Interlocking Floor Panels with Shock Absorbing Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flooring systems are expensive and difficult to remove, and they lack the necessary rigidity and shock absorption properties required for recreational surfaces that need to be easily movable and provide fall-height protection.
Innovation Solution
Interlocking panels with a planar top surface and a bottom support structure made of shock absorption materials, such as polypropylene foam or rubber, that provide structural support and shock absorption, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, and can be made from materials like polypropylene, structural urethane foams, or metal, with interlocking mechanisms for connecting adjacent panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional base materials (compacted stone, asphalt, plywood, or cement) are used, then structural support is provided, but installation cost increases and removal difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base surface is divided into multiple interlocking panels that can be independently installed and removed. Each panel contains an internal grid system that provides structural support while allowing the entire system to be easily assembled and disassembled without expensive conventional materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by using polymeric materials with specific rigidity characteristics instead of traditional base materials. The internal grid system is designed with optimized geometry to provide adequate structural support at reduced cost and improved ease of installation.
2Strength
If plastic panels with internal grid system are used, then rigidity and structural support are improved, but shock absorption capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The panel combines rigid plastic material for the internal grid system with shock-absorbing materials (foam or rubber) for the panel body. This composite structure integrates the advantages of both materials: the grid provides rigidity and structural support while the foam/rubber provides shock absorption for fall-height protection.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If foam or rubber panels are used, then shock absorption is improved, but structural rigidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is segmented into two functional components: an internal grid system made of rigid plastic material that provides structural support, and an external body made of foam or rubber that provides shock absorption. This segmentation allows each component to perform its primary function effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction combining rigid plastic grid with shock-absorbing foam or rubber material. The rigid grid framework maintains structural integrity while the surrounding shock-absorbing material provides fall-height protection, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and shock absorption.
4Stability of the object's composition
If recreational surfaces are made permanent, then structural stability is improved, but adaptability and movability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The surface is divided into modular interlocking panels that can be easily assembled and disassembled. The interlocking mechanism provides structural stability when installed, while the modular nature allows the entire system to be moved and reconfigured for different activities or locations.
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 offers a cost-effective, easily movable flooring system that provides structural support and adequate fall/impact protection by combining the rigidity of plastic panels with the shock absorption of foam or rubber panels, suitable for various recreational surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
A shock absorption material is then attached to form a support structure beneath the planar top surface, providing a top planar surface that has a selectable amount of rigidity to provide structural support, while resilient by way of the resiliency of the shock absorption material, thereby providing proper fall/impact protection.
Data Source
AI summary
Interlocking panels have a top portion and side edges. Multiple panels are interlocked together mechanically along the side edges by locking features. The top portion includes a substantially planar top surface, side edges, and interlocking features. The bottom support structure is made of a shock absorption material that fits under the substantially planar top surface, thereby providing support and cushioning to the substantially planar top surface. The interlocking feature includes, for example, sides alternating between sides that have protrusions (upward or downward) and sides that have receivers for the protrusions.