Bfg Glassgroup

Pierre Collignon

Pol Baudin

Marcel De Boel

Lucien Leger

Michel Wasterlain

Claude Gillieaux

When forming a multi-ply laminate having at least one thermoplastic structural ply forming an outer ply of the laminate, known processes comprise degassing and bonding steps during which gas is removed from between assembled structural plies of the laminate and the plies are heated to cause them to bond together while a moulding plate is in contact with the or each exposed thermoplastic ply. In order to reduce or eliminate optical distortion in the laminate, which may be adapted to constitute a vehicle windshield, during the degassing step, the assembled plies are subjected to a sub-atmospheric environmental pressure having an absolute valve of 150 mm Hg or less while the inter-ply space or spaces are subjected to a sub-atmospheric pressure at the edges of the assembly to degas the assembly, said edge pressure and said environmental pressure are maintained at such values as to give rise to a separation of the plies which is attributable to the mean inter-ply gas pressure being higher than the environmental pressure while the assembly of plies is heated to a temperature below that at which effective adherence commences between the thermoplastic material and an adjacent ply, the degassed assembly remains subject to sub-atmospheric edge pressure while its temperature is increased past the temperature at which said effective adherence commences and the assembly is then subjected to a bonding step in which heat and pressure conditions are such as to cause the plies to bond firmly together.

Process of forming a multi-ply laminate

In order to reduce or prevent absorption of water in the adhesive of a panel comprising at least one photovoltaic cell located between a transparent sheet and a second sheet bonded together using an adhesive material, the invention provides that another material is applied at least in part between the sheets to form a moisture barrier which surrounds the cell(s) and the adhesive. The preferred adhesive material is polyvinyl butyral, and the preferred barrier forming material is selected from neoprene based adhesives, polysulphide adhesives and polyvinylidene chloride. When the latter is used a second barrier forming material such as polysulphide adhesive is preferably interposed between the adhesive and the polyvinylidene chloride.

Panel comprising at least one photo-voltaic cell and method of

A method of manufacturing a laminated, light-transmitting fire-screening panel comprising at least one solid layer of intumescent material sandwiched between two structural plies without the use of a sheet of plastic material to effect the bonding, comprising the steps of forming a stratum from an intumescent material assembling the stratum and a first structural ply to an inorganic face of a pane comprising a second structural ply so that the stratum is in contact with the inorganic face and sandwiched between the structural plies, enveloping at least the edges of the sandwich assembly in such manner as to define a space around the edges in which sub-atmospheric pressure can be created for subjecting the inter-ply space to suction at the edges, and subjecting the sandwich assembly to a treatment in which at least one of the main external faces of the sandwich assembly is exposed to sub-atmospheric environmental pressure while the sandwich assembly is exposed to heat in a treatment chamber and the inter-ply space is subjected to the aforesaid suction to effect bonding of the various plies without causing the intumescent material to become tumid.

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Marcinelle, Belgium

Pierre Collignon