Honeycomb Aerogel Insulation Panels for Compressive Strength
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current aerogel insulation materials are fragile and have weak mechanical properties, making them prone to damage and posing handling hazards, while traditional polyiso foam requires thicker layers to achieve the same insulation effect, increasing installation costs.
Innovation Solution
A honeycomb structure filled with aerogel material, where the aerogel is either pre-deposited or formed in situ within the cells, combined with top and bottom membranes, providing enhanced mechanical strength and insulation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If aerogel insulation is used to achieve high insulation performance, then insulation efficiency is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The aerogel insulation is segmented into individual cells within a honeycomb structure, where each cell contains aerogel material. This segmentation allows the aerogel to maintain its insulating properties while the honeycomb framework provides mechanical support, preventing the material from being overly fragile.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining aerogel material with a honeycomb framework and membrane layers. The aerogel provides thermal insulation, while the honeycomb structure and membranes provide mechanical strength, resulting in a composite material that achieves both high insulation performance and adequate mechanical properties.
2Length of stationary object
If aerogel insulation is used to reduce thickness, then installation cost is reduced, but handling safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The aerogel is contained within discrete honeycomb cells, which prevents the material from breaking into small particles during handling. The cell structure acts as a containment framework, maintaining the integrity of the aerogel even when the insulation is thin and flexible.
Solution Approach 2:
The honeycomb structure incorporates membrane layers that act as flexible shells containing the aerogel material. These membranes prevent aerogel particles from detaching during handling and installation, eliminating the breathing hazard while allowing the insulation to maintain reduced thickness.
3Strength
If traditional polyiso foam is used to achieve required insulation value, then mechanical strength is maintained, but installation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the insulation material by using aerogel instead of traditional polyiso foam. This parameter change enables achieving the same insulation value (R-20) with significantly reduced thickness (less than 4 inches), while the honeycomb structure maintains the necessary mechanical strength through its framework design.
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 honeycomb structure with aerogel material offers improved compressive strength and reduced thickness, maintaining high insulation performance with lower installation costs and reduced handling risks.
Implementation Method 1
Aerogels are excellent thermal insulators since they have very limited amounts of thermally conducting solid portions and provide very little gas movement for convection heat transfer
Implementation Method 2
Aerogels are produced either by supercritical-drying or freeze-drying of the gel material to remove the liquid
Implementation Method 3
Aerogels are produced either by supercritical-drying or freeze-drying of the gel material to remove the liquid
Implementation Method 4
a panel having individual cells arranged in a honeycomb structure; and aerogel material within the individual cells of the honeycomb structure
Data Source
AI summary
An insulation product made from a panel having honeycomb-shaped cells filled with aerogel material. The aerogel material may be either a powder that is deposited into the cells after the aerogel has been formed or the aerogel may be formed in situ within the cells by a sol-gel process that optionally uses TEOS as a reaction precursor followed by ambient drying.