Modular Interjoist with Adjustable Transverse Dimension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor construction methods face challenges in achieving precise thermal insulation due to thermal bridges, particularly in non-standard spacing between beams, leading to inefficient heat conduction and poor quality of thermal insulation.
Innovation Solution
A modular interjoist system with adjustable transverse dimensions and interlocking male and female reliefs allows for precise fitting and adjustment on-site, ensuring effective thermal insulation by maintaining the integrity of transverse end profiles and supporting both worker and concrete loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard interjoists are used with fixed dimensions, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to non-standard beam spacing is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The interjoist is designed with a modular structure consisting of a first part and a second part that can be adjusted relative to each other. The second part can be cut to different lengths while maintaining the insulating function, allowing the interjoist to adapt to various beam spacings from 40cm to 80cm and beyond, thus providing dynamic adaptability without complicating the basic manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The interjoist is divided into two distinct parts: a first part containing the insulating tongue and a second part that can be cut to length. This segmentation allows the insulating portion to remain standardized while the supporting portion is customized, combining manufacturing simplicity with adaptability to non-standard spacing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If interjoists are cut on-site to fit non-standard spans, then adaptability improves, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to approximate cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The interjoist is pre-manufactured with standardized dimensions and precise insulating profiles in the factory. The second part is designed to be cut to length, but the critical insulating features are already precisely formed before site installation, ensuring manufacturing precision is maintained for the most important functional elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The first part of the interjoist contains the precisely manufactured insulating tongue with standardized profile, while the second part is designed for cutting to length. This local differentiation ensures that precision is applied where most critical (the insulating interface) while allowing flexibility where less critical (the spanning length).
3Loss of energy
If thicker insulating tongues are used to improve thermal insulation, then thermal insulation efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating tongue thickness is made variable through the modular design. The tongue can be positioned at different distances from the beam heel, allowing adjustment of the insulating path length. This dynamic adjustment enables optimization of thermal insulation for different beam spacings without requiring completely different interjoist designs, thus improving insulation efficiency while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized first part with the insulating tongue is designed to work universally with beams of various dimensions and spacings. By adjusting the length of the second part and the position of the tongue, the same basic interjoist design can provide effective thermal insulation across a wide range of applications, achieving high insulation efficiency without increasing structural complexity.
4Manufacturing precision
If skilled labor is required for precise interjoist fitting, then manufacturing precision improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The interjoist design incorporates self-aligning features through the standardized profiles of the first part and the complementary structures on the beams and adjacent interjoists. The modular construction with clear joining interfaces allows installers to achieve precise fitting through simple assembly operations rather than requiring skilled craftsmanship, thus improving ease of operation while maintaining fitting precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The division into a standardized first part and a cuttable second part separates the precision-critical elements from the elements requiring field adjustment. The first part with its precise insulating profile requires no field modification, while the second part's cutting to length is a simple operation that does not affect the precision of the insulating interface, thus improving ease of operation without sacrificing fitting precision.
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 interjoist system simplifies on-site adjustments, enhances thermal insulation quality by eliminating the need for skilled labor and ensuring precise fit, and supports structural loads effectively, addressing the inefficiencies in non-standard spacing and thermal bridging.
Implementation Method 1
an inner longitudinal edge provided with male and female reliefs of removable interlocking
Implementation Method 2
an insulating barrier between the underside of the floor and the external atmosphere
Data Source
Figure 1A~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The floor unit (30) has parts (31, 32) comprising longitudinal external edges (31a, 32a) provided with transversal profiles, respectively. Longitudinal internal edges (31b, 32b) are formed in the parts, and provided with male reliefs (33) and female reliefs (34), respectively. One of the parts comprising female reliefs is formed with transversal dimension adjustable by a longitudinal cut (35). The transversal profiles of the longitudinal external edges are symmetrical with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane.