Building Panel With Plant-Imitating Structural Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building panels are either heavy and inflexible, expensive and strong but not light, or lightweight but lacking structural integrity when cut, and are not easily customizable in size.
Innovation Solution
A building panel design featuring a structural core with a matrix of supporting members and voids, surrounded by outer skins, allowing for accordion-like expansion and separation of layers to create a strong and lightweight panel that can be cut without compromising structural integrity, along with anchoring systems for connection and mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If solid plywood or particle wood board is used, then the panel is strong, but the panel becomes heavy and utilizes substantial volume of material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by using a core structure with open cells or cavities instead of solid material. The core comprises a matrix of interconnected cells that provide structural support while containing air or vacuum spaces, significantly reducing weight while maintaining strength through the cellular geometry and skin-core configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining different materials with complementary properties: outer skins made of high-strength materials (metal, composite, or wood) and a core made of lightweight porous material or vacuum-insulated panels. This composite structure achieves high strength-to-weight ratio by having the skins carry primary loads while the core provides structural rigidity and weight reduction.
2Weight of stationary object
If hollow core or open center frame is used, then the panel is light-weight, but the panel is not very strong
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible shells and thin films by using thin but high-strength outer skins that enclose the hollow core or vacuum space. These skins are engineered to bear the primary structural loads through their geometry and material properties, providing both strength and weight reduction simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dimensionality change by transitioning from a solid 3D structure to a hollow 3D structure with optimized surface area-to-volume ratio. The outer skins form a load-bearing shell structure that distributes stresses across the surface, while the hollow core provides structural rigidity without the weight of solid filling material.
3Strength
If foam or paper honeycomb is inserted to increase strength, then the panel becomes stronger, but the panel loses flexibility in size change and requires pre-construction in particular size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the panel into modular components: outer skins and a core structure that can be manufactured separately and assembled. The core may consist of repeating cellular units or panels that can be joined together, allowing the overall panel size to be customized by assembling different numbers of modular units without compromising structural integrity.
4Strength
If metal panels are used, then the panel is very strong, but the panel is very expensive and not very light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining metal outer skins with lightweight core structures (porous material, vacuum panels, or honeycomb). This composite construction allows the metal skins to provide necessary strength and durability while the lightweight core reduces overall weight and cost compared to solid metal panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies porous materials as the core structure between metal skins, using cellular or hollow configurations that provide structural support with minimal material usage. This reduces both weight and material cost while maintaining the strength provided by the metal outer skins.
Data Source
AI summary
A building or structural panel has a core and outer skins. The core is formed from a stack of layers of building stock such as plywood. Multiple layers of building stock are connected, such as by adhesive at spaced intervals along the lengths thereof to form a stack. The stack is cut into a plurality of strips. Each strip is expanded to form the core. The core comprises a matrix of supporting elongate members and voids or openings. Skins are connected to each side of the core, such as with adhesive, to form the panel. The panel may be cut to size. Anchors or other mounts may be connected to panel.