Gradient Multiple Layer Interlayers for Acoustic Dampening

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional multiple layer polymer interlayers for sound dampening in glass panels face challenges in processing difficulties and substandard appearance, stability, and glass adhesion, particularly when incorporating colored gradients, which affect their acoustic and optical qualities.

Innovation Solution

The use of a multiple manifold coextrusion device to create multiple layer interlayers with colored gradient regions, where each polymer sheet has differing compositions and adhesion control agents, ensuring consistent adhesion and improved sound dampening characteristics without compromising optical qualities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If multiple layer interlayers are used to improve sound dampening characteristics, then sound transmission is reduced, but processing difficulties and substandard appearance, stability, and glass adhesion occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesound transmissionVSAvoidprocessing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The interlayer is divided into multiple separate polymer sheets (first polymer sheet and second polymer sheet) with different compositions, where each layer has optimized properties for specific functions such as adhesion to glass and sound dampening, while the segmented structure enables easier handling and processing compared to a single thick interlayer

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses composite material structure with two or more polymer sheets having dissimilar characteristics (different polymer compositions, plasticizer contents, or molecular weights) bonded together, creating an interlayer that combines the advantages of each material to achieve both sound dampening performance and manufacturing ease

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Illumination intensity

If colored gradient is incorporated into multiple layer interlayer, then aesthetic appeal is enhanced, but processing difficulties result in substandard appearance, stability, and glass adhesion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolored gradient appearanceVSAvoidglass adhesion

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The colored gradient is applied locally to specific regions of the interlayer assembly, allowing different areas to have different optical properties while maintaining consistent adhesion characteristics in regions requiring strong glass bonding, thus resolving the conflict between aesthetic appearance and adhesion reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If single polymer sheet interlayer is used with modified physical characteristics to improve sound performance, then sound transmission is reduced, but handling becomes difficult and compositional variations are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesound transmissionVSAvoidhandling ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The single thick polymer sheet is segmented into multiple thinner sheets with different compositions, where each thin sheet maintains ease of handling while the combination of layers provides the sound dampening performance of a thicker interlayer, thus resolving the contradiction between sound performance and handling ease

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS7842395B2Multiple layer interlayers having a gradient region

Publication Date: 2010.11.30 SOLUTIA INC

AI summary

The present invention provides multiple layer interlayers that can be used in multiple layer glass panel type applications to reduce the amount of sound transmitted through the panel while also providing a colored region within a gradient region. The acoustic effect can be achieved by using two or more polymer sheets having differing compositions that have been combined into a single multiple layer interlayer, and the gradient region effect is achieved by forming a colored region in one or more gradient regions of the individual layers.