Thermal Barrier Mounting Clip Assembly for Building Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting clip assemblies for building exteriors are thermally conductive, leading to increased thermal transfer and do not accommodate wall deviations or multiple insulation thicknesses, requiring shims or multiple clip sizes, and often limit girt orientation.
Innovation Solution
A mounting clip assembly featuring a bracket with a substrate fastening plate and a girt fastening cantilever that includes a cavity to reduce thermal conductance, reinforced with additional material, allowing for both horizontal and vertical girt orientations and accommodating varying insulation thicknesses without changing the clip's orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a mounting clip assembly is formed of thermally conductive material such as galvanized steel or aluminium, then the structural strength and durability are improved, but the thermal transfer through the building envelope increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting clip assembly is divided into separate functional components: a thermally conductive bracket for structural support and a thermal isolator pad for thermal resistance. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between strength and thermal insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
A thermal isolator pad is introduced as an intermediary element between the thermally conductive bracket and the building substrate. This intermediary component blocks the thermal pathway while allowing the bracket to maintain its structural function, effectively reducing thermal transfer without compromising strength.
2Device complexity
If a mounting clip assembly is designed to accommodate only single orientation girt installation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different wall deviations and insulation thicknesses decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting clip assembly is designed with multi-functional capabilities, allowing it to accommodate girt installation in multiple orientations (horizontal and vertical) and adapt to various wall deviations and insulation thicknesses. The bracket can be fastened to substrates in different orientations, and the girt fastening plate provides fastening regions for both horizontal and vertical girt orientations, eliminating the need for multiple clip sizes or shims.
3Strength
If the girt fastening plate is made solid to ensure structural integrity, then the strength is improved, but the thermal conductance between the fastening region and substrate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The girt fastening plate incorporates a cavity that removes material specifically in the thermal conductance pathway area, while maintaining structural integrity through localized reinforcement. The cavity is positioned to interrupt the thermal bridge between the fastening region and substrate, reducing thermal conductance without compromising the overall strength of the fastening plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The cavity acts as an intermediary void that breaks the thermal conduction path within the girt fastening plate itself. By creating this internal void space, the plate can maintain its structural function while significantly reducing its thermal conductance to the substrate.
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 significantly reduces thermal conductance and increases the effective R-value of the mounting clip assembly, enabling it to handle both horizontal and vertical girt orientations while maintaining structural integrity and accommodating various insulation thicknesses.
Implementation Method 1
A cavity is formed in the girt fastening plate at a location between the substrate fastening plate and the fastening region to reduce thermal conductance between the fastening region and the substrate fastening plate
Implementation Method 2
The thermal isolator pad is mountable between a second face of the substrate fastening plate and the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting clip assembly for attaching a girt to a substrate, includes a bracket and isolator pad. The bracket includes a substrate fastening plate for mounting the bracket to a building substrate, and a girt fastening plate protruding orthogonally outward from a first face of the substrate fastening plate. The girt fastening plate has a top edge, and a bottom edge that extends at an upward angle from the substrate fastening plate, such that the vertical fastening plate is substantially trapezoidal. A girt may be fastened to the mounting clip assembly in a first fastening region. A cavity is formed in the girt fastening plate at a location between the substrate fastening plate and the fastening region to reduce thermal conductance between the fastening region and the substrate fastening plate. The cavity is reinforced by thickening material around a periphery of the cavity. The thermal isolator pad is mountable between a second face of the substrate fastening plate and the substrate.