Interlocking Floor Panels With Drainage Gaps for Clip-Free Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Outdoor panels used for floor and wall coverings are laborious to install, prone to water accumulation leading to visual displeasure and slipperiness, and require skilled installers due to the use of metal or plastic fastening clips.
Innovation Solution
The panels feature interlocking coupling profiles on opposing edges that allow adjacent panels to be connected without separate clips, facilitating user-friendly installation and incorporating drainage segments to manage water flow, enhancing stability and reducing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal or plastic fastening clips are used to fasten panels onto support structure, then panels can be securely fastened, but installation becomes laborious and time-consuming requiring educated installers
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling profile integrates the fastening function directly into the panel edge structure, merging the panel and fastening components into a single integrated element. This eliminates the need for separate metal or plastic clips, allowing panels to be connected directly to support structures through the built-in coupling profiles, thereby simplifying installation while maintaining secure fastening.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling profile is designed to perform the fastening function autonomously without requiring additional separate fastening components. The profile's geometry enables it to self-engage with the support structure, allowing installers to simply insert the panel edge into the support structure without needing to attach separate clips or fasteners, thus reducing installation complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If panels are installed in exterior environments exposed to water, then outdoor flooring function is achieved, but water accumulates on surfaces forming puddles and causing visual displeasure and slipperiness
Solution Approach 1:
The panel surface is segmented into multiple drainage zones by positioning coupling profiles at intervals along the edges. This segmentation creates discrete drainage paths between adjacent panels, allowing water to be channeled away from the panel surfaces through the gaps formed by the coupling profile geometry, preventing puddle formation while maintaining outdoor usability.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling profile acts as an intermediary element that facilitates water drainage between panels. Its geometry creates a controlled gap that serves as a water channel, mediating the flow of water away from the panel surfaces. The profile's structure allows water to pass through the edge gap while maintaining the structural integrity of the panel connection.
3Stability of the object's composition
If coupling profiles are placed close together to ensure stable interlocking, then panel stability is improved, but material usage increases and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling profiles are positioned at specific locations along the panel edges where they provide maximum interlocking stability with minimal material usage. The profiles are strategically placed to create effective engagement points that ensure panel stability without requiring continuous or densely spaced profiles, thereby reducing overall material consumption while maintaining structural integrity.
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 enables efficient water drainage, reduces installation complexity, and eliminates the need for skilled labor, while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic appeal, suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.
Implementation Method 1
said segment, preferably a drainage segment, and if applied, is configured to facilitate flow-through of water in between the first edge of said panel and a facing second edge of an adjacent panel
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a panel for composing a floor covering or wall covering. The invention also relates to a panel system including at least one panel according to the invention. The invention further relates to a method of composing a covering, in particular a floor covering, by using a panel system according to the invention.