Earthquake Resistant Wall Insert for Non-Loadbearing Boards

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing earthquake-resistant building solutions inadequately address the resilience of non-loadbearing components, such as partition walls and ceilings, which can cause injury and structural damage during earthquakes, and lack mechanisms for the horizontal movement of construction boards without damaging them.

Innovation Solution

The introduction of earthquake-resistant inserts with elongate slots and fixing members that allow construction boards to move within runners, providing horizontal movement and increased resilience without requiring specialized runners or altering existing infrastructure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If construction boards are rigidly fixed to runners, then structural stability is improved, but earthquake resilience deteriorates due to inability to accommodate foundation movement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidearthquake resilience
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The fixing member is designed to allow dynamic movement along the elongate slot during earthquakes, transforming the rigid connection into a semi-rigid one that can accommodate foundation displacement while maintaining structural integrity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the degree of freedom parameter by allowing linear movement along the elongate slot direction, enabling the construction board to move horizontally during seismic events while maintaining vertical stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If construction boards are allowed to move horizontally, then earthquake resilience is improved, but structural stability deteriorates due to reduced connection integrity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveearthquake resilienceVSAvoidstructural stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The connection transitions from static rigid to dynamic semi-rigid, providing horizontal mobility during earthquakes while maintaining vertical structural stability through the constrained movement path of the elongate slot

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The connection system is segmented into the fixing member, elongate slot, and construction board, allowing independent optimization of horizontal movement capability and vertical structural stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If specialized runners are designed to accommodate movement, then earthquake resilience is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveearthquake resilienceVSAvoidrunner system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The movement accommodation function is extracted from the runner and transferred to the insert component, allowing the existing runner to remain simple while the insert provides the earthquake resilience functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The earthquake resistant insert acts as an intermediary component between the simple existing runner and the construction board, providing the movement accommodation function without requiring modification of the runner itself

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3371393B1Earthquake resistant wall construction
Publication Date: 2023.07.19 SAINT GOBAIN PLACO SAS
  • EP3371393B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3371393B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3371393B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An earthquake resistant wall construction is described. The earthquake resistant wall construction comprises a first runner, a second runner, at least one first earthquake resistant insert in communication with the first runner or second runner. The earthquake resistant insert is connected to a construction board and comprises at least one first elongate slot, wherein the earthquake resistant insert is held in communication with said first runner or second runner via at least one first fixing member which passes through the first elongate slot.