Foaming Material Building Construction Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
In disaster areas, constructing shelters that are robust, cost-effective, and easily deployable is challenging due to poor infrastructure and accessibility, with existing solutions like tents offering limited protection and prefabricated buildings having high transport volumes and weights.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the on-site foaming of building envelopes, where a flexible shell form is arranged around a solid structural element, allowing for lightweight transport and assembly into a stable, weather-resistant structure with a long lifespan, and easy disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tents are used for shelter construction, then ease of setup and quick deployment are improved, but protection against weather, vermin, and environmental influences deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible envelope form made of thin film material that can be quickly deployed like a tent but provides superior protection. The envelope is filled with foaming material that expands to create a rigid, protective structure, combining the quick setup advantage of tents with the protection quality of solid buildings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming the foaming material from a liquid state (easy to transport and fill) to a solid foam state (provide structural protection). This phase change allows the system to achieve both quick deployment and high protection quality by changing the physical state of the filling material.
2Reliability
If prefabricated buildings are used, then protection quality and service life are improved, but transport volume and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the building into two separate components: a lightweight flexible envelope form and a foaming material. The envelope form can be transported in a compact state and then filled on-site, separating the transport function from the structural protection function, thereby reducing transport weight while maintaining protection quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a foaming material as an intermediary substance that is transported in liquid form and then transforms into solid foam within the envelope. This intermediary material provides the structural protection normally requiring heavy prefabricated components, but in a lightweight, transportable form.
3Strength
If foaming material is used to fill the envelope, then structural stability and weather resistance are improved, but complexity of the construction process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foaming material exhibits self-service characteristics by automatically expanding to fill the entire envelope volume and self-hardening to form the structural walls. This eliminates the need for complex assembly procedures, manual positioning, or specialized construction skills, thereby reducing construction process complexity while achieving high structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits phase transitions of the foaming material (liquid to expanding foam to solid) to automatically create the structural walls. The material's inherent expansion and hardening properties eliminate the need for complex construction equipment or multi-step assembly processes, simplifying the construction while providing strong structural stability.
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 method enables rapid, cost-effective construction of shelters with enhanced resistance to earthquakes, weather, and noise, providing comfort for at least 5-10 years, and can be easily disposed of, while minimizing transportation costs and logistical challenges.
Implementation Method 1
a) a first amount of foaming material is conveyed into the casing mold (1) via a lower inlet valve (57), said filled-in material of the first amount then hardens at least partially
Implementation Method 2
The foam material can first be transported to the predefined location in tanks of any size in a space-saving manner; the foam-filled wall has a very low specific weight compared to a wall made of finished panels
Implementation Method 3
DE 196 50 219 A1 discloses a component with a reinforcement that is under tensile stress and is connected to a mass that absorbs compressive stresses. The armor consists of a shell of non-metallic sheet material, the mass being a cured foam.
Data Source
Figure 1a~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for constructing a building (10), said building (10) comprising a plurality of walls (3) and being fixedly erected in a pre-defined location. The method comprises the following method steps: spreading out a flexible (1) sleeve form consisting of a film-type material in the pre-defined location; filling the flexible sleeve form with a foaming material; curing the foaming material (2), thereby forming stable walls (3) for the building (10).