Flexible Mesh Adhesive Structure for Lightweight Surface Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adhesives and sealants face challenges such as tackiness, low viscosity, brittleness, difficulty in handling, and deformation of surfaces, while efforts to reduce material weight often compromise their efficacy and increase manufacturing time.
Innovation Solution
A flexible mesh layer with activatable material, comprising a solid material layer and a pliable mesh layer that can be applied to contoured surfaces, allowing for easy customization and activation to provide adhesion, sealing, and reinforcement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the amount of adhesive or sealant material is reduced to lighten weight, then weight is reduced, but adhesion efficacy and sealing performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive or sealant material is applied in a discontinuous mesh pattern rather than as a continuous layer. This segmentation allows weight reduction while maintaining adhesion efficacy through strategic placement of material at critical bonding locations, where the mesh intersects with substrates or structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh pattern concentrates adhesive material at specific locations where bonding is most critical, rather than distributing it uniformly. This local quality approach ensures that adhesion efficacy is maintained at key interfaces while reducing overall material quantity and weight.
2Weight of moving object
If adhesive material is placed only in select locations to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh pattern is pre-formed or pre-positioned before adhesive application, allowing for efficient material placement. The discontinuous mesh structure can be prepared in advance and then quickly activated or bonded to substrates, reducing overall manufacturing time compared to traditional continuous application methods.
3Reliability
If traditional adhesive materials are used, then adhesion is achieved, but handling difficulty and surface deformation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive or sealant is formulated as a flexible mesh or film structure that can be easily handled, positioned, and applied to substrates. This flexible form factor improves ease of operation while maintaining adhesion efficacy through the mesh pattern's inherent structural properties.
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 flexible mesh layer ensures uniform adhesion and sealing without surface deformation, reduces material weight, and facilitates easy application to curved surfaces, while maintaining structural integrity and reducing manufacturing time.
Implementation Method 1
The activatable material may expand upon exposure to a stimulus and any openings in the mesh become closed as a result of expansion of the material.
Implementation Method 2
The metallic filler may allow for induction heating of the activatable material.
Implementation Method 3
The activatable material may include a magnetic filler allowing the flexible mesh to be magnetically adhered to a metallic surface prior to activation.
Data Source
AI summary
An article comprising a flexible mesh layer pliable enough for being arranged in direct planar contact with a contoured surface, the mesh layer providing one or more attributes of adhering, sealing or reinforcing to a surface receiving the flexible mesh.