Skirting Turn-Up Module for Clean Room Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor covering skirting solutions struggle with aesthetics, sealing, and flexibility, especially in re-entrant and outgoing angles, and along continuous walls, failing to meet the stringent requirements of clean rooms with precise and strict installation and hygiene standards.
Innovation Solution
A construction kit comprising a floor covering and modules with a first zone matching the floor's thickness and a second zone of reduced thickness for flexibility, connected by a progressive sloping profile, allowing seamless integration and adaptation to various angles, made from the same material as the floor covering for uniformity and ease of installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If heating or bending processes are used to shape skirting boards, then the skirting can be formed to fit walls, but the process becomes complex and requires special equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the thermoplastic material by heating it to a forming temperature, allowing the material to become pliable and conform to wall shapes. After forming, the material cools and solidifies to maintain the desired shape, eliminating the need for complex continuous heating equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The skirting boards are pre-formed at a centralized location using controlled heating and shaping processes, then transported to the installation site in their finished shape. This preliminary forming action eliminates the need for complex heating equipment at the installation location.
2Shape
If heating and bending is used to shape skirting boards, then the skirting can be formed, but the thickness of the board limits flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
By heating the thermoplastic material to its forming temperature, the material's viscosity and flexibility parameters change, allowing even thick boards to be bent and shaped without breaking. The material then solidifies upon cooling, maintaining the formed shape with the original thickness intact.
3Shape
If conventional heating processes are used to form skirting boards, then the material can be shaped, but the process is time-consuming and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
Skirting boards are pre-formed in batches at a centralized location using controlled heating and shaping processes. Once formed and cooled, they are ready for immediate installation without requiring on-site heating equipment or time-consuming forming operations, significantly improving installation productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The skirting system is divided into modular pre-formed sections that can be independently manufactured and then quickly assembled on-site. This segmentation allows parallel production of multiple sections, increasing overall productivity while maintaining quality.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separate solutions are used for corner skirting and wall skirting, then each area can be optimized, but the overall system becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The thermoplastic skirting board is designed as a universal component that can be heated and formed to fit any configuration - straight walls, internal corners, or external corners. This single multi-functional material replaces the need for separate pre-formed components for different locations, simplifying the overall system while maintaining adaptability.
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
Enables a continuous, flexible, and aesthetically pleasing skirting solution that meets the strict hygiene and maintenance needs of clean rooms by providing a uniform and adaptable skirting system that can be easily shaped and positioned along walls and corners, ensuring effective sealing and durability.
Implementation Method 1
heating or bending processes allowing them to be shaped
Implementation Method 2
heating or bending processes allowing them to be shaped and pressed against the walls
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 2B~3
AI summary
The floor covering with skirting turn-up in the form of one or several module(s), each module comprising a first zone laid on the flat part of the floor that is to be covered, a second zone that rests against the vertical part of the corresponding wall and a transition zone marking the transition between said first and second parts, is characterized in that each module (3) comprises a first zone (3.1) the thickness (E.2) of which is equal to and the same as the thickness (E.1) of the floor covering (1) made on the flat part of the floor that is to be covered, and a second zone (3.2) the thickness (E.3) of which is smaller than the thickness (E.2) of the first zone (3.1) to give said second zone the ability to flex, and in that the transition between said first zone and said second zone of each module is via a sloping profile (3.2) in the form of a progressive chamfer, on the reverse side of the module, and in that said first zone rests against the floor and said second zone rests against the vertical corresponding wall parts, and in that said chamfered sloping profile meeting with said second zone come to rest against a corner profile (4).