A FIXING SYSTEM FOR GLASS PANELS WITH BILATERAL ADJUSTING IN RESPECT TO A VERTICAL AXIS

Technical field

This invention relates to an adjustable fixing system for glass panels, in particular intended for balustrades, parapets and railings.

In recent times, in buildings both for residential use and for public use, such as hotels, structures for trade fairs and conferences, sports and other events, in which high levels of safety are wanted in accordance with the regulations in force in Italy, practical use and a lasting nature associated with excellent quality and elegant architectural solutions have seen the increasingly widespread production of large glass balustrade surfaces. They may be used either for outside parts of such buildings, for example facades and balconies, or for inside parts, such as balconies, mezzanines, staircases and other structures generally used for protecting people from falling into spaces, even in situations where there is a large number of people simultaneously present.

In particular, a structural component for which large-scale use has been made of such glass surfaces is identifiable as protective balustrades, for which, in place of traditional metal or stone products, transparent panels are used, constituted of linear metal profiles with minimum dimensions which support sheets of glass.

Background art

In the background art, the necessary locking of the glass sheet, or panel, in a "U"- shaped metal supporting profile occurs according to various solutions: in a first solution, screws are used, which directly or indirectly apply a thrust perpendicularly on the surface of the sheet, in such a way that the sheet is forced against the other wing of the profile or against a screw opposite to the first which discharges the force onto the opposite wing. This locking system relates to the upper part of the metal profile, whilst in the lower part there is a wedge which, pressed between the glass and the angled wall of the profile, pushes the sheet of glass against the opposite wall of the profile.

Again using the "wedge" technique, there are solutions in which the clamping between profile and panel occurs by inserting one wedge or two opposite wedges (one on each side of the panel): the wedges are pressed between the angled walls of the profile and the sheet by a screw or by pressures applied with work instruments such as, for example, a hammer. Lowering the wedges therefore clamps the panel in place.

These types of clamping are inconvenient to use, and in some situations they do not allow adjustment on the vertical axis, thereby preventing alignment of the various glass sheets.

Alternatively, there are clamping systems consisting of "grippers" which are fitted on the sheet, or panel. Screw clamping elements are then applied to these grippers to allow adjustment of the panel. The force transmitted from the screw to the sheet by means of the gripper is always a force in only one direction, which may be horizontal (therefore perpendicular to the sheet) or angled slightly downwards. Some of these systems transmit the force generated by the tightening of the screw by means of opposite wedges which generate a force that is exclusively perpendicular to the sheet.

Such types of solutions, present on the market, are however not completely satisfactory. In fact, the operation of adjusting several screws to apply the correct pressure on the panel is quite inconvenient and not easy to control, since it must be done by the operator using a suitable key inserted in the narrow space between the sheet of glass and the metal profile, with limited visual feedback.

It is also important to notice that the uncertainty of the final position that said wedge-shaped elements adopt may over time result in disadvantages involving loss of the locking stability they apply. In fact, in the case of small size variations due to settling of the structures, but also due to natural ageing of the plastic material used to make the wedges, there could be reductions in the pressure applied by said wedge-shaped elements on the glass panel, until the locking function is compromised.

Document NZ 530178 A shows a clamping device which prevents the glass from being angled relative to the vertical axis, allowing only translation relative to the longitudinal axis of the profile, and therefore not allowing adjustments that may compensate for any imperfect installation relative to the vertical axis of the outer supporting metal profile.

Document AU 2014 100436 A4 shows an asymmetrical device that allows an adjustment on one side only, in which any movement of the panel must be performed manually, with an operation separate from its clamping in the desired position.

Disclosure of the invention

The aim of this invention is, therefore, to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages.

The invention, as characterised in the claims, achieves the aim with a clamping device that locks the glass panel relative to the metal profile in an absolutely stable condition, although allowing it to rotate relative to a vertical axis without intervening on the panel.

The main advantage obtained with this invention is basically the fact that, by always guaranteeing adjustment of the angle of the panels relative to the vertical axis, it transfers the forces generated during clamping in a way that is distributed in three directions: one component perpendicular to the sheet, one component angled slightly upwards and one component angled slightly downwards, allowing a larger contact surface on the sheet of glass, with is therefore more rigid.

Another advantage is basically the fact that the device allows an adjustment of the position of the panel relative to the vertical axis by acting on both sides of the panel as required, and without having to intervene manually.

Moreover, releasing of the sheet relative to the metal profile may only occur by means of a deliberate loosening of the adjusting parts, whilst such releasing cannot happen, even in the long-term, accidentally and unintentionally. In particular, vertical stresses from below in an upward direction, which should be the most feared for the panel slipping out, cause an increase in the transversal clamping thrust on the panel.

Finally, the clamping device is designed so that it can be pre-assembled complete with all components before being installed, making mounting faster and more secure and avoiding any faults and operating defects due to incorrect assembly. The geometry of the parts of which the clamping device is composed allows a significant reduction in the bending of the glass, achieving excellent results in terms of resistance to thrust.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantages and features of the invention are more apparent in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an example of it without limiting the scope of the invention, in which: Figure 1 is an axonometric front view of the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates the invention according to the axonometric view of Figure 1 , with some parts removed to better illustrate others;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the invention, in a step before it is installed; Figure 4 illustrates the invention according to the section of Figure 3, in an operating condition;

Figure 5 is an axonometric view of a detail of the invention,

Figure 6 illustrates the invention according to the section of Figure 3, in a second operating condition.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

As can be seen in the figures, this invention relates to a fixing system for glass panels with bilateral adjusting relative to a vertical axis, comprising an aluminium outer profile 1 and a box-shaped body 2, housed in the profile 1 on opposite sides of the panel 10 and provided with two autonomous clamping devices 3, positioned symmetrically relative to the panel 10, in such a way that they act on both faces of the panel. To adjust the position of the panel 10 relative to the vertical axis v it will be sufficient to act differently on the clamping devices 3, causing a rotation of the panel 10.

As shown in Figure 1 , the outer profile 1 and the box-shaped body 2 respectively comprise projections 11 and corresponding seats 21, designed to allow the box- shaped body 2 to be housed in the profile 1, but also to prevent vertical sliding of the profile 1 and the box-shaped body 2 relative to one another.

Figure 2 shows how each clamping device 3 comprises an idle screw 31 with vertical axis, a threaded pin 32, associated with the idle screw 31 in such a way that a rotation of the screw 31 causes a translation of the pin 32, and a rod 33, supported by the pin 32 in such a way that lifting the pin 32 pushes the rod 33 upwards, against a hollow 12 of the profile 1. The pin 32 and the rod 33 are inside a housing 22 of the box-shaped body 2, which has a cross-section that decreases from the bottom upwards. The rod 33 and the housing 22 of the box-shaped body 2 have interaction surfaces 33 a, 22a extending in a curvilinear fashion, in such a way as to promote mutual contact distributed on a large surface area rather than localised at individual points or on a line, whatever the position of the panel 10 is, even when the panel is angled relative to the vertical axis v. In this way, the force transmitted by the rod 33 onto the surface 22a is discharged onto the panel 10 in a way that is distributed over the entire surface of the box-shaped body 2.

From Figures 3, 4 and 6, where Figure 3 shows the invention in the home condition, it is possible to infer the operation of the fixing system 20: when the screw 31 is rotated, the threaded pin 32 is lifted up, simultaneously pushing the rod 33 upwards, the rod, which travels along the upper part of the housing 22 with reduced cross-section, being diverted towards a hollow 12 of the profile 1, in which it ends its stroke.

Since the rod 33 cannot go beyond that point, a further rotation of the screw 31 can only have the effect of causing a constraining reaction directed from the profile 1 towards the box-shaped body 2, forcing the entire box-shaped body 2 against the glass panel 10.

In this way, the forces are distributed on a surface area of the glass panel 10 which is larger than the prior art solutions, guaranteeing greater strength and rigidity of the glass panel 10.

If the same rotation is applied to the screws 31 of both clamping devices 3, the invention adopts the operating condition shown in Figure 4, in which the panel 10 is fixed in position without rotations relative to the vertical axis v. In contrast, if the panel 10 must be rotated relative to the vertical axis v, it will be sufficient to apply different rotation to the screws 31 in order to obtain an adjustment of the position of the panel 10 relative to the vertical axis v, as illustrated in Figure 6.

Moreover, the panel 10 can only be released thanks to a deliberate loosening of the screws 31 , since the friction, generated in the contact between the threads of the stainless steel screw 31 and the zamak pin 32, prevents accidental releasing. The box-shaped body 2 may be composed of two specular half-shells 2a, 2b which are stably mutually associable, in such a way that they can adapt to panels 10 of different thickness.

The profile 1 also comprises a plurality of through cavities 13 which provide greater strength and rigidity than those of prior art profiles; the new geometry of the profile 1 operating in conjunction with the new clamping device 3 to cause a reduced bending stress on the glass panel 10.