Peel and Stick Decoupling Membrane with Starfish Cavities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional underlayment membranes are costly to manufacture, inconvenient to install, and have restrictive water channeling and structural integrity issues due to their design, which includes dovetail cavities and fine-mesh screen fabric webbings.
Innovation Solution
A self-adhesive decoupling underlayment membrane with starfish-shaped cavities and through holes for mortar application, a peel-and-stick adhesive layer, and a textured underside for enhanced adhesion, allowing for easier installation and improved stress-decoupling and water channeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If dovetail cavities with overhangs and undercuts are used in conventional underlayment membranes, then stress decrement function is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional dovetail cavity design by using simple circular cavities without overhangs or undercuts. This inversion eliminates the need for complex manufacturing equipment while maintaining the stress decrement function through the cavity structure itself, resolving the contradiction between structural effectiveness and manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, complex dovetail cavity structures with simple, inexpensive circular cavities that can be manufactured using basic equipment. The simplified cavity design achieves the same functional purpose at a fraction of the manufacturing cost, embodying the principle of using cheap structures to achieve required performance
2Strength
If fine-mesh screen fabric webbings are attached to the underside of membranes for mortar anchoring, then adhesion to subfloor is achieved, but installation complexity and additional costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the fine-mesh screen fabric webbing component from the membrane structure. Instead of requiring separate webbing elements for mortar anchoring, the design relies on the membrane material itself and simplified cavity structures to provide adequate adhesion, eliminating installation complexity and additional material costs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the webbing and the membrane into a single integrated structure. The membrane material and cavity system work together to provide both structural support and mortar anchoring capabilities, eliminating the need for separate webbing components and simplifying the overall installation process
3Object-generated harmful factors
If grooves are formed in longitudinal and transverse directions for water channeling, then water drainage function is achieved, but water channeling is restricted to specific directions only
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the water channeling function into multiple independent circular cavities distributed across the membrane surface. This segmentation allows water to be channeled through numerous small pathways rather than restricted to a few fixed grooves, providing flexible drainage in multiple directions simultaneously and improving adaptability to various water flow patterns
4Object-generated harmful factors
If perpendicular grooves are formed in the membrane for water channeling, then water drainage paths are created, but structural integrity is compromised and cracks form along the grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the approach by using raised circular cavities instead of recessed grooves. This inversion eliminates the crack-prone groove structures while maintaining water channeling functionality through the cavity walls and spaces, preserving structural integrity while achieving drainage purposes
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 reduces manufacturing costs, simplifies installation, enhances bonding strength between flooring and subfloor, and provides effective water drainage and structural support, overcoming the limitations of conventional membranes.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive layer coupled to an exterior surface of each mortar cavity in the set of cavities
Implementation Method 2
each of which allows an amount of mortar to pass through the hole during installation such that the layer of thin set mortar is securely coupled to the underlayment
Data Source
AI summary
An automated method of manufacturing a decoupling underlayment membrane is provided, the method retrieving a membrane sheet, thermoforming a set of cavities into a top surface of the membrane sheet and pressing a set of through holes into the membrane sheet.