FRP Building Panels with Oriented Fibers for Wall Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for lightweight, strong structural building panels that can withstand compressive and lateral loads, particularly in severe wind conditions, and are impermeable to water, including at joints, to replace traditional concrete structures in construction.
Innovation Solution
Fiber-reinforced polymeric (FRP) building panels with specific fiber schedules and orientations, combined with foam cores, provide enhanced compressive strength, deflection resistance, and water impermeability, allowing for secure anchoring to foundations and distribution of loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional concrete structures are used for foundation and wall construction, then structural strength and load-bearing capacity are achieved, but weight and construction complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials consisting of continuous fibers (such as glass, carbon, or aramid) embedded in a polymer matrix resin. This composite structure provides high tensile and compressive strength while maintaining low density, achieving superior strength-to-weight ratio compared to traditional concrete. The continuous fibers are oriented to resist specific load directions, creating a lightweight yet structurally robust building panel system.
2Reliability
If building panels are designed to resist severe wind loads and anchor overlying structure to foundation, then structural reliability improves, but device complexity and anchoring requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the anchoring function directly into the building panel structure itself. The FRP panels incorporate embedded anchoring features and continuity elements that mechanically connect the panel to the foundation and to each other, eliminating the need for separate complex anchoring systems. This merging of structural and anchoring functions simplifies the overall system while maintaining reliability under severe wind loads.
3Weight of moving object
If building panels are made lightweight with reduced thickness, then ease of installation and weight reduction are achieved, but water impermeability and structural integrity at joints may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes thin FRP panels with continuous fiber reinforcement that maintain structural integrity and water impermeability despite reduced thickness. The continuous fibers oriented in specific directions provide tensile strength to resist cracking, while the polymer matrix creates a seamless, non-porous barrier against water infiltration. The thin panel design incorporates integrated joint systems that maintain waterproofing across panel connections.
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 FRP panels offer significant weight reduction while maintaining structural integrity, resisting vertical crush and horizontal bending loads, and preventing water ingress, thus addressing the challenges of traditional concrete structures in construction.
Implementation Method 1
an outer fiber-reinforced polymeric layer about 0.10 inch thick to about 0.15 inch thick, the outer layer comprising a first set of continuous fibers in a first reaction-cured resin
Implementation Method 2
Fibers are typically oriented within 15 degrees of a top-to-bottom direction in the panel providing, in part, enhanced top-to-bottom crush strength of a panel/wall per unit length
Implementation Method 3
Panels of the invention also have a bias to deflect toward the surface of the panel which faces outwardly of the building, toward the backfill soil which faces the panel
Implementation Method 4
the outer layer comprising a first set of continuous fibers in a first reaction-cured resin
Data Source
AI summary
Light weight fiber-reinforced polymeric (FRP) structural building panels and panel assemblies, sized and configured for construction of non-portable wall structures permanently fixed to the ground, optionally tying overlying structure to an underlying footer through such panels and panel assemblies. Fiber schedule and fiber orientation in the panels provide enhanced properties of the panels. Fibers are typically oriented within 15 degrees of a top-to-bottom direction in the panel providing, in part, enhanced top-to-bottom crush strength of a panel/wall per length dimension related to mass of the panel/wall per unit length and/or limited deflection of the panel/wall. Panels of the invention also have a bias to deflect toward the surface of the panel which faces outwardly of the building, toward the backfill soil which faces the panel, outside the building.