Apparatus for mounting sheet material and mounting assembly and structural surface formed therewith

A sheet mounting assembly in a building structure or the like comprising

• (a) a continuous sheet of thermo-expansive and contractive material,
• (b) means forming respective thickness enlargements along two opposed edges of said sheet, and
• (c) two elongated mounting means affixed in spaced relation to said building structure and having respective spaced generally facing channel means receiving and retaining therein said enlargements respectively, each said channel means defining an enlarged interior receiving area in which the respectively associated enlargement is received and defining a restricted outward opening through which extends the adjacent unenlarged portion of said sheet, each said receiving area being profiled compatibly with and sufficiently larger than its said associated enlargement to leave space in said receiving area unoccupied by said associated enlargement to permit relatively free shifting movement of said associated enlargement within said receiving area in response to thermal expansion and contraction of said sheet and each said restricted opening being smaller than its said associated enlargement to retain said associated enlargement in said receiving area but sufficiently larger than the unenlarged thickness of said adjacent portion of said sheet to leave space in said restricted opening unoccupied by said adjacent sheet portion for permitting relatively free shifting movement of said adjacent sheet portion within said restricted opening in response to thermal expansion and contraction of said sheet.

A structural surface in a building structure or the like comprising

• (a) a plurality of continuous sheets of thermo-expansive and contractive material arranged in generally side-by-side relation forming a generally continuous transparent surface, and
• (b) for each said sheet,
• (i) means forming a respective thickness enlargement along two opposed edges thereof, and
• (ii) two elongated mounting means affixed in spaced relation to said building structure and having respective spaced, generally facing channel means receiving and retaining therein said enlargements respectively, each said channel means defining an enlarged interior receiving area in which the respectively associated enlargement is received and defining a restricted outward opening through which extends the adjacent unenlarged portion of said sheet, each said receiving area being profiled compatibly with and sufficiently larger than its said associated enlargement to leave space in said receiving area unoccupied by said associated enlargement to permit relatively free shifting movement of said associated enlargement within said receiving area in response to thermal expansion and contraction of said sheet and each said restricted opening being smaller than its said associated enlargement to retain said associated enlargement in said receiving area but sufficiently larger than the unenlarged thickness of said adjacent portion of said sheet to leave space in said restricted opening unoccupied by said adjacent sheet portion for permitting relatively free shifting movement of said adjacent sheet portion within said restricted opening in response to thermal expansion and contraction of said sheet.