Facade Cladding Attachment Element for Bottom-Up Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing facade cladding systems face inefficiencies in assembly, particularly due to top-to-bottom installation methods that restrict thermal expansion to only one side, limiting flexibility and increasing construction time, and do not allow for secure assembly against gravity.
Innovation Solution
A fastening element with a fastening section and a holding section that creates a gap between the fastener and the substructure, allowing facade panels to be hung from the bottom up, providing a secure and flexible attachment system with variable thickness for static stability and accommodating thermal expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If facade panels are firmly bolted to the substructure, then the connection is secure and stable, but the assembly process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening element is divided into distinct functional sections: a fastening section for attaching to the substructure and a holding section for supporting the facade panel. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function efficiently, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining secure connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening element acts as an intermediary component between the substructure and the facade panel. It provides a simplified attachment mechanism that transfers loads effectively while reducing the complexity of direct bolted connections, enabling faster assembly without compromising stability.
2Ease of operation
If assembly is performed from top to bottom, then the installation process is straightforward, but thermal expansion is restricted to only one side (upwards)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables assembly from bottom to top, reversing the conventional top-to-bottom approach. This inversion allows the holding section to support panels while accommodating thermal expansion in both directions (upwards and downwards), providing greater adaptability to thermal movements without complicating the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening element is designed with a holding section that can dynamically accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the facade panels. The gap between the fastening element and substructure allows panels to move freely in response to temperature changes, maintaining ease of operation while enhancing thermal expansion flexibility.
3Productivity
If facade panels are hung from the bottom up, then assembly efficiency is improved and design flexibility increases, but the fastening element must accommodate gravity and provide secure support
Solution Approach 1:
The holding section is designed with variable thickness, being thickest near the stop surface where it contacts the facade panel. This local quality variation provides enhanced load-bearing capacity at the critical contact points while maintaining overall structural efficiency for bottom-up assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening element is pre-installed on the substructure before the facade panels are attached. This preliminary action ensures that the holding section is in position and ready to support the panels from below, enabling efficient bottom-up assembly while providing immediate load-bearing support.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the holding section has variable thickness, then static stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holding section employs variable thickness as a design parameter to optimize static stability. By adjusting the thickness distribution, the fastening element achieves better load distribution and resistance to bending moments. This parameter variation can be implemented through standard manufacturing processes like extrusion or molding, balancing stability improvement with manufacturing feasibility.
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 enables efficient, secure, and flexible assembly of facade panels from the bottom up, allowing for greater design flexibility and improved resistance to wind loads, while accommodating thermal expansion without deforming the panels.
Implementation Method 1
expansion due to thermally induced deformation is only possible on one side, in this case upwards
Implementation Method 2
allows assembly from the bottom up, ie against the direction of gravity
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The attachment element (2) has a retaining section arranged adjacent to an attachment section. The attachment section has a front side and a rear side, which is directed opposite to a substructure (3). The retaining section has a front side and a rear side, which is arranged offset from the rear side of the attachment section so that an intermediate space (5) is formed between the attachment element and a plane, which is formed over a surface (32) of the substructure. A part of a facade panel (1) is protruded into the intermediate space. : Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a facade cladding system with multiple attachment elements and facade panels (2) a method for mounting system on a substructure. USE : Attachment element for attaching a facade panel of a facade cladding system (claimed) to a substructure e.g. support structure and wall of a building. ADVANTAGE : The retaining section has the front side and the rear side, which is arranged offset from the rear side of the attachment section so that the intermediate space is formed between the attachment element and the plane, which is formed over the surface of the substructure, and the part of the facade panel is protruded into the intermediate space, thus ensuring simple and efficient mounting of the facade panels on the substructure from lower side to upper side and along the direction of the gravitational force. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS : The drawing shows a side view of a facade cladding system with multiple attachment elements and facade panels.'(Drawing includes non-English language text)' 1 : Facade panel 2 : Attachment element 3 : Substructure 5 : Intermediate space 32 : Substructure surface.