摘要 |
An elongate tubular spacer-frame bar (18) having an integral thermal break for reducing energy flow between glass panes (14) in an insulated glass panel (10) is provided. The spacer-frame bar (18) includes a first and a second side (24, 25), each side having elongated edges (28, 29). Two nonwelded seams (26) run along the elongate dimension of the spacer-frame bar between the corresponding adjacent edges of the first and second sides. At least one continuous insulating member (30), composed of a nonmetallic, low-heat-conductive substance, and being of a length substantially equal to the length of the spacer-frame bar, separates the first and second sides of each seam, forming a thermal break. The present invention effectively eliminates all direct contact between the spacer-frame bars and the glass panes by separating the two halves of the spacer-frame bar along its nonwelded seams with a nonmetallic/nonconductive substance. This separation creates an effective thermal break along the spacer-frame bar that stops conductivity between the glass panes via the spacer-frame bar, thus further reducing the heat loss in insulated glass panels.
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