Molded Fiber-Reinforced Window Wells with Impact-Resistant Lips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window wells made of metal are heavy, expensive, prone to damage, and aesthetically unpleasing, while plastic window wells lack durability and strength, and both materials are susceptible to corrosion.
Innovation Solution
Manufacturing window wells from fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials using charge molding, incorporating features like ribs, corrugations, and integrated stacking protruding members to enhance strength and durability, and allowing for modular assembly of segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal is used to manufacture window wells, then strength and durability are improved, but weight increases and transportation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials to create window wells that achieve metal-level strength while maintaining significantly reduced weight. The composite construction uses embedded fibers within a plastic matrix to provide structural integrity without the heavy metal alternative.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters by transitioning from metal to fiber-reinforced plastic, altering density, strength-to-weight ratio, and other physical properties to achieve the desired balance between strength and weight reduction for transportation efficiency.
2Strength
If metal is used to manufacture window wells, then strength is improved, but susceptibility to corrosion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials that inherently resist corrosion from moisture, chemicals, and environmental elements, eliminating the corrosion problem associated with metal window wells while maintaining structural strength through the composite construction.
3Weight of moving object
If plastic materials are used to manufacture window wells, then weight is reduced and transportation is easier, but strength and durability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses fiber-reinforced plastic composites that combine the weight advantages of plastic with the strength characteristics of fiber reinforcement, achieving a material that is both lightweight and structurally robust enough to compete with metal window wells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies varying thicknesses and structural features (such as ribs and reinforcement patterns) at critical locations within the window well structure to concentrate strength where needed while maintaining overall lightweight construction.
4Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials are used to manufacture window wells, then ease of manufacture is improved, but impact resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fiber-reinforced plastic materials that can be manufactured using standard injection molding processes while providing enhanced impact resistance through the fiber reinforcement, bridging the gap between ease of manufacture and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates structural features such as thickened sections, ribs, and reinforcement patterns designed into the mold cavity to provide impact resistance and energy absorption capabilities before the window well is installed or subjected to damage.
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 fiber-reinforced thermoplastic window wells offer improved impact resistance, ease of handling, and aesthetic appeal, while reducing weight and transportation costs, with enhanced durability and modular construction capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
heating a fiber reinforced plastic or thermoplastic material (e.g., one or 'charges' of the plastic or thermoplastic material) to more than 130° F.
Implementation Method 2
compressing the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material within the mold with a pressure of greater than 200 psi
Data Source
AI summary
A window well formed of a fiber reinforced plastic, including a body having a plurality of ribs interposed between a plurality of wall surface portions. The window well includes flanges on either side of the body, with flange cut-out portions at a top of each flange. A plurality of corrugations are provided in a curved top lip of the window well for improved impact resistance. The window well may also include one or more of the following features: integrated stacking platforms along the flange to reduce “wedging” when storing stacked window wells, mating features in the top and bottom of the body to allow vertical stacking attachment of one window well to another to form a taller window well, rib gussets, integrated forklift supports, and/or an additional pair of smaller ribs along the flat bottom portion of the window well to facilitate ultrasonic welding of one window well to another.