Braided Footwear Upper With Multi-Material Strands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current footwear technologies lack the ability to create a braided upper structure that can be tailored with specific physical properties for different regions of the shoe, providing optimal comfort, durability, and stress distribution during various athletic and recreational activities.
Innovation Solution
The use of braided strands made from tensile elements with varying materials, shapes, and cross-sectional properties to form a braided upper structure, which can be customized for specific areas of the shoe to enhance comfort, durability, and stress distribution by combining different tensile elements such as nylon, carbon, polyurethane, and Kevlar, and arranging them in biaxial or triaxial braids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional single-material uppers are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but the ability to provide tailored physical properties for different regions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The upper is divided into multiple regions, each with different braided structures and material compositions. Different zones use varying combinations of tensile elements (e.g., elastic vs. non-elastic fibers) to provide region-specific mechanical properties, allowing tailored performance for different functional areas of the footwear.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the upper are constructed with locally optimized properties through selective material placement. High-stress areas use reinforced braiding patterns and durable materials, while flexible areas use more elastic tensile elements, creating spatially varying material characteristics that match functional requirements.
2Strength
If multiple materials are combined in braided strands, then tensile strength and durability are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The braided strands incorporate composite constructions combining multiple tensile element materials (e.g., nylon, polyurethane, elastic fibers, Kevlar) within single strands and across different regions. This composite approach provides enhanced mechanical properties including increased tensile strength, elasticity, and abrasion resistance while maintaining manufacturability through integrated braiding processes.
3Reliability
If region-specific material customization is implemented, then stress distribution and comfort are optimized, but production difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper incorporates dynamic material placement where the braided structure and material composition vary across different regions to adapt to stress patterns during footwear use. This dynamic design allows optimized stress distribution through spatially varying mechanical properties while maintaining consistent manufacturing processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
An article of footwear is formed from multiple braided components. The braided components may be braided strands formed from different tensile elements. The tensile elements may have different cross-sections. The tensile elements may be from different materials. Different braided strands may then be over-braided over a last to form a braided upper for the article of footwear.