Base Floor With Ventilated Air Flow Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing base floor construction methods, such as ground-supported slabs and timber-framed ventilating floors, face issues like mold and moisture problems due to inadequate ventilation and high construction costs, with ground-supported slabs drying slowly and timber-framed ones providing a conducive environment for microbes and molds.
Innovation Solution
A base floor design incorporating corrugated metal sheets with angled layers to create air flow paths, combined with a non-woven fabric and hardened sealing compound, which allows for ventilation and faster drying, while also incorporating thermal insulation and edge supports for structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If ground-supported slabs are used, then construction costs are reduced and ease of fabrication is improved, but drying time is extended and mold problems occur due to inadequate ventilation
Solution Approach 1:
The base floor is segmented into an upper slab and a lower ventilating structure with separate functional zones. The lower part includes air intake openings at the bottom surface and air outlet openings at the side surfaces, creating distinct ventilation pathways that allow moisture to escape while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
A ventilating structure acts as an intermediary between the ground and the upper slab. This intermediate layer provides ventilation channels that facilitate moisture removal from the slab, preventing direct contact between the slab and moisture-prone ground while enabling controlled drying.
2Ease of manufacture
If ground-supported slabs are used, then construction simplicity is improved, but mold and indoor air problems occur due to lack of underside ventilation
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful moisture and air stagnation are extracted from the base floor system by introducing dedicated ventilation openings. Air intake openings at the bottom surface and air outlet openings at the side surfaces create pathways that actively remove moisture-laden air, preventing mold formation.
Solution Approach 2:
Ventilation channels are integrated into the lower part of the base floor to create pneumatic pathways for air flow. These channels enable continuous air circulation through the base floor structure, facilitating moisture removal and preventing the development of mold and indoor air quality issues.
3Reliability
If timber-framed ventilating base floors are used, then ventilation functionality is improved, but construction costs increase and moisture condensation occurs in timber structures
Solution Approach 1:
The material parameter of the ventilating structure is changed from timber to concrete. This parameter change eliminates the moisture condensation problem inherent in timber structures, as concrete does not provide the same favorable conditions for microbial growth and moisture accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The base floor is constructed as a composite structure with an upper concrete slab and a lower concrete ventilating structure. This composite design maintains ventilation functionality while using moisture-resistant materials that do not support microbial growth, unlike timber-framed constructions.
4Reliability
If hollow-core slabs are used for ventilating base floors, then ventilation is provided, but construction costs are high and structural moisture exhaustion time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilating structure uses standard concrete construction materials and methods rather than expensive hollow-core slabs. The lower part is constructed using conventional concrete techniques with integrated ventilation openings, providing effective ventilation at lower cost and with simpler construction procedures.
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
This solution provides a moisture-secure, cost-effective, and mold-proof base floor that accelerates drying and reduces construction time, addressing the limitations of prior methods by enhancing ventilation and structural durability.
Implementation Method 1
Air can thus flow along flow paths between the first and second surface and exit from between the surfaces through apertures opening to the end edges and/or side edges of the base floor
Implementation Method 2
thermal insulation material between the first and second surface
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a base floor of a building, which comprises a load bearing slab formed onto a compacted and levelled soil layer (50) or onto a hard thermal insulation layer (24) formed onto the surface of a compacted and levelled soil layer (50). The bearing slab comprises a first surface (16a) positioned against the soil layer or thermal insulation layer and a second surface (16b) at a distance from the first surface, with a thin sheet structure comprising air flow paths parallel to the first and second surface between the first and second surface. Air can thus flow along the flow paths between the first and second surface and exit from between the surfaces through apertures opening to the end edges and/or side edges of the base floor.