Foam-Core Pipe Wall Structure for Cold Impact Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foam core pipe structures are not strong enough for vertical usage beyond a few stories and do not meet cold weather performance standards, particularly for PVC foam core pipes, limiting their use in installations like residential and industrial plumbing.
Innovation Solution
A pipe structure with a foam core layer sandwiched between inner and outer skin layers, where the ratio of the combined thicknesses of the skin layers to the foam core layer is optimized to enhance cold impact performance, and the specific gravity is adjusted to improve durability and strength, using materials like PVC and ABS with impact modifiers and meeting ASTM standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If foam core pipe structure is used to reduce weight and cost, then material usage and weight decrease, but strength and cold weather durability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure consisting of an inner skin layer, outer skin layer, and foam core layer. This multi-material composite design combines the lightweight properties of foam with the protective characteristics of skin layers, achieving both weight reduction and improved cold impact strength through the synergistic combination of different materials and their optimized thickness ratios.
2Strength
If thicker skin layers are used to improve strength, then cold impact performance improves, but material cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameters of the inner skin layer, outer skin layer, and foam core layer to achieve the desired cold impact performance while minimizing material usage. By carefully adjusting these dimensional parameters and their ratios, the design achieves strength requirements without excessive material consumption, balancing performance and cost-effectiveness.
3Ease of manufacture
If foam core layer is made thicker to reduce material cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but structural strength and vertical usage capability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different thickness ratios of skin layers to the foam core layer based on the specific application requirements. By locally optimizing the skin-to-foam thickness ratio, the design achieves adequate strength for vertical usage while maintaining cost-effectiveness, allowing the structure to have varying properties in different regions or applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe structure has an outer layer of a skin material with a first thickness and which defines an outside diameter of the pipe structure. The pipe structure has an inner layer of a skin material with a second thickness and which defines an inside diameter of the pipe structure. The pipe structure has a core layer of a foam material disposed between the inner and outer layers and having a third thickness. The inner, outer, and core layers are formed such that the pipe structure has a tube shape in cross-section. The first, second, and third thicknesses, respectively, combine to define a wall thickness of the pipe structure. The pipe structure has improved cold impact performance according to the ratio of the thicknesses of the inner and outer layers relative to the core layer.