Structural glass beam elements and connection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017370102-A1
Application number	US-201715631288-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 24, 2016
Publication date	Dec 28, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A glass beam element, for constructing a loadbearing structure, comprises at least one elongate structural reinforcement section extending along a longitudinal direction, and at least one glass segment bonded to said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section. The at least one elongate structural reinforcement section comprises a weldable material, and the at least one glass segment has a length along the longitudinal direction that is shorter than the elongate structural reinforcement section such as to allow welding of an end region of the at least one elongate structural reinforcement section without thereby damaging the at least one glass segment.

First claim

1 . A glass beam element for constructing a loadbearing structure, the glass beam element comprising:
at least one elongate structural reinforcement section extending along a longitudinal direction; and at least one glass segment bonded to said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section; wherein the at least one elongate structural reinforcement section comprises a weldable material; wherein said at least one glass segment has a length along said longitudinal direction that is shorter than the elongate structural reinforcement section such as to allow welding of an end region of the at least one elongate structural reinforcement section without thereby damaging the at least one glass segment.

2 . The glass beam element of claim 1 , wherein said at least one structural reinforcement section extends for a first distance beyond the at least one glass segment in at least one sense of the longitudinal direction, said first distance being at least 4 times a largest diameter of a cross section of the structural reinforcement section.

3 . The glass beam element of claim 1 , in which said at least one glass segment is bonded to said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section in a region of the glass beam element that comprises at least part of an edge of the glass segment, wherein said glass segment has a rectangular planar shape and said edge corresponds to a long edge of the rectangular planar shape.

4 . The glass beam element of claim 3 , wherein said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section comprises two parallel elongate structural reinforcement sections extending along the longitudinal direction, wherein the at least one glass segment is bonded along both long edges of said rectangular planar shape to respectively said two elongate structural reinforcement sections, wherein said at least one glass segment has a length along said longitudinal direction that is shorter than both elongate structural reinforcement sections such as to allow welding of end regions of both elongate structural reinforcement sections without thereby damaging the at least one glass segment.

5 . The glass beam element of claim 4 , wherein said at least one glass segment comprises at least one internal glass pane and two external glass panes, said internal glass pane being provided in between said two parallel elongate structural reinforcement sections and in between said two external glass panes, said two external glass panes furthermore extending over the two elongate structural reinforcement sections such as to position the two elongate structural reinforcement sections in between the two external glass panes.

6 . The glass beam element of claim 5 , wherein the at least one internal glass pane is longer in said longitudinal direction than each of said two external glass panes.

7 . The glass beam element of claim 6 , wherein said first distance corresponds to a distance that each structural reinforcement section extends beyond the at least one internal glass pane in said longitudinal direction, and wherein each structural reinforcement section extends beyond each external glass pane in the longitudinal direction over a second distance, in which this second distance is larger than the first distance.

8 . A method for constructing a loadbearing structure, the method comprising:
obtaining a first glass beam element and a second glass beam element, wherein each of the first glass beam element and the second glass beam element comprises: at least one elongate structural reinforcement section extending along a longitudinal direction; and at least one glass segment bonded to said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section; wherein the at least one elongate structural reinforcement section comprises a weldable material; wherein said at least one glass segment has a length along said longitudinal direction that is shorter than the elongate structural reinforcement section such as to allow welding of an end region of the at least one elongate structural reinforcement section without thereby damaging the at least one glass segment; placing said end region of said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section of said first glass beam element such as to abut said end region of said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section of said second glass beam element; welding said end region of said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section of said first glass beam element to said end region of said at least one elongate structural reinforcement section of said second glass element such as to obtain at least one joined elongate structural reinforcement section; bonding at least one connection glass segment to said at least one joined elongate structural reinforcement section such as to form a substantially continuous glass surface formed by the at least one glass segment of the first glass beam element, the at least one connection glass segment and the at least one glass segment of the second glass beam element.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said welding comprises performing a circumferential weld of hollow profiles of said at least one structural reinforcement sections in said abutting end regions.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein a continuous duct for a cable and/or a conduit is provided throughout the at least one joined elongate structural reinforcement section formed by said circumferential welding of the at least one elongate structural reinforcement sections.

11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising polishing a weld surface produced by said welding before performing said bonding.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said obtaining comprises obtaining said first and said second glass beam element, in which each of the first glass beam element and the second glass beam element comprises at least one internal glass pane and two external glass panes, said internal glass pane being provided in between two parallel elongate structural reinforcement sections and in between said two external glass panes, said two external glass panes furthermore extending over the two elongate structural reinforcement sections such as to position the two elongate structural reinforcement sections in between the two external glass panes;
wherein said placing comprises placing two first end regions of respectively said two parallel elongate structural reinforcement sections of said first glass beam element such as to respectively abut two second end regions of respectively said two parallel elongate structural reinforcement sections of said second glass beam element, said two first end regions and said two second end regions being at a same end of respectively the first glass beam element and the second glass beam element with respect to said longitudinal direction of the corresponding glass beam element; wherein said welding comprises welding said two first end regions to respectively said two second end regions such as to obtain two joined elongate structural reinforcement sections; wherein said bonding comprises assembling glass panes by placing an internal connection glass pane in between said internal glass pane of said first glass beam element and said internal glass pane of said second glass beam element and in between said two joined elongate structural reinforcement sections; wherein said assembling further comprises placing two external connection glass panes respectively on either side of said internal connection glass pane, said two external connection glass panes furthermore extending over the two joined elongate structural reinforcement sections such as to position the two joined elongate structural reinforcement sections in be

Assignees

• Univ Gent

Inventors

• MARTENS Kenny
• Belis Jan
• CASPEELE Robby

Classifications

• E04C3/46

  of materials not covered by groups E04C3/40 - E04C3/44; of a combination of two or more materials · CPC title

• E04C3/36

  of materials not covered by groups E04C3/32 or E04C3/34; of a combination of two or more materials · CPC title

• E04C3/32

  of metal (E04C3/36 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E04C2/54

  Slab-like translucent elements (floors for transmitting light E04B5/46; translucent or open-work ceilings E04B9/32, E04B9/34; translucent roof coverings E04D3/06, E04D3/28) · CPC title

• E04C3/285 Primary

  of glass · CPC title