The present invention relates to a curtain wall system .

In particular, the invention is intended for curtain wall systems with a bearing structure composed of mul lions and transoms mounted in between in the form of aluminium profiles and glazing supports for bearing panels , said glazing supports being intended to be mounted in or on the transoms along the outward facing front side of the curtain wall system .

The panels are for example glass panels , but alternatively can also be acrylate panels or panels made from another material .

Traditionally, the transoms are provided with an open screw channel , the opening of which extends from the front side over the length of the transoms . Above the screw channel , the transom is traditionally provided with a hook detail for hooking in the glazing support .

After assembly, the glazing support will consequently rest on the upper wall of the screw channel , whereas tilting of the glazing support is prevented by a hook detail of the glazing support that engages in the hook detail of the transom .

After applying and positioning by means of clamping blocks around the panel , the panels are af fixed by means of a clamping strip which is clamped through the agency of a seal against the outer edge of the panel by means o f screws in the screw channel and whereby the edges of the panel are clamped between seals on the transom and the seals on the clamping strip .

The heads of the screws of the clamping strip are subsequently concealed by an ornamental frame which is typically snapped onto the clamping strip .

For bearing heavier panels , tubular glazing supports are also known, whereby the glazing support is provided with a protruding lip which at the bottom rests on the inside of the screw channel .

A disadvantage of these known glaz ing supports is that said glazing supports are not fixedly anchored to the transoms and consequently may shi ft during transport or fall out of the transoms . Furthermore , the position of said glazing supports is not fixed such that they can shi ft laterally during assembly and consequently may be installed in a wrong position .

An alternative known glazing support is not hooked in but is snapped or slid into the walls of the screw channel in a direction perpendicular to the front side of the transom . Consequently the upperside of said glazing supports rests on the upper wall of the screw channel . This means the depth of the space in which the glazing can be installed is partly filled up such that the tolerances of the panels are limited . A disadvantage of said glazing supports slid in from the front is that to prevent them from sliding back out of the profiles , said glazing supports need to be af fixed with screws which engage in the screw channel .

The known curtain wall systems use screw channels with a double function . On the one hand the screw channels form a support for the glazing supports , whereas on the other hand the screw channels are used for af fixing the clamping strips by means of the aforementioned screws .

The screw channels are applied in the front side of the transoms to support the glazing support . The protruding part of the screw channel is part of the profile of the transoms and is thus also made from aluminium, the disadvantage being that this forms a thermal bridge which has a negative influence on the insulation value of the curtain wall system .

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to the aforementioned and other disadvantages .

To this end, the invention relates to a curtain wal l system comprising transoms and mullions in the form of profiles made from aluminium and glazing supports which are intended to be mounted in or on the transoms along the outward facing front side of the curtain wall system, the transom being provided with a channel that extends lengthways from the front side in the profile perpendicular to the front side whereby the channel is provided with at least one groove which extends from the channel in a direction diagonal or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the channel and whereby the glazing support is executed as a component which from the free end of the transom can be slid into the channel and into the groove in the longitudinal direction of the profile , whereby the glazing support is provided with at least one laterally protruding part which in mounted condition engages in said groove .

This has the advantage that the glazing support can be connected very quickly and easily to the transom simply by sliding the glazing support into the channel of the transom without the use of screws to af fix the glazing support .

It goes without saying that mounting the glazing supports according to the invention results in time savings as fewer materials , fewer actions and no tools are needed .

The groove in the channel and the cooperating laterally protruding part of the glazing support ensures that the glazing support cannot fall out of the transom from the front side , for example , during transport .

Because the glazing support according to the invention is not resting on the upperside of the channel , the total height of the glazing support and the channel can be restricted such that less space is used between the panels which simpli fies installation of the panels and which also means greater tolerances of the panels are possible .

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the curtain wall system can further be provided with locking means which lock the lateral movement of the glazing supports .

