Extruded Cementitious Rod Walls via Perforated Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for fabricating cementitious material-based walls are labor intensive and inefficient, lacking efficient techniques to impart strength, ventilation, or aesthetic properties.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an extrusion platform with perforations is used to extrude cementitious composite rods, which cure to form a wall, allowing for customizable shapes, ventilation, and aesthetic features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional water-tight form methods are used to pour and cure cementitious material, then walls can be formed with structural integrity, but the process becomes labor intensive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The wall is divided into multiple discrete rods that are individually extruded through separate perforations in the platform. Each rod acts as an independent structural element, allowing parallel fabrication and reducing overall process complexity compared to forming a monolithic wall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The cementitious composite rods are self-supporting during and after extrusion, eliminating the need for complex formwork and support structures. The rods extrude themselves through the perforations and maintain their shape through inherent material properties, reducing manual intervention and labor requirements
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional cementitious materials are used, then basic structural strength is achieved, but advanced properties like ventilation and aesthetic customization are difficult to impart
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the wall can be created with different properties by varying the extrusion parameters for different perforations. For example, certain rods can be extruded with hollow centers for ventilation, while others maintain solid structures for strength, allowing localized functional differentiation within the overall wall assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The extrusion process allows dynamic adjustment of rod parameters including diameter, length, cross-sectional shape, and internal structure during fabrication. This enables precise control over each rod's properties to achieve desired ventilation characteristics, aesthetic appearances, and structural performance
3Productivity
If cementitious composite rods are extruded through an extrusion platform, then fabrication efficiency and customization are improved, but the extrusion platform with multiple perforations adds device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The extrusion platform serves multiple functions simultaneously: it supports the cementitious composite during extrusion, defines the cross-sectional shape of rods through perforation geometry, positions rods in a structured array pattern, and provides a base for the growing wall structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate equipment for each operation
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
This method provides a more efficient and less labor-intensive way to create walls with enhanced strength, ventilation, and aesthetic properties, using self-supporting cementitious composite rods that can be tailored in shape and design.
Implementation Method 1
The cementitious material is then permitted to cure and harden by reaction with water
Data Source
AI summary
A wall may be formed by a method comprising providing an extrusion platform having a plurality of perforations extending through a surface of the extrusion platform, and extruding a cementitious composite through the perforations of the extrusion platform to grow a plurality of cementitious composite rods each extending from a respective one of the perforations. The method may further comprise allowing the cementitious composite rods to cure to provide the wall.