Modular Floor Panel Ridge Socket Thermal Expansion Gap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional modular floors face issues with subsidence due to defective combination of panels, discomfort from uneven surfaces, and deformation from thermal expansion and contraction, as they lack gaps for expansion and contraction.
Innovation Solution
The modular floor design includes floor panels with a ridge, outer socket, first and second lateral bottom portions, and combination members with retainers and springy members to ensure stable engagement and create gaps for thermal expansion, preventing deformation and subsidence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If floor panels are tightly combined without gaps, then structural stability is improved, but thermal expansion and contraction cause deformation and protrusions
Solution Approach 1:
The floor panel is divided into multiple independent combination portions (first combination portion and second combination portion) along its length. This segmentation allows different sections to move independently during thermal expansion and contraction, preventing cumulative deformation while maintaining overall structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the floor panel are designed with different combination characteristics. The combination portions use screw fastening for stable connection, while the end portions incorporate elastic elements that provide flexibility for thermal movement. This local differentiation resolves the conflict between stability and thermal adaptability.
2Strength
If combination members are used to support adjacent floor panels, then structural support is improved, but improper engagement causes subsidence
Solution Approach 1:
The combination members are pre-installed onto the floor panels during manufacturing, with the elastic elements already positioned and the fastening holes aligned. This preliminary action ensures that during installation, the combination members engage properly with the combination portions without requiring complex alignment procedures, thereby preventing subsidence from improper engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
Elastic elements serve as intermediaries between the rigid combination members and the floor panels. These elastic elements compensate for minor misalignments and engagement errors, ensuring reliable connection even when perfect alignment is not achieved during installation.
3Quantity of substance
If floor panels are combined without gaps, then material usage is optimized, but dust and dirt accumulate in the combined areas
Solution Approach 1:
The floor panel is segmented into multiple combination portions rather than using a single continuous connection. This segmentation creates discrete connection points rather than continuous tight joints, allowing small gaps to form at the ends where dust and dirt can be more easily removed, while still maintaining efficient material usage through the modular combination design.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular floor is composed of a plurality of floor panels and combination members. Each of the floor panels includes a rectangular main body, a ridge formed at one side of the main body, an outer socket formed at an opposite side of the main body relative to the ridge, a first lateral bottom portion formed below the ridge, and a second lateral bottom portion formed below the outer socket. Each of the combination members includes a base, a front retainer protruding upward from one side of a top side of the base, a rear retainer protruding upward from an opposite side of the top side of the main body relative to the front retainer, and a partition protruding upward from a midsection of the top side of the base.