Floor Plate Gap Sealing With Load-Bearing Acrylic Fillers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealants fail to provide long-lasting adhesion to the sidewalls of gaps between floor plates, especially under heavy loads, and often leave unsightly indentations or require complex application methods.
Innovation Solution
A sealant made of acrylic resin, filled with compression-proof elements like glass bubbles, perlites, or metallic granulates, that remains tenacious and does not cure to a rubber-like state, ensuring high load resistance and a smooth surface without the need for backer rods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional flexible sealants are used to seal gaps between floor plates, then the sealant allows movement and bonds with materials on both sides, but it cannot resist heavy loads and adhesion deteriorates over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining acrylic resin with inorganic fillers (such as sand, glass beads, or ceramic particles) to create a sealant that maintains adhesion while gaining load-bearing capacity. The composite structure allows the organic resin to provide bonding and flexibility while the inorganic components provide structural strength and load resistance, resolving the contradiction between adhesion durability and load resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the sealant by using acrylic resin with specific molecular weight and crosslinking density, combined with controlled filler content and particle size distribution. These parameter changes enable the sealant to maintain flexibility for movement accommodation while achieving sufficient load-bearing capacity through optimized material composition.
2Manufacturing precision
If backer rods are inserted into gaps before caulking to define cross-section and prevent sagging, then the sealant thickness is controlled and bonding is improved, but the application process becomes as time-consuming as the sealing itself
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the backer rod component from the sealing system by formulating the sealant with self-leveling and self-supporting properties through optimized viscosity and filler content. This allows the sealant to maintain its shape and thickness without requiring a backer rod, thereby removing the time-consuming insertion step while preserving thickness control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the rheological parameters of the sealant by adjusting viscosity, yield stress, and thixotropic properties through filler selection and resin formulation. These parameter changes enable the sealant to self-support during application and self-level after application, eliminating the need for backer rods and reducing application time while maintaining precise thickness control.
3Reliability
If silicone sealants are used to form a water-tight seal, then durability and water-tightness are achieved, but resistance to heavy loads is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by formulating acrylic resin-based sealants with inorganic fillers (sand, glass beads, ceramic particles) to create a composite structure where the acrylic resin matrix provides water-tightness and flexibility while the inorganic filler network provides load-bearing capacity. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by combining materials with complementary properties that silicone alone cannot provide.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by selecting acrylic resin with specific functional groups and crosslinking characteristics, combined with controlled filler loading and particle size distribution. These parameter changes enable the sealant to achieve both water-tight sealing and load resistance simultaneously, overcoming the limitations of pure silicone sealants.
4Reliability
If sealants are pressed into joints to bond with materials on both sides, then adhesion is achieved, but the hour-glass shape leaves fouling indentations on the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the rheological parameters of the sealant by optimizing viscosity, yield stress, and thixotropic behavior through filler selection and resin formulation. These parameter changes enable the sealant to be applied in a uniform configuration that maintains adhesive strength while preventing surface indentations, eliminating the need for hour-glass shaping and resulting in a smooth, fouling-free surface.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
AI summary
For sealing the gaps between floor plates a system is provided, wherein a non-curing and permanently tenacious material is inserted, that only carries a non-sticky layer on top. Resistiveness to heavy loads is achieved by filling the sealant mass with compression-proof elements, like glass bubbles, metallic granulates or fine sand.