Preferably, said locking means are executed as synthetic locking blocks which are snappable in the channel of the transom from the front side and adj oiningly and on either side of the glazing support counter the lateral movement of the glazing supports .

Consequently the glazing supports can be mounted in the transoms prior to the transport . Indeed, the glazing supports cannot fall out of the transoms , but thanks to the locking means said glazing supports will also not unintentionally shi ft such that their pos ition remains guaranteed .

The invention also relates to a method for installing a glazing support in a curtain wall system, whereby the method comprises the following steps : sliding one or more glazing supports into the channel of a transom and this up to the desired position;

- locking the glazing support by snapping one or more locking blocks into the channel directly next to the one or more glazing supports .

Such method allows a glazing support or glazing supports to be anchored to a profile on site very quickly and easily, without the use of special tools or screws . Preferably, the assembly of the glazing support or glazing supports in a relevant transom is executed by sliding during assembly along one end of the transom while at least one free end of the channel of the transom is still open .

With the intention of better showing the characteri stics of the invention, a preferred embodiment of a curtain wall system according to the invention is described hereinafter, by way of an example without any limiting nature , with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein : figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a section of a curtain wall system according to the invention during the assembly thereof ; figure 2 shows the curtain wall system of figure 1 , but in partly mounted condition of the glazing support and corresponding locking means ; figure 3 shows a cross-section according to the line I I I- I I I of figure 2 .

The section of the curtain wall system 1 shown in figure 1 comprises a hori zontal transom 2 and a vertical mullion 3 in the form of aluminium profiles 2 , 3 and also shows a glazing support 4 according to the invention in unassembled condition and three locking means 5 in the form of locking blocks 5 .

In the outward facing front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 , i . e . the side oriented outwardly in the finished curtain wall 1 , a channel 7 is provided in the transom 2 . Although in this figure the mullion 3 is also provided with one and the same channel 7 , this is not necessary for the invention .

Said channel 7 extends over the entire length of the profile 2 , 3 and over a certain depth in a direction perpendicular to the front side 6 and is provided in a thickened section 8 of the front wall 6 of the transom 2 .

In this case , the channel 7 is delimited by two opposite walls 9 which extend perpendicularly to the front s ide 6 of the transom 2 whereby the channel 7 is open on the front side 6 .

The channel 7 is provided with two grooves 10 which in this case extend from the two opposite walls 9 of the channel 7 according to the direction Z-Z ' in a plane paral lel to the front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 .

Alternatively, the channel 7 could also be provided with j ust one groove 10 , or more than two grooves 10 and the grooves 10 need not necessarily extend in a parallel way with the front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 but could also be diagonal relative to the channel 7 .

In this embodiment the two grooves 10 in the channel 7 are provided with an undercut 11 in the direction of the front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 .

In this example the front side 6 of the profiles 2 , 3 is provided with two double undercut slots 12 for applying a seal 13 . In the example of figure 1 the seals 13 of the mullions 3 and the upper seal 13 of the transom 2 are already applied, whereas the lower seal 13 of the transom 2 is not yet mounted .

The glazing support 4 shown in this example is provided with two opposite laterally protruding parts 14 which, j ust like the grooves 10 in the channel 7 , extend perpendicularly and in a plane parallel to the front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 .

The glazing support 4 is not necessarily provided with two laterally protruding parts 14 but alternatively can also only comprise one or more than two laterally protruding parts 14 . In any case , preferably, the number of grooves 10 of the channel 7 is equal to the number of lateral protrusions 14 of the glazing support 4 .

In this case , the free ends of the laterally protruding parts 14 of the glazing support 4 are also provided with hook details 15 .

In this case , the glazing support 4 is further provided with two stops 16 , but alternatively can also be provided with j ust one stop 16 .

In this example , the locking means 5 are executed as synthetic locking blocks 5 which have a form that is complementary to the channel 7 , exclusive of the grooves 10 . The glazing support 4 can be slid into the channel 7 and into the grooves 10 in the longitudinal direction of X-X' of the transom 2 from the free end of the transom 2 , as shown by arrow A in figure 1 .

