Tile Panel With Porous Adhesive Anchoring Under Humidity Cycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The adhesive bond between tiles and support panels in tile systems is prone to failure due to differences in dimensional stability caused by varying temperature and humidity, leading to potential disconnection of tiles from the support panels.
Innovation Solution
A tile panel design featuring a support panel with a recessed structure on its top side, allowing adhesive to penetrate and anchor deeply, combined with a porosity that facilitates adhesive flow and interaction with both macroscopic recesses and microscopic pores, enhancing adhesion and reducing strain from temperature and humidity changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive is applied as a simple layer between tile and support panel, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the adhesive bond fails under temperature and humidity cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The support panel incorporates a porous structure that allows adhesive to penetrate and anchor deeply within the material matrix. This porous architecture provides numerous anchoring points for the adhesive, creating a mechanically interlocked bond that resists degradation from environmental cycling. The adhesive flows into the pores and sets within the three-dimensional pore network, forming a robust connection between the tile and support panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive anchoring transitions from a two-dimensional surface application to a three-dimensional penetration into the porous structure. By moving the adhesive-bonding interface into the depth dimension of the porous support panel, the bond strength is significantly enhanced as the adhesive anchors throughout the volume rather than merely coating the surface.
2Adaptability or versatility
If support panel and tile are made from different materials, then each material can be optimized for its specific requirements, but dimensional stability differences cause adhesive strain
Solution Approach 1:
The porous structure of the support panel provides mechanical interlocking that compensates for dimensional stability differences between dissimilar materials. The adhesive anchored within the porous matrix resists the strains caused by differential expansion and contraction, maintaining bond integrity even when the support panel and tile undergo different dimensional changes during environmental cycling.
3Strength
If adhesive penetrates deeply into porous structure, then bonding strength increases, but adhesive application and control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The porous structure naturally guides and distributes the adhesive as it is applied to the support panel surface. The capillary action within the pores draws the adhesive inward, ensuring uniform penetration and anchoring without requiring complex application equipment or procedures. This self-distributing characteristic simplifies the manufacturing process while achieving deep, consistent adhesive anchoring throughout the porous matrix.
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 enhanced adhesive anchoring significantly reduces the risk of tile disconnection by ensuring strong bonding even under cyclic temperature and humidity variations, maintaining the integrity of the tile surface covering.
Implementation Method 1
one or more tiles are adhered by an adhesive onto a top side of a support panel... the adhesive penetrates the top side (top surface) of the support panel... enhancing adhesion
Implementation Method 2
the top side of the support panel comprises a recessed structure, preferably a porous structure, in which the adhesive is present... facilitates adhesive flow and interaction with both macroscopic recesses and microscopic pores
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a tile panel which comprises a support panel which is essentially flat and has a top side onto which one or more tiles are adhered by an adhesive, wherein the support panel is made from a material which is different than the material from which the one or more tiles are made, and the top side of the support panel comprises a recessed structure in which the adhesive is present. The invention also relates to a surface covering, in particular for a floor, ceiling or wall surface, which is constructed by a multitude of neighbouring tile panels.