Prefabricated Facade Element With Interlocking Support Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building facades in Germany often lack insulation, leading to high heating demands in winter and overheating in summer, and the subsequent installation of insulation systems is time-consuming and costly, with large-format prefabricated elements posing challenges in load transfer and fastening.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated facade element comprising a carrier plate with a thermal insulation layer and a reinforcing layer, featuring form-fitting connections such as grooves and tongues for interlocking, which reduces the thickness and weight of the support panels, enhances load-bearing capacity, and minimizes the number of fastening points, along with a supporting structure for load transfer and wind resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If large-format prefabricated facade elements are used to reduce assembly work, then productivity improves, but the weight of the elements increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The facade element is divided into multiple thin support plates (total thickness 3-12 cm) rather than using a single thick plate. Each plate is connected through form-fitting connections, allowing the element to maintain large format for efficient assembly while reducing overall weight compared to a solid thick plate structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support plates are made from composite materials combining organic and inorganic components, providing high strength-to-weight ratio. This allows large-format elements to be produced with reduced weight while maintaining structural integrity and load-bearing capacity.
2Weight of moving object
If the thickness of support panels is reduced to save weight, then the weight decreases, but the load-bearing capacity and stiffness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple thin support plates are stacked and connected through form-fitting connections (grooves and tongues) to create a composite structure. This segmentation allows each individual plate to remain thin and lightweight while the combined structure achieves the required load-bearing capacity and stiffness through the interlocking connection system.
Solution Approach 2:
The load-bearing capacity is enhanced not by increasing plate thickness (one dimension) but by adding the dimension of multiple plates connected in series. The form-fitting connections create a three-dimensional interlocking system that distributes and transfers loads across multiple plates, achieving high strength with reduced individual plate thickness.
3Ease of manufacture
If the number of attachment points is reduced to save costs, then manufacturing costs decrease, but the reliability of securing against wind loads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The form-fitting connections incorporate curved or angled surfaces (grooves and tongues) that create mechanical interlocking. This geometric design distributes wind loads across multiple contact points within each connection, enhancing securing reliability while requiring fewer attachment points to the building structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of high-strength composite materials in the support plates allows for reduced number of attachment points while maintaining reliability. The composite materials provide superior strength-to-weight ratio and load distribution characteristics, enabling fewer attachment points to suffice for securing against wind loads.
4Strength
If form-fitting connections are implemented to stiffen the facade elements, then the load-bearing capacity improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The form-fitting connections combine multiple functions into a single integrated component: mechanical interlocking for stiffness, load transfer for strength, and weight reduction through thin plate design. This merging of functions achieves high load-bearing capacity while avoiding the need for separate bracing or reinforcement elements that would increase complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding complex external bracing or reinforcement structures to achieve stiffness, the patent inverts the approach by embedding the stiffening function directly into the connection details between support plates. The grooves and tongues themselves provide the structural reinforcement, eliminating the need for additional stiffening components.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a prefabricated facade element (1) comprising: a carrier panel (10), a single- or multi-layer thermal insulation layer (20) arranged on the carrier panel (10) and connected to it, preferably by bonding, and a reinforcing layer (30) applied over its entire surface to the thermal insulation layer (20), wherein the carrier panel (10) has means (12) along at least one side surface (11) for a positive-locking connection with the carrier panel (10) of another facade element (1), for example in the form of a groove (13) and/or a tongue (14), so that a positive-locking connection acting perpendicular to the plane of the carrier panels (10) is achieved. The invention further relates to a facade system and a method for producing an insulated facade.