Steel Insert in Aluminum Post for Fire-Resistant Cladding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire protection designs for windows, doors, and facades, particularly post-transom constructions, face issues where the support structure made of aluminum melts during a fire, causing the cladding to detach and allowing the fire to penetrate the building, leading to significant damage.
Innovation Solution
A support structure with a steel insert fixed to a post via a fastening means that allows mechanical load transfer, ensuring the fire protection panel remains securely fixed even if the post melts, using non-combustible materials and allowing for thermal compensation through movability, with fastening elements like bolts, screws, or clasp holders to secure the panel to both the post and insert.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If aluminum posts are used in the supporting structure, then the structure is lightweight and easy to manufacture, but the posts melt during fire causing the cladding to detach
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines aluminum posts with steel inserts to create a composite structure. The aluminum provides lightweight properties while the steel insert provides fire resistance. This composite approach allows the structure to maintain both light weight and high reliability during fire conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel insert acts as an intermediary element within the aluminum post. It transfers mechanical loads and provides structural integrity during fire when the aluminum softens, preventing cladding detachment while maintaining the overall lightweight design.
2Ease of manufacture
If fire protection elements are fixed by screws to the post, then the installation is simple, but the fixation fails when the post melts
Solution Approach 1:
The steel insert serves as an intermediary fixation element. Fire protection elements are fixed to the steel insert rather than directly to the aluminum post. This intermediary connection maintains fixation reliability during fire as the steel insert retains its strength when aluminum softens.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel insert is pre-installed within the aluminum post to provide ahead-of-time protection against fire-induced failure. This preparatory measure ensures that when fire occurs, the fixation system already has a heat-resistant component to maintain structural integrity.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If cooling material is placed in the posts, then the service life is slightly increased, but the structure still melts after water evaporates
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of aluminum post with steel insert creates a composite structure where the steel component provides extended fire resistance beyond what cooling material alone can achieve. The steel insert maintains structural integrity at temperatures where aluminum would fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction of steel insert changes the thermal and mechanical parameters of the supporting structure. Steel's higher melting point and maintained strength at elevated temperatures fundamentally alter the fire resistance duration and reliability of the structure.
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
The solution ensures the fire protection panel remains securely fixed during a fire, preventing the cladding from falling and reducing the risk of fire penetration, with the steel insert and carrier maintaining structural integrity beyond the melting point of aluminum.
Implementation Method 1
This allows for mechanical load transfer in the event of a fire via the insert, which is made of a different material than the post
Implementation Method 2
cooling material is placed in the posts or beams to cool the profiles in the event of a fire, thus increasing their service life. This cooling material can release water over a certain period of time
Implementation Method 3
thermal stresses can be compensated for by the insert's mobility in the longitudinal direction
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A fire-resistant load-bearing structure (1), in particular a post-and-beam construction, comprises at least one post (2) to which at least one beam (3) is fixed, an insert (8), and a fire-resistant panel (11, 12). The at least one post (2) is held by a beam (5) on a ceiling (4) of a building, and the insert (8) is inserted into a hollow chamber of the post (2). The fire-resistant panel (11, 12) is fixed to the insert (8) by fasteners (10, 13, 14, 15) that extend through an opening in the wall of the post (2). This allows the fire-resistant panel (11, 12) to be held securely on the ceiling of the building, even in the event of a fire.