Castable Shear-Thickening Protective Material for Flexible Impact Gear
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing energy-absorbing materials for protective clothing, such as gloves and footwear, face challenges with high tooling costs and limited flexibility when integrated into clothing, especially in low thickness applications, as they require complex and expensive injection molding processes.
Innovation Solution
A liquid-castable polymer system combined with shear thickening additives, such as dilatants or silicone master batches, is used to create a flexible and energy-absorbing material that can be cast into low-pressure tooling, reducing tooling costs and allowing for integration into clothing with improved impact performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If injection molding process is used with complex steel tooling, then manufacturing precision and energy absorbing performance are improved, but tooling cost and device complexity increase dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the polymer material from solid (injection molding) to liquid (casting), enabling the use of simpler tooling while achieving the same manufacturing precision for energy absorbing properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, complex hardened steel injection mold tooling with cheaper, simpler low-pressure casting tooling that can be made from softer materials, significantly reducing tooling cost and complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If injection molding process is used, then energy absorbing performance is improved, but tooling cost increases dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the processing method from high-pressure injection molding to low-pressure casting, allowing the use of simpler, cheaper tooling while maintaining the energy absorbing performance through controlled curing of the liquid polymer system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable or reusable low-pressure casting molds made from inexpensive materials instead of expensive hardened steel injection molds, dramatically reducing tooling costs for production
3Strength
If hard shell protection is used, then impact protection is improved, but flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material system combining liquid-castable polymer with shear thickening particles, achieving both impact protection and flexibility through the unique property of the polymer matrix that remains flexible while providing impact absorption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material state from rigid solid (hard shell) to flexible cured polymer (soft shell), achieving impact protection through the shear thickening effect and energy absorption of the flexible matrix rather than rigid resistance
4Ease of operation
If soft shell foam protection is used with thickness below 6 mm, then flexibility is improved, but impact protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances soft shell foam or flexible polymer by incorporating shear thickening particles, creating a composite that provides adequate impact protection in thin sections while maintaining flexibility through the flexible polymer matrix
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the protective mechanism from passive foam compression to active shear thickening effect, enabling thin flexible layers to provide adequate impact protection through the rapid viscosity increase of the polymer under impact conditions
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 solution results in a soft and flexible material with enhanced energy-absorbing properties, achieving a Shore D hardness of 30 to 60, which can be directly bonded to textiles without additional attachment means, reducing force transmission and enabling cost-effective production across various sizes and designs.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid-castable polymer system, which solidifies to form a material comprising an elastomeric polymer matrix
Implementation Method 2
combined with a shear thickening additive, in the form of solid particles
Data Source
AI summary
A composition comprising a liquid-castable polymer system combined with solid particles of a shear thickening additive; an energy absorbing material formed from the composition; and an article comprising the energy absorbing material on a substrate, for example, a glove (1) including the material of the present disclosure as energy absorbing elements (2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e) incorporated onto the surface (4) of a textile substrate to provide protection over the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints.