Prefabricated Bathroom Structural Wall Connection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for constructing bathrooms in high-rise buildings are either time-consuming and costly with cast-in-situ concrete or inefficient with prefabricated bathrooms lacking complete facilities and requiring complex installation procedures.

Innovation Solution

A prefabricated bathroom design featuring a structural wall with recessed top and bottom regions for concrete pouring, eliminating the need for protruding columns and bolts, and incorporating a glass reinforced plastic material layer for improved toughness and waterproofing, along with a method for constructing and installing that simplifies the process by connecting floors through reserve bars and concrete pouring.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If cast-in-situ concrete frame is used to construct bathroom, then structural strength is improved, but construction period and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidconstruction period
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The bathroom is divided into modular components (floor plate, wall panels, ceiling panel) that are precast separately and then assembled on-site. This segmentation allows parallel production of multiple components, significantly reducing construction time while maintaining structural integrity through standardized connection details.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Bathroom components are precast in controlled factory environments before delivery to the construction site. This preliminary action includes embedding connection elements (loops, protrusions, recesses) during manufacturing, eliminating the need for time-consuming on-site concrete casting and curing, thus accelerating the overall construction schedule.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If conventional prefabricated bathroom is used, then construction period is reduced, but installation complexity and material cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconstruction periodVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The connection elements (loops, protrusions, recesses) are integrated directly into the bathroom components during the precasting process. This merging of connection features with structural elements eliminates the need for separate installation hardware and complex assembly procedures, simplifying on-site installation while reducing material costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The precast bathroom components are designed with self-aligning and self-connecting features (complementary protrusions and recesses, embedded loops) that automatically guide and secure the assembly during installation. This self-service design reduces the need for specialized installation equipment and skilled labor, thereby reducing installation complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Manufacturing precision

If protruding columns with bolts are used for positioning and fixing, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity and material cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning precisionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protruding columns and external bolt systems are completely removed from the design. Instead, positioning precision is achieved through precisely formed recesses and protrusions that are integral to the bathroom components themselves. This extraction of external positioning elements simplifies the overall device complexity while eliminating the need for additional fastening materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Positioning precision is achieved through locally optimized geometric features (recesses and protrusions) at specific connection points rather than through a complex system of protruding columns and bolts across the entire structure. This localized approach maintains manufacturing precision while significantly reducing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Quantity of substance

If semi-prefabricated structural wall with small thickness is used, then material cost is reduced, but bearing capacity and waterproof performance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial costVSAvoidbearing capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The structural walls are constructed as composite elements combining precast concrete panels with integrated reinforcement (loops, protrusions, recesses) and waterproofing layers. This composite construction achieves adequate bearing capacity and waterproof performance while optimizing material usage and reducing overall material costs compared to traditional thick semi-prefabricated walls.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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 enhances bearing capacity, simplifies construction and installation, reduces material costs, and improves waterproof performance by eliminating the need for complex positioning and using fewer building materials, resulting in a more efficient and complete bathroom facility.

Implementation Method 1

the bottom plate unit and the low portions of the wall units are provided with a glass reinforced plastic material layer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGlass reinforced plastic material layer: Composite Materials

Implementation Method 2

The top exposed reserve bars of the prefabricated bathroom of a floor are inserted into the recessed bottom region of the prefabricated bathroom of a next floor, and connected with the bottom exposed reserve bars thereof, so that the prefabricated bathroom of said floor can be connected with the prefabricated bathroom of said next floor through pouring concrete

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConcrete pouring and connection: Chemical Bonding

Data Source

PatentEP3670774B1Prefabricated bathroom and methods for constructing and installing the same
Publication Date: 2023.07.19 YAU LEE WAH CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS (HUIZHOU) COMPANY LIMITED
  • EP3670774B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3670774B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3670774B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

Disclosed herewith a prefabricated bathroom and a construction method and an installation method thereof. The prefabricated bathroom includes a bottom unit (11), multiple wall units (12) and a top plate unit (13). One of the wall units (12) is a structural wall (14), which is provided with a recessed top region (141) reserved for later pouring, a middle full-prefabricated structural wall body (142), and a recessed bottom region (143) reserved for later pouring. Top exposed reserve bars (144) of the prefabricated bathroom of a floor are inserted into the recessed bottom region (143) of the prefabricated bathroom of a next floor, and connected with bottom exposed reserve bars (146) thereof, so that the prefabricated bathroom of said floor can be connected with that of said next floor through pouring concrete in the recessed top region (141) and the recessed bottom region (143).