Laminated Foam Backer Board With Fabric Facers for Wet Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backer boards for wet space construction are permeable to moisture, heavy, difficult to install, and lack the necessary flexural strength and stiffness, requiring additional waterproofing membranes and skilled labor, while polymer foam boards need reliable laminating methods to achieve consistent bonding with polymeric film facers.
Innovation Solution
A laminated foam composite backer board with a polyolefin-based fabric inserted between the foam core and polymeric film facers, providing mechanical bonding sites and increased fracture toughness, allowing for reliable manufacturing and consistent adhesive bonds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional backer boards (glass-fiber mesh reinforced cement, fiber-cement, or fiber-reinforced gypsum) are used, then rigidity and flexural strength are improved, but weight increases and ease of installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining a lightweight foam core (polyethylene terephthalate or polyvinylidene fluoride) with a polymeric film facer layer. This composite construction provides the necessary flexural strength while maintaining lightweight properties, replacing heavy conventional materials like glass-fiber mesh reinforced cement and fiber-cement backer boards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a polymeric film (such as oriented polystyrene, polyethylene, or polyvinylidene fluoride) as the facer layer, which is much thinner and lighter than conventional cement or glass-fiber backer boards. This thin film provides sufficient structural strength when combined with the foam core, dramatically reducing weight and improving ease of installation.
2Strength
If conventional backer boards are used, then rigidity is improved, but ease of installation deteriorates due to difficulty in cutting and installation requiring highly skilled workers
Solution Approach 1:
The polymeric film facer layer is designed to be easily cut and manipulated, allowing installers to work with the material without requiring highly skilled craftsmanship. The film's properties enable simple cutting and installation while maintaining sufficient rigidity through the composite structure with the foam core.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the backer board by using a foam core with specific density and compression characteristics, combined with a polymeric film facer. This changes the material's mechanical properties to be both rigid enough for tile installation and easy enough for straightforward installation without specialized skills.
3Strength
If conventional backer boards are used, then structural strength is improved, but waterproofing reliability deteriorates as they are permeable to moisture requiring additional waterproofing membranes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material system where the foam core and polymeric film facer work together to provide both structural strength and waterproofing. The polymeric film layer is inherently waterproof, eliminating the need for additional waterproofing membranes while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymeric film (oriented polystyrene, polyethylene, or polyvinylidene fluoride) used as the facer layer provides a waterproof barrier that prevents moisture penetration. This thin film serves dual purposes: providing structural support and ensuring waterproofing reliability, thereby eliminating the need for separate waterproofing membranes.
4Weight of moving object
If polymer foam backer boards are used, then weight is reduced and ease of installation is improved, but manufacturing reliability deteriorates due to lack of consistent bonding methods for polymeric film facers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an adhesive layer as an intermediary between the foam core and the polymeric film facer. This adhesive layer ensures consistent and reliable bonding, solving the manufacturing reliability issue by providing a proven method for joining the foam core to the polymeric film facer layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops a multi-layer composite structure with specific adhesive bonding between layers. The adhesive layer is specifically designed to bond with both the foam core and the polymeric film, creating a reliable and consistent manufacturing process that ensures strong interlayer bonding throughout the product.
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 results in a lightweight, stiff, and waterproof backer board that can be easily installed without additional membranes, offering high flexural strength and mortar-bondability, suitable for wet spaces without additional waterproofing steps.
Implementation Method 1
An adhesive layer may be present between the foam core and the polymeric film facer
Implementation Method 2
A polyolefin-based fabric may be inserted between the foam core and the polymeric film facer to provide mechanical bonding sites and increased fracture toughness
Data Source
AI summary
A composite backer board for wet space construction includes a rigid foam core having a thickness configured for wet space construction. An adhesive layer is fixed directly to at least one face of the rigid foam core. A first fabric layer is fixed directly to the adhesive layer. A first polymer layer is fixed to said first fabric layer. The polymer layer is dimensionally stable parallel to said face of said rigid foam core. An outer surface of the first polymer layer includes mechanical bonding sites operable to adhere thin set mortar to the backer board.