Conformable Woven Spacer Panel for Complex Surface Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing panels struggle to easily cover complex or irregular surfaces while maintaining structural integrity and ease of implementation.
Innovation Solution
A panel comprising two woven fabrics linked by a uniform connecting structure, where one fabric is plastically deformable, allowing the panel to conform to complex shapes by filling with a deformable material such as cement or insulating foam, and a linking structure that maintains spacing without supporting the weight until the material hardens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If spacers are used to maintain spacing between two faces of a woven fabric, then the panel can contain filling material, but the spacers must be rigid enough to support the weight of the filling material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the connecting structure from rigid (in prior art) to deformable (in the invention). The connecting structure is designed to be deformable to allow the panel to conform to complex surfaces, while still maintaining its load-bearing function to support the filling material weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting structure transitions from a static rigid component to a dynamic deformable component that can adapt its shape. This allows the panel to be flexible and conformable during installation while maintaining structural integrity when supporting the filling material.
2Strength
If the panel is made rigid to maintain structural integrity, then it can support filling material, but it cannot conform to complex or irregular surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The panel incorporates a deformable connecting structure that allows the overall panel to be flexible and adaptable to complex surfaces. This dynamic structure maintains structural integrity through its load-bearing capability while enabling shape adaptation during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the rigidity parameter of the connecting structure, making it deformable rather than rigid. This allows the panel to transition between a flexible state for conforming to surfaces and a structurally sound state for supporting filling material.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the connecting structure is rigid to maintain spacing, then the panel has structural stability, but it is difficult to transport and store
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable connecting structure allows the panel to be flexible during transport and storage, making it easier to handle and store. When installed, the same structure provides geometric stability to maintain the spacing between faces and support the filling material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a deformable connecting structure that behaves like a flexible element, allowing the panel to be bent or shaped during transport and storage while maintaining its functional integrity when installed and loaded with filling material.
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
Enables panels to conform to complex surfaces like cylindrical or wavelike shapes while maintaining geometric stability and ease of installation, using materials that can be easily transported and stored.
Implementation Method 1
the first woven fabric being plastically deformable in at least a main direction of the first woven fabric
Data Source
AI summary
A panel includes a first woven fabric, a second woven fabric, and a linking structure comprising stays linking the first woven fabric to the second woven fabric, each stay having an at-rest length that is substantially equal to the mean of the at-rest lengths of the stays, and the first woven fabric being plastically deformable in at least one of its main directions.