Curved Ceramic Tile Structure for Shower Drainage Without Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large ceramic tiles used in shower spaces often require cutting to accommodate slopes for drainage, leading to additional joints, potential leakage, and increased dirt accumulation, while existing methods for manufacturing strong tiles with inclining surfaces are time-consuming and expensive.
Innovation Solution
Ceramic tiles are manufactured from clay and fired at high temperatures to achieve strength with curvature, allowing the slope to begin mid-tile without cutting, and can be combined with a foam plate for sound damping and reduced weight, enabling easy installation and a seamless finish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If large ceramic tiles are used in shower spaces, then fewer tiles need to be cut and installed, but the tiles require cutting to accommodate slopes for drainage
Solution Approach 1:
The tile incorporates a curved upper surface with a slope zone that transitions from a first level to a second level, allowing the tile to provide drainage slope without requiring cutting. The curvature is integrated into the tile manufacturing process, enabling the tile to adapt to drainage requirements while maintaining its large size and reducing the need for post-manufacturing modifications.
2Reliability
If tiles are cut to accommodate drainage slopes, then drainage is achieved, but additional joints are created leading to potential leakage and dirt accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated curved surface with slope zone provides the necessary drainage gradient while maintaining continuous tile surfaces. This eliminates the need for additional joints that would otherwise be created by cutting tiles to fit slopes, thereby preventing leakage paths and reducing surfaces where dirt and soap residues can accumulate.
3Shape
If concrete tiles with inclining surfaces are manufactured, then drainage slope is achieved, but the tiles become prohibitively heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using ceramic materials with optimized density characteristics. The curved surface geometry is achieved through controlled forming and firing processes, allowing the tile to maintain structural strength and drainage slope functionality while keeping the weight within acceptable handling limits, unlike solid concrete tiles.
4Strength
If tiles are manufactured with high strength through high temperature firing, then tile strength is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process merges the formation of the curved surface geometry with the firing process. The tile body is formed with the desired curvature and slope zone integrated, then fired as a single unit. This combination of shaping and strengthening in one process achieves high strength through high-temperature firing while avoiding the need for separate complex post-processing steps to create the inclining surfaces.
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 provides a strong, hygienic, and aesthetically pleasing tile with reduced joints and weight, allowing for efficient installation and a smooth, continuous surface that matches surrounding tiles, while minimizing the need for cutting and ensuring effective drainage.
Implementation Method 1
The tile formed from clay is preferably fired at a temperature above 1000°C. By manufacturing the tiles from clay and then firing them at high temperature, a ceramic tile is obtained which is strong
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a ceramic tile (1), wherein the upper surface of the tile comprises at least two zones (2,3), which two zones are each flat and wherein the normal vectors of the two surfaces form an angle greater than 0° with each other. The invention further comprises a combination of a tile according to the invention and a drain (4), wherein at least one edge of the tile lies against the drain (5).