Composite Flooring With Foam-Filled Ducts for Load-Bearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation industry faces challenges in finding lightweight yet structurally sound flooring for commercial vehicles that meet load-bearing requirements, insulation needs, and cost constraints, often requiring extensive design and validation time and additional reinforcement.
Innovation Solution
A composite flooring system featuring pultruded glass-filled polyurethane structural members with integrally formed ducts that can be filled with structural foam inserts, providing customizable load-bearing capacity, thermal insulation, and corrosion resistance, while being easily interchangeable and cost-effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lighter materials are used for flooring, then weight is reduced, but load-bearing capacity and structural strength are weakened
Solution Approach 1:
The flooring system uses a composite structure combining aluminum-based flooring with integrated foam core inserts and reinforcing ribs. The aluminum provides lightweight properties while the foam core and ribs add structural strength and load-bearing capacity, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and strength maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The flooring is divided into modular panels with integrated cavities that can accommodate foam inserts. This segmentation allows the lightweight aluminum structure to be combined with strategic reinforcement elements only where needed, maintaining overall weight reduction while providing sufficient structural support.
2Strength
If thicker section thickness is used to maintain strength, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly thickening the entire flooring structure, reinforcing ribs and foam core inserts are placed locally in specific areas where structural support is needed. This provides targeted structural reinforcement while maintaining thin overall section thickness and minimizing weight increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The flooring structure utilizes a three-dimensional composite design with aluminum panels, integrated cavities, and foam inserts creating multiple functional layers. This dimensional approach provides structural strength through the vertical arrangement of components rather than relying solely on increased horizontal thickness.
3Strength
If additional structural reinforcement is added to meet load requirements, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flooring system merges multiple functions into a single integrated structure: the aluminum panels provide the base structure, while integrated cavities accommodate foam inserts that provide both structural reinforcement and insulation. Reinforcing ribs are formed as integral parts of the aluminum panels during manufacturing, eliminating separate assembly steps and reducing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flooring panels are designed as multi-functional components that simultaneously provide structural support, load-bearing capacity, thermal insulation, and cargo retention features. This universality reduces the need for separate reinforcement components and simplifies the overall system while meeting multiple performance requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If customization is added to meet varying industry demands, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flooring system incorporates adjustable and configurable elements such as removable foam inserts, adjustable reinforcing ribs, and modular panel configurations. These dynamic features allow the same basic flooring structure to be customized for different load requirements and applications without requiring entirely different designs, maintaining manufacturing efficiency while providing adaptability.
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 offers a tunable and customizable flooring system that meets demanding load-bearing requirements, supports various transportation needs, and maintains structural integrity without significantly increasing costs, with a maximum load capacity exceeding 20 kilonewtons and thermal insulation capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
filling the cavities of each of the one or more ducts with an insert comprising one or more structural foam materials
Data Source
AI summary
A flooring member comprising: a structural member having one or more ducts extending along a length of the flooring member, each of the one or more ducts forming a hollow cavity extending along a length of each duct, the one or more ducts being integrally formed with the flooring member.