Modular Cleanroom Assembly With Aligned Utilities and Tension Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for modern, transportable cleanrooms that offer larger and more flexible space while maintaining serviceability and maintainability, as existing modular cleanrooms are limited in size and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A rapid deployment cleanroom system comprising multiple modular building structures joined by tension cables and air bearings, with standardized utility panels aligned for efficient utility connection and minimal structural obstructions, allowing for a large, sealable, and sterilizable ballroom-style space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple modular cleanrooms are set together in warehouses or gray space buildings, then the cleanrooms can provide complete utility functions (electricity, HVAC, plumbing, etc.), but the space is limited and flexibility is reduced due to the need for mechanical rooms and internal utility routing
Solution Approach 1:
The cleanroom system is divided into multiple modular building sections that can be independently configured and assembled. Each section contains standardized utility connections that align when sections are joined, eliminating the need for complex internal utility routing through mechanical rooms. This segmentation allows flexible arrangement of modules to create different cleanroom configurations without redesigning utility systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular building sections are designed with universal utility panels that provide all necessary utilities (electricity, HVAC, plumbing, data) in standardized locations. These universal panels can serve multiple functions and are designed to align with adjacent sections, creating a multi-functional system that eliminates the need for separate mechanical rooms while providing complete utility coverage throughout the cleanroom space.
2Productivity
If traditional modular cleanrooms use lightweight construction with aluminum frames and panels, then the cleanrooms are transportable and quickly deployable, but the structural strength and sealing capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines lightweight modular building sections with external tension cables and compression members to create a composite structural system. The modular sections provide the lightweight, transportable enclosure while the external cable-supported structure provides the necessary structural strength and sealing capability. This composite approach allows the cleanroom to be both quickly deployable and structurally sound for large, open spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
External tension cables and compression members act as intermediary structural elements that connect the modular building sections. These intermediaries provide the necessary structural strength and sealing force without requiring the modular sections themselves to be heavily constructed, thus maintaining deployability while achieving the required structural integrity for large cleanroom spaces.
3Adaptability or versatility
If heavy laboratory equipment is housed inside cleanrooms on heavy duty casters, then the equipment can be repositioned to new stations, but the floor space is reduced and movement becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The cleanroom design transitions from a grid-based layout with walls and partitions to a large, open ballroom-style space without internal structural obstructions. This dimensional change in the floor plan allows equipment to be moved more freely across the entire floor area rather than being constrained by walls, doors, and utility routing paths, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining repositioning capability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If modular building sections are joined together with traditional fastening methods, then the sections can be securely connected, but the alignment precision and sealing capability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces traditional mechanical fastening methods with a cable-supported structure system. Tension cables provide the primary connecting and sealing force between modular sections, eliminating the need for complex mechanical fasteners that compromise alignment. The cable tension system provides both stable connection and precise alignment capability, as cables can be tensioned to draw sections together snugly while allowing for adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system uses adjustable cable tension as a variable parameter to achieve both stable connection and precise alignment. By controlling the tension force in the cables, the system can draw modular sections together with the required precision for sealing while maintaining the stability of the connection. This parameter-based approach allows fine-tuning of both alignment and connection strength.
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
This solution enables the creation of a flexible, large, and unobstructed cleanroom space that simplifies equipment repositioning and utility connections, reducing the complexity of layout and workflow while preserving cleanliness and maintainability.
Implementation Method 1
Air bearings beneath the modular building structures are pressurized so that the structures can be aligned and pushed together by hand
Implementation Method 2
The tension cables are fed through the extruded tubes, which provide structural support to the respective section, and then tightened with jackscrews to draw the sections together snugly
Data Source
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AI summary
A rapidly deployable cleanroom is constructed from multiple modular building sections that are side-by-side and have similarly sized lengths, as well as user-accessible panels in multiple of them for air, water, power, networking, and other utilities at a similar internal location along their lengths. The utility panels can be standardized such that each panel is substantially identical to one another. The modular building sections can be drawn together using tension cables within lateral hollow extruded structural tubes beneath and/or above the cleanroom, the tension system utilizing jackscrews to pull everything tight. Because the utility panels are at the same longitudinal location in the building sections, the joined structure and resulting open space "ballroom" style cleanroom has the utility panels aligned with each other inside the cleanroom.