Insulated Building Elements With Rib-Connected Reinforcing Beams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building elements with wooden beams along the longitudinal direction create cold bridges, requiring thicker insulation and complicating manufacturing, while reinforcement ribs can shift easily under transverse forces.
Innovation Solution
A building element design featuring lower and upper reinforcement ribs connected by connecting elements such as reinforcing panels or stiffening ribs, which enhances stability against transverse forces and minimizes thermal energy transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wooden beams are placed along the entire longitudinal direction and height of the building element, then structural strength is improved, but thermal insulation deteriorates due to cold bridges
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous wooden beam is segmented into separate components: a lower reinforcement rib at the bottom, an upper reinforcement rib at the top, and connecting elements spaced at intervals. This segmentation interrupts the thermal conduction path while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed reinforcement system.
Solution Approach 2:
Connecting elements serve as intermediaries between the lower and upper reinforcement ribs. These connectors provide structural linkage while being spaced sufficiently to break the continuous thermal bridge, allowing the system to satisfy both strength and insulation requirements.
2Loss of energy
If insulation thickness is increased to compensate for cold bridges, then thermal insulation is improved, but device complexity increases due to wider beams required
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the reinforcement into discrete ribs and connecting elements, the effective thermal bridge path is shortened and interrupted. This allows achieving the same insulation performance with reduced overall beam width compared to continuous beam designs.
3Loss of energy
If reinforcement ribs are used to reduce cold bridges, then thermal insulation is improved, but reliability deteriorates as ribs can shift under transverse forces
Solution Approach 1:
The lower reinforcement rib, upper reinforcement rib, and connecting elements are merged into an integrated reinforcing structure. This combination creates a rigid framework that resists transverse forces more effectively than isolated ribs, preventing shifting while maintaining the thermal break.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting elements are positioned and configured in advance to provide preemptive resistance against transverse forces. This preliminary structural arrangement prevents rib shifting before it can occur under load.
4Ease of operation
If beam width is increased to satisfy structural screw connection standards, then ease of operation is improved, but thermal insulation deteriorates due to increased cold bridge area
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented reinforcement structure provides sufficient width and surface area for structural screw connections at the locations of the ribs and connecting elements, while the spaces between these segments remain as thermal breaks. This allows adequate connection points without requiring increased overall beam width that would create continuous thermal bridges.
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 design improves durability and thermal insulation while allowing wider beams for structural screw connections without increasing cold bridges, facilitating recycling of materials.
Implementation Method 1
one or more connecting elements - for example one or more reinforcing panels and/or one or more stiffening ribs - which connect the upper reinforcement rib to the lower reinforcement rib in order to form a reinforcing beam
Implementation Method 2
base insulation material which is arranged between a bottom surface and a top surface of the building element
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~8
AI summary
The present invention relates to a building element (1) and a method for manufacturing such a building element (1). This building element (1) comprises: - base insulation material (2) which is arranged between a bottom surface (3) and a top surface (4) of the building element (1); - a lower reinforcement rib (5) and an upper reinforcement rib (6) which extend substantially along a longitudinal direction L of the building element (1) and are situated between the bottom surface (3) and the top surface (4); and - one or more connecting elements - for example one or more reinforcing panels (1) and/or one or more stiffening ribs (22, 23) - which connect the upper reinforcement rib (6) to the lower reinforcement rib (5) in order to form a reinforcing beam (8), so that the building element (1) is better able to withstand transverse forces and is better insulated for thermal energy between the top surface (4) and the bottom surface (3).