Flexible Strap Aperture Design for Sports Equipment Securement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing securement mechanisms for sports equipment, such as bicycles, are prone to detachment and damage when traveling over rough terrain, and they often compromise between security and ease of use, with standard straps being susceptible to cracking under stress.
Innovation Solution
A flexible strap with an elongate body featuring apertures with a greater cross-sectional area than the spacer area, providing enhanced strength and durability, and a beveled design to reduce stress concentrations, allowing for secure attachment to carriers while maintaining ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard straps are used for securing sports equipment, then the securement mechanism is simple and easy to manufacture, but the straps are susceptible to cracking under stress and prone to detachment over rough terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The strap features apertures with greater cross-sectional area than the spacer area, creating local reinforcement zones that concentrate strength where needed (at the aperture edges) while maintaining flexibility in other areas. This local quality enhancement prevents cracking under stress without requiring the entire strap structure to be more complex or rigid.
Solution Approach 2:
The apertures incorporate beveled edges that transition from flat to curved surfaces, reducing stress concentrations at sharp corners. The beveled design creates a gradual curvature that distributes tensile stress more evenly around the aperture perimeter, preventing crack initiation and propagation while maintaining the overall strap simplicity.
2Strength
If reinforced strap design with larger aperture cross-sectional area is implemented, then stress distribution is improved and cracking is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention specifies precise geometric parameters for the apertures, including the cross-sectional area being greater than the spacer area and the inclusion of beveled edges at specific angles. These parameter definitions provide clear manufacturing targets that can be achieved through standard fabrication processes, balancing strength requirements with manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than reinforcing the entire strap uniformly (which would increase manufacturing complexity), the design applies local quality enhancement only at the aperture regions where stress concentration occurs. This targeted approach maintains ease of manufacture for the majority of the strap while providing necessary strength at critical locations.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If beveled design is added to reduce stress concentrations, then strap lifespan is extended, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The beveled edges create a controlled curvature transition that is easier to manufacture with standard tolerances compared to sharp corners or complex three-dimensional contours. The bevel geometry provides a practical balance between stress reduction effectiveness and manufacturability, achieving extended strap lifespan without excessive precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention defines specific geometric parameters for the beveled edges, including angle and dimensions, that can be achieved through conventional manufacturing processes. These parