Anchor Bolt Fastening System for Insulated Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fastening heavy attachments to exterior walls with insulation layers is challenging due to the insulation layer expanding under external loads, causing unsightly damage and moisture penetration, as fasteners must be anchored to the substrate beneath the insulation, rather than directly to the insulation itself.
Innovation Solution
A fastening system comprising an anchor bolt, a mounting tool, and a sealing element, where the mounting tool creates a concentric free space around the anchor bolt in the insulation layer, allowing the anchor bolt to move without constraint, and the sealing element seals the opening to prevent moisture ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the anchor bolt is rigidly fixed to the substrate through the insulation layer, then the attachment can bear heavy loads, but the insulation layer deforms and widens causing moisture penetration and unsightly appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the fastening function from the insulation layer by creating a dedicated borehole and free space, isolating the anchor bolt's movement to a confined area that does not affect the surrounding insulation material, thus preventing moisture penetration while maintaining load-bearing capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting tool acts as an intermediary that creates a predefined free space around the anchor bolt, allowing the bolt to move independently within this space without transmitting deformation to the insulation layer, while the sealing element seals the borehole opening to prevent moisture ingress
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the anchor bolt is allowed to move freely to accommodate external forces, then the insulation layer remains intact, but the attachment may become misaligned or improperly fixed
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting tool performs preliminary action by creating a predefined free space and aligning the anchor bolt radially before the attachment is fully secured, ensuring proper alignment is established before the bolt is allowed to move freely within the constrained space
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by creating a specialized free space with specific geometric properties around the anchor bolt, allowing movement only in this localized area while maintaining precise alignment through the mounting tool's radial positioning features
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a sealing element is added to prevent moisture penetration, then the insulation layer is protected, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is implemented as a flexible ring-shaped sealing member that can deform to accommodate anchor bolt movement while maintaining the seal, providing moisture protection without requiring a complex rigid sealing structure
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element is designed to be placed at the stop of the anchor bolt, where it automatically seals the borehole opening through the bolt's own positioning features, reducing the need for additional sealing mechanisms or complex installation procedures
Data Source
AI summary
Fastening system (1) for fastening an attachment (18) to a substrate (13) with an insulation layer (16), the fastening system (1) comprising an anchor bolt (2), with a first area (3) for anchoring in the substrate (13), a second area (4) to which the attachment (18) can be fastened, and a stop (5), a mounting tool (6) to form an opening in the insulation layer (16), and a sealing element (7) adapted to be disposed at the stop (5) after the mounting tool (6) has been removed and to seal the opening in the insulation layer (16) as well as a corresponding method.