Tile Support Structure With Apertures For Drainage And Wind Uplift
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tile and support structures for outdoor deck and roof systems face challenges in providing a stable, maintenance-free, and drainage-efficient surface, particularly in handling water and preventing puddling, while allowing for some movement without damaging the tiles.
Innovation Solution
The use of a tile and support structure system that includes joists, support structures with flanges and apertures, and tiles with grooves and protrusions, allowing for sliding installation and drainage, and optionally incorporating pedestals for vertical configurations, to create a robust and adaptable tiled surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tiles are securely fastened to prevent wind uplift, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in removal and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The tile system is divided into separable components: the tile body, the support structure with aperture, and the retention mechanism. This segmentation allows the tile to be securely held during installation while enabling easy removal by disengaging the retention mechanism, thus resolving the contradiction between wind uplift resistance and ease of replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention mechanism transitions from a locked state during installation to an unlocked state for removal. The support structure with aperture allows the tile to be dynamically retained or released based on the engagement state of the retention mechanism, enabling both secure fastening and easy operation at different stages.
2Reliability
If support structures are added to secure tiles, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure with aperture serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the tile, enables retention through the aperture mechanism, and facilitates easy removal. By consolidating these functions into a single component, the design achieves reliable tile securing without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention mechanism is integrated directly into the support structure with aperture, merging the support and retention functions into one component. This integration reduces the number of separate parts and assembly steps, achieving reliable tile securing while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment of a tile and support structure, the tile and support structure may be configured to engage a tile such that the tile is oriented in a generally vertical plane. The support structure may include a riser tile engaged with both an upper riser support structure and a lower riser support structure.