Flexible Tongue Floor Panel Locking for Thin Panel Strength
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical locking systems for thin floor panels, such as luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) and wood fibre floors (WFF), face challenges in achieving a cost-efficient and flexible locking solution that can be effectively integrated into thin panels without compromising strength or increasing material costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of a compact and cost-efficient fold-down locking system that incorporates a flexible tongue. This system features a flexible tongue with curved sections that can be pressed inwardly to form a straight rod shape, allowing for efficient locking in thin floor panels. The tongue is designed to be formed from the core material of the panel, eliminating the need for additional materials and enabling production in the same line as the panel manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a mechanical locking system is integrated into thin floor panels, then the locking strength is improved, but the panel thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system components (tongue, groove, locking elements) are nested within the panel thickness, with the tongue inserted into the groove and locking elements positioned within recesses, allowing the locking mechanism to function without significantly increasing the overall panel thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism utilizes horizontal and vertical locking directions simultaneously, with the tongue providing horizontal locking and the locking elements providing vertical locking, thereby achieving strong locking in a compact thickness by utilizing multiple spatial dimensions
2Adaptability or versatility
If a separate flexible tongue is used for locking, then the locking flexibility is improved, but the material cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible tongue is formed from the same core material as the floor panel itself, merging the tongue into the panel structure rather than using a separate material, which eliminates additional material costs while maintaining the flexibility needed for locking
Solution Approach 2:
The core material of the panel serves dual purposes: both as the structural core and as the source material for the flexible tongue, allowing the panel to provide its own locking component without requiring external materials
3Reliability
If a complex locking system is designed, then the locking reliability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system is divided into distinct functional segments: the tongue for horizontal locking, the groove for receiving the tongue, and locking elements with recesses for vertical locking, allowing each component to be relatively simple in structure while collectively providing reliable locking
Solution Approach 2:
The locking system is designed to provide both horizontal locking (via the tongue-groove interface) and vertical locking (via the locking elements in recesses) simultaneously, making it a multi-functional system that achieves high reliability without requiring multiple separate locking mechanisms
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 proposed locking system achieves a strong and cost-effective locking solution for thin floor panels, enhancing flexibility and reducing material costs by utilizing the panel's core material to form the flexible tongue. This solution allows for efficient production and integration into various types of thin floor panels.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible tongue is displaceable in the horizontal direction in the displacement groove. The tongue sections are configured to be pressed inwardly during locking by the second edge such that the tongue sections are at least partially straightened and deformed to essentially straight rod shaped sections and to move back towards their initial positions
Data Source
Figure 1a~1e
Figure 2a~2f
Figure 3a~3f
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a set of essentially identical floor panels provided with a mechanical locking system comprising a flexible tongue (10) configured to cooperate with a tongue groove (9) for locking of a first edge of a first panel (1) and a second edge of a second panel (1') in a vertical direction. The mechanical locking system further comprises a locking strip (6) provided with a locking element (8) configured to cooperate with a locking groove (14) for locking in a horizontal direction. An outer part of the flexible tongue comprises two or more curved tongue sections (Ts1, Ts2), each comprising a sliding surface (15) and a locking surface (16). The flexible tongue is curved in a locked and in an unlocked position and, during locking, the tongue sections are configured to be pressed inwardly by the second edge such that they are at least partially straightened and deformed to essentially straight rod shaped sections. The tongue sections are configured to move back towards their initial positions in a final stage of the locking such that the locking surface is inserted into the tongue groove.