awning
Technical term from the field of architecture , formerly also a common term in Germany. An awning ( Swiss high German : the sun blinds or the sun blinds ) is a frame construction with covering that is attached to an object and which, among other things, serves as protection from the sun, heat, glare and property. Depending on the type and equipment, it can serve as privacy and rain protection. Awnings are part of the roller shutter , blind and sun protection industry .
History of the awning
Sun protection systems are said to have been similar to today's awnings in ancient times. In the middle of the 18th century, the awning gained increasing popularity in France. In the following centuries, the simple sun protection covering developed into today's awnings.
The term “awning” is derived from the French marquise “Margravine”, although the context is unclear. Around 1700 the word had the meaning “flyover, additional tent roof (on the aft deck or at the officer's tent)”, and it was only in the course of the 18th century that the current meaning “linen sunroof in front of the window or door” developed.
Types of awning
There are essentially three types of awning. There are roll awnings in which the cloth can be rolled up on a cloth shaft , folding awnings that are movable but do not have a cloth shaft, and fixed awnings that cannot be changed in their shape and spread.
Basket awning
The basket awning is one of the simplest awning designs. It usually consists of a triangular or curved frame, mainly made of aluminum , which can be fixed (rigid) or foldable and covered with awning fabric. In the Netherlands, basket awnings are still made from wood by many small businesses. A wide variety of angular shapes are possible with this type of awning. This awning is often found in front of shops or cafes. Due to its curved shape, it can absorb forces well and can therefore be used for high wind loads and, with suitable cloths, as rain protection. In the area Benelux and Northern Germany this type of awning is also in demand by consumers.
Drop arm awnings
The drop arm awning is a simple roll awning construction and is often installed in front of windows as shading and privacy protection. In many cases, the cloths are not completely light-tight, so that although they serve as glare protection, they still let light into the room. The fabric is located on a fabric roller and is brought to the failure by two or more arms that are attached to the lower end of the drop profile. The required tensile force is applied by compression springs in or on the arms. Depending on the length and height of the drop arms, the swivel range can be between 90 and 140 degrees. With swivel ranges over 140 to 180 degrees, the pulling forces that are necessary to bend the stretched arms again are extremely high. The covering (the awning fabric) could be damaged as a result, because the seams would be very stressed at such large angles of inclination. The awning can be operated electrically using a tubular motor in the fabric shaft or manually using a gear and crank.
Drop awning / vertical awning / vertical awning
The drop awning is similar to the drop arm awning, with the only difference that the fabric, guided by guide ropes or rods, runs vertically downwards. The weight of the front profile that sits at the end of the fabric is sufficient to pull the fabric down.
Side awning / horizontal awning / vertical awning
A side awning is a roll-up awning attached on edge with a self-closing mechanism. The awning is pulled out to the side, similar to a roller blind, and hooked into a bracket according to the manufacturer. The feed mechanism keeps the roller tube under tension. Side awnings are used in the terrace area or free-standing in the garden as wind, privacy and / or sun protection. Horizontal awnings are used on balconies and terraces via a clamping device in a horizontal direction against incident sunlight. The installation of external vertical awnings offer sun protection for terrace windows and balcony windows against the incidence of deep sun rays, particularly useful in spring and autumn on the east and west sides of buildings. In summer, this can also prevent heating on south-facing windows.
Awning
The awning is a combination of a vertical and drop arm awning. The fabric moves vertically down from its upper end position and then extends over the arms like a drop arm awning. This construction can often be found on public buildings such as schools or hospitals .
