Facade Sealing Element with Elastic Deformable Strips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing elements for facade connections face issues with non-uniform gaps due to thermal loads and tolerances, leading to problems with tightness and visual appearance, as the connecting strips must be movable to compensate for varying distances between facade elements.
Innovation Solution
The sealing element features a bulge aligned away from the other sealing strip, designed as an accordion with a central connecting web, ensuring that the connecting strips remain within the profile grooves and deform uniformly to compensate for varying distances, with hook-shaped projections and supporting strips for enhanced sealing and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connecting strips are made movable to compensate for varying distances between facade elements, then the sealing effectiveness is improved, but the visual appearance deteriorates due to non-uniform protrusion from profile grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is divided into multiple independent sealing strips (first sealing strip and second sealing strip) connected by a connecting web, allowing each strip to independently compensate for distance variations while maintaining uniform appearance through coordinated deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing strips are designed with elastic deformability, allowing their width in the transverse direction to change in response to varying distances between facade elements, enabling compensation without protrusion from profile grooves
2Adaptability or versatility
If the sealing strips are made elastically deformable to change width, then the adaptability to varying gaps is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing strips are constructed as elastically deformable elements that can change their width in the transverse direction, providing adaptability to varying gap dimensions through material elasticity rather than complex mechanical mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing strips are connected to the connecting strip in an articulated manner, allowing dynamic adjustment of the sealing strip width in response to changing gap conditions while maintaining a simple overall structure
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 achieves better sealing and thermal insulation while maintaining a uniform visual appearance by allowing the sealing strips to adjust to varying distances without protruding from the profile grooves, ensuring a consistent and effective seal.
Implementation Method 1
each sealing strip being designed to be elastically deformable in order to change its width in the transverse direction of the profile
Data Source
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AI summary
The sealing element (4) has two spaced sealing strips between which a hollow chamber is formed. The sealing strips are attached on a common connector block for fastening on the cladding elements on the edge side. Each sealing strip is elastically deformed in lateral direction for changing its width dimensions and is connected in articulated manner with the connector block strip on its edge side.