Floating Curtain Wall Panels for Seismic Resilience
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular building systems face challenges in withstanding seismic events and high winds due to rigid connections that impose extraordinary loads, requiring a system that can flex and move without substantial damage, and often rely on skilled labor and expensive materials.
Innovation Solution
A modular building system featuring a floating curtain wall formed of pre-fabricated panels that can move independently of the load-bearing frame, using inexpensive, locally available materials and simple assembly techniques, allowing for rapid construction with unskilled labor and reducing damage during earthquakes and hurricanes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid connections are used between building modules and components, then structural rigidity is achieved, but the building becomes vulnerable to extraordinary loads during seismic events and high winds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the curtain wall system movable rather than rigidly fixed. The curtain wall panels are supported on channels that allow them to move vertically and rotate during seismic events and high winds, enabling the building envelope to dynamically respond to extraordinary loads while the load-bearing frame maintains structural integrity.
2Productivity
If modular components are assembled using standardized techniques in a factory, then labor efficiency is improved, but the level of skilled labor required at the construction site increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the building into modular components (load-bearing frame and curtain wall panels) that are pre-assembled in factories using standardized techniques. This allows complex assembly work to be performed under controlled factory conditions with proper training, while on-site assembly requires minimal skilled labor as the components are designed for simple connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The curtain wall system is designed to be self-aligning and self-adjusting through its movable support mechanism. The panels automatically position themselves within the channels and can move independently during seismic events, reducing the need for skilled adjustment and alignment work at the construction site.
3Reliability
If expensive traditional building materials are transported to remote construction sites, then building quality is maintained, but transportation costs become prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using inexpensive, locally available materials for the curtain wall panels (such as concrete blocks or metal sheets) rather than transporting expensive traditional building materials to remote sites. While these materials may have shorter service lives, the overall system achieves reliability through the movable design that prevents catastrophic failure during seismic events.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular curtain wall panels serve multiple functions: they provide building enclosure, can be fabricated from locally available materials reducing transportation costs, and their movable design provides seismic and wind resistance. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain building quality without requiring expensive imported materials.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular building system uses a perimeter bond beam and prefabricated wall panels to form an exterior curtain wall. The wall panels are captured within, and may move vertically inside a channel formed in the bond beam. The wall panels are quickly erected by inserting an upper edge of each panel into the channel and swinging the panel onto the foundation where it is claimed in place on the foundation.