Heated Floor Panel Structure for Impact-Resistant PTC Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional heated aircraft floor panels made with carbon-based PTC materials face issues with ink wastage in the screen printing process and lack resistance to impacts and knife cuts, necessitating improved manufacturing methods and materials for enhanced robustness and thermal efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A heater panel design featuring a core with a PTC heater layer sandwiched between dielectric layers, bonded directly to structural facings made of carbon fiber impregnated with resin, and an impact layer for added durability, with a method that eliminates intermediate layers and uses adhesives for bonding, incorporating materials like honeycomb structures and monolithic metals for improved robustness and thermal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screen printing process is used to apply PTC-based ink, then heating function is achieved, but excessive ink wastage occurs and requires disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the screen printing process with a transfer printing process. Instead of directly printing PTC-based ink onto the floor panel through screen printing, the heating element is first created on a separate transfer substrate, then transferred to the final panel. This substitution eliminates the need for excess ink application and disposal, as the heating element is precisely formed and then relocated without material waste.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional surface layer materials are used in composite panels, then basic structural integrity is maintained, but resistance to repeated impacts and knife cuts is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-layer composite structure consisting of: (1) a PTC-based heating element layer, (2) a dielectric layer providing electrical insulation, (3) a reinforcement layer containing woven or non-woven fabric for structural strength, and (4) a wear-resistant surface layer. This composite construction combines materials with complementary properties to achieve both structural integrity and high resistance to impacts and knife cuts, which traditional single-material surface layers cannot provide.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple intermediate layers are used between heater/dielectric layer and core, then bonding stability is improved, but panel weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated heater/dielectric layer. Instead of using separate intermediate layers for heating and electrical insulation, the invention combines the PTC-based heating element and dielectric material into one unified layer structure. This direct bonding approach maintains bonding stability while eliminating the weight and complexity associated with multiple separate intermediate layers.
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 results in lighter, longer-lasting, and more thermally efficient heater panels with enhanced robustness against impacts and knife cuts, addressing the limitations of traditional panels.
Implementation Method 1
Positive thermal coefficient (PTC) materials increase in electrical resistance as their temperature rises. PTC materials are useful in heating panels such as used in heating air craft floors, due to their intrinsic limits on temperature.
Implementation Method 2
Carbon-based PTC heaters for aircraft floor panels are traditionally fabricated by screen printing a PTC-based ink in a desired heating element pattern
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A heater panel includes a core (102) and a heater/dielectric layer (104) including a positive thermal coefficient (PTC) heater layer between a pair of dielectric layers. A structural facing (110) is included, wherein the heater/dielectric layer (104) is bonded directly between the core and the structural facing. A second structural facing (112) can be bonded to the core (102) opposite the heater/dielectric layer (104). An impact layer (114) can be bonded to the structural facing (110), e.g., the first structural facing (110) described above, opposite the heater/dielectric layer (104).