Architectural Mesh Air Flow Flaps Reduce Wind Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Architectural meshes that provide desired shading or privacy characteristics often result in high wind loading, which is undesirable for energy-efficient building designs requiring sun shading or privacy screening without compromising aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
An architectural metal mesh panel with movable air flow flaps connected by clips to a flat wire mesh comprising U-shaped links and connecting rods, allowing for adjustable shading and privacy while reducing wind loading by enabling flap movement and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a tightly woven mesh is used to provide shading or privacy, then the aesthetic appearance and shading effectiveness are improved, but the wind loading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the mesh panels movable rather than fixed. The mesh panels are suspended between horizontal rails and can move vertically along the rails, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position and orientation in response to wind conditions while maintaining shading effectiveness when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the facade into multiple separate mesh panels that can move independently. Each panel is a discrete unit suspended on its own rails, allowing individual panels to respond to local wind conditions rather than the entire facade moving as one rigid structure, thereby reducing overall wind loading
2Loss of information
If a tightly woven mesh is used to provide privacy screening, then the privacy effectiveness is improved, but the wind loading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh panels can be positioned at different heights and angles along the vertical rails, allowing dynamic adjustment of the privacy screening level. When privacy is needed, panels can be moved to block views; when wind is strong, panels can be repositioned to reduce wind capture while maintaining adequate privacy
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the effective parameters of the privacy screen by adjusting panel positions, spacing, and orientations. This enables the same physical mesh panels to provide different levels of privacy and wind resistance depending on environmental conditions and user requirements
3Illumination intensity
If the mesh is made tighter to reduce light passage, then the shading performance is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using one large complex tightly woven mesh, the system segments the shading function into multiple smaller mesh panels with varying degrees of openness. Each panel can have its own weave density optimized for specific areas, reducing the need for a uniformly tight complex structure across the entire facade
Solution Approach 2:
Different mesh panels can have different weave densities and patterns tailored to specific locations on the building. Areas requiring high shading can use tighter meshes, while areas needing more light can use more open patterns, allowing local optimization without requiring overall structural complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
An architectural panel includes a mesh defining a plurality of openings and a plurality of flaps configured for attachment to the mesh within the plurality of openings, the flaps being movable to allow air flow through the openings.