Dead Blow Weight Plate with Flowable Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
In weightlifting, unguided drops of heavy weights pose risks of injury to athletes and equipment damage, while meeting tight weight tolerance standards is challenging, leading to increased costs and potential inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A weightlifting device with a hollow insert filled with high mass flowable material, such as lead shot, which absorbs impact and reduces rebound, ensuring controlled weight distribution and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If weights are dropped unguided to complete the lift, then the weightlifter can lift maximum weight, but the weight causes injury risk and equipment damage
Solution Approach 1:
The weight plate incorporates a hollow chamber filled with flowable filler material (such as sand, lead shot, or steel shot) that acts as a cushioning mechanism. When the weight is dropped, the flowable material shifts within the chamber to absorb impact energy, reducing the harmful effects of unguided drops while allowing the weightlifter to lift maximum weight.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If rubber-coated plates are used to reduce damage, then equipment damage is minimized, but the plates rebound higher causing injury
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful rebound effect of rubber-coated plates into a beneficial dampening mechanism. The flowable filler material in the hollow chamber absorbs impact energy and dissipates it through internal friction and material deformation, converting the rebound harmfulness into effective impact reduction, thereby preventing injury while protecting equipment.
3Ease of manufacture
If solid weights are manufactured in a single piece, then manufacturing is simpler, but tight weight tolerance standards cannot be met
Solution Approach 1:
The weight plate is segmented into two main components: an outer shell and an inner hollow chamber containing flowable filler material. This segmentation allows the outer shell to be manufactured with standard tolerances while the filler material can be precisely controlled to achieve the required weight accuracy, thereby meeting tight tolerance standards without excessive manufacturing complexity.
4Manufacturing precision
If labor-intensive operations are used to control cast weights to tight tolerances, then weight accuracy is improved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the weight material from solid to flowable within the hollow chamber. This parameter change allows the weight to be filled with flowable material (such as sand, lead shot, or steel shot) that can be precisely controlled during manufacturing, achieving tight weight tolerances without requiring labor-intensive grinding, milling, or filing operations, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining accuracy.
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 effectively dampens impact, reducing injury risks and equipment damage while maintaining precise weight control within tight tolerance standards, enhancing safety and reducing manufacturing complexities and costs.
Implementation Method 1
When the barbell is dropped, the flowable material shifts within the hollow insert and limits the rebound. In this way, the force of the impact is transmitted solidly to the floor, thus dampening the impact.
Implementation Method 2
the flowable material shifts within the hollow insert and limits the rebound
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides for a weightlifting device as it pertains to the fitness equipment industry. In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a new type of weight to be used in weightlifting. One embodiment provides for a weight plate to be used on barbells. Other configurations are possible, including a fixed-weight dumbbell, a weight plate to be added to the bar of an adjustable dumbbell, a kettlebell, or other weightlifting apparatus. In an embodiment, each weight is manufactured to have an hollow insert in the center of the weight. The hollow insert is filled with a specified volume of relatively high mass flowable material, such as lead shot. When the barbell is dropped, the flowable material shifts within the hollow insert and limits the rebound. In this way, the force of the impact is transmitted solidly to the floor, thus dampening the impact. This feature of dampening the rebound of a device upon impact by utilizing a flowable material within a hollow chamber in the device is sometimes referred to as “dead blow.” The hollow insert may comprise a either a single large chamber for the flowable filler material or have multiple ports through which the flowable filler material is inserted. An additional function of the flowable filling is to help to control the accuracy of the actual required weight of the finished product.