Bonding Disk for Thin Barrier-Free Shower Tray Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shower floor constructions, including integrated systems, are too tall and thick, making it difficult to achieve a flush installation in barrier-free designs, especially in wood-frame construction, as they require significant modifications to framing members or subfloor structures, which are costly and often impractical for remodels.
Innovation Solution
A substantially planar shower tray bonding disk is used, surrounded by a prefabricated polymer foam shower tray, with the disk providing a drain opening and slotted openings for mortar penetration, allowing for thinner foam tray installations while ensuring structural support and alignment with tile, using a combination of a planar bonding element and a polymer foam tray on a flooring substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If conventional shower floor construction methods are used with thick foam trays and mortar beds, then structural support and drain stability are ensured, but the overall floor assembly becomes too tall and thick for flush barrier-free installations
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding disk segments the support function from the foam tray by providing a dedicated rigid bonding interface between the tray and substrate, allowing the foam tray to be thinner while maintaining overall structural support
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding disk creates a composite structure combining the rigid substrate, the bonding disk material, and the foam tray, where each layer contributes specific properties to achieve both thinness and strength
2Shape
If the foam tray thickness is reduced to enable flush barrier-free design, then the floor profile is improved, but the drain support and structural integrity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding disk acts as an intermediary element between the foam tray and substrate, providing the necessary support and stability for the drain while allowing the foam tray to maintain a thin profile for flush installation
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding disk is installed beforehand to establish a stable bonding interface and support structure before the foam tray is positioned, ensuring drain stability is pre-established independent of tray thickness
3Reliability
If thick mortar beds are used to support the drain in conventional construction, then drain stability is achieved, but installation time and construction complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding disk replaces the need for thick, time-consuming mortar beds with a pre-formed, quickly installable component that provides equivalent or superior support stability
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding disk changes the physical parameters of the support system by providing a rigid, pre-formed bonding interface that achieves drain stability without requiring the thickness and curing time of conventional mortar beds
Data Source
AI summary
A combination for plumbing fixtures, particularly tiled floors with drains, is disclosed. An exemplary combination includes a substantially planar shower tray bonding disk on a flooring substrate and surrounded by a prefabricated polymer foam shower tray on the flooring substrate and at the circumference of the bonding disk. The disk includes an interior rim that defines a drain opening and a plurality of slotted openings for permitting mortar to penetrate the disk. The drain opening in the disk can thus be positioned at a drain cut out in the flooring substrate.