Modular Cattle Floor with Permeable Top Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal flooring systems, such as those with concrete or grates, are uncomfortable for animals, cumbersome to maintain, and inefficient in separating and collecting animal excrements, leading to suboptimal living conditions for both animals and handlers.
Innovation Solution
A modular floor structure comprising a base element with a deck and pillars, a fluid-impermeable layer, and a top surface with a soft, insulating first layer and a robust second layer, allowing urine to permeate while keeping manure solid, facilitating easy cleaning and excrement separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a concrete floor is used, then the floor is durable and easy to construct, but it is uncomfortable for animals to stand and lie on
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is divided into multiple functional layers: a concrete base layer for structural strength, an intermediate layer for cushioning and comfort, and a top layer for animal contact. This segmentation allows each layer to fulfill its specific function without compromising the others.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor uses composite material construction combining concrete with softer, more comfortable materials. The concrete base provides durability while the overlying layers provide comfort, creating a composite structure that delivers both strength and animal comfort.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If grates or openings into cellar space are provided, then excrements can be collected, but the floor becomes cumbersome to maintain and clean
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful excrements are extracted from the living area through the permeable floor structure, allowing urine to pass through to collection cellars while keeping the walking surface clean and maintainable.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor incorporates porous or permeable materials that allow urine to pass through while supporting the animal's weight. This enables excrement collection without requiring large grates or openings that would compromise floor integrity or increase maintenance complexity.
3Ease of operation
If a modular floor structure with multiple layers is used, then animal comfort and excrement separation are improved, but the construction becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is segmented into standardized modular layers that can be manufactured separately and assembled systematically. This segmentation, while increasing functional complexity, allows for standardized construction procedures and simplified maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layer floor structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: structural support, animal comfort, urine drainage, and manure containment. This multi-functionality justifies the increased complexity by eliminating the need for separate systems for each function.
4Productivity
If urine permeable layers are provided, then urine can be collected efficiently, but the floor structure becomes more complex to construct
Solution Approach 1:
Urine permeable layers are constructed using porous materials that naturally allow urine passage while maintaining structural integrity. These materials can be manufactured in standard formats and installed using conventional construction methods, balancing collection efficiency with construction simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Intermediate permeable layers act as mediators between the solid concrete base and the animal contact surface. These layers facilitate urine drainage while distributing loads and providing comfort, enabling efficient urine collection without requiring complex construction.
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 modular floor structure provides comfort for animals, simplifies maintenance, and effectively separates and collects animal excrements, improving both animal living conditions and handler working conditions by distributing loads and allowing efficient urine and manure disposal.
Implementation Method 1
a soft, insulating first layer
Implementation Method 2
allowing urine to permeate while keeping manure solid
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Floor for animals such as cattle, comprising a base structure and a top layer, wherein the top layer is permeable to fluid portions of animal faeces and/or animal urine, but impermeable to solid parts of the animal faeces, wherein the base structure comprises voids for receiving said fluid portions and/or urine passing through the top layer, wherein the base structure comprises an array base elements forming a substantially continuous deck supporting the top layer, wherein the deck is arranged for passing said fluids into internal volumes of the base elements forming said voids, the internal volumes of at least a number of said base elements being in fluid communication with each other, preferably such that fluids received in said internal volumes can be removed from the base elements by flow through said internal volumes.