Tongue and Groove Wood Panel with Segmented Adhesive Capsules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for connecting wood-based panels, such as tongue and groove systems, face challenges with uneven glue application, waste of adhesive, and mechanical instability due to difficulties in controlling the amount of glue used, leading to imperfect bonds and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A wood-based panel design featuring alternating symmetrical elevations on the groove's surface that open an adhesive container when the tongue is inserted, ensuring consistent adhesive release and distribution without excess glue escaping, using a segmented adhesive tube that ruptures at regular intervals to maintain a controlled bond.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If additional glue or adhesive is used to fix the panels together, then the mechanical stability and bond strength are improved, but the glue application becomes difficult to control, leading to excessive glue usage, waste, and imperfect bonds
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is divided into multiple receiving spaces separated by partitions, with each space containing a separate adhesive capsule. This segmentation ensures controlled adhesive distribution and prevents excessive glue application, resolving the contradiction between bond strength and adhesive waste.
Solution Approach 2:
Adhesive capsules are pre-placed in the receiving spaces during panel manufacturing. This preliminary action ensures that the exact required amount of adhesive is available at the correct location, eliminating the need for manual glue application and preventing both waste and insufficient bonding.
2Ease of operation
If manual glue application is used, then the bonding process is simple, but the amount of glue cannot be controlled, resulting in either excessive adhesive waste or insufficient bond strength
Solution Approach 1:
Adhesive capsules are pre-installed in the groove's receiving spaces during panel manufacturing. This eliminates the need for manual glue application while ensuring precise adhesive dosage, thus maintaining processing simplicity while achieving manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive capsules are designed to rupture automatically when the tongue is inserted into the groove, releasing the adhesive without requiring manual intervention. This self-service mechanism maintains ease of operation while ensuring precise adhesive dosage control.
3Strength
If the entire groove is filled with glue, then the bond strength is maximized, but the glue swells out of the groove and must be removed later, increasing time and material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is segmented into multiple receiving spaces with partitions, and adhesive is placed only in specific spaces rather than filling the entire groove. This segmentation provides sufficient bond strength while preventing glue overflow and eliminating the need for post-application cleanup.
Solution Approach 2:
Adhesive is applied locally in specific receiving spaces rather than uniformly throughout the entire groove. This local quality approach ensures adequate bonding at critical locations while preventing excessive glue that would swell out and require removal.
4Quantity of substance
If a glue tube is inserted into the groove and destroyed by pressure, then adhesive is released, but the glue tube behaves like a pressure pad making even pressure application difficult, causing glue to leak out
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a single glue tube that acts as a pressure pad, the adhesive is segmented into multiple capsules placed in separate receiving spaces. This segmentation allows even pressure distribution across multiple points and prevents glue leakage while ensuring complete adhesive release.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive capsules are designed as disposable elements that rupture during assembly to release the adhesive. This approach eliminates the problems of reusable glue tubes while ensuring complete adhesive delivery and precise distribution control.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a wood-based panel (1a, 1b) with two longitudinal edges and two transverse edges, with at least one groove (2) formed in at least one of the longitudinal and/or transverse edges, and at least one tongue (3) formed on at least one of the opposite longitudinal and/or transverse edges, wherein at least two wood-based panels (1a, 1b) can be joined together by inserting the at least one tongue (3) of one wood-based panel (1b) into at least one corresponding groove (2) of a second wood-based panel (1a), wherein the surface of the at least one groove (2) has alternating symmetrical protrusions (4), and into the at least one groove (2) at least one container (5) containing at least one adhesive is inserted, wherein the container (5) is opened by means of the symmetrical protrusions (4) when the tongue (3) is inserted into the groove (2).