Double U-Profile Wall Connector for Crack-Resistant Drywall Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connecting elements for drywall construction require a substructure for attachment, leading to visibility of fasteners, increased costs, and potential for expansion cracks due to lack of frictional connection between wall components, making assembly cumbersome and prone to errors, especially when dealing with large or thin plasterboards.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece connecting element formed from a sheet metal part with a double U-shape, allowing for non-positive connection between wall components without the need for a substructure, using blind rivets with countersunk heads for secure attachment and featuring a channel-shaped depression for increased rigidity, enabling easy and solo assembly of plasterboards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fasteners (screws, staples, nails) are used to attach wall panels to substructure, then the wall panels can be securely mounted, but the fasteners become visible on the surface and additional fasteners are required for force-fit connection
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastening function from the substructure and relocates it to the joint between wall panels. The L-shaped connector is attached to the edge of one panel and engages with the adjacent panel, removing the need for visible fasteners on the panel surface and eliminating the requirement for additional force-fit fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
The L-shaped connector serves as an intermediary element that mediates the connection between adjacent wall panels. Instead of directly fastening panels to the substructure with visible fasteners, the connector acts as a hidden intermediary that provides both structural support and force-fit connection at the joint.
2Ease of operation
If wall panels are joined without a substructure at the joints, then assembly is simplified, but expansion cracks can develop at the seams due to lack of connection between panels
Solution Approach 1:
The L-shaped connector is attached to the edge of the wall panel in advance, creating a pre-assembled unit that maintains structural integrity. This preliminary attachment ensures that when panels are joined, the connection is already established, preventing expansion cracks without requiring complex on-site assembly procedures.
3Productivity
If large format gypsum plasterboards are installed, then fewer joints are required, but the panels become unwieldy and require two persons for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the connection function into a separate L-shaped connector component that can be easily attached to the panel edge. This segmentation allows the large panel itself to remain intact and manageable, while the connector handles the connection task, enabling single-person installation of large format panels.
4Reliability
If fasteners are positioned directly on the narrow edges of gypsum boards, then force-fit connection is achieved, but the edge of the gypsum board can easily break
Solution Approach 1:
The L-shaped connector concentrates the force-fit connection function at its engagement point with the adjacent panel, while the gypsum board edge maintains its full structural integrity. The connector's design allows it to engage with the panel edge without compromising the board's strength, providing localized connection quality without global weakening.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates generally to the field of general building construction which is formed predominantly from load-bearing and non-load-bearing panel-like elements. These plate-shaped construction elements are used for internal finishing, for example for cladding walls, ceilings and/or for constructing lightweight construction walls. Connecting elements are employed when mounting such wall construction elements. The present inventive connecting element is suitable for interconnecting a plurality of such wall construction elements, with the result that the mounting of wall construction elements is substantially simplified especially in terms of handling and the stability of such a wall is increased. The inventive connecting element therefore has two mutually offset, U-shaped profiles which can receive at least two wall construction elements, preferably plasterboard construction panels, which bear against one another by their narrow sides. The force-locking connection between a connecting element and a wall construction element is achieved according to the invention by the use of blind rivets or the known plasterboard panel screws.