Composite Beam With Swellable Wood Core for Rigid Recyclable Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wooden beams face challenges in durability, strength, and rigidity due to degradation over time, especially under static and dynamic loads, and existing composite solutions face issues with disassembly and recycling, while metal beams have high thermal conductivity and fabrication costs.
Innovation Solution
A composite beam design featuring a hollow outer body with a swellable core, typically wood, that expands to create a frictional and positive-locking connection with the outer body, enhancing strength and rigidity, and can be easily disassembled and recycled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wood is used as beam material, then ecological benefits and lower cost are achieved, but durability and strength are reduced due to degradation over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines wood core with a protective outer shell (metal, plastic, or coated wood) to create a composite beam structure. The wood provides ecological benefits and cost advantages, while the outer shell protects against biotic and abiotic degradation, thereby improving durability and extending service life without sacrificing the ecological advantages of wood.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies thermal modification to the wood core, changing its physical and chemical parameters through heat treatment. This modification improves the wood's dimensional stability, reduces moisture absorption, and enhances resistance to degradation, thereby improving reliability and extending service life while maintaining the ecological benefits of wood construction.
2Temperature
If wood is used instead of metal, then thermal insulation is improved, but strength and rigidity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The composite beam structure combines the thermal insulation advantages of wood with the strength and rigidity of the outer shell material. The wood core provides thermal insulation, while the surrounding metal or plastic shell provides structural strength and rigidity, creating a synergistic effect that satisfies both thermal and mechanical requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials with different properties to different parts of the beam cross-section. The inner wood core provides thermal insulation where needed, while the outer shell provides strength and rigidity at the structural boundaries, optimizing the distribution of material properties throughout the beam structure.
3Strength
If connecting means are used to join wood and metal, then composite structure is achieved, but fabrication costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the outer shell and wood core into a unified composite structure where the shell is formed around the wood in a continuous manufacturing process. This merging eliminates the need for separate connecting means such as screws or adhesives, reducing fabrication complexity and cost while maintaining the strength of the composite structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The wood core is nested within the outer shell, with the shell forming a protective enclosure around the wood. This nested configuration creates a natural mechanical interlock that provides structural strength without requiring additional connecting elements, thereby simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs.
4Reliability
If wood is used in outdoor areas, then ecological benefits are achieved, but protection against degradation requires additional coating or impregnation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a physical outer shell structure to protect the wood core from environmental degradation. This composite approach provides protection against biotic and abiotic factors without requiring chemical coatings or impregnations, thereby reducing device complexity and avoiding environmental concerns associated with chemical treatments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces chemical protection methods (coatings and impregnations) with a mechanical protection system consisting of the outer shell. This shell physically barriers the wood core from contact with degrading agents, eliminating the need for chemical substances and simplifying the protection mechanism.
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
The design improves durability, strength, and thermal properties of wooden beams, reduces fabrication costs, and allows for easy disassembly and recycling, while maintaining structural integrity under load.
Implementation Method 1
the core comprises or is formed from a fibre composite material, in particular wood, which is swellable on contact with a fluid
Implementation Method 2
the core in the interior space is swollen by a fluid, in particular in an operating state, and exerts a pressure generated by the swelling on the outer body
Implementation Method 3
a frictional connection is formed between the core and the inner side of the outer body as a result of the swelling
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1), in particular a composite beam, comprising: an outer body (2) having an interior (4); and a core (3) arranged in the interior (4), wherein: the core (3) comprises or is formed of a fibre composite material, in particular wood, that is swellable upon contact with a fluid; and the core (3) in the interior (4) is swollen by a fluid in an operating state and exerts, on the outer body (2), a pressure generated by the swelling.