First and second frame sections are to be joined at a corner of a glazing. Each section has a front base piece, a rear base piece, and a glazing stop piece. The front base piece is anchored to a support structure of a building and has a glazing channel facing the safe side of the window, to receive therein the glazing. The glazing stop piece is secured to the front base piece and thereby holds the glazing in its channel. The rear base piece is secured to the front base piece and thereby laterally closes the frame section. The base pieces are shaped so that an end portion of the front base overlaps an end portion of the rear base and a number of fasteners are installed through these end portions to secure the base pieces to each other. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
1. A frame for a window, comprising:
first and second frame sections to join each other at a corner of a glazing for the window,
each section having a base piece and a glazing stop piece,
the base piece to be anchored to a support structure of a building, the base piece having a first cavity with a front wall and rear wall, a second cavity sharing a wall with the first cavity and having all of its walls made of the same material, and a third cavity sharing a wall with the second cavity and another wall with the first cavity and located to the rear of the second cavity, wherein a glazing channel lies beside as opposed to behind or in front of the third cavity and faces the safe side of the window and is to receive therein the glazing, and
the glazing stop piece to be secured to the base piece and thereby hold the glazing in its channel, and in the base piece of the first frame section, the first cavity has a lateral opening into the support structure of a building that runs the entire length of the base piece, and an anchor plate by which the base piece of the first frame section is to be anchored to the support structure of a building through the lateral opening in the base piece, the anchor plate having a middle section positioned over the lateral opening and end sections overlapping ends of the base piece forming the lateral opening.
2. The frame of claim 1 wherein the third cavity is entirely screened off by the second cavity.
3. The frame of claim 1 wherein the second cavity is located behind the front wall, and wherein intersecting walls of the second and third cavities define the glazing channel.
4. The frame of claim 1 wherein the base piece has a thermal break formed between the second and third cavities.
5. The frame of claim 1 further comprising a shear block to be fitted inside the second cavity.
6. The frame of claim 1 further comprising a shear block to be fitted inside the third cavity.
7. The frame of claim 1 wherein in the base piece of the first frame section, the second cavity has a lateral opening into the glazing channel and that runs the entire length of the base piece.
8. The frame of claim 7 wherein the second cavity has a front wall with a hole to allow draining.
9. The frame of claim 8 further comprising a thermally insulative material sandwiched between the base piece and end sections of the anchor plate to achieve a thermal break.