Partition Boards with Spacer to Prevent Bowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional partitions require high amounts of materials and time for installation while maintaining a sturdy appearance, and often suffer from issues like board bowing and plaster cracking due to the staggered arrangement of boards.
Innovation Solution
A partition design using thinner or fewer elongate upright members with a spacer between boards to reduce material usage and installation costs, featuring boards with high flexural stiffness and a spacer that experiences compressive loading to prevent bowing and cracking, and is not a load-transferring member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional stud frameworks are used with standard board arrangements, then the partition appears sturdy and robust, but the amount of material and installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the boards by specifying high flexural stiffness values (EI ≥ 3.5 GPa·m²), allowing the use of thinner or fewer upright members while maintaining structural performance. This parameter change enables reduction of material quantity without compromising reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a spacer as an intermediary element positioned between boards on opposite sides of the partition. The spacer prevents inward bowing of boards and eliminates the need for cross-members, reducing material usage while maintaining structural integrity and perceived robustness
2Quantity of substance
If boards with high flexural stiffness are used, then material usage can be reduced, but board bowing and plaster cracking may occur without proper support
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is positioned between boards to provide preliminary counter-action against inward bowing forces. By pre-positioning the spacer to maintain board spacing, the system prevents bowing before it occurs, eliminating the need for additional cross-members and reducing material usage
3Productivity
If cross-members are eliminated to reduce material, then installation time decreases, but load transfer capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the cross-members from the traditional stud framework design. By removing these elements entirely and relying on high-stiffness boards with spacers, the design reduces material usage and simplifies installation while maintaining structural functionality through alternative mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A partition, mounted on a mounting surface, comprises a plurality of elongate upright members, a first board and a second board. The first board is mounted on one side of a pair of the elongate upright members that are adjacent to each other, and the second board is mounted on the other side of the same pair of adjacent elongate upright members, so as to provide a cavity between the pair of elongate upright members and the first and second boards. The partition further comprises a spacer that is located within the cavity, the maximum dimension of the spacer in the through-thickness direction of the partition being at least 90% of the separation of the two boards. The spacer may help to reduce the extent of inward bowing of the boards between adjacent elongate upright members, so that, for example, the upright members may be spaced further apart.