Joinery Holding Device for Thermal Deformation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building doors and other articulated openings face deformation issues due to thermal and mechanical constraints, leading to difficulties in operation, damage, and compromised insulation and sealing performance.
Innovation Solution
A maintenance and guidance device with two articulated modules, one fixed to the opening and the other to the dormant frame, featuring a rigid tongue and flared housing that cooperate to reduce deformation and provide additional fixing points, ensuring the opening returns to its nominal state and maintains mechanical resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the opening dimensions are increased, then the opening capacity and visibility are improved, but the deformation under thermal and mechanical stresses increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holding and guiding device is divided into two separate modules: a first module fixed to the opening and a second module fixed to the frame. This segmentation allows each module to independently manage specific aspects of the opening's movement and positioning, reducing the overall stress on the entire opening structure while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The first module is nested within the second module, with the first module's tab inserted into the second module's housing. This nested configuration allows the smaller first module to move freely within the constraints of the larger second module, enabling the opening to maintain stability while accommodating dimensional changes and thermal expansion.
2Strength
If the opening is rigidly fixed to the frame, then the mechanical resistance is improved, but the ability to accommodate thermal expansion and deformation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the opening and frame is made dynamic rather than rigid. The first module can move relative to the second module within the housing, allowing the system to adapt to thermal expansion and deformation while maintaining mechanical resistance. The tab-housing interface provides controlled movement that accommodates dimensional changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows for changes in positional parameters of the opening relative to the frame. The tab can move within the housing along specific paths, enabling the opening to adjust its position in response to thermal and mechanical stresses while maintaining proper alignment and sealing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the opening is allowed to move freely, then the thermal expansion is accommodated, but the mechanical resistance and positioning accuracy are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nested configuration of the tab within the housing provides guided movement that maintains positioning accuracy. The tab is constrained to move along specific paths defined by the housing geometry, ensuring that the opening remains properly aligned with the frame even while accommodating thermal expansion and deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The first module acts as an intermediary between the opening and the frame. It mediates the interaction by providing a controlled interface that allows thermal adaptability while maintaining positioning accuracy through the tab-housing guidance mechanism. The intermediary module absorbs the thermal stresses while preserving the precise positioning relationship.
4Strength
If additional fixing points are added, then the mechanical resistance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holding function and guiding function are merged into a single integrated device. The first module's tab serves both as a connection element and as a guided component that moves within the second module's housing. This merging provides multiple fixing points and guidance without requiring separate complex mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The first module is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides mechanical connection, allows thermal expansion, guides movement, and maintains positioning accuracy. By making the first module universal and multi-functional, the device achieves high mechanical resistance without increasing overall complexity, as a single component handles multiple requirements.
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 device effectively limits deformation, enhances mechanical resistance, and maintains water and air sealing, as well as thermal insulation, while minimizing noise and extending the lifespan of the door.
Implementation Method 1
the surface with a higher temperature tends to expand, which can cause the door to bend. This deformation is contained in the elastic domain and is expressed in particular as a function of the temperature gradient, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material constituting the door
Implementation Method 2
The walls of the housing are configured to define a contact surface against which the tab is adapted to slide
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns a holding and guiding device (10) for joinery comprising an opening leaf (20) articulated about an axis of rotation relative to a fixed frame (30) between an open position and a closed position, the device being characterised in that it comprises two modules, one of which is intended to be fastened to the opening leaf (20) and the other of which is intended to be fastened to an upright of the fixed frame (30) closest to the axis of rotation, the modules being configured to cooperate progressively with each other when the opening leaf (20) is moved towards its closed position until, when the opening leaf (20) occupies its closed position, they reach a position in which they are interlocked with each other and in which any movement of the modules relative to each other is limited.