Honeycomb Formwork Panel With Soft Edge for Recyclable Durability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing concrete formwork panels, such as wood plywood and composite panels, suffer from damage to their edges, are difficult to recycle, and are heavy, making handling arduous and recycling costly due to the use of multiple materials and adhesives.
Innovation Solution
A honeycomb panel made of polypropylene with a thermoplastic elastomer perimeter edge, bonded without additional adhesives, providing rigidity, lightness, and ease of recycling by shredding, with integrated identification data for tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wood plywood panels are used for concrete formwork, then they provide a smooth surface and are easy to handle initially, but their edges are damaged with repeated use making surface continuity impossible, and they cannot be easily recycled due to glue and phenolic varnish
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is segmented into distinct functional layers: a protective peripheral edge and a honeycomb core. This segmentation allows the peripheral edge to absorb damage while protecting the main structural body, and enables separate recycling of components if needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A peripheral edge with reduced hardness is provided beforehand to cushion and absorb impacts during handling and use. This softer edge acts as a sacrificial protective layer that deforms preferentially to protect the harder honeycomb panel from damage.
2Strength
If composite sandwich panel with multiple materials is used, then structural integrity is improved, but separation of different materials becomes very difficult or impossible making recycling impossible at reasonable cost
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful elements (multiple different materials requiring separation, laminating resins) are extracted from the panel structure. The invention uses a simplified construction with a honeycomb core and peripheral edge that can be manufactured as a integrated unit or easily separated components, eliminating the recycling problem of material separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel uses a homogeneous or compatible material system where the peripheral edge and honeycomb core are made from materials that are either the same or easily separable, unlike the multi-material composite panels that require complex separation processes for recycling.
3Strength
If wood plywood panels are used, then they provide sufficient strength for formwork, but their weight makes the work of operators very arduous
Solution Approach 1:
The honeycomb structure provides a lightweight yet strong panel construction. The cellular honeycomb geometry delivers high strength-to-weight ratio, making the panel much lighter than solid wood plywood while maintaining sufficient structural integrity for concrete formwork applications.
4Reliability
If peripheral edge with high hardness is used, then edge protection is improved, but the risk of damage to honeycomb panel during handling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral edge is provided with locally different properties (reduced hardness) compared to the main panel body. This local quality change allows the edge to be more compliant and absorb impacts without transmitting damaging forces to the honeycomb structure, while still providing edge protection.
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 panel offers improved handling, reduced damage risk, and efficient recycling by shredding, while maintaining structural integrity and allowing tracking, thus addressing the challenges of traditional panels.
Implementation Method 1
the reduced hardness of the perimeter edge allows for preferential and reversible deformation, thus minimizing the risk of damage to the honeycomb panel during handling for concrete formwork
Implementation Method 2
a direct and strong bond is thus provided between the peripheral rim and the honeycomb panel by a physico-chemical bond (chemical through the adhesion between the constituent materials of the honeycomb panel and the peripheral rim, and physical through the retention of the peripheral rim by means of its constituent material penetrating a plurality of cells)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
Panel (2) for concrete formwork, in particular for concrete slab formwork, comprising: - a honeycomb plate (1) made of plastic material comprising a first layer (1a) extending along a first plane (P1) and a second layer (1b) extending along a second plane (P2) parallel to the first plane (P1), the first (1a) and second (1b) layers being connected to each other by walls extending perpendicularly to the first (P1) and second (P2) planes and forming honeycomb cells, - a peripheral edge (5) covering the entire peripheral edge of the honeycomb plate (1), said peripheral edge (5) being made of a thermoplastic elastomer of lower hardness than the hardness of the first (1a) and second (1b) layers of the honeycomb plate (1).