Porous Xerogel Thermal Insulator to Prevent Compression Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal insulators are poor in flexibility and tend to compress and not restore when pressure is applied, leading to gap generation when temperature changes.
Innovation Solution
A thermal insulator with a nonwoven fabric and xerogel in its interior spaces, featuring a plurality of protrusions on its surface and pores underneath, which compress and then repel to maintain shape and prevent gap formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a thermal insulator is made with silica xerogel on nonwoven fabric to achieve excellent thermal insulation, then the coefficient of thermal conductivity is reduced, but the flexibility deteriorates and the insulator cannot restore after compression
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces pores within the nonwoven fabric layer to create a sponge-like structure that provides both thermal insulation and elastic recovery. The pores allow the material to compress and then restore its shape, solving the flexibility problem while maintaining thermal insulation performance through the air-filled pore spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining nonwoven fabric, silica xerogel, and pore spaces. This multi-component composite achieves both excellent thermal insulation (through silica xerogel with coefficient lower than air) and flexibility (through the porous nonwoven fabric matrix that enables elastic deformation and recovery).
2Loss of energy
If the thermal insulator is compressed under pressure, then it provides thermal insulation, but it does not restore its shape when pressure is eliminated, leading to gap generation
Solution Approach 1:
The pores created within the nonwoven fabric provide compressibility and elastic recovery capability. When pressure is applied, the pores compress; when pressure is released, the pores expand back to their original state, enabling the insulator to restore its shape and prevent gap formation while maintaining thermal insulation throughout the compression cycle.
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 thermal insulator maintains its shape and prevents gap formation even under external forces, ensuring effective thermal insulation across temperature changes.
Implementation Method 1
the thermal insulator is restored by a repulsive force, so that generation of gaps can be prevented
Implementation Method 2
a thermal insulator may be used in which silica xerogel is carried on a nonwoven fabric to make the coefficient of thermal conductivity lower than that of air
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a thermal insulator which can be prevented from having gaps. The thermal insulator includes a nonwoven fabric, and xerogel in interior spaces of the nonwoven fabric. The thermal insulator has a plurality of protrusions on a surface of the thermal insulator, a height of the protrusion ranges from 0.10 t to 0.25 t inclusive and a size of the protrusion at the surface of the thermal insulator ranges from t to 5 t inclusive, where t is a thickness of the thermal insulator, and pores are provided inside the thermal insulator in a region provided with the protrusions.