40 inventive principles / #31
#31 Porous materials
What it says
- Make an object porous or add porous parts.
- If it is already porous, fill the pores with something useful.
Examples
- Software
- Leave slack in the schedule that can absorb urgent work.
- Business
- Open, permeable team boundaries for knowledge flow.
- Engineering
- Porous bearings filled with oil.
- Everyday life
- A sponge that holds soap.
Where the matrix suggests it
The classic contradiction matrix suggests Porous materials in 47 of its 1,248 filled cells. Most often for these conflicts:
- Improving Volume of stationary object worsens Device complexity
- Improving Manufacturing precision worsens Loss of substance
- Improving Weight of moving object worsens Duration of action of moving object
- Improving Weight of moving object worsens Object-generated harmful factors
- Improving Strength worsens Loss of substance
- Improving Duration of action by stationary object worsens Quantity of substance
- Improving Use of energy by stationary object worsens Quantity of substance
- Improving Power worsens External harm affects the object