U-Shaped Outer Frame Element with Thermal Shielding Strips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire-shielding outer frame elements in wall constructions can act as thermal bridges, allowing heat to spread and potentially starting fires on the other side of the wall, and are often bulky, complex, and expensive to manufacture and install, especially in glass wall applications.
Innovation Solution
A fire-shielding U-shaped outer frame element with perforations and thermal shielding strips made from materials like magnesium silicate or ammonium phosphate, which reduces heat transfer and deformation, combined with a fastening system that provides additional stability and fire-shielding properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional solid outer frame elements are used to support wall elements, then structural strength and stability are provided, but heat transfer occurs through the frame acting as a thermal bridge, allowing fire to spread to the other side
Solution Approach 1:
The outer frame element incorporates a porous core material (mineral wool, rock wool, or ceramic foam) that provides thermal insulation while maintaining structural integrity. The porous structure creates thermal barriers that prevent heat transfer through the frame, eliminating the thermal bridge effect while preserving the frame's load-bearing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame combines different materials with complementary properties: an outer shell (aluminum, stainless steel, or wood) for structural strength and a porous core material for thermal insulation. This composite structure achieves both mechanical reliability and fire-shielding capability, preventing heat transfer while maintaining structural stability.
2Reliability
If fire-shielding materials and complex joining solutions are added to improve fire protection, then fire-shielding properties are enhanced, but the construction becomes bulky and un-aesthetic
Solution Approach 1:
The fire-shielding function is merged into the outer frame element itself by incorporating the porous core material within the frame structure. This integration eliminates the need for separate fire-protection layers or bulky joining solutions, maintaining the clean, minimalist aesthetic of glass wall constructions while providing effective fire shielding.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer frame element is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: structural support, thermal insulation, and fire protection. The porous core material provides both structural rigidity and fire-shielding properties, while the frame's design maintains aesthetic appeal, eliminating the need for additional specialized components.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional outer frame elements are used without thermal shielding, then manufacturing and installation are simpler, but heat from fire causes deformation and wall construction instability
Solution Approach 1:
The porous core material (mineral wool, rock wool, or ceramic foam) serves as an intrinsic thermal barrier within the frame structure. This material resists heat transfer and thermal deformation, maintaining the frame's dimensional stability and the wall construction's overall stability during fire exposure, while requiring no additional manufacturing steps or assembly operations.
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 effectively delays heat transfer and prevents fire spread, maintaining wall stability and aesthetics while reducing manufacturing and installation costs.
Implementation Method 1
said first strip comprising a material having thermal shielding properties and being arranged on an interior and/or exterior surface of the first side flange and/or second side flange of the outer frame element so as to shield the wall element from heat from a fire
Implementation Method 2
the plurality of perforations can absorb deformations occurring in the outer frame element during a fire. This is advantageously because the side of the outer frame element facing the fire, also referred to as the hot side, will deform more than the side of the outer frame element being farthest from the fire
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3a~3c
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A fire-shielding U-shaped outer frame element adapted for supporting a side of at least one wall element in a wall construction, said outer frame element being elongate and comprising a bottom part and a first side flange and a second side flange extending at an angle to the bottom part, interior surfaces of the side flanges being adapted for extending along exterior surfaces of the wall element. The outer frame element (1) comprises a plurality of perforations (15) and a first elongate strip (16) of a material having thermal shielding properties and being arranged on a surface of the first and/or second side flange (13, 14) of the outer frame element (1) so as to shield the wall element from heat from a fire. A set of parts include an outer frame element and a fastenings means for use between wall elements when making a wall construction.