L-Shaped Construction Assembly for Cladding Mounting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing building construction methods face challenges in accurately and efficiently mounting cladding facades to concrete floor slabs due to issues with channel placement, drilling through slabs, and conflicts with reinforcing elements, leading to increased costs and potential delays.

Innovation Solution

A construction assembly comprising a base member, side member, hollow elongate members, and a closure member is formed within the defined space of a floor slab, allowing for precise placement and alignment of fixings without interfering with the reinforcing elements, and enabling accurate mounting of cladding facades with reduced assembly work and increased tolerance for errors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If channels are suspended in the defined space prior to pouring concrete, then mounting positions for cladding can be provided, but additional work is required prior to pouring and specific expensive fixings are needed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting position accuracyVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow elongate member is positioned in the defined space before pouring concrete, establishing mounting positions in advance. This preliminary action ensures accurate location of fixings while allowing the concrete to be poured around it naturally.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the channel from being a separate suspended component and integrates it as a hollow elongate member that is directly positioned and fixed to the base, eliminating the need for separate suspension systems and complex fixings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If holes are drilled in the floor slabs after formation, then mounting positions can be created, but drilling through floor slabs is generally undesirable due to health and safety and structural considerations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting position accuracyVSAvoidstructural integrity risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow elongate member is positioned before the concrete is poured, so the mounting positions are established in advance. This eliminates the need for post-pour drilling that would compromise structural integrity or worker safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of creating holes after concrete formation (the conventional approach), the invention inverts the sequence by positioning the hollow elongate member before pouring, allowing the concrete to form around it naturally.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Measurement precision

If accurate location of mounting holes cannot be assured, then expensive and time consuming adjustable fixings must be used

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting hole location accuracyVSAvoidfixing system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow elongate member is positioned in the defined space before pouring concrete, establishing precise mounting positions in advance. This preliminary positioning ensures accurate location without requiring adjustable fixings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The hollow elongate member acts as a template or copy of the required mounting position, allowing precise replication of the desired location and orientation without needing complex adjustable mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

4Reliability

If mounting of fixings conflicts with Rebar in the concrete, then mounting problems arise and may not be permissible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting reliabilityVSAvoidmounting system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow elongate member is positioned before pouring concrete, allowing the Rebar to be arranged around it during the pouring process. This preliminary positioning prevents conflicts between fixings and Rebar.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The hollow elongate member serves as an intermediary that mediates between the mounting requirements and the Rebar reinforcement, allowing both to coexist without conflict by providing a dedicated mounting pathway.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3443171B1Construction assembly
Publication Date: 2021.11.17 TECTONIC FACADES LTD
  • EP3443171B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3443171B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3443171B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A construction article (12) usable in the construction of a building made of concrete. The article (12) has base and side members (32, 34) in the form of plates extending perpendicularly from each other in an L-shape configuration. Three spaced upstanding elongate members (42) are provided upstanding from the base member (32). An appropriately shaped closure member (14) is provided which closes the open ends of the elongate members (42) such that when concrete is poured thereover the members (42) leave three openings extending through the set concrete to permit fixings to extend therethrough.