Thin Mirror Truss Backing for Lightweight Curved Reflectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional solar concentrator assemblies using hot-formed, thick glass mirrors are heavy, costly, prone to breakage, and have reduced reflective efficiency due to thickness, which complicates manufacturing and installation, and thin-glass or thin-film solutions face issues with water intrusion and corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A thin-sheet panel assembly with a truss design that includes a thin reflective material supported by a backer and riser elements, providing rigidity and allowing for cold forming to desired curvature, reducing weight and cost while preventing moisture accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If thick glass mirrors are used to maintain surface curvature accuracy, then the mirror shape stability is improved, but the weight and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mirror assembly is segmented into multiple components: a thin reflective glass sheet (0.6-1.2mm thick) bonded to a substrate, which is in turn attached to a support structure with rigidifying elements. This segmentation allows the glass to remain thin and lightweight while the support structure provides the necessary shape stability through its rigidifying elements such as ribs, trusses, or cellular cores.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction by bonding thin glass to a substrate material (such as aluminum or other suitable materials) and attaching the assembly to a support structure. This composite approach combines the reflective properties of thin glass with the structural support and shape-maintaining capabilities of the substrate and support structure, achieving both weight reduction and shape stability.
2Manufacturing precision
If thick glass is used to maintain mirror shape, then the surface curvature accuracy is improved, but the manufacturing cost and transportation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into separate steps: producing thin glass sheets with appropriate reflectivity, separately manufacturing substrates and support structures with built-in rigidifying elements, and then assembling these components through bonding and attachment processes. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and manufactured more efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs thin glass sheets (0.6-1.2mm thick) as the reflective surface instead of traditional thick glass. These thin sheets are bonded to substrates that provide structural support, enabling the use of thinner, more cost-effective glass material while maintaining the required surface curvature accuracy through the support structure's rigidifying elements.
3Weight of moving object
If thin glass or thin-film is bonded directly against a pre-formed curved substrate, then the weight is reduced, but water intrusion causes corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure incorporates rigidifying elements with open-cell or porous configurations that allow water vapor to pass through and drain away. This prevents water accumulation that would otherwise lead to corrosion of aluminum components and penetration through mirror coatings. The porous structure maintains structural integrity while enabling moisture management.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of water exposure into a beneficial drainage mechanism. By designing the support structure with rigidifying elements that facilitate water vapor transmission and drainage, the system uses the presence of moisture to drive water vapor through the structure and away from critical components, preventing corrosion while maintaining the thin, lightweight design.
4Ease of operation
If thin-sheet material is used to reduce weight, then the installation ease is improved, but the rigidity and shape maintenance capability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly is segmented into the thin reflective sheet, substrate, and support structure with rigidifying elements. This segmentation allows the thin sheet to be easily handled and installed while the substrate and support structure provide the necessary rigidity through their design, including rigidifying elements such as ribs, trusses, or cellular cores.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure where thin glass or thin-film is bonded to a substrate, which is attached to a support structure with rigidifying elements. This composite construction provides the thin material's ease of handling and installation while the substrate and support structure contribute structural rigidity and shape-maintaining capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A thin-sheet panel assembly. In one embodiment, a substantially rigid thin-sheet panel assembly having a non-rigid thin-sheet component includes the thin-sheet component which has selected plan area and shape, a backer having a plan shape and area substantially similar to the thin-sheet component, and plural riser elements of selected height and configuration each extending from the backer to distal ends connected to a reverse surface of the thin-sheet component, the riser elements being configured and disposed in an array which causes the assembly to have substantial rigidity in a selected direction in the thin-sheet component, and the thin-sheet panel assembly further includes a bar coupled to the backer and extending between at least one pair of adjacent riser elements of the plural riser elements.