Adhesive Flexible Sheet Opening Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for protecting openings in building walls during construction, such as using scaffolding, reusable screens, or boarding, are expensive and impractical due to the need for strong connections that interfere with plasterboard installation or do not effectively distribute pull-out loads from accidental falls.
Innovation Solution
A flexible sheet material, like a strong fabric or mesh, is applied across the opening, secured to the frame members with adhesive, spanning the opening and passing around corners to distribute loading and resist tensile forces from falls, allowing for easy removal when no longer needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If strong board is fastened to the outside of the frame over the opening, then protection against falls is provided, but the cost increases and strong connection is required to resist pull-out load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses inexpensive temporary boards (such as plywood or particle board) that are designed for single-use during construction. These disposable boards provide fall protection without requiring expensive reusable systems like scaffolding, and can be easily removed after the opening is protected by permanent structures.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of fastening boards to the outside of the frame as in traditional methods, the patent inverts the approach by fastening boards to the inside face of the frame. This reversal eliminates the need for strong external connections while still providing effective fall protection, and crucially does not interfere with plasterboard installation on the exterior surface.
2Strength
If board is fastened to the inside face of the frame, then pull-out load problem is resolved, but plasterboard installation is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by inverting the fastening location: temporary protection boards are fastened to the inside face of the frame rather than the outside. This allows the temporary boards to bear pull-out loads effectively while leaving the outside frame surface completely clear for plasterboard installation and other exterior finishing work.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the frame into distinct functional zones: the inside face is dedicated to temporary protection board attachment, while the outside surface remains available for permanent finishing materials. This spatial segmentation allows both functions to coexist without interference.
3Reliability
If scaffolding or reusable screens are used, then protection is provided, but installation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive reusable systems like scaffolding and screens with inexpensive disposable boards that can be fastened directly to the frame. These simple boards provide equivalent fall protection for the construction phase without the high installation and material costs of professional-grade reusable safety systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential protective function from complex reusable systems and implements it through simple, inexpensive boards fastened to the frame. This extraction eliminates unnecessary complexity and cost while maintaining the core safety function during construction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides effective temporary protection against falls without interfering with subsequent installations, such as plasterboard, and can be easily removed, offering a cost-effective and practical alternative to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
The sheet material is adhesively secured to the members with the adhesive extending across the entire width of the material to ensure load distribution across the entire width of the material in a relatively uniform manner
Implementation Method 2
the sheet material will be applied tightly against the corner to distribute and reduce the loading applied to the connection between the material and the member
Data Source
AI summary
A temporary protection for an opening in a frame of a building component includes flexible sheet material spanning the opening between opposite sides thereof. Each end portion of the sheet material is connected to a frame member at a respective side of the opening, the flexible sheet material being of an open structure and the connection with the frame member being by adhesive which permeates the material from one side to the other. The connection of the sheet material to the frame members is such as to resist loading applied by an adult person acting against the sheet material. The sheet material can be cut by a sharp blade for subsequent removal of the temporary protection from the opening when no longer required.