Façade Slat with Wing Profile and Mesh for Draft Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing façade slats are ineffective in completely eliminating unwanted drafts at door openings, as they do not adequately manage air flow and pressure balance.
Innovation Solution
The façade slat features two vertically oriented main walls connected at one side edge, with the second side edges spaced further apart and a wind-leveling mesh side wall, forming a wing profile shape that deflects wind away from door openings by guiding it through the mesh into the space between the main walls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple bent façade slat is used to deflect wind, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot effectively eliminate unwanted drafts at door openings
Solution Approach 1:
The façade slat is divided into multiple functional segments: two curved main walls forming a wing profile, a side wall with wind-leveling mesh, and transverse links. This segmentation allows each part to perform a specific function - the hollow main wall deflects wind, the mesh side wall allows controlled air passage, and the transverse links provide structural stability - collectively achieving effective draft elimination while maintaining manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The side wall is constructed with wind-leveling mesh, a porous material that allows wind to pass through while slowing it down. This enables the wind to be guided into the space between the main walls rather than being completely blocked, creating pressure balance and preventing drafts at door openings while maintaining structural integrity
2Reliability
If the façade slat completely blocks wind flow, then draft prevention is improved, but pressure balance is disrupted causing wind demand at entrance doors
Solution Approach 1:
The wind-leveling mesh in the side wall acts as a porous barrier that allows controlled wind passage. Wind flowing along the façade is guided through the mesh into the space between the main walls, which balances the pressure on both sides of the slat and eliminates wind demand at entrance doors while still providing effective draft prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The design converts the harmful effect of wind pressure into a beneficial pressure balance mechanism. By allowing wind to pass through the mesh side wall into the enclosed space, the previously harmful pressure differential is transformed into a balanced state that prevents drafts at door openings
3Reliability
If the façade slat structure is made more complex to improve wind guidance, then draft elimination is enhanced, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex wind guidance function is achieved through segmented components (main walls, side wall with mesh, transverse links) that can be manufactured separately and assembled, making the complex functionality more manageable in production
Solution Approach 2:
The main walls are curved to form a wing profile shape that naturally guides wind flow along the façade and into the space between the walls. This curved geometry achieves superior wind guidance compared to flat surfaces while being manufacturable using standard forming techniques
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 design effectively prevents annoying air flows at door openings by balancing pressure and guiding wind away from the entrance, enhancing the performance of air curtains and reducing heating requirements.
Implementation Method 1
side wall formed by wind-leveling mesh, wherein the façade slat has the shape of a wing profile with two curved main walls... mesh with such small grid openings that the wind passing through is slowed down
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
A façade slat 1 has two vertically oriented, windproof, curved main walls 3 and 5 which are attached to a façade 31 with a first side edge 11 and are connected to each other via a curved side wall 15 of wind-leveling mesh. Due to this façade slat, a wind flowing along a façade 31 is guided by the hollow main wall 3 of the facade, the wind being guided through the side wall 15 into the space between the two main walls, thereby preventing annoying air flows at the door opening 33. The top side 17 and the bottom side 19 of the façade slat 1 are open to allow the air, flowing in through the side wall 15 into the space 21 between the main walls, to flow out. The façade slat 1 is hinged to the façade 31 so that the angle of the façade slat relative to the façade can be easily adjusted.