Vertical Joint System for Uneven Surface Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vertical joint systems for substrates require complex installation processes and are difficult to repair, especially on uneven surfaces, as they often necessitate pulling up entire sections of flooring to access damaged panels, and they lack the ability to accommodate significant surface undulations without horizontal disengagement or separation.
Innovation Solution
A vertical joint system featuring non-symmetrical joints with transversely extending surfaces and inflexion surfaces that allow for relative rotation of up to 10° while maintaining engagement, enabling easy installation and repair by vertical lifting of damaged panels without disengaging adjacent panels, and accommodating surface undulations through self-alignment and self-tensioning mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional vertical joint systems are used, then substrates can be jointed together, but the installation process becomes complex and repair becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The joint system is divided into separate functional elements: engagement surfaces for vertical engagement, inflexion surfaces for rotation, and transversely extending surfaces for alignment. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall installation process while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint system incorporates inflexion surfaces that enable dynamic rotation of substrates relative to each other during installation and use. This dynamic capability allows the joints to adapt to surface undulations and facilitates easier installation by permitting adjustment of panel angles without compromising the engagement.
2Ease of repair
If conventional vertical joint systems are used, then substrates can be jointed together, but repair becomes difficult requiring removal of entire sections
Solution Approach 1:
The joint system allows individual substrates to be independently engaged and disengaged through vertical lifting motion. This segmentation of the joint system enables repair by replacing only the damaged panel without requiring removal of adjacent panels, significantly reducing repair time and effort.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring horizontal separation and removal of entire sections for repair, the system inverts the approach by enabling vertical separation through lifting. This inversion of the traditional repair approach allows damaged panels to be removed vertically while maintaining engagement of adjacent panels, making repair much simpler and faster.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional vertical joint systems are used, then joints can engage, but they cannot accommodate significant surface undulations without horizontal disengagement
Solution Approach 1:
The inflexion surfaces enable dynamic rotation of substrates relative to each other, allowing the joint system to adapt to surface undulations. This dynamic capability permits the joints to maintain engagement even when substrates are rotated due to uneven surfaces, preventing horizontal disengagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint system employs non-symmetrical configuration of engagement surfaces and inflexion surfaces that work together to accommodate rotational movement. The asymmetric design allows one substrate to rotate relative to another while maintaining proper engagement, enabling the system to adapt to various surface conditions without losing joint integrity.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3a~4d
Figure 4e~4h
AI summary
A vertical joint system for a substrate having an opposed major first and second surfaces, the joint system comprising male and female joints (Jm, Jf) being non-symmetrical joints extending along opposite sides of the substrate, the male and female joints configured to enable two substrates with like joint systems to engage each other in response to a force applied in an engagement direction which is perpendicular to the major surfaces; the male and female joints each provided with two laterally spaced transversely extending surfaces (Cm1, Cm2; Cf1, Cf2) configured to enable the male joint of a first substrate (12a) to engage the female joint of a second substrate (12b) with the first and second transversely extending surfaces of the female joint (Cf1, Cf2) located relative to the first and second transversely extending surfaces of the male joint (Cm1, Cm2) to form respective first and second locking planes (18, 20) on an innermost and an outermost side of each joint, wherein the transversely extending surfaces are configured to enable relative rotation of two engaged substrates by up to 3° while maintaining engagement of the two substrates, and wherein at least one of the transversely extending surfaces associated with at least one of the locking planes has a profile of a continuous convex curve.