Modular Form Panel Structure for Reusable Concrete Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional concrete construction methods for concrete structures are energy and resource intensive, and they suffer from the degradation of wooden panels used in concrete forming, which are energy and resource intensive, and they require supporting frames, a form releasing agent (e.g., oil and an oiling procedure) to prevent adhesion of the wooden panels to the concrete, and they are not reusable, leading to high carbon footprints and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A reusable structural member made of recycled materials, including a structural profile with support beams, fasteners, and an interfacial layer resistant to alkaline pH, elevated temperatures, and abrasion, which can be joined using a dovetail joint system, allowing for multiple uses in concrete forming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If wooden panels are used for concrete forming, then the panels are relatively light-weight and moderately priced, but they require supporting frames, form releasing agents, and will eventually degrade and become unusable over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from wood to metal (steel or aluminum) form panels, fundamentally altering the material properties. This change increases durability and useful life from limited reuse cycles to potentially unlimited cycles, while maintaining manageable weight through the inherent properties of metal materials
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining metal panels with integrated reinforcement features and surface treatments. The form panels incorporate steel or aluminum base materials with integrated strengthening elements and protective coatings, creating a composite structure that achieves both light weight and extended durability
2Duration of action of stationary object
If plastic coatings are applied to wooden panels to extend useful life, then the panels can be reused more times, but the weight of the forms and panels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by switching from coated wood to uncoated metal panels. This material substitution eliminates the need for protective plastic coatings while achieving both durability and weight management, as metal inherently resists degradation without adding coating weight
3Quantity of substance
If conventional wooden panels are used, then they are moderately priced, but they lead to the consumption of a large number of trees and have high carbon footprints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by replacing single-use or limited-use wooden panels with durable metal panels that can be reused indefinitely. This eliminates the need to continuously manufacture new wooden panels from trees, significantly reducing timber consumption and associated environmental impacts while maintaining cost-effectiveness through repeated reuse cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the disposable approach by using expensive but long-lasting metal panels instead of cheap but short-lived wooden panels. The higher initial cost is offset by the elimination of repeated manufacturing and the environmental benefits of reduced resource consumption over the lifecycle
4Device complexity
If wooden panels are used without supporting frames, then the structure would be simpler, but wooden panels lack the structural integrity to support concrete loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating the panel material and structural support into a single unified metal component. The metal panels inherently possess the strength to support concrete loads without requiring separate wooden supporting frames, thereby reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining load-bearing capacity
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable modular structural member that may replace wooden structures used in concrete forming, transportation, marine, and construction applications. The reusable modular structural member includes a structural profile with first and second sides; a plurality of support beams extending from the first to the second side; at least two fasteners, one at a first end and another at a second end of each of the plurality of ribs; and a groove on a first edge and a tongue on a second edge that are configured to form a dovetail joint that can attach two reusable modular structural members of similar configuration. A reusable modular member can include the modular structural profile and interfacial layers covering the first and second sides. The reusable modular member may be made by extruding the structural profile and molding a plastic polymer to external portions of the structural profile to form the interfacial layers.