Composite Building Panel Shell with Embossed Grip Pattern
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Solution Overview
Problem
Composite building panels with sheet metal outer shells and concrete infill materials face failures under severe vibratory loads, such as earthquakes, due to slippage between the shell and infill, leading to structural integrity loss and potential catastrophic failure, as well as buckling and rupture under geological events.
Innovation Solution
The panels feature an embossed geometric pattern on both exterior and interior surfaces, with overlapping sheet metal construction at the tongue and groove areas, providing enhanced grip and strength, and a deep square joint with tapered sections to resist buckling and pulling forces, along with embossed repeating patterns to improve grip and reduce slippage between the shell and infill.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shell and infill material are made smooth and flat, then manufacturing is easier and material usage is reduced, but grip between shell and infill is insufficient causing slippage under vibratory loads
Solution Approach 1:
The shell surface is given different properties in different locations: the interior surface has an embossed pattern to increase grip with the infill material, while the exterior surface remains relatively smooth for aesthetic purposes. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing enhanced grip only where needed (interior surface) without unnecessarily complicating the entire shell structure or increasing material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The embossed pattern is pre-formed on the shell surface during manufacturing, creating a textured interior surface that provides enhanced grip with the infill material before the panel is subjected to any loads. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when vibratory loads occur, the shell and infill are already mechanically interlocked, preventing slippage without requiring additional components or complex assembly steps.
2Strength
If the tongue and groove joints are made simple and shallow, then manufacturing is easier and assembly is faster, but resistance to buckling and pulling forces is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue and groove joints incorporate curved or tapered transitions rather than sharp angular changes. The groove has a curved profile that allows the tongue to seat deeply and securely, distributing stresses more effectively along the joint. This curvature provides enhanced resistance to buckling and pulling forces while remaining manufacturable using standard forming processes, resolving the contradiction between strength and ease of manufacture.
3Strength
If the panel uses thin material to reduce cost and weight, then material usage is reduced and cost decreases, but resistance to severe vibratory loads and geological events is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The panel combines two different materials with complementary properties: a thin metal shell providing structural framework and fire resistance, and a concrete or cementitious infill material providing mass and resistance to vibratory loads. The embossed pattern on the shell interior creates mechanical interlocking with the infill, ensuring the composite acts as a unified structure. This composite approach allows the use of thinner materials overall while maintaining or enhancing resistance to severe loads compared to solid metal panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The embossed pattern on the shell interior adds a third dimension to the otherwise flat shell-infill interface. This textured surface creates mechanical interlocking with the infill material, transforming a simple planar contact into a three-dimensional interlocked structure. This dimensional addition significantly enhances the composite action between shell and infill, improving resistance to vibratory loads without increasing material thickness.
4Strength
If the tongue profile is square or rectangular, then buckling resistance is improved, but gaps are created that reduce fire ratings and stress concentration at the base limits strength
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue and groove profiles incorporate curved transitions and tapered sections rather than sharp angular geometry. The tongue has a curved leading edge that distributes contact stresses along its length rather than concentrating them at the base. The groove has a corresponding curved profile that allows for complete engagement without creating gaps. This curved geometry maintains buckling resistance while improving fire ratings by eliminating gaps and distributing stresses more evenly throughout the joint.
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 significantly enhances the panels' resistance to buckling, pulling, and compressive loads, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure during seismic events and maintaining structural integrity and fire resistance, while also reducing material thickness and cost.
Implementation Method 1
the embossed pattern on the interior surface of the shell provides increased grip between an infill material and the inner surface of the shell
Data Source
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AI summary
An outer shell for a composite building panel having a tongue and correspondingly shaped groove formed on opposite side edges thereof for interlocking like panels to form a wall, wherein the tongue extends outwardly from one of the said side edges of the panel and has a forward portion with parallel sides which are substantially straight and substantially parallel to a central plane of the panel, an intermediate portion that tapers outwardly from the parallel sides toward a side face of the panel, and a rearward portion also with parallel sides, wherein inner faces of the groove have parallel sides and a tapered intermediate portion that are configured for engagement with corresponding forward and rearward portions and a tapered intermediate portion of the tongue of a like panel.