Vacuum insulating glass unit with viscous edge seal
OwnerRobert S. Jonesinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units, edge seals for VIG units and methods for forming the edge seals are provided. The VIG units include an edge seal that includes a viscous material, which serves to restrict the rate at which gas permeates into a vacuum space defined between the glass sheets of the VIG unit. The edge seals are configured to allow the glass sheets to move laterally relative to one another when the glass sheets experience differential thermal strain and further configured such that viscous shear occurs within at least a portion of the viscous material when there is relative lateral movement between the glass sheets.
Claims20
A vacuum insulating glass unit comprising:
- (a) a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet with a vacuum space in between at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure;
- (b) at least one spacer in between the first and second glass sheets configured to contribute to the separation of the first and second glass sheets and the maintenance of the vacuum space;
- and
- (c) an edge seal comprising:
- (i) a viscous material, wherein the viscous material restricts the rate at which gas permeates into the vacuum space;
- the edge seal being configured to allow the first and second glass sheets to move laterally relative to one another when the first and second glass sheets experience differential thermal strain and further configured such that viscous shear occurs within at least a portion of the viscous material when there is relative lateral movement between the first and second glass sheets;
- and
- (ii) at least one barrier whose configuration constrains the viscous material.
An edge seal for a vacuum insulating glass unit comprising a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet with a vacuum space in between at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure, the edge seal comprising:
- (a) a viscous material, wherein the viscous material restricts the rate at which gas permeates into the vacuum;
- the edge seal being configured to allow the first and second glass sheets to move laterally relative to one another when the first and second glass sheets experience differential thermal strain and further configured such that viscous shear occurs within at least a portion of the viscous material when there is relative lateral movement between the first and second glass sheets;
- and
- (b) at least one barrier whose configuration constrains the viscous material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.