Method and kit for installing a shower tray in wet areas used in the repair of buildings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for installing shower trays in old buildings during renovations face challenges with moisture exposure, particularly at corner and floor connections, where traditional sealants fail due to cracks, mold, and unsightly appearance, and silicone joints are prone to damage from temperature changes and building movement.
Innovation Solution
A kit with prefabricated components featuring a plate-shaped shower tray base and wall panels that form a sealed connection using a horizontal floor-side joint without visible sealant, utilizing a pivoting mechanism to achieve high contact pressure and minimize joint width to 0-0.3 mm, ensuring a seamless and invisible seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sealants are used to seal the connection between shower tray and wall panels, then the connection is initially sealed, but the sealant develops hairline cracks and becomes moldy over time due to moisture exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the sealant entirely from the visible connection joint between the shower tray and wall panels. By using a mechanical compression fit with a tight tolerance joint (0-0.3 mm gap), the connection achieves sealing without any sealant material, thereby eliminating the problems of sealant degradation, mold growth, and hairline cracks that occur with traditional sealant-based solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a foam tape as an intermediary element between the shower tray and wall panels. This foam tape fills the minimal gap (0-0.3 mm) and provides the necessary sealing function while allowing the mechanical compression fit to maintain the tight joint without visible sealant, thus mediating between the need for a tight seal and the requirement to avoid sealant degradation.
2Reliability
If silicone joints are used to seal corner and floor connections, then the connections are sealed, but the joints crack under temperature changes and building movement
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes silicone joints from the connection between wall panels and shower tray. By relying on a mechanical compression fit with precise tolerances (0-0.3 mm joint width) and foam tape sealing, the solution eliminates silicone joints that are prone to cracking under thermal expansion and building movement, thereby achieving both connection tightness and adaptability to structural changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the sealing mechanism from chemical (silicone adhesive) to mechanical (compression fit with foam tape). This parameter change allows the connection to accommodate temperature changes and building movement through elastic deformation of the foam tape and minimal joint movement, rather than relying on brittle silicone that cracks under stress.
3Reliability
If visible silicone joints are used to seal the connection, then the connection is sealed, but the joints become unsightly and visible damage is apparent
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes visible silicone joints from the connection between the shower tray and wall panels. By achieving a tight mechanical fit with a minimal gap (0-0.3 mm) and using foam tape for sealing, the solution eliminates the visible unsightly appearance of silicone joints while maintaining effective sealing, thus resolving the contradiction between seal effectiveness and aesthetic appearance.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the wall panel is rigidly fixed to the shower tray, then the connection is stable, but the connection cannot accommodate building movement and structural shifts
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a dynamic connection system where the foam tape and minimal joint gap (0-0.3 mm) allow for elastic deformation and movement accommodation. The wall panel is compressed against the shower tray with a spring-like effect through the foam tape, enabling the connection to adapt to building movement and structural shifts while maintaining stability and sealing effectiveness.
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 provides a durable, invisible, and seamless connection that withstands moisture and temperature changes, preventing leaks and unsightly damage, while maintaining a hygienic appearance by eliminating visible silicone joints and minimizing the risk of germ and fungal growth.
Implementation Method 1
The wall panel is used in the manner of a 2-armed lever, with the wall panel pivoting around the pivot bearing of a floor wall profile connected to the shower tray base. The wall panel is therefore used in the manner of a 2-armed lever and the upper, longer lever arm is used to exert the pivoting force generated by the installer's hand pressure, while the shorter lever arm, which is intended to create the floor-side connection joint, achieves a high contact pressure on the opposite end of the shower tray floor in order to create a minimal connection joint.
Implementation Method 2
By leveraging the leverage, the bottom section of the wall panel will press against the opposite end of the shower tray base with its lower section under high contact pressure, forming a preferably invisible connecting joint there. The high contact pressure generated by the leverage ensures that any inaccuracies in the longitudinal extension of the connecting joint caused by the structural element are compensated for by the high contact force
Data Source
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AI summary
Kit for installing a shower tray in sanitary rooms with prefabricated building elements that can be assembled on site, consisting of at least one shower tray with a shower tray base (2), a wall panel (3, 4) which is sealed to the shower tray via a connection joint (26) and a floor wall profile (6) connecting the wall panel (3, 4) to the shower tray, the floor profile leg (7) of which is connected to the underside of the shower tray base (2) and the wall profile leg (8) of which forms a support (10, 16) for the pivotable wall panel (3, 4), which, when pivoted, applies a lower, floor-side pressure surface (17) to the facing end face (24) of the shower tray base (2) by forming the connection joint (26).