Degressive Stress Expander for Explosive Strength Training
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing muscle expanders with linear restoring force in the elastic range are inefficient for training fast and powerful muscle movements, as they require high exertion and are less suitable for rapid muscle contractions.
Innovation Solution
An expander with an anisotropic composite elastic material that changes its geometric structure and self-elastic element orientation during linear expansion, exhibiting a degressive tension behavior to maintain a relatively constant restoring force during muscle movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an isotropic elastic material is used with linear restoring force, then the material follows Hooke's law and provides predictable elastic behavior, but the restoring force increases too rapidly near the end of the elastic range, making training for fast muscle movements inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite elastic material consisting of multiple elastomers with different properties. The first elastomer provides the basic elastic structure, while the second elastomer with embedded granules or gas bubbles modifies the stress-strain behavior to achieve degressive tension characteristics, allowing constant restoring force during muscle movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces heterogeneity into the elastic material by embedding granules or gas bubbles specifically in the second elastomer. This creates local regions with different mechanical properties that collectively produce the desired degressive tension behavior, rather than using a uniformly isotropic material throughout.
2Ease of operation
If the restoring force is linear in the elastic range, then the force is proportional to linear expansion, but the exertion required becomes excessively high when the arm is flexed due to unfavorable muscle angle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the elastic modulus parameter of the material during deformation. By using the composite structure with granules or gas bubbles, the effective elastic modulus decreases as the material stretches, causing the restoring force to increase more slowly and remain manageable throughout the range of motion, especially during flexed positions.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the elastic modulus is constant in the elastic range, then the material provides uniform resistance, but the restoring force intensifies too much near the end of the elastic range, reducing training effectiveness for rapid contractions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the elastic modulus dynamic rather than static. The composite structure with embedded granules or gas bubbles causes the elastic modulus to change during deformation, specifically decreasing as the material stretches. This dynamic behavior allows the restoring force to remain relatively constant during muscle movement, optimizing power transfer for rapid contractions.
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 expander effectively supports training of fast and powerful muscle movements by maintaining a constant or decreasing restoring force, reducing the exertion required and enhancing the efficiency of rapid muscle contractions.
Implementation Method 1
The composite material has an anisotropic structure. The anisotropy, i.e., the property of having different material properties in different spatial directions, changes during linear expansion.
Implementation Method 2
an elastic element (110) made of an elastic composite material (10, 11) which exhibits a degressive tension behavior
Implementation Method 3
The expander effectively supports training of fast and powerful muscle movements by maintaining a constant or decreasing restoring force
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an expander (100) for training the muscles, especially the fast-acting muscle fibers, having an elastic element (110) that can be expanded against its restoring force for the purpose of training, as well as to a method for manufacturing such an expander.According to the invention, the elastic element (110) consists of a composite of at least two different elastic materials (120, 130), with a first elastic material (120) being instantiated as a closed line pattern with an offset or non-offset four-fold or with a six-fold unit cell (E), with the closed line pattern being instantiated as boundary lines (121) of the tiles (122) of a tiling pattern, and with another elastic material (130) filling out the surfaces of the tiles (121).The structure of the elastic element results in stress-strain diagrams with different gradients in different extension sections that are flatter in the working range and can therefore be used advantageously for training explosive strength and speed.