Insulated Engineered Structural Member with Foam Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solid-wood framing in building construction is resource-intensive, costly, and inefficient in terms of thermal insulation due to thermal bridging, requiring substantial labor and materials for utility passages and insulation, and is not environmentally friendly.
Innovation Solution
The use of engineered structural members with reduced solid wood and integrated insulation, where a 2×6 member is created by rip-cutting a 2×4 lumber into flanges with slots for a thin insulating web, reducing material and labor costs, and incorporating foam insulation to minimize heat transfer and thermal bridging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional solid-wood framing members are used, then structural strength and load-bearing capacity are achieved, but thermal insulation performance deteriorates due to thermal bridging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining wood flanges with insulating material (such as foam or fiber insulation) to create a hybrid structural member. The wood flanges provide structural strength while the insulating material fills the core space, creating a composite beam that simultaneously achieves both structural integrity and thermal insulation performance, eliminating the thermal bridging issue of solid wood framing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the traditional solid wood beam into distinct components: outer wood flanges that provide structural strength and an inner insulating material that provides thermal resistance. This segmentation allows each material to perform its optimal function - wood for load-bearing and insulation material for thermal performance - while working together as an integrated structural member.
2Reliability
If conventional solid-wood framing members are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but resource consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials to replace a portion of the solid wood volume with insulating material that has lower cost and lower resource consumption. The wood flanges are reduced to only the necessary amount required for structural integrity, while the core is filled with more economical insulating material, thereby reducing overall material cost and resource consumption while maintaining structural performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating wood material only where it is structurally necessary - in the outer flanges that require strength for load-bearing - and replacing the central core material with a different, more cost-effective insulating material. This localized optimization of material placement reduces the total volume of expensive solid wood required while maintaining structural integrity.
3Device complexity
If conventional solid-wood framing members are used, then construction simplicity is maintained, but labor effort and construction time increase for utility installations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the insulating material with integrated utility chutes or channels during the manufacturing process. These pre-formed passages allow utilities such as electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC conduits to be installed more easily and quickly, reducing on-site labor effort and construction time compared to drilling through solid wood members.
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
This approach reduces material and labor costs, enhances thermal insulation, minimizes thermal bridging, and allows for lighter, stronger, and more dimensionally stable structures that meet energy code requirements, while reducing the demand for natural resources and eliminating the need for exterior rigid foam insulation.
Implementation Method 1
The foam insulation reduces both radiant heat transfer from one wood flange to the other
Implementation Method 2
The foam insulation reduces both radiant heat transfer from one wood flange to the other, and radiant and convective heat transfer to the engineered 2×6 structural member from the interior space
Implementation Method 3
The thermal conductivity of the structural member in the 5.5″ direction is reduced by the insulating effect of the very small heat conduction cross-section of the thin sheet web between the slots
Data Source
AI summary
An engineered structural member for use as, for example a stud, and a method for producing an engineered structural member. The method includes placing two spaced-apart flange members, preferably from nominal dimension solid lumber, in a mold cavity, inserting a two-part mixture of polyurethane material between the flange members, closing the mold and applying pressure to density the two-part polyurethane material during curing, and removing the completed engineered structural member from the mold. Preferably, the multiple engineered structural members are produced in multiple mold cavities, either sequentially, for example, on a rotary molding machine, or simultaneously, for example, in a series of molds which are filled and closed together. The engineered structural member provides increased insulation capacity to a structure while reducing structure weight, improving strength and improving dimensional instability.