Expanded Polystyrene Floor Element with Embedded Metal Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing prefabricated polystyrene elements for reinforced-concrete floors struggle to efficiently create crosswise joists in addition to longitudinal joists, leading to construction complications and insufficient prefabrication, requiring skilled labor and complex installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A modular expanded-polystyrene element with Ω-shaped metal sections embedded during prefabrication, allowing for easy arrangement of reinforcing rods in orthogonal channels without additional mounting steps, ensuring secure anchoring and simplified installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If metal sections are inserted separately into pre-formed seats after polystyrene element fabrication, then crosswise grooves can be created for bidirectional reinforcing rods, but the metal sections are not securely anchored and load distribution is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The metal sections are embedded in the polystyrene material during the extrusion process itself, before the element is completed. This preliminary action ensures that the metal sections are securely anchored within the polystyrene matrix, creating strong mechanical interlocking that will distribute loads effectively during transport and installation, while still allowing crosswise grooves to be formed later.
2Adaptability or versatility
If metal sections are inserted separately into pre-formed seats, then crosswise channels can be created, but reinforcing rods must be inserted laterally one by one through holes in metal sections, creating construction barriers
Solution Approach 1:
The extrusion process is designed to create continuous crosswise channels directly in the polystyrene element, eliminating the need for separate metal section insertion. This preliminary formation of channels allows reinforcing rods to be freely positioned in both longitudinal and crosswise directions without encountering barriers from metal section wings or holes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a two-step manufacturing process is used with separate metal section insertion, then crosswise grooves can be formed, but construction time and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the metal section embedding and polystyrene element fabrication into a single extrusion process. The extruder simultaneously forms the polystyrene matrix and embeds the metal sections in their final positions, creating a fully integrated element that requires no subsequent assembly steps. This combining of operations dramatically reduces construction time and labor while maintaining bidirectional reinforcing capability.
4Reliability
If metal sections are embedded during prefabrication, then secure anchoring is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The extrusion process is designed to be self-service regarding metal section embedding. The metal sections are fed continuously through the extruder along with the polystyrene material, and the extrusion mechanics automatically position and embed them within the matrix as the element is formed. This self-service approach to embedding eliminates the need for separate complex embedding equipment or manual insertion procedures.
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 the creation of a plate floor with bidirectional reinforced joists, reducing construction complexity and labor intensity while maintaining mechanical strength and thermal insulation, with perfectly embedded metal sections ensuring secure load distribution during transport and installation.
Implementation Method 1
the floor with expanded-polystyrene elements has - the mechanical strenght being the same - a remarkably smaller weight and a much greater thermal insulation coefficient
Implementation Method 2
two Z-shaped longitudinal metal sections are embedded, upon fabrication of said elements, which metal sections provide a self-support feature thereto
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Modular, sintered, expanded-polystyrene element for building reinforced-concrete floors, of the type comprising a polystyrene body within which metal sections (A) are embedded (A) which impart a self-support feature to said element, and wherein said polystyrene body has any length and a substantially rectangular section from the bottom portion of which lateral, low- thickness wings project (4). Said metal sections (A) have an overall height (h) equal to or slightly above the height of said lateral wings (4) and one or more recesses (2) are furthermore provided in said polystyrene body along a crosswise direction with respect to the one of said metal sections (A).