Single-Piece Trash Compactor Box With Polyethylene Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft trash compactor boxes often leak fluids and tear during compaction, leading to structural integrity issues and jamming, and require hot melt adhesives and multiple parts, which are costly and complex to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece, die-cut polyethylene-lined paperboard construction with custom scoring and perforations for collapsibility, using a polyethylene coating as a waterproof adhesive to eliminate the need for hot melt adhesives and reduce material usage, ensuring leak-proof and tear-resistant performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single-piece paperboard construction is used, then material usage and manufacturing complexity are reduced, but structural integrity and leak-proof performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure consisting of paperboard reinforced with wire mesh or plastic mesh embedded within the walls. This composite construction provides the necessary structural integrity and leak-proof performance while maintaining the benefits of a single-piece design that eliminates complex assembly of multiple parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin film liners or coatings applied to the interior surface of the paperboard box to provide leak-proof performance. This allows the single-piece paperboard construction to maintain structural integrity while preventing fluid leakage through the use of flexible protective films.
2Strength
If hot melt adhesives and multiple parts are used, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (box walls, bottom, top, and reinforcement elements) into a single integrated paperboard construction with wire or plastic mesh reinforcement. This eliminates the need for hot melt adhesives and multiple assembly steps while maintaining structural integrity through the unified design.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining paperboard with embedded wire mesh or plastic mesh in a single construction, the patent achieves high structural integrity without requiring additional adhesives or separate assembly operations, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity.
3Strength
If thicker material is used to prevent tearing and leaking, then structural integrity is improved, but weight and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where thin paperboard is reinforced with wire mesh or plastic mesh embedded within the walls. This provides high tear resistance and structural strength without requiring thicker material, thereby keeping the box lightweight and minimizing material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies reinforcement (wire mesh or plastic mesh) specifically in areas subject to high stress and tearing during compaction, rather than uniformly thickening the entire box. This localized reinforcement provides necessary strength while minimizing overall weight and material consumption.
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 provides a lightweight, leak-proof, and structurally integrity-maintaining trash compactor box that minimizes material usage and processing steps, preventing leaks and tears during and after compaction, while simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
uses the existing thin, water proof polyethylene coating as the adhesive that holds the blank in the desired box shape and that creates the leak-proof bond on the seams
Implementation Method 2
a single piece of flat, die cut polyethylene lined paperboard
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide boxes that are particularly useful in connection with trash collection and trash compaction. The boxes are designed as having a single-piece board construction (12) with a strength that can contain mixed types of trash, including solids and liquids, and to effectively contain the trash during the pressure of a compaction process without tearing, splitting and/or leaking. They are also designed to use a waterproof coating for adhering seams, reducing the extra step and expense of using a glue or an adhesive to secure the box seams. The trash compaction boxes provided herein are particularly useful on aircraft and other passenger transport vehicles, where weight and performance are of primary concern.