Shower Board Corner Sealing Using Folded Flexible Watertight Layer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for arranging shower boards or drains in floors face challenges in creating a reliable watertight seal, particularly at right-angle corners, due to thickened portions or inadequate adhesive edges, which complicates installation and requires additional adhesive, and may not be suitable for both wall-mounted and free-standing applications.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a flexible watertight layer strip that stands upright along the corner of a shower board or drain, which can be folded downward to create a seamless seal, allowing placement against walls or in the middle of a floor, using a narrower adhesive edge and ensuring a flush installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a corner piece of flexible watertight layer is folded from a blank with thickened portions, then a corner seal is formed, but the thickened portion impedes placing wall tiles and requires additional adhesive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of folding the flexible watertight layer upward to create a thickened corner piece, the invention folds it downward so that the folded portion lies flat against the floor surface. This inversion eliminates the thickened portion that interferes with tile placement while maintaining the corner seal functionality through the folded structure lying beneath the tile layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible watertight layer is folded in a different spatial dimension - downward toward the floor rather than upward creating protrusion. This dimensional change allows the corner piece to provide sealing functionality without creating vertical thickening that would interfere with the horizontal placement of wall tiles.
2Ease of manufacture
If individual parts are assembled to form a corner piece, then the corner piece can be constructed, but a reliable watertight seal cannot be formed at the convergence of bottom surface and side surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the bottom surface and side surfaces into a single continuous flexible watertight layer that is folded to form the corner piece. This integration eliminates the joints and seams that would exist between separate parts, creating a continuous watertight barrier that prevents water infiltration at the corner convergence points.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of a flexible watertight layer that can be folded and adhered creates a seamless corner piece without joints. The flexibility allows the material to conform to the corner geometry and be sealed effectively, while the thin film nature ensures continuity and watertightness without requiring additional sealing materials at joints.
3Reliability
If a preformed corner piece is used during construction, then a corner seal can be provided, but an adhesive edge of at least 5 cm width is required to ensure reliable seal against dust and fouling
Solution Approach 1:
The corner piece is pre-formed and pre-adhered to the element in a controlled production environment before construction begins. This preliminary action ensures the adhesive bond is established under optimal conditions without dust or fouling, eliminating the need for excessively wide adhesive edges (5 cm) that would be required if adhesion were attempted on-site where contamination is unavoidable.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of adhesive edge width from the conventional 5 cm requirement to a much narrower width (e.g., 2 cm or less) by shifting the adhesion process from a construction-site environment to a controlled production environment. This parameter change is enabled by the preliminary action of pre-adhering the corner piece before transport and installation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If elements are offered with and without pre-adhered corner pieces, then both wall-mounted and free-standing applications can be covered, but two types of elements must be kept in stock and the correct element must be ordered beforehand
Solution Approach 1:
The corner piece is designed to be dynamically adaptable - it can be folded upward when the element is placed against walls to provide corner sealing, or folded downward when the element is placed in the middle of a floor. This dynamic configuration capability allows a single element type with a folded corner piece to serve multiple application scenarios, eliminating the need for separate inventory types for wall-mounted and free-standing installations.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A method for arranging an element (1), such as a shower board or shower drain, in a floor, which method comprises the steps of: • - providing an element (1) which has an upper surface with at least two straight edges lying at an angle, preferably an angle of 90 degrees, and wherein the element has a strip of a flexible watertight layer (7) standing upright from the upper surface along the corner (6) of the two straight edges; • - folding the upright strip downward, wherein the folding edge is shaped adjacently of the two straight edges of the corner and wherein the strip of the flexible watertight layer hangs downward from this folding edge; • - arranging the element in the floor, wherein the upper surface of the floor lies flush with the upper surface of the element.