Greenhouse Darkening Screen Thread Alignment for Moisture Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing darkening screens for greenhouses, such as PhormiTex Eclipse and Obscura, face issues with moisture penetration and fire retardancy, leading to humid conditions and potential plant damage, while also allowing light transmission that can hinder plant growth and require excessive fire retardant additives.
Innovation Solution
A darkening screen comprising two fabrics with aligned threads that form cross-connections to enhance moisture transport and fire retardancy, maintaining low hemispherical light transmission by connecting first and second threads perpendicularly and using opaque film strips to absorb light, thereby reducing the need for fire retardant additives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If two separate fabrics are used to achieve low light transmission, then light blocking performance is improved, but moisture transmission is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is divided into two separate fabrics (first fabric with light-reflecting strips and second fabric with water transport threads) that can be connected or left separate. This segmentation allows each fabric to specialize: the first fabric provides light blocking while the second fabric provides moisture transport, resolving the contradiction between light transmission and moisture transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the screen have different properties: the first fabric contains light-reflecting strips for light blocking, while the second fabric contains water-transporting threads for moisture management. This local differentiation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
2Stability of the object's composition
If adhesive is used to connect both fabrics, then structural stability is improved, but moisture transmission is further reduced
Solution Approach 1:
A connector element acts as an intermediary between the two fabrics, providing mechanical connection without completely blocking moisture transport. The connector allows structural stability while leaving gaps or channels that permit moisture transmission through the water-transporting threads of the second fabric.
3Stability of the object's composition
If mechanical bonding processes like stitching are used to connect both fabrics, then structural stability is improved, but light transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stitching elements are extracted or minimized to only where necessary, and the connector is designed to blend with or be less disruptive than traditional stitching. This reduces the number of light-transmitting openings while maintaining structural stability through the connector mechanism.
4Reliability
If HDPE tapes contain large amount of fire resistance composition to achieve class 1 fire retardancy, then fire safety is improved, but moisture transmission is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fire retardancy function is segmented from the moisture transport function. The second fabric with water-transporting threads handles moisture transmission, while the fire resistance composition is concentrated in the HDPE tapes of the first fabric. This segmentation allows both fire safety and moisture transmission to be optimized independently.
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 improves moisture transport and fire retardancy, reducing light transmission to less than 0.1% and achieving Class 1 fire retardancy without excessive additives, ensuring a healthier greenhouse environment and reduced risk of plant damage.
Implementation Method 1
the first and the second threads have water transporting capacity
Data Source
AI summary
The darkening screen comprises two fabrics, namely a first fabric (10) which comprises in machining direction first strips of film material and first threads (2) in between the first strips, and a second fabric (11) which comprises in machining direction second strips of film material and second threads (6) in between the second strips. The first (2) and the second threads (6) of the first (10) and the second fabric (11) have water transporting capacity. In order to obtain improved moisture transporting properties whilst maintaining a low hemispherical light transmission the first threads (2) are aligned with said second threads (6) and are situated, in a direction perpendicular to said first (10) and second fabric (11), opposite to said second threads (6) to form pairs of first and second threads. In a number of these pairs the first thread (2) is connected at different locations by cross-connections (16) to the second thread (6), more particularly by means of a first yarn (4) of the first fabric which extends in the cross-machining direction, to thereby fix the first fabric (10) to the second fabric (11). The cross-connections (16) preferably hold the first threads (2) at least at the location of the cross-connections (16) against the second threads (6).