In deviating from this embodiment, the coating 3 of the
curable silica gel can also be comprised of several individual
coatings which are applied successively and which can be colored
differently.
3

CA 02353548 2001-05-31
The embodiment according to Fig. 2 matches initially the embodiment
according to Fig. 1. However, in the coating 3, for example, made
of the curable silica gel, a decorative layer 4 is provided which
is gas-permeable and/or liquid-permeable and comprised of a foil,
a non-woven, paper or textiles. This decorative layer 4 is rolled
on, for example, during spraying of the coating 3, by means of a
kind of rolling process into the coating 3. Here, the curing is
realized in the described manner. For a corresponding thickness of
the decorative layer 4, the layer 4 can be impregnated exclusively
with the material of the coating 3, i.e., silica gel, so that the
decorative layer 4 forms directly also the coating 3.
In the embodiment according to Fig. 3, the coating 3 of the
building component, for example, of the cured silica gel, serves
exclusively as a connecting layer. The coating 3 can be formed in
the same way as in the embodiment of Fig. 2. This means that in
the coating 3 a decorative layer 4 may be present or that the
decorative layer 4 is impregnated strongly with the material of the
coating 3 so that the decorative layer 4 forms directly the coating
3. On the coating 3 a decorative layer 5 is arranged which is
comprised of a foil, a liquid coating, a laminate, a fiber fabric,
of a plastic foam or a polymer. Also, a connection with foreign
polyester resins, epoxide resins, and phenolic resins as well as
with paint coatings or other coatings is possible. The coating 3
in this context provides a strong connection between the cover
layer 5 and the plate 2 of glass. Such a building component can
thus also be classified in the category of fiber-reinforced glass.
In the embodiment according to Fig. 4, the plate-shaped building
component 1 has two glass plates 2. Each glass plate 2 is now
provided with a coating 3, for example, of the curable silica gel.
4

CA 02353548 2001-05-31
The coatings 3 of this embodiment can be formed also similar to the
embodiment according to Figs. 2 and 3 and can be designed, for
example, in a decorative way. After curing of this coating 3, they
are connected to one another by a bonding agent layer 6. This
bonding agent layer 6 can also be in the form of a fiber laminate.
In changing the embodiment according to Fig. 4, it is possible to
use the bonding agent layer 6, in particular, when it is comprised
of a fiber laminate, as a type of intermediate layer for producing
a sandwich laminate. The so-called sandwich core can be comprised
of wood, hard foam or the like and can be symmetrically or
asymmetrically configured. The fiber laminate may contain glass
fibers, plastic fibers and/or natural fibers.

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