Spacer for double-glazing units, and double-glazing unit

Abstract

A spacer for a double-glazing unit, and a double-glazing unit, which make it possible to improve the durability performance of the double-glazing unit and moreover are capable of housing a granular desiccant in the spacer. The double-glazing unit 10 is comprised of a pair of glass plates 11 and 12 each of thickness 3.0 mm that face one another with a predetermined gap therebetween, a spacer 13 that is inserted between the glass plates 11 and 12 at a peripheral portion thereof so as to fix the predetermined gap between the glass plates 11 and 12 at, for example, 14.5 mm, and a secondary sealant 16 that is filled between the glass plates 11 and 12 on the outside of the spacer 13 and seals the spacer 13 from the exterior. The spacer 13 is comprised of an elongated thin-walled hollow body 13 b that is interposed via a primary sealant 15 between the pair of glass plates 11 and 12 in the double-glazing unit 10 and houses a desiccant 13 a . The hollow body 13 b has, at a side thereof facing onto the hollow layer 14 formed inside the double-glazing unit 10 , an overlapping portion 13 d where overlap occurs in a direction perpendicular to mutually facing surfaces of the pair of glass plates 11 and 12.

1 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit joined via joining portions between a pair of glass plates in the double-glazing unit, characterized by comprising an elongated thin-walled hollow body housing a desiccant, wherein said hollow body has, at a side thereof facing onto a hollow layer formed inside the double-glazing unit, an overlapping portion where overlap occurs in a direction perpendicular to mutually facing surfaces of the pair of glass plates.  
   
   
       2 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that said hollow body has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape.  
   
   
       3 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 2 , characterized in that the cross-sectional shape of said hollow body projects out at a side thereof opposite said overlapping portion.  
   
   
       4 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 3 , characterized in that the side opposite said overlapping portion in the cross-sectional shape of said hollow body projects out toward an outer periphery of the double-glazing unit.  
   
   
       5 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that a gap at said overlapping portion is not more than 0.6 mm.  
   
   
       6 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that a length of said overlapping portion in a thickness direction of the double-glazing unit is not more than a value obtained by subtracting 2.0 mm from an inside dimension of said hollow body in the thickness direction of the double-glazing unit.  
   
   
       7 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that said hollow body contains aluminum or an alloy having aluminum as a principal component thereof.  
   
   
       8 . A spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 7 , characterized in that said hollow body has a thickness of at least 2 mm.  
   
   
       9 . A double-glazing unit characterized by having therein a spacer for a double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 1 .  
   
   
       10 . A double-glazing unit as claimed in  claim 9 , characterized by having a sealing portion that is filled between the pair of glass plates on an outer periphery side of the double-glazing unit relative to the spacer, and seals the spacer from an exterior.