The locking blocks 5 can be snapped in according to the direction Y-Y' perpendicular to the front side 6 as shown by arrows B in figure 1 , to lock the position of the glazing support 4 .

This situation is shown in figure 2 , where a glazing support 4 is slid into the channel 7 and into the grooves 10 of the transom 2 . The glazing support 4 is held in place by locking blocks 5 which are snapped into the channel 7 of the transom 2 on either side of the glazing support 4 against the glazing support 4 .

The cross-section shown in figure 3 provides a better view of how the laterally protruding parts 14 of the glazing support 4 engage in the aforementioned grooves 10 .

In said figure 3 , the assembly is finalised and, apart from the transom 2 and the glazing support 4 also two panels 17 are shown, in this case glass panels , a clamping strip 18 , an ornamental frame 19 and the necessary seals 13 .

The upper panel 17 in this figure is borne by the shown glazing support 4 . The panels 17 are af fixed all around by means of clamping strips 18 which through the agency of a seal 13 are clamped against the outer edge of the panel 17 by means of screws in such a way that the edges of the panel 17 are clamped between the aforementioned seals 13 on the transom 2 and the seals 13 on the clamping strip 18 . The seals 13 ensure a waterproof and windproof seal of the curtain wall 1 .

In this case the head of the screws of the clamping strips 18 are concealed by the ornamental frame 19 , said ornamental frame 19 being snapped onto the clamping strip 18 .

The form and dimensions of the grooves 10 and the laterally protruding parts 14 correspond such that they fittingly engage in each other .

This figure 3 al so clearly shows that the two stops 16 of the glazing support 4 rest against the front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 after assembly . This ensures extra bearing capacity against the front side 6 of the profile 2 , 3 .

The hook details 15 of the laterally protruding parts 14 engage in the undercuts 11 of the grooves 10 in the channel 7 after ass emb 1 y .

It can also be deduced from this f igure that after assembly of the seals 13 in the aforementioned slots 12 of the profiles 2 , 3 , said seals 13 rest against the stops 16 of the glazing support 4 .

In this example the channel 7 and the glazing support 4 are also provided with corresponding teeth 20 which engage in each other for additional strength and/or an increased shear strength against the axial translations of the glazing support in the channel 7 .

In this embodiment the locking blocks 5 are also provided with a toothing 21 that is complementary to the teeth 20 of the channel 7 and which when snapping the locking blocks 5 into the channel 7 of the transom 2 engage in each other .

In this embodiment , the channel 7 is also provided with a V- or U-shaped recess 22 which extends in a direction perpendicular to the front side 6 of the curtain wall system 1 . The glazing support 4 is provided with a V- or U- shaped tip 23 which in terms of form and dimensions corresponds with the recess 22 in the channel 7 such that in mounted condition, as shown here in figure 3 , the V- or U-shaped recess 22 and the V- or U-shaped tip 23 of the glazing support 4 engage in each other for additional strength and/or for a greater support surface .

The invention also relates to a method for installing a glazing support 4 in a curtain wall system 1 whereby the method comprises the following steps : sliding one or more glazing supports 4 into the channel 7 of a transom 2 and this up to the desired position;

- locking the glazing support 4 by snapping one or more locking blocks 5 into the channel 7 directly next to the one or more glazing supports 4 . According to a special aspect of the invention the assembly of the glazing support 4 or glazing supports 4 in a relevant transom 2 is executed by sliding during the assembly along one end of the transom 2 while at least one free end of the channel 7 of the transom 2 is still open .

In the embodiment shown, the locking blocks 5 are snapped into the channel 7 in a direction perpendicular to the front side of the transom 2 .

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described as an example and shown in the figures , but a curtain wall system according to the invention can be realised in all kinds of forms and dimensions without departing from the scope of the invention .