Decorative Panel Core Structure for Higher Stiffness With Less Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing decorative panels, such as high-pressure laminates, require significant material usage and do not efficiently utilize mechanical properties, leading to high raw material costs and environmental impact, while lacking sufficient load-bearing capacity.
Innovation Solution
A decorative panel design comprising a stack of paper sheets with alternating perpendicular orientations in the top and bottom regions, embedded between a décor and back side layer, utilizing sheets with a MD/CD ratio greater than 1.0 to enhance stiffness and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional high-pressure laminate construction is used, then weathering resistance and surface hardness are improved, but material usage increases and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different fiber orientation characteristics to different regions of the panel. The top and bottom regions have sheets oriented with MD/CD > 1.0 (machine direction dominant), while the center region has sheets oriented with MD/CD ≈ 1.0. This local differentiation allows optimized material usage in load-bearing regions while reducing material in the center, thereby improving weathering resistance where needed without uniformly increasing material consumption throughout the entire panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by stacking multiple paper sheets with different fiber orientation characteristics. The composite panel combines sheets with MD/CD > 1.0 in the top and bottom regions with sheets having MD/CD ≈ 1.0 in the center region, forming a multi-layer composite that achieves enhanced weathering resistance and mechanical properties while optimizing material efficiency through the varied orientation characteristics of different layers.
2Reliability
If traditional high-pressure laminate construction is used, then weathering resistance and surface hardness are improved, but raw material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by orienting sheets with MD/CD > 1.0 specifically in the top and bottom regions where surface hardness and weathering resistance are most critical. The center region uses sheets with MD/CD ≈ 1.0, reducing material consumption in the middle. This spatial differentiation of sheet orientation characteristics allows the panel to achieve high surface hardness and weathering resistance in critical areas without uniformly increasing raw material costs throughout the entire panel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite laminate structure combining paper sheets with different fiber orientation characteristics. The composite design uses sheets with MD/CD > 1.0 in the top and bottom regions for enhanced surface hardness, while using sheets with MD/CD ≈ 1.0 in the center region. This composite approach achieves the required surface hardness and weathering resistance while optimizing raw material costs by avoiding uniform high-cost material usage throughout the entire panel.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional high-pressure laminate construction is used, then durability is improved, but load-bearing capacity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by orienting sheets with MD/CD > 1.0 in the top and bottom regions, creating enhanced load-bearing capacity in these critical areas. The center region uses sheets with MD/CD ≈ 1.0. This localized optimization of sheet orientation ensures that the regions experiencing the highest mechanical stresses have the superior fiber alignment needed for enhanced load-bearing capacity, while maintaining overall panel durability through the combined structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite laminate structure combining paper sheets with different fiber orientation characteristics to enhance both durability and load-bearing capacity. The composite design uses sheets with MD/CD > 1.0 in the top and bottom regions for enhanced strength, while using sheets with MD/CD ≈ 1.0 in the center region. This composite approach with varied orientation characteristics achieves superior load-bearing capacity while maintaining the durability required for long-term performance.
4Strength
If sheets with MD/CD > 1.0 are used in top and bottom regions, then stiffness and strength are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by specifying different sheet orientation characteristics for different regions: MD/CD > 1.0 for top and bottom sheets, and MD/CD ≈ 1.0 for center sheets. This localized specification improves stiffness and strength in critical areas while providing clear manufacturing guidelines that differentiate between region requirements, making the increased manufacturing complexity manageable through systematic regional classification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite laminate structure combining paper sheets with different fiber orientation characteristics. The composite design specifies MD/CD > 1.0 for top and bottom sheets to enhance stiffness, while using sheets with MD/CD ≈ 1.0 in the center region. This composite approach with defined orientation characteristics improves overall structural performance while providing clear manufacturing specifications that organize the complexity into distinct regional requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a panel comprising a stack of a plurality of sheets embedded between a décor layer and a back side layer, said stack of a plurality of sheets forming a core, wherein the core comprises a top region, a centre region, and a bottom region, wherein the top region is adjacent to the décor layer, the bottom region is adjacent to the back side layer and the centre region is positioned between the top region and the bottom region.