Composite Floor Element with Delayed Recovery Insert

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing composite elements for floors and walls, such as hollow profiles, face challenges in efficiently absorbing structure-borne noise and require high manufacturing effort due to the need for homogeneous foam filling, which is time-consuming and costly.

Innovation Solution

A composite element with a hollow profile and an insert made of open-pored material with delayed recovery, where the insert is produced ex situ and supported on the hollow profile's walls, allowing for easy insertion and expansion to absorb noise effectively, with the insert forming a mass-spring-damping system for enhanced sound absorption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If foam is filled or poured into the hollow sections in situ, then structure-borne noise absorption is improved, but manufacturing effort and time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure-borne noiseVSAvoidmanufacturing effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow profile is divided into modular sections that can be manufactured separately and assembled. The insert is produced independently in a factory setting using injection molding, then inserted into the hollow profile sections. This segmentation allows parallel production of components, significantly reducing overall manufacturing time and effort compared to in situ foam filling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The insert is pre-formed in a factory setting using injection molding before being inserted into the hollow profile. This preliminary action allows the insert to be manufactured under controlled conditions with consistent quality, and enables parallel production of multiple components, thereby reducing on-site manufacturing effort and time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If hollow profiles are made several meters long to reduce joints, then structural continuity is improved, but homogeneous foam filling becomes more difficult and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural continuityVSAvoidfoam filling time
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow profile is manufactured as modular sections of manageable length (e.g., 2-3 meters) that can be easily handled and filled. Multiple sections are then connected using joint elements to form longer continuous structures. This segmentation maintains structural continuity while avoiding the difficulties of filling very long profiles in situ.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Joint elements serve as intermediaries connecting separate hollow profile sections. These joints allow the profile to be assembled from manageable segments while maintaining structural continuity and structural-borne noise absorption performance across the entire length, eliminating the need to fill extremely long profiles in a single operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the insert is made elastic with delayed recovery, then structure-borne noise absorption is enhanced, but the insert requires more space when uncompressed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure-borne noise absorptionVSAvoidinsert volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The insert is designed as an elastic element with delayed recovery that can dynamically change its volume. In the uncompressed state, it occupies a larger volume to provide sufficient material for noise absorption. When compressed during installation, it fits into the available space, and gradually returns to its expanded state to exert pressure on the hollow profile walls for optimal noise absorption performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 solution significantly reduces structure-borne noise absorption while simplifying the production process by allowing separate production and assembly of the hollow profile and insert, resulting in improved noise reduction with adjustable recovery times and increased manufacturing efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

the insert is formed from an open-pored material which has a delayed recovery after deformation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDelayed recovery after deformation: Viscoelasticity

Implementation Method 2

for absorbing structure-borne noise

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectStructure-borne noise absorption: Acoustic Absorption

Implementation Method 3

the insert is formed from an open-pored material which has a delayed recovery after deformation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic recovery: Elastic Recovery

Data Source

PatentEP3260289B2Compound element
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 ODENWALD CHEM
  • EP3260289B2 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3260289B2 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

Composite element, in particular for floors, comprising a hollow profile (2) which has an at least predominantly closed cavity (6), an insert which is arranged or can be arranged in the cavity (6) such that the insert (4) is supported against at least two opposite walls (14, 16) of the hollow profile (2), wherein the insert (4) is made of an open-pore material which has a delayed recovery after deformation.