Sliding Door Track Water Blocker for Hurricane Flooding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding patio door systems fail to prevent water intrusion during hurricane winds, as debris clogs weep holes, allowing rainwater to accumulate and be pushed under the doors, leading to flooding, despite the doors being intact.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a shapeable, heavy base and a declined portion that fits within the sliding door track, blocking water from entering and directing it away from the door, made from materials like sandbags or metal pellets, ensuring it remains in place during strong winds and can be reshaped to fit various track configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a weep hole is provided in the outer rim to drain water, then water drainage is improved, but debris can clog the weep hole during hurricane winds
Solution Approach 1:
The device proactively blocks the track space before hurricane conditions occur, preventing water accumulation that would otherwise require drainage through vulnerable weep holes. By eliminating the need for weep hole drainage through preliminary prevention, the system avoids the debris clogging problem entirely
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the vulnerable weep hole drainage function by providing an alternative prevention mechanism. Instead of relying on the weep hole system that can be clogged by debris, the device takes out the need for drainage by blocking water entry at the source
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the inner rim and outer rim are made tall (>7 cm) to prevent water entry, then water protection is improved, but the device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the water protection function into two segments: the existing track structure (inner rim and outer rim) maintains its original design, while the added blocking device provides the additional water entry prevention. This segmentation allows the original structure to remain simple while achieving enhanced protection
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking device merges with the existing track structure by fitting within the available space between the inner and outer rims. This combination achieves enhanced water protection without requiring modification or increase in the height of the rim structures
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a blocking device is added to prevent water entry, then water protection is improved, but the device must be heavy enough to resist hurricane winds
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking device uses its weight as a counteracting force against hurricane winds. The device is designed with sufficient mass to serve as a counterweight that resists the aerodynamic forces of high-velocity winds, preventing displacement while maintaining water blocking functionality
4Ease of operation
If the blocking device is made removable for emergency egress, then safety is improved, but the device may be displaced by strong winds
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking device incorporates dynamic characteristics by being designed for easy removal while maintaining stability during installation. The device can be quickly deployed and removed in response to changing conditions, transitioning between stable water-blocking state and removable emergency state
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
Effectively prevents water from entering the building by blocking the gap between the door and the track, directing water runoff outside, and allowing safe egress by ensuring the device remains securely in place during high winds, thus mitigating flooding risks.
Implementation Method 1
The material should be heavy enough to prevent the reshapeable base from blowing away in hurricane winds
Implementation Method 2
The declined outside surface directs water running downward on the door panel outward, outside of the track
Data Source
AI summary
A device prevents flooding under sliding patio doors by blocking the space between a bottom of a sliding door panel and the top of the sliding door track. The device includes a reshapeable base that fills an external portion of a track of the sliding door to prevent water from pooling in the track and then from being driven by wind under the door panel. The shapeable base is made of a heavy material such as a sandbag that prevents the shapeable base from being blown out of the track, even during hurricane force winds. The device further includes a declined portion that directs rainwater away from the outer surface of the door panel, beyond the outer rim of the track. The declined portion thereby prevents rainwater from collecting within the track by directing the rainwater outward, beyond the outer rim of the track. An assembly of a plurality of devices can be utilized to protect a sliding door that has multiple panels, In the case of the assembly, a respective device is provided for each of the door panels in the sliding door.