Fanfold Rainscreen Drainage Structure for Building Moisture Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Moisture problems in building envelopes cause significant damage, negatively impact indoor air quality, and are exacerbated by improper installation or selection of vapor barriers, leading to trapped moisture, mold, and material degradation.
Innovation Solution
A moisture mitigation system featuring a rainscreen with a fanfold profile and drainage channels, secured to a building's exterior, which includes tapered spacers and raised dimples to enhance drainage and prevent moisture ingress, while ensuring structural support and adherence to building codes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vapor barriers are installed to prevent moisture ingress, then moisture protection is improved, but trapped moisture within building assemblies occurs leading to mold and material degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The rainscreen is divided into multiple functional layers: an exterior cladding layer, a drainage cavity, and a weather-resistive barrier. This segmentation allows moisture to be managed at different stages - prevented from entering through the cladding, drained through the cavity, and blocked by the WRB - eliminating the trapped moisture problem while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage cavity acts as an intermediary space between the exterior cladding and the weather-resistive barrier. This intermediate zone allows moisture that penetrates the cladding to be collected and drained away before it can reach and be trapped against the WRB, thus preventing both moisture ingress and trapped moisture accumulation.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional flat rainscreens are used, then installation is simple, but drainage pathways are obstructed reducing moisture management efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The rainscreen incorporates curved drainage channels and contoured surfaces instead of flat planes. These curved features create gravity-driven drainage pathways that efficiently channel water downward, preventing obstruction and improving drainage productivity while maintaining relatively simple installation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional flat rainscreen to a three-dimensional profiled rainscreen with raised drainage channels and recessed areas. This dimensional change creates dedicated pathways for water flow, dramatically improving drainage efficiency without significantly complicating the installation process.
3Reliability
If skilled labor is used for proper vapor barrier installation, then moisture protection is improved, but labor costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rainscreen system is designed to be self-explanatory and self-aligning, with features such as interlocking edges, pre-formed drainage channels, and integrated mounting provisions. These self-service features reduce the need for skilled labor interpretation and complex installation procedures, allowing proper moisture protection to be achieved with standard construction skills.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple moisture management functions are merged into a single integrated rainscreen component: the weather-resistive barrier, drainage system, and mounting attachment are combined into one unit. This consolidation simplifies installation by reducing the number of separate components and steps required, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining reliable moisture protection.
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 system provides efficient moisture management, reducing labor requirements and ensuring effective drainage, preventing condensation, and maintaining structural integrity, meeting or exceeding building code requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of drainage channels are formed by a plurality of valleys between folds in the rainscreen on the first side and on the opposing second side of the rainscreen. The plurality of valleys are configured to increase unobstructed drainage pathways.
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of valleys are configured to increase unobstructed drainage pathways.
Data Source
AI summary
A moisture mitigation system for buildings includes a rainscreen having a first side and an opposing second side, where the rainscreen is configured to be secured to an exterior structure of a building. The rainscreen includes a fanfold profile as it is folded backwards and forwards in an accordion like pattern. The rainscreen may have a wedge profile formed on the front surface that increases in height from a first end to an opposing second end. The wedge profile of the rainscreen may be formed by the fanfolds that increase in height from the first end to the opposing second end. Drainage channels are formed by a plurality of valleys between the plurality of fanfolds. In another aspect, the wedge profile is formed by a plurality of raised dimples on the front surface, where the raised dimples increase in height from the first end to the opposing second end.