Thermoplastic Fence Screening Element with Flexible Folding Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screening solutions for fences, such as flexible slats and rigid posts, face challenges including time-consuming installation, high costs, and cumbersome storage and handling due to their rigidity and specific sizing requirements, while also requiring multiple accessory elements for assembly.
Innovation Solution
A screening element made of a thermoplastic material with a flexible zone for folding, allowing it to be adapted to different fence types and spacings, which can be easily stored and transported, and converted from a flexible to a rigid state for installation, reducing the need for additional holding elements and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid screening elements (plates or wooden posts) are used to conceal fence openings, then mechanical strength and rigidity are improved, but storage and handling become cumbersome due to rigidity and size
Solution Approach 1:
The screening element transitions from a flexible flat state during storage to a rigid three-dimensional configuration during use. The element includes bending zones that allow it to be folded into a rigid structure when installed on the fence, providing mechanical strength while maintaining ease of storage in a flat, flexible state.
Solution Approach 2:
The screening element changes its physical state from flexible to rigid through geometric transformation. By folding along predetermined bending zones, the element transforms from a flat flexible strip into a rigid three-dimensional structure that provides mechanical strength while being easy to store and transport in its flat state.
2Ease of operation
If flexible slats are used to conceal fence openings, then ease of storage and transport is improved, but installation time increases and mechanical strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The screening element is designed to be dynamically configured during installation. The predetermined bending zones allow for quick folding into the final rigid shape, reducing installation time while maintaining ease of storage in the flat state.
Solution Approach 2:
The bending zones are predetermined during manufacturing, so no complex bending or shaping is required during installation. The element only needs to be folded along these pre-defined zones, significantly reducing installation time and effort.
3Manufacturing precision
If screening elements are made specifically adapted to certain fence spacings, then fitting precision is improved, but adaptability to different fence types is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The screening element is divided into multiple zones including rigid zones and flexible bending zones. This segmentation allows the element to be adapted to different fence spacings by adjusting the configuration of the bending zones while maintaining precise fitting through the rigid zones that contact the fence structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The screening element is designed with universal adaptability through its modular zone structure. The combination of rigid zones for precise fitting and flexible bending zones for adjustment allows a single element design to fit multiple fence types and spacings, eliminating the need for multiple specialized elements.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5a~8b
AI summary
A screening element (1), designed to cooperate with a fence (2) comprising a wall (20), the screening element (1) being in the form of a rigid linear piece disposed between two main wires or rods (21) of the fence (2), held on one side by secondary wires or rods (22) of the fence (2) and on the other either by a bar (B) engaged in an extension (24) at least at the top and bottom of the fence (2), or by tertiary wires (25) of the fence (2) held on the extension of the fence (2), the screening element (1) consisting of a rectangular plate (3) made of a first thermoplastic material (30), comprising longitudinally at least one zone (5) made of a second thermoplastic material (50) more flexible than the first, so as to constitute a folding line allowing the volume of said plate (3), and thus the rigidification of said screening element (1).