Modular Plastic-Ceramic Pool Overflow Edge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water overflow edge systems for swimming pools face challenges such as complexity, high cost, difficulty in manufacturing curved designs, water leakage, and reduced frost resistance due to the use of metal and ceramic materials, which are heavy, dimensionally unstable, and prone to deformation and high waste generation.
Innovation Solution
A modular water overflow edge device comprising structural elements made from plastic with ceramic coating, featuring interlocking couplers and reinforcing ribs, allowing for easy assembly and adaptation to curved shapes while providing a solid, lightweight, and frost-resistant solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If ceramic material is used for structural elements, then aesthetic appearance and frost resistance are improved, but weight and manufacturing difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining plastic (polymethyl methacrylate or polyvinyl chloride) with ceramic coating. The plastic substrate provides lightweight structural support while the ceramic coating layer delivers frost resistance and aesthetic appearance. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating the advantages of both materials without their individual drawbacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The ceramic material is applied only as a coating layer on the surface of the plastic structural element, specifically where aesthetic and frost resistance properties are needed. The bulk of the structural element remains lightweight plastic. This local application of ceramic quality achieves frost resistance without the weight penalty of solid ceramic construction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ceramic material is used for structural elements, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but dimensional stability and deformation resistance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure combines the dimensional stability of plastic materials with the aesthetic ceramic coating. The plastic substrate maintains stable dimensions under varying conditions, while the thin ceramic layer provides the desired aesthetic appearance without compromising the underlying structural stability.
3Strength
If metal is used for peripheral channel, then structural strength is improved, but complexity and cost increase due to numerous folds and joints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex metal construction with simpler plastic structural elements that achieve adequate strength through optimized geometry and material properties. The plastic elements can be formed with fewer joints and connections, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining necessary structural strength for the application.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, which allows for different manufacturing approaches. Plastic elements can be extruded or molded into complex shapes without requiring multiple folds and joints, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining structural adequacy.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If ceramic structural elements are used, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but manufacturing difficulty and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction allows the structural element to be manufactured from plastic using standard extrusion or molding processes, which are simpler and produce less waste than ceramic fabrication. The ceramic coating is then applied to the plastic substrate, providing aesthetic appearance without the manufacturing difficulties of solid ceramic production.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is segmented into two independent stages: first producing the plastic structural element through easy-to-implement processes, then applying the ceramic coating separately. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, avoiding the complexity of manufacturing solid ceramic elements with integrated structural and aesthetic requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A water overflow edge device for a swimming pool is having a channel consisting of bottom, rear and front walls is disclosed. The front wall is made of a plurality of modular structural elements arranged in sequence and coupled together “end-to-end”. The channel is also covered on top by a walking grid that allows swimming pool water to enter. Each modular structural element has a first component with structural function, provided at the bottom with coupling means with the bottom wall of the channel and with the top of the vertical inner wall of the swimming pool. The structural component includes at one side with a first surface, which forms the front wall of the channel, and with a second substantially vertical surface, opposite the first surface and configured to support a second coating component which forms the entire exposed surface of the water overflow edge device and which has a finishing function. Preferably, the first component is plastic and the second coating component is ceramic.