Vacuum Insulating Glass Units with Viscous Edge Seals, in which a low permeability fluid spans the edges of the glass sheets, have been patented by Envelop LLC, a developer of vacuum insulating glass.
Envelop LLC, a developer of vacuum insulating glass, has announced the issuance of a US patent for a Vacuum Insulating Glass Unit with Viscous Edge Seal.
A low permeability fluid spans the edges of the glass sheets, undergoing viscous shear to accommodate differential thermal expansion and contraction while generating virtually no stress.
Viscous edge seals make commercially viable vacuum insulated glass curtain walls for skyscrapers and other buildings possible.
Viscous Edge Seals:
* can be designed to generate virtually no stress;
* place no limits on glass size, coatings, tempering, or lamination;
* allow the use of polyimide polymer spacers with thermal conductivity of 0.3 W/mK resulting in centre of glass U-values between 0.03 and 0.02 Btu/hf2 F or 0.17 and 0.12 W/m2K.