Composite Building Panel with Embedded Steel Loops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current building panels with three layers of concrete and loose foam insulation lack tensile and shear strength, making them susceptible to delamination under high winds and prone to cracking from impact, while also having low insulation values leading to significant heating and cooling losses.
Innovation Solution
A composite panel structure comprising a concrete layer, a polyurethane insulation layer, and a corrugated steel layer, with a top plate and embedded U-shaped loops for enhanced strength and adhesion, manufactured using a process that bonds the polyurethane layer between the concrete and corrugated steel, providing high R-value insulation and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If loose foam insulation is used between concrete layers, then insulation value is improved, but tensile and shear strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining concrete layers with a polyurethane foam insulation layer bonded by adhesive. This composite material approach allows the panel to achieve high insulation values (R30-R40) while the adhesive bonding and corrugated steel reinforcement provide the necessary tensile and shear strength, resolving the contradiction between thermal performance and mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials and properties to different parts of the panel: concrete layers provide compressive strength and structural integrity, polyurethane foam provides high insulation value, adhesive provides bonding strength, and corrugated steel provides tensile and shear strength. This local differentiation of material properties allows the panel to simultaneously achieve high insulation and high strength.
2Strength
If concrete layers are used for structural strength, then compressive strength is improved, but susceptibility to delamination under shear forces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces adhesive as an intermediary material between the concrete layers and polyurethane foam insulation. This adhesive layer provides strong bonding that prevents delamination under shear forces while allowing the concrete layers to maintain their compressive strength. The corrugated steel layer also acts as an intermediary reinforcement that ties the layers together.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layer composite structure with concrete, polyurethane foam, adhesive, and corrugated steel creates a unified system where each material contributes its strengths: concrete for compression, foam for insulation, adhesive for bonding, and steel for shear resistance, collectively preventing delamination.
3Loss of energy
If insulation layer thickness is increased to achieve higher R-value, then heating and cooling losses are reduced, but structural rigidity and bending strength deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where corrugated steel layers and adhesive bonding provide structural rigidity and bending strength, allowing the panel to achieve high insulation values (R30-R40) with thick polyurethane foam insulation without sacrificing structural performance. The concrete layers also contribute to bending rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent differentiates the functions of different layers: the polyurethane foam layer provides thermal insulation, while the concrete layers and corrugated steel layers provide structural rigidity and bending strength. This functional differentiation allows the insulation layer to be thick for high R-value without compromising overall structural performance.
4Productivity
If panel size is increased for commercial building applications, then productivity and energy efficiency are improved, but susceptibility to cracking from impact and transportation damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure with concrete layers, polyurethane foam, adhesive, and corrugated steel that provides high impact resistance and structural integrity. This allows large panel sizes suitable for commercial buildings while maintaining reliability during transportation and installation by withstanding impact forces without cracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials to different functional requirements: concrete provides impact resistance and structural integrity, corrugated steel provides tensile strength and crack resistance, and adhesive provides bonding strength. This allows large panels to be manufactured with the necessary durability for transportation and installation.
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 solution achieves high insulation values (R30-R40), high compressive, tensile, and shear strength, and bending rigidity, enabling the panels to withstand high winds and vertical loads, maintaining integrity during transportation and installation.
Implementation Method 1
The building panel is suitable for any size building including commercial, institutional, residential and industrial... Heating or cooling losses resulting from the use of low insulation values of typical panels used in all buildings can be significant. It would be, therefore, be desirable to use building panels in all construction that have high insulation value in the range of about R30-R40 and even higher
Implementation Method 2
A composite panel structure comprising a concrete layer, a polyurethane insulation layer, and a corrugated steel layer, with a top plate and embedded U-shaped loops for enhanced strength and adhesion, manufactured using a process that bonds the polyurethane layer between the concrete and corrugated steel
Data Source
AI summary
A building panel structure and a process for manufacturing the structure are disclosed. The structure comprises a concrete layer disposed on the outside of a building, an insulating material comprising polyurethane in the center of the structure and a corrugated steel layer on the inside of the building. A steel plate overlays the top of the panel and a lip member attached to the plate and perpendicular to it covers a portion of the corrugated steel layer exposed surface. U-shaped loops are welded to the plate and embedded in the concrete to provide structural integrity and shear resistance to the structure. The process of manufacturing the building structure comprises positioning the plate, lip and loop assembly in a container, setting the concrete on the bottom of the container over the loops and forming the polyurethane layer between the concrete and corrugated steel layers by an in-situ chemical reaction.