Building-wall flexible cladding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current building cladding options are either wasteful, prone to cracking, and fail to match the natural appearance of weathered walls, resulting in an unnatural finish that does not blend with the surrounding environment.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for manufacturing flexible cladding that involves creating an impression of a textured wall surface, applying a wet mixture with a binding agent to a flexible substrate, texturing it to match the wall, and curing it to produce cladding that mimics the wall's appearance, including the use of flash heating and grouting for a realistic finish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional tiles are produced by slicing from pre-manufactured brick, then the cladding can be applied to walls, but around 90% of the brick is discarded and disposed of in landfill
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the necessary outer surface layer properties from brick by creating flexible impressions that capture the visual and textural characteristics, rather than slicing and discarding 90% of actual brick material. This allows reproduction of brick appearance using minimal material.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates flexible impressions that serve as copies of the brick wall surface, capturing its appearance and texture. These impressions can then be applied to flexible substrate to reproduce the brick effect without using actual brick material, eliminating landfill waste.
2Reliability
If plaster or render stucco material is used for cladding, then the wall can be covered, but the outer layer is prone to cracking over a relatively short period of time due to seasonal climate change
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses flexible substrate with embedded impressions rather than rigid plaster or render. This flexibility allows the cladding to accommodate seasonal climate changes and building movement without cracking, significantly extending service life.
3Manufacturing precision
If panelled cladding with matched colour is provided, then the cladding can be applied to the wall, but the un-weathered cladding does not match the appearance of the weathered wall producing a discrepancy
Solution Approach 1:
The invention captures the local quality and characteristics of the existing weathered wall surface by creating impressions directly from it. This allows the cladding to reproduce the specific weathered appearance, texture, and color variations of the original wall rather than applying uniform panelled cladding.
4Adaptability or versatility
If rigid cladding tiles are used, then the cladding can provide a finished appearance, but the tiles cannot be easily applied to curvate surfaces of the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses flexible substrate that can be conformally applied to curved and irregular wall surfaces. The flexible nature allows the cladding to adapt to various geometries while maintaining the impressed wall surface appearance, unlike rigid tiles.
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 allows for a convincing natural finish that matches the weathered appearance of the wall, is efficient to produce, and can be easily applied to curved surfaces, reducing waste and maintaining porosity for breathability.
Implementation Method 1
providing an absorbent flexible substrate; applying the wet mixture to the flexible substrate to form one or more tiles
Implementation Method 2
creating a wet mixture comprising a powdered aggregate and a binding agent
Implementation Method 3
texturing the wet mixture by applying the impression so that the cladding outer surface corresponds or substantially corresponds to the said textured wall surface
Implementation Method 4
curing said textured wet mixture to form building-wall flexible cladding
Implementation Method 5
curing said textured wet mixture to form building-wall flexible cladding
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing building-wall flexible cladding (12) for a wall of a building so that a cladding outer surface of the building-wall flexible cladding (12) matches or substantially matches a textured wall surface of the wall of the building. This is first achieved by selecting the wall to be modelled (S101) and forming an impression of the wall (S102). An absorbent flexible substrate (18) is provided (S103), and a wet mixture (24) created (S105) and applied to the substrate (18, S106) to form one or more tiles (24a). The wet mixture (24) is textured by applying the impression so that the cladding outer surface corresponds or substantially corresponds to the said textured wall surface (S108). Finally, the textured wet mixture is cured (S109).