Plastic Expansion Plug Sealing Structure for Moisture-Prone Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
In humid environments, such as bathrooms and showers, the installation of components into building walls using plastic expansion dowels breaks the seal created by the drill hole, leading to potential moisture leaks, which existing solutions fail to reliably prevent.
Innovation Solution
A plastic expansion dowel with a non-expandable sleeve section and an expansion section, featuring passage openings for sealant distribution between the sleeve section and the borehole, ensuring the sealant is displaced by the screw into critical areas, providing a reliable seal against moisture penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hole is drilled in the building wall to insert a plastic expansion anchor, then the component can be secured to the wall, but the seal against moisture penetration is broken
Solution Approach 1:
Sealant is pre-applied to the drill hole before inserting the plastic expansion anchor, creating a protective barrier that prevents moisture penetration while allowing the anchor to be installed. This preliminary sealing action resolves the contradiction by preparing the sealing interface before the drilling operation breaks the wall's moisture barrier.
Solution Approach 2:
Sealant acts as an intermediary substance between the drill hole and the building wall, filling the gap created by the anchor installation. This mediator material restores the sealing function while allowing the mechanical fastening to proceed, thus resolving the contradiction between component attachment and moisture protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sealant is applied manually to the drill hole, then sealing against moisture is achieved, but the installation process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The sealant application and anchor installation operations are merged into a single integrated process. The plastic expansion anchor is designed to carry or be associated with sealant, allowing both sealing and fastening to be accomplished in one installation action rather than requiring separate manual sealing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic expansion anchor system is designed to apply its own sealant during installation. The anchor structure includes features that automatically distribute sealant to the drill hole interface as the anchor is inserted, eliminating the need for external manual sealing operations and simplifying the installation process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sealant is applied to ensure sealing, then moisture penetration is prevented, but the installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sealant is pre-applied to the drill hole or pre-attached to the plastic expansion anchor before installation, so that sealing is already in place when the anchor is inserted. This eliminates the need for separate sealing steps during installation, preventing moisture penetration while maintaining quick installation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function and fastening function are combined into a single installation operation. The plastic expansion anchor system integrates sealant delivery with the anchoring mechanism, allowing both sealing and fastening to occur simultaneously during one insertion action, thus preventing moisture penetration without increasing installation time.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a plastic expansion plug (12)l with a non-expandable sleeve section (28) and an expansion section (30) extending from the sleeve section, wherein the sleeve section and the expansion section define a blind hole, in which the blind hole in the expansion section has a closed wall and in which at least one passage opening (24) for sealant is provided in the circumferential wall of the sleeve section.