Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Hollow or container type article – Glass – ceramic – or sintered – fused – fired – or calcined metal...
Patent
1994-01-07
1996-09-17
Ryan, Patrick J.
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Hollow or container type article
Glass, ceramic, or sintered, fused, fired, or calcined metal...
428 345, 428 346, 428 363, 428 369, B32B 900
Patent
active
055566731
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to transparent composite structural elements or members capable of withstanding mechanical stresses and having for this purpose properties such as compressive, tensile and flexural strength, rigidity and, absence of brittleness.
Such structural members can be employed, inter alia, to replace some conventional structures, made of metal or reinforced concrete, with structures which have identical mechanical characteristics but which are transparent, this making it possible in particular to give them an aesthetic character, or else to ensure better transmission of light especially in constructions, hangars, swimming pools, greenhouses, store windows, storage vessels and some components of automobile bodies which could advantageously be transparent, for example the uprights surrounding the windows and the windshield.
The invention therefore finds its application in many fields such as those of building, public works, urban furniture, naval or automobile construction and the like. In fact, the structural members according to the invention can take on various shapes ranging from simple shapes to more complex shapes.
By way of examples, there may be mentioned elongate members of the pillar, pylon, post, beam, arch or similar type, members of sheet type, both planar and curved, as well as objects of much more complex shape. Particular mention may be made of vertical structures of the post or pylon type used as supports for constructions or for the conductors of electric or telephone aerial transmission lines, aeration shafts or those for extracting gases, fumes and steam, road signposts, posts for grid fencing, for glazing buildings, building facade panels, cladding panels, bottoms of boats and other craft, water towers, gas tanks, silos, transmitting or receiving antennas, cranes and lifting equipment and the like.
PRIOR ART
The present invention makes it possible in particular to replace conventional posts or pylons made of metal or reinforced concrete, or at least a proportion of these, with transparent posts or pylons that will be capable of blending more harmoniously into the scenery.
Transparent materials known hitherto do not satisfy the combination of the characteristics required for the above applications: is brittle; compressive forces; as a general rule they are also very costly, their cost greatly exceeding that of glass; those of compression or rigidity, and they are costly.
It is well known that mechanical properties of plastics can be modified and greatly improved by incorporating long or short fibers. However, the products obtained are translucent or even opaque in great thicknesses.
Swiss Patent CH-A-290 206 relates to a transparent member comprising two parallel transparent sheets between which is arranged a layer which has transparent fibers and which is bonded adhesively by a binder to at least one of the sheets. Polyacrylates, polystyrene, vinyl compounds and cellulose esters are mentioned as binder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to provide structural members such as referred to above, in the case of which the best possible compromise can be obtained between the mechanical properties sought after and transparency.
To meet this objective, there are proposed, in accordance with the present invention, transparent composite structural members based on three categories of different components, namely massive glass components, transparent fibers and a transparent matrix and/or coating resin, the refractive indices of these three components having furthermore to satisfy particular conditions and, with regard to the structure. the regions of maximum tensile stress and/or to the regions of impact strength of the member to be produced, those of the massive glass members, to the regions where the maximum compressive strength and the greatest rigidity is called for, the resin being employed for filling the gaps between the glass members and the fibers and to ensure the cohesion of the whole.
The subject of the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3002534 (1961-10-01), Noland
patent: 3896858 (1975-07-01), Whatley
patent: 4247258 (1981-01-01), Griffee, Jr. et al.
WO, A, 8 900 917--Feb. 9, 1989 see the whole document.
Compagnie Generale D'Innovation Et De Developpement Cogidev
Lee Cathy
Ryan Patrick J.
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