Mechanical Mount System for Stone Veneer Moisture Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of mortar for attaching stone veneer to structures is costly and inefficient, as it traps moisture, leading to water migration and vapor retention, which can cause damage and requires additional wall preparation.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical mount system with spacers and clips that create a gap between the stone and the wall, allowing water vapor to escape and liquid water to drain, using angled surfaces for efficient water shedding and vapor transport, and incorporating a rain screen layer for enhanced drainage and evaporation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mortar is used to attach stone veneer to structures, then the stone can be mounted to the wall, but moisture is trapped between the stone and the wall construction causing water migration and vapor retention
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the attachment function into separate components: mechanical fasteners (screws, clips, or anchors) provide structural attachment, while spacers create a physical gap for moisture management. This segmentation allows the stone veneer to be mechanically secured while simultaneously enabling moisture escape pathways, resolving the contradiction between secure attachment and moisture prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer acts as an intermediary element between the stone veneer and the wall construction. It maintains a consistent gap that prevents direct contact, allowing moisture to escape while the mechanical fasteners provide attachment. This intermediary component resolves the contradiction by mediating between the need for secure mounting and the need for moisture management.
2Ease of manufacture
If mortar is used for stone attachment, then the stone can be fixed to the wall, but additional wall preparation is required and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the chemical bonding mechanism of mortar with a mechanical fastening system consisting of screws, clips, or anchors combined with spacers. This substitution eliminates the need for mortar application, mixing, and curing processes, reducing material costs and simplifying the installation process while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacers are pre-attached to the back of the stone veneer panels before installation. This preliminary action ensures consistent spacing and gap formation without requiring additional preparation steps during the actual mounting process, reducing on-site labor and material requirements while ensuring proper moisture management pathways are established.
3Ease of operation
If stone is mounted directly to the wall with mortar, then the attachment is simple, but water cannot shed and vapor cannot escape
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the mounting function into separate components: mechanical fasteners handle attachment simplicity, while spacers create the necessary gap for water shedding and vapor escape. This segmentation maintains operational simplicity by using straightforward fastening mechanisms while simultaneously enabling reliable moisture management through the created air gap.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer serves as an intermediary that enables both water shedding and vapor escape while maintaining a simple mounting process. By creating a consistent gap between the stone and wall, it allows moisture to drain and evaporate without complicating the attachment process, as the spacers can be pre-installed on the stone panels before mounting.
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
This solution provides a cost-effective and durable method for attaching stone veneer, preventing moisture-related issues while maintaining aesthetic appeal and ensuring structural integrity by allowing water to escape and vapor to evaporate, thus reducing maintenance and damage risks.
Implementation Method 1
The space allows water vapor to escape
Implementation Method 2
water vapor to escape
Implementation Method 3
liquid water to run down the face of the wall to escape at the flashing on the lower ledge of the wall
Implementation Method 4
Angled surfaces for efficient water shedding and vapor transport, and incorporating a rain screen layer for enhanced drainage and evaporation
Implementation Method 5
allowing water to escape and vapor to evaporate
Data Source
AI summary
A stone assembly for use on the exterior of building that includes a stone face attached to a mechanical mount that is easily fixed to the face of a wall using standard construction practices. The mount provides a space between the stone and the face of the exterior wall such that moisture is not trapped between the stone and the wall construction. The space allows water vapor to escape and liquid water to run down the face of the wall to escape at the flashing on the lower ledge of the wall. A clip useful for use in mounting stone to a wall of a structure may preferably include a primary surface, first and second legs each having a proximal end connected to the primary surface and distal ends extending from the primary surface, a spacer having a proximal end connected to the primary surface and a distal end extending from the primary surface, and at least two tabs connected at the distal end of the spacer the spacers being substantially perpendicular to the spacer. A wall including such a system is also disclosed.