Moldable Seal Sections for Flood Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preventing floodwater entry into buildings, such as using sandbags, are labor-intensive and time-consuming, making them ineffective during sudden flooding events when manpower and supplies are scarce.
Innovation Solution
A kit containing moldable material sections with non-rectangular cross-sectional configurations, which can be easily deformed to form a contiguous seal around structures, such as doors and weep holes, to create a temporary water-tight barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sandbags are used to prevent floodwater entry, then water protection is achieved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple individual sections that can be independently handled and positioned. Each section can be separately manipulated to fit around different structures (doors, windows, weep holes), reducing the physical effort required compared to handling large quantities of sandbags while maintaining effective water protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The material transitions from a rigid, pre-formed state (sandbags) to a moldable, deformable state that can be shaped by hand. This parameter change in material properties allows the seal to be easily conforming to various structures without requiring heavy lifting or complex assembly, significantly reducing labor intensity while ensuring reliable sealing.
2Reliability
If sandbags are used to form a seal, then water protection is achieved, but time consumption increases due to manual assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The seal sections are pre-formed with specific geometric configurations (non-rectangular cross-sections) that are optimized for sealing effectiveness. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site shaping or assembly operations, allowing users to simply position and deform the pre-configured sections, dramatically reducing installation time while maintaining protection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The moldable material's deformability parameter enables rapid adaptation to different sealing scenarios without requiring time-consuming manual shaping or compaction operations. Users can quickly mold the material by hand to fit various opening sizes and shapes, reducing installation time from hours (sandbags) to minutes while ensuring effective water protection.
3Reliability
If traditional sealing methods are used, then water protection is achieved, but the process requires advance preparation several days before flooding
Solution Approach 1:
The seal sections are pre-manufactured with optimized geometries and material properties that enable immediate deployment. The non-rectangular cross-sectional configurations are pre-formed during manufacturing, eliminating the need for advance on-site preparation. Users can simply retrieve, position, and deform the sections as needed, enabling same-day or even same-hour deployment while ensuring reliable water protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The material's moldability parameter allows for rapid adaptation to different sealing requirements without requiring advance preparation or curing time. Unlike traditional methods that need days for sandbag assembly or concrete sealing, this material can be immediately shaped and deployed, reducing the preparation duration from several days to minutes while maintaining effective sealing performance.
4Ease of operation
If moldable material sections with non-rectangular cross-sections are used, then ease of deformation and sealing effectiveness improve, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into discrete sections with standardized non-rectangular cross-sectional configurations. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual units using standard molds, while the collective assembly of these uniform sections achieves the complex sealing geometry needed for various structures, balancing ease of deformation with manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-rectangular cross-sectional configuration is designed to be universally applicable to multiple sealing scenarios (doors, windows, weep holes, irregular openings). By creating a single standardized geometry that serves multiple functions, the manufacturing process is simplified compared to producing custom-shaped seals for each application, while still providing ease of deformation and effective sealing across diverse situations.
Data Source
AI summary
One illustrative kit disclosed herein includes a package and a plurality of individual sections of a moldable material positioned within the package, wherein each of the individual sections of the moldable material have an axial length. In this example, when viewed in a cross-section taken through the individual sections of moldable material in a direction transverse to the axial length, each of the individual sections of the moldable material have a non-rectangular cross-sectional configuration for at least a portion of the axial length of each of the individual sections of the moldable material.