Articulated arm awnings
With the articulated arm awning, the awning fabric is pushed away from the fabric shaft (a groove tube made of steel ) by two or more arms . This makes it possible for the awning fabric to fall out horizontally, although a slight incline is usually set. The basic construction usually consists of aluminum . The arms are put under tension by means of steel or gas pressure springs, push the fabric outwards when it is extended and keep it taut. The spring force must be counteracted when retracting. Therefore, retraction requires more effort than extension. Awnings are mainly used as sun and heat protection, both in the private and in the commercial sector. Due to their construction, they can only be used up to a certain failure, which means how far they can extend (up to around 400 cm). There are designs of articulated arm awnings whose arms extend up to 6.5 meters. The width of a single commercially available awning goes up to a maximum of 7–8 meters. Several awnings can be linked together. The inclination of the awning can be varied as required. The awning is screwed to the masonry or other substructure (rafters, balcony slab, etc.) using consoles . Articulated arm awnings that are not designed for rain protection must be retracted in (heavier) rain or wind (using a wind monitor ), otherwise they could be damaged due to the leverage effect. The damage to the awning itself is the least likely to be assessed; rather, damage to the load-bearing structure (masonry) can occur in shaded areas of up to 30 m². If they are used as rain protection, the inclination angle of the awning must be set (at least 15 °) so that no water pocket can form from the rainwater, which could damage the awning and masonry due to its weight and leverage. Special rain awnings are designed in such a way that they ensure safe water drainage even with a slight incline (less than 15 °). With these models, attention should be paid to the manufacturer's instructions as to the inclination at which water pockets are excluded. Almost all awnings can be attached to a wall as well as to a ceiling or balcony. They must be firmly attached to the wall or ceiling, as the leverage creates great forces. An awning with a width of 700 cm and a projection of 400 cm achieves a leverage of around 5000 Nm at a wind force of around 5–6 (according to Beaufort ) . The leverage is transferred to the masonry behind via the consoles, which are attached directly to the arm mountings.
A distinction is made between "open articulated arm awnings", in which the fabric shaft is openly visible (sometimes with a roof as weather protection), and "closed" or "cassette articulated arm awnings", in which protection (box, cassette ) is attached, which protects the system from the weather when it is retracted. In addition to these two main types, there are "intermediate solutions" such as B. the so-called "sleeve awnings" or "fabric cassette awnings", in which only the fabric shaft is protected by a kind of aluminum sleeve, while the articulated arms lie freely under the sleeve.
The awning is driven either by a gearbox that is moved with a crank rod or by a tubular motor that is pushed into the shaft. In the latter case, wind, sun and even rain sensors can be integrated for safe and automatic operation. The control by the user can be connected wirelessly via WLAN and smartphone .
Clamp awning
Clamp awnings are usually designed as drop arm awnings. The supporting structure of the clamp awning is fixed in the building structure by clamping vertical tension rods into the facade cut-out of windows or balcony doors. The tension rods then carry the tube with the awning fabric. This construction is often used on rental properties. Clamp awnings are offered inexpensively and can be removed without leaving any residue after installation.
To extend the awning fabric, a worm gear on the fabric shaft is operated via a connecting rod or an internal chain drive is driven by a small crank on the tensioning rod.
Sun protection sails
A sun protection sail is a sturdy cloth made from a robust material such as acrylic or polyester , which, like a parasol, is used to shade terraces , gardens and buildings. The Colosseum in Rome was already equipped with such a canvas tarpaulin, the velarium . The special construction also enables it to be used as a privacy screen. It is similar to a tarpaulin due to its properties , but serves a different purpose.
The sail is attached to its corner points with hooks, for example on house walls, special masts or on an anchor in the ground. Turnbuckles , rope and pulley blocks simplify the tensioning or removal of the sails in many constructions. There are also electrically or mechanically retractable sun sail constructions.
Shade sails are available in different shapes and colors. By combining different sails, colorful, artistic shading is often created.
The manufacture of sun sails was developed separately by different industries:
- Nautical sailmakers
- At first they used commercially available nautical sails with appropriate accessories for shading and later replaced the boat sails with sun protection fabrics. These sails are stretched and partly rolled as described above.
- Sun sails originate from the field of textile lightweight construction, which are made of coated materials in accordance with membrane construction and tensioned using wire rope constructions.
- Awning fabric manufacture
- Sun sails are also manufactured by the classic awning fabric manufacturing company. Awning acrylic materials, which are very resistant, are used for this.
Tension awning
A rope tensioning awning is a sail that is guided by running hooks and suspended from stainless steel ropes. The sun sail (s) can be easily moved to the side between two parallel tensioned stainless steel ropes - an inclined suspension of the sail (ropes stretched at different heights) also enables rain protection. The sail can also be guided vertically on just one stainless steel cable above.
The advantage over the use of metal eyelets is the quick removal of the sail by unscrewing the running hooks from the guide rope.
This shape can be used for all glass-covered roofs as interior shading or between building parts or wooden frames ( pergola ) as sun, privacy and rain protection. This sun protection should definitely be attached so that it is protected, because the lack of tension in the fabric can cause damage to the seams when the curtain hits when the wind moves.
The awning is sensibly made of a textile polyester fabric, which can also be easily folded and is UV-stable in terms of material.
Awning screen
The awning umbrella is a rectangular standing umbrella. Its base is held in place with water or concrete weights, and in the case of larger, stationary umbrellas, it is screwed to the foundations. The screen can be a conventional foldable screen or consist of a roller or folding awning.
Conservatory awning
The conservatory awning is a special type of awning for shading conservatories. The awning fabric is extended and retracted via gas pressure elements, rope, chain or belt pulls and guided in rails on the side or below. This prevents the extended shading from rocking, which is dangerous for the glass surface. The awning prevents the winter garden from turning into a greenhouse.
The awning fabric
Acrylic awning fabric
The acrylic awning fabric is extremely lightfast. It is a cloth made from solution-dyed yarn. The yarn is colored in the spinning process . It is mainly used for sun and heat protection and is often used in articulated arm and conservatory awnings. The impregnation makes them dirt-repellent and weatherproof. Acrylic is resistant to ultraviolet light, which gives it an advantage over all other fabrics. There are acrylic awning fabrics in different colors and patterns, in northern Europe mainly striped patterns. France and southern Europe know many print designs, which can be inferior in terms of color fastness. Most of today's awning fabrics are made from fabric strips with a width of 120 cm. When folding arm awnings were still a rarity, drop arm awnings were made with sheets made of seamless fabric. Here the awning failed due to the width of the woven fabric. Starting material 150 cm, 210 cm and 310 cm wide were usual. Today this is rather a rarity.
Awning fabric made of PVC
When awning fabrics made of PVC are fabrics that z. B. can be used in awnings that are exposed to the weather all the time, such as basket awnings, awnings and special rain awnings. A PVC-coated polyester fabric is used for movable awnings , as a pure PVC fabric could break when rolled or folded. Rigid basket awnings, on the other hand, are covered with a pure PVC fabric, which is cheaper. There are cloths that are opaque and others that have a coarser fabric so that some light can still shine through. Among other things, they are weatherproof and dirt-repellent. PVC fabrics are environmentally friendly if their 100% recyclability is used.
Awning fabrics made of polyester
Awning fabrics can also be made of polyester fiber. For this purpose, however, this must be suitably protected against UV radiation, because otherwise sufficient fatigue strength and color fastness cannot be achieved. Because of the higher strength of polyester fibers compared to acrylic, the fabrics offered can be lighter and more tear-resistant.
Processing of awning fabrics
Until a few years ago, the awning fabric was laid twice and sewn with two parallel seams about 1.5 cm wide in a secure lockstitch or chain stitch. Today, various adhesive techniques are used, such as applying a colorless adhesive as a liquid or tape, or thermally bonding the two sides of the cloth, which is done without adhesive or chemicals, mostly using high-frequency welding . Where the awning fabric is laid twice, it appears darker against light. In the last few years, glued awning fabrics have become more and more popular despite the higher manufacturing costs, because the traditional seams suffer more from the increased UV radiation and therefore have the shortest service life of all the awning components.
Valance
The valance , sometimes also called awning apron , is usually used for open articulated arm awnings or awnings with a protective roof. It hides the arm technique that is visible to the front. The valance can provide additional shade, especially when the sun is low. With completely closed articulated arm cassette awnings, no valance is recommended, as it moves more strongly (to and fro) on these systems due to the influence of wind and therefore the lower ends of the valance wear out more quickly. After some very elaborate valance shapes (fringes, trapezoidal patterns etc.) have been offered in the past decades, the corrugated valance and in the business area the straight valance (here often also printed with the company name) have established themselves.
Flounces made of sewn fabric strips and / or with sewn-on edging tape should not be washed in the washing machine, even if this is actually possible. This destroys the seams and removes the dirt-repellent coating. With a little water and a soft cleaning agent, dirt can be brushed off without damaging the valance. In order to extend the service life of the valance, it should be removed from the awning frame outside of the sun-intensive times and reassembled at the beginning of the solar period.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The awning is a "linen sunroof in front of windows and doors", in: Meyers Kleines Konversationskurs-Lexikon in seven volumes; Volume 4, p. 627. Vienna and Leipzig 1914
- ↑ Kluge. Etymological dictionary of the German language . Edited by Elmar Seebold . 25th, revised and expanded edition. De Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2011, s. v .; Wolfgang Pfeifer : Etymological dictionary of German. Akademie, Berlin 1989 (and later editions), s. v.