Patent Publication Number: US-8978327-B2

Title: Fastening arrangement for glass balustrades

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The invention is directed to a fastening arrangement for glass balustrades. 
     For some years, balustrades at balconies, terraces, but also stairs are increasingly made from glass. Recently the glass plates used here are not held or inserted in metal frames but connected to the construction only in the area of their bottom edges. Here it is possible to provide the glass with bores and to fasten them with appropriate screws. However, far more frequently the lower section and/or the lower edge of the glass is inserted in a profile and connected thereto and subsequently the profile is fastened with suitable fastening means at the face, the top, or the bottom of the frontal edge of a balcony. Terrace balustrades and stair railings are usually fastened laterally. In order to optimally utilize the esthetics of frameless glass it is attempted to fasten the frame part, usually comprising metal, i.e. steel or aluminum, outside the visual range. Here, minute deviations during the assembly of the fastening elements can lead to the frame part receiving the glass not extending precisely parallel in reference to the surface of the balcony or the terrace. However, compensating unavoidable imprecisions in constructions is very expensive. Frequently, without any scaffolding new bores must be applied at the building in order to facilitate eliminating small, but esthetically unsatisfactory imprecisions. 
     SUMMARY 
     One objective of the present invention is to provide a fastening arrangement for glass balustrades for balconies, terraces, stairs, etc. which allows a simple, cost-effective assembly without setting very high demands to the precision during the assembly of the fastening elements at the construction site. 
     This objective is attained in a fastening arrangement according to the features the invention. Advantageous embodiments of the fastening arrangement are described below and in the claims. 
     By the presence of a plurality of grooves, extending parallel in reference to each other, preferably dovetail grooves or T-grooves, it is possible to fasten the glass balustrades in a precisely aligned fashion in the receiving profile for the glass plates as well as at the fastening elements to be connected to the receiving profile. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is explained in greater detail based on the illustrated exemplary embodiment. Shown are: 
         FIG. 1  a cross-section through the receiving profile, 
         FIG. 2  a cross-section through an L-shaped fastening element, 
         FIG. 3  a fastening arrangement at a balcony slab (facial assembly), 
         FIG. 4  a fastening arrangement at a balcony slab (fastening at the top), 
         FIG. 5  a fastening arrangement at a balcony slab (fastening at a peripheral edge), 
         FIG. 6  a fastening arrangement at a balcony slab (fastening at the peripheral edge, however at the inside), 
         FIG. 7  a fastening arrangement at a terrace edge (exterior), 
         FIG. 8  a fastening arrangement at a terrace edge (a fastening on the top of the floor), 
         FIG. 9  a fastening arrangement at a terrace edge (fastening on an auxiliary profile at a building made from wood), and 
         FIG. 10  a fastening arrangement at a terrace edge (fastening at the inside of a peripheral wall element). 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The reference character  1  indicates a U-shaped receiving profile for a glass plate  2  for a balcony or terrace balustrade. The receiving profile  1  is preferably produced from aluminum and comprises an exterior leg  3  and an interior leg  5 . At the bottom the two legs  3 ,  5  are connected to each other by a base plate  7 . Grooves  13 , extending parallel in reference to each other, particularly dovetail grooves or T-grooves are embedded in the exterior areas  9  and  11  of the two legs  3  and  5 . These grooves extend at the interior leg  5  preferably approximately over its entire dimension. At the corners where the surfaces of the two legs  3 ,  5  and the base plate  7  meet, a corner groove  15  may be embedded at an angle of 45°, which extends parallel in reference to the other grooves  13 . 
     The upper end and/or the upper edges  17 ,  19  of the two legs  3 ,  5  are bent towards the outside and comprise a fastening groove  21 , in which after the fastening a cover plate or a blind  25  can be suspended. Preferably the interior areas of the legs  3 ,  5  are embodied aligned v-shaped in reference to each other. 
     A possible embodiment of a fastening element for the receiving profile  1 , also called angle bracket  27 , is shown in  FIG. 2 . This is once more preferably made from aluminum in the extrusion method. The L-shaped fastening element  27  comprises a fastening leg  29  and a connection leg  31 . The fastening leg  29  comprises at least one hole or one bore  33  for a fastening screw  33  penetrating it, by which the fastening element  27  can be fastened at a building (balcony floor, terrace floor, or generally a building wall  41 ). Further, dovetail grooves or T-grooves  35  are formed at the exterior area of the connection legs  31 , which are consistent and/or sized such in reference to the dovetail grooves or T-grooves at the legs  3 ,  5  and those at the base plate  7  of the receiving profile that every fastening element  27  can be inserted at an arbitrary position into the grooves  13 . In order to fasten and secure the fastening element  27  using the fastening elements  27  and/or a threaded bore inserted therein a stud screw can be screwed into the receiving profile (stud screw not shown) in a groove  13  or a screw channel  37  provided for this purpose. 
     In the following some fastening examples are explained in greater detail. In  FIG. 3  the receiving profile  1  is shown fastened with two fastening elements  27  and two screws  43  at the face of the balcony slab  41 . Before the fastening of the fastening element  27  can occur at the balcony slab  41  the fastening elements  27  are laterally inserted at the receiving profiles  1  and at the predetermined positioned, i.e. at a predetermined distance side-by-side and fixed here by stud screws. Due to the fact that the receiving profile  1  is made from aluminum and is very light it can simply be placed upon the balcony slab and screw holes to be drilled for the screws  43  can be inserted. When the receiving profile  1  is preliminarily fastened it can therefore be checked if its upper edge  45  is actually parallel in reference to the surface  47  of the balcony slab  41 . If this is the case, the screws  43  can be tightened. However, if that is not the case the fastening elements  27  can be displaced by one, two, or more grooves, once more fastened at the receiving profile  1 . Of course, depending on the embodiment of the balcony slab  41 , the position of the receiving profile  1  can be connected at a higher or lower point with the fastening elements  27 . After the definite fastening of the receiving profile  1  a safety glass  39  can be inserted from the top between the two legs  3 ,  5 . In order to ensure an optimal fastening even with regards to unexpected horizontal forces upon the safety glass the lower edge of the safety glass is coated with an elastic material. Slightly below the upper edge  45  of the receiving profile  1 , between the two glass surfaces and the two interior areas of the legs  3 ,  5 , an elastic element is inserted, such as rubber or an elastic sealing material. After the assembly of the safety glass  19  this (material) can be protected from the top with a liquid sealing material against the penetration of rain water and dirt. 
     In the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 4 , the frame profile  1  is fastened with a fastening angle  49  at its one leg via adjustment screws  51  provided with grooves, which engage the grooves  13  at the receiving profile  1 . The facial edge  53  of the balcony slab  41  is now located in one plane with the exterior leg  3  of the receiving profile  1 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , a receiving profile  1  is fastened with two fastening elements  27  at a circumferential edge  55  outside the balcony slab  41 . One fastening element  27  engages the base plate  7 , the other one in the upper section of the interior leg  5 . 
     In  FIG. 6 , the receiving profile  1  is located inside the circumferential edge  55  at the balcony slab  41 . 
     In the embodiment of the fastening according to  FIG. 7 , the receiving profile  1  is connected at its base plate  7  with a fastening element  27 . This allows for the receiving profile  1  to slightly project beyond the exterior face of a façade  57 . The fastening element  27  is here fastened at a console  61  inserted in an insulating plate  59 . 
     In the embodiment of the fastening of the receiving profile  1  according to  FIG. 8 , the latter is fastened with two fastening elements  27 , each of which engaging at the inner leg  5  and at the outer leg  3 , on the surface of a plate, e.g., a walkable roof. 
     In the embodiment of the invention according to  FIG. 9 , the receiving profile  1  rests on a square pipe  63  which is welded with its face to a metal structure. 
     In the embodiment of the invention according to  FIG. 10 , which is essentially equivalent to the design according to  FIG. 7 , it is shown how the receiving profile  1  can be place over a flat roof—sealing film  65 .