Vacuum-Insulated Wooden Building Element With Expanded Perlite
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building elements with vacuum insulation systems face challenges in developing polygonal frame structures that can withstand air pressure differences while maintaining low heat transfer capacity, and they are prone to issues like dew point problems and degradation under high moisture and temperature conditions, with cost being a constraint in wider applications.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated building element with a wooden frame coated to be air-tight, filled with expanded perlite, and utilizing a vacuum pump to achieve efficient thermal insulation, dynamically adjustable thermal transmittance, and resistance to moisture, using inexpensive materials and a method that includes beveled joints and reinforcing pieces for structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation panels are used in building elements, then thermal insulation capacity is improved, but structural integrity under air pressure difference becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses expanded perlite, a porous material, as the insulation medium inside the vacuum chamber. The porous structure provides mechanical support to withstand the external air pressure while maintaining the vacuum environment, thus resolving the contradiction between thermal insulation performance and structural integrity under pressure differential.
2Device complexity
If traditional insulation materials are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but thermal insulation efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining wood (frame material), expanded perlite (insulation material), and vacuum technology. This composite approach achieves superior thermal insulation efficiency while maintaining reasonable structural simplicity through the integration of natural materials with vacuum technology.
3Loss of energy
If vacuum technology is applied to complex structures, then thermal insulation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vacuum technology during the manufacturing process rather than requiring ongoing maintenance at the building site. The vacuum is created and maintained during production, simplifying the manufacturing process while achieving excellent thermal insulation performance, thus reducing the complexity burden on construction and operation phases.
4Ease of manufacture
If inexpensive materials are used, then cost efficiency is improved, but durability under high moisture and temperature conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a vacuum environment (inert atmosphere without oxygen and moisture) to protect the expanded perlite and wooden frame from degradation. This inert environment prevents hydrolysis, mold growth, and material breakdown under high moisture and temperature conditions, thereby enhancing durability while maintaining cost efficiency through the use of inexpensive materials like expanded perlite and wood.
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 cost-effective, efficient thermal insulation system that withstands underpressure, eliminates dew point issues, and maintains structural integrity under challenging conditions, with adjustable thermal properties and reduced thermal conductivity, outperforming traditional insulation materials in durability and cost-efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum being applied in the element by a vacuum pump
Implementation Method 2
With a sufficient decrease in pressure, air molecules will collide with the walls of the porous filling material more often than with each other, resulting in a decrease in the thermal conductivity of air. In the case of expanded perlite, the thermal conductivity of air can be reduced to a level close to zero already at a pressure of about 0.1 millibar.
Implementation Method 3
the vacuum pump can be used to remove internal moisture in gaseous form out of the element
Implementation Method 4
the wooden frame of the element being provided with an air-tight coating
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a building element with a wooden frame, the method comprising forming the frame of the element of wooden panels filling the space inside the frame with insulation material, coating the wooden panels which define the outer surfaces of the frame of the building element to be substantially air-tight, filling the space inside the frame with expanded perlite, and applying vacuum in the space inside the building element by a vacuum pump connected to the element. The invention also relates to such a building element with a wooden frame, as well as a building element system consisting of a plurality of such building elements with a wooden frame.