Facade Bracket Recesses Reduce Thermal Bridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing facade substructures face challenges in achieving thermal insulation and load-bearing capacity for passive houses, as thicker thermal insulation layers complicate the attachment of facade elements, and metal substructures conduct heat, forming thermal bridges.
Innovation Solution
A bracket with a second leg featuring recesses to reduce heat conduction and material usage, combined with reinforced edges and a spring tongue for enhanced load-bearing capacity and assembly ease, made from sheet metal materials like stainless steel to minimize thermal bridges and maximize load absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal profiles are used for the substructure to ensure load-bearing capacity and dimensional stability, then the substructure can support heavy facade elements, but thermal bridges are formed due to high thermal conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into multiple legs (first leg for anchoring, second leg for facade element attachment) with recesses in the second leg. This segmentation reduces the continuous metal cross-section that conducts heat, while maintaining structural integrity and load-bearing capacity through the distributed leg structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket uses different geometries in different regions: the first leg has a solid cross-section for anchoring strength, while the second leg has recesses to reduce thermal conduction. This local differentiation optimizes each region for its specific function - load transfer at the anchoring point and thermal break at the facade attachment point.
2Loss of energy
If thicker thermal insulation layers are applied to meet passive house standards, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but the distance to be bridged by the substructure increases requiring higher load-bearing capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket design allows for adjustable positioning along the first leg to accommodate different insulation thicknesses. The recesses in the second leg provide multiple attachment points that can be selected based on the specific insulation layer thickness, enabling the substructure to adapt to varying thermal insulation requirements while maintaining adequate load-bearing capacity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the second leg has a solid cross-section to ensure dimensional stability, then the bracket maintains structural rigidity, but heat conduction is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The second leg is segmented with recesses that break up the continuous metal material. This creates multiple smaller load-bearing sections that collectively maintain dimensional stability while the interruptions in the material continuity reduce the thermal conduction path through the leg.
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
The solution effectively reduces heat conduction and enhances load-bearing capacity, enabling the attachment of heavy facade elements while maintaining thermal insulation, thus meeting passive house standards and reducing material costs.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one recess reduces the heat-conducting cross section of the second leg
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7
AI summary
The bracket (10) has a leg (1) for fastening at an on-site subsurface (11), and another leg (2) for retaining a holding profile (12) of a facade substructure and arranged vertical to the former leg. The latter leg comprises a total area, and a recess (3) is formed in the total area, where a surface area of the recess or a set of recesses is 40 percent of the total area of the latter leg. The bracket is designed as a punching bent part. An edge region (4) of the legs is reinforced by a folding, where the latter leg comprises a spring tongue (5) that is integrally formed with the bracket. : An independent claim is also included for a facade substructure. USE : Angle bracket for use in a facade substructure (claimed) for fastening a plate-like L-shaped or T-shaped facade component e.g. glass slab and natural stone slab, at an on-site subsurface i.e. exterior vertical bent wall surface, of a building e.g. low-energy house and passive house. Can also be used for a horizontal ceiling surface. ADVANTAGE : The leg comprises the total area, and the recess is formed in the total area, where the surface area of the recess or the set of recesses is 40 percent of the total area of the latter leg, thus enabling the facade substructure to receive high loads. The formation of the recess in the leg enables reduction of material consumption and dead weight of the bracket. The bracket is designed as the punching bent part, thus manufacturing the bracket from a metal sheet material in a simple and inexpensive manner. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS : The drawing shows a perspective view of a facade substructure. 1, 2 : Legs 3 : Recess 4 : Edge region of legs 5 : Spring tongue 10 : Angle bracket 11 : On-site subsurface 12 : Holding profile.