Building Brick with Joint Insulation Receptacle

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing brick masonry technologies have limited insulation at connection points between bricks, requiring additional work steps and materials to achieve adequate insulation, which is inefficient and costly.

Innovation Solution

The brick design features an open receptacle with a conical shape and undercut to securely hold insulating cuttings, allowing for pre-factory installation and ensuring a secure, efficient, and cost-effective insulation solution at the joint surfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If insulating material is inserted into cavities formed between joined bricks, then insulation value at connection points is improved, but additional work steps and construction time are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinsulation value at connection pointsVSAvoidconstruction time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting with insulating material is pre-installed into the receptacle during brick manufacturing, so that the insulation is already in place before the bricks are joined on the construction site. This eliminates the need for additional insulation installation work steps during construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The insulation element is integrated into the brick structure itself by combining the cutting (insulating material) with the receptacle in a single pre-assembled unit. This merging of insulation function into the brick component eliminates separate insulation installation steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Loss of energy

If insulating material is inserted into cavities formed between joined bricks, then insulation value at connection points is improved, but additional work steps and complexity are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinsulation value at connection pointsVSAvoidconstruction process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting is pre-installed into the receptacle during brick manufacturing, simplifying the construction process to only require placing the bricks with pre-integrated insulation into position. This reduces construction complexity while maintaining insulation performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If a secure fit of cuttings in bricks is ensured, then insulation quality is improved, but insertion effort increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecure fit of cuttingsVSAvoidinsertion effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The receptacle has a conical shape that tapers towards the bottom, allowing the cutting to be easily pushed in during insertion. The curved conical geometry guides the cutting into place and ensures proper positioning while minimizing insertion resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The receptacle features an undercut geometry that is asymmetric in shape - wider at the opening and narrower at the base. This asymmetric design allows easy insertion from one direction while providing secure retention once inserted, creating a unidirectional fit that simplifies the insertion process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

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

This design enhances insulation value at connection points, stabilizes the brickwork, and simplifies the construction process by ensuring secure and automated insertion of insulating materials during production, thereby improving both efficiency and quality.

Implementation Method 1

The receptacle is conical in the direction of receptacle extension, so that the cutting is positively received in the vertical direction of the block. The undercut allows insertion without excessive effort, while still ensuring a secure fit of the cuttings.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGeometric interlocking: Geometry

Implementation Method 2

The cutting increases the insulation value in the area of the joint surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentEP2236685B1Building brick with joint insulation
Publication Date: 2012.12.19 KLB KLIMALEICHTBLOCK VERTRIEBS GMBH
  • EP2236685B1 patent drawingFigure 1~6
  • EP2236685B1 patent drawingFigure 7~12
  • EP2236685B1 patent drawingFigure 13~18

AI summary

The stone (1) has outer walls (2), where one of the outer walls is formed as a joining surface (9) for lateral connection. A cutting part (10) is fastened to a retainer (5) in a direction of normals (N) of the joining surface by an undercut, where the cutting part is made of a flexibly deformable material. The retainer has projections (12) which partially run along an extension direction (X) of the retainer. The retainer runs in a boundary region of the joining surface.