C-Shaped Brick Tray for Adhesive-Free Brick Slip Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brick trays either rely on adhesives, which increase material and labor costs, or require significant modifications to bricks, such as cuts and protrusions, leading to suboptimal support and additional costs.
Innovation Solution
A C-shaped brick tray with inward-facing flanges and stiffening bars that secure uncut brick slips using toothed edges and clips, providing mechanical support without adhesives, and allowing for vertical cuts in bricks for enhanced grip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesives are used to hold brick slips in place, then the brick slips are securely held, but the cost of materials and labor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the adhesive from the system by replacing it with a mechanical retention mechanism. The tray uses a C-shaped channel with flanges that mechanically hold the brick slip through friction and geometric constraints, removing the need for adhesive materials and the labor associated with their application.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the chemical bonding mechanism (adhesive) with a mechanical retention system. The C-shaped channel, flanges, and friction-based holding mechanism provide secure attachment through mechanical means alone, substituting the chemical-adhesive system with a purely mechanical alternative.
2Reliability
If significant modifications are made to the brick slip (cuts along top and/or back surfaces), then support is increased, but the cost of materials and labor increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the brick slip to fit the tray (as in prior art where bricks are cut to accommodate tray features), the invention inverts the approach by designing the tray to accommodate uncut brick slips. The C-shaped channel and flange geometry are designed to work with the natural dimensions of uncut bricks, eliminating the need for brick modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the requirement for brick modifications from the system. By designing the tray with a C-shaped channel and adjustable flanges that can accommodate standard uncut brick dimensions, the need to cut or modify brick slips is completely removed, reducing both material waste and labor costs.
3Ease of manufacture
If horizontal rows of spaced-apart tabs with removable horizontal bars are used, then adhesive is eliminated, but the brick tray provides less than optimal support for the brick slip
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite structural approach combining the C-shaped channel (providing overall form and support) with stiffening bars (providing localized reinforcement) and flanges (providing retention). This composite structure delivers optimal support while maintaining the adhesive-free mechanical retention system.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray structure is segmented into functional components: the C-shaped channel provides the basic retention form, stiffening bars are added at specific locations to enhance support where needed, and flanges provide the retention mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as a unified system.
Data Source
AI summary
A brick tray for securing a brick slip, the tray being a C-shaped channel with a top, a base and a back. The top comprises a downward facing flange with a toothed bottom edge. The base comprises an upward facing flange with the smooth top edge. An uncut brick slip is secured between the toothed bottom edge of the downward facing flange and the smooth top edge of the upward facing flange. The brick tray may include a clip for further securing the brick slip. In this embodiment, the brick slip has a vertical cut on its side edges. Alternatively, the base may have a hemmed edge with two angled arms. The angled arms may face outward toward the tray (concave) or inward toward the tray (convex).