One piece shower pan and method of making same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower pans face challenges in being easy to install and maintaining leak-proof water resistance.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece shower pan is fabricated using extruded polystyrene foam, shaped with a CNC router, and encapsulated with a waterproof polyurethane or polyurea membrane, combined with splash walls from concrete wall board for a rigid and water-tight assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional multi-piece shower pans are used, then installation complexity increases and leak risk increases, but manufacturing simplicity is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple shower pan components (base, sides, corners, and waterproofing layers) into a single integrated one-piece molded structure. This eliminates the need for assembly of multiple pieces and removes seams where leaks could occur, directly resolving the contradiction between leak-proof reliability and assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the shower pan into functional zones during the molding process, creating integrated drainage channels, sloped surfaces, and raised edges as inherent parts of the single piece. This segmentation occurs during manufacturing rather than assembly, maintaining simplicity while ensuring proper water flow and leak prevention.
2Ease of operation
If a one-piece molded shower pan is used, then installation ease and leak-proof performance improve, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes advanced molding parameters and materials (such as fiber-reinforced polymers or composite materials) to enable one-piece manufacturing. By changing material parameters and molding process parameters, the patent achieves complex integrated geometries in a single manufacturing step, resolving the contradiction between installation ease and manufacturing simplicity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If extruded polystyrene foam is used as the base material, then insulation performance and water absorption resistance improve, but structural rigidity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction where extruded polystyrene foam is combined with rigid reinforcement layers (such as fiberglass mesh, metal reinforcement, or rigid foam boards). This composite structure maintains the water absorption resistance and insulation of the foam while adding structural rigidity through the reinforcement layers, resolving the contradiction between water resistance and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a nested structure where the extruded polystyrene foam core is embedded within or surrounded by rigid structural layers. The foam provides the inner water-resistant core while outer reinforcement layers provide structural rigidity, with both materials working together in a nested configuration to resolve the strength-rigidity contradiction.
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 solution results in a one-piece, rigid, and waterproof tileable shower pan that is easy to install and ensures effective water drainage, providing a durable and leak-proof solution.
Implementation Method 1
spraying the entire pan assembly with a polyurethane or polyurea coating to completely encapsulate the entire pan with a waterproof membrane, which provides strength and rigidity
Implementation Method 2
gluing the foam to a pan base on the open sides. Splash walls are then cut from concrete wall board and glued to the sides having no curb, so that the glue serves as a bonding agent and provides a waterproof seal between the parts
Data Source
AI summary
A one piece shower drain pan, encapsulated in a water proof membrane, and the method of fabricating the one piece open drain shower pan, the method which includes providing extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam of the type which absorbs very little water; shaping the section of extruded polystyrene foam with a CNC router to obtain the desired slope in the floor; cutting a hole in the foam to produce the drain hole; cutting a curb from the XPS foam and gluing the foam to a pan base on the open sides. Splash walls are then cut from concrete wall board and glued to the sides having no curb, so that the glue serves as a bonding agent and provides a waterproof seal between the parts; after the glue has cured, spraying the entire pan assembly with a polyurethane or polyurea coating to completely encapsulate the entire pan with a waterproof membrane, which provides strength and rigidity and defines a one piece drain pan ready for installation.