Reinforced Porcelain Panels With Perimeter Buffer Against Cracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Porcelain slabs are prone to chips and cracks during handling, installation, transport, and cutting due to their brittle nature, leading to material loss, aesthetic damage, and increased construction costs.
Innovation Solution
A reinforced porcelain panel product is developed, comprising a porcelain slab with a structural core board made of foam-core material, where the core board extends beyond the porcelain slab's perimeter to form a buffer region, enhancing impact resistance and fracture toughness, and includes scorelines for controlled breaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If porcelain slabs are used for aesthetic purposes, then visual appeal is improved, but susceptibility to chips and cracks during handling and installation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by bonding a porcelain slab to a structural core board (made of materials like particleboard, MDF, or foam core) to create a reinforced panel. This composite structure combines the aesthetic qualities of porcelain with the structural strength and impact resistance of the core board, resolving the contradiction between visual appeal and susceptibility to damage during handling and installation.
2Weight of moving object
If porcelain slabs are made thinner to reduce weight, then ease of handling is improved, but strength and resistance to fracture deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by attaching a thin porcelain slab to a structural core board, creating a reinforced panel that maintains the weight reduction benefits of thin porcelain while gaining the fracture resistance and structural strength of the core board. This resolves the contradiction between reduced weight and maintained strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional thin porcelain slab to a three-dimensional composite panel structure by adding the core board dimension. This dimensional change provides structural support and fracture resistance while maintaining the thin profile and weight advantages of the original porcelain slab.
3Ease of operation
If conventional porcelain handling methods are used, then installation simplicity is maintained, but material loss from fractures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-reinforcing the porcelain slab with a structural core board before installation. This advance reinforcement protects the porcelain from fractures during handling and installation, reducing material loss while maintaining conventional handling and installation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural core board acts as a cushioning layer between the porcelain slab and external impacts or stresses during handling and installation. This beforehand cushioning protects the porcelain from fractures without requiring changes to conventional handling methods, thereby reducing material loss while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides embodiments of a reinforced porcelain panel product such as for renovations or new construction in buildings. In an embodiment, a reinforced porcelain panel product includes a porcelain slab and a structural core board. The porcelain slab includes a top surface with a first surface area. The structural core board includes a core material having a second surface area and a thickness greater than the porcelain slab. A top surface of the structural core board is positioned in contact with a bottom surface of the porcelain slab with an adhesive. A buffer region is defined by regions of the structural core board extending beyond outer peripheries of the porcelain slab. The buffer region enhances protection from cracking when the reinforced porcelain panel product is installed, handled, transported, or cut. The bottom surface of the structural core board is to be attach to a mounting surface when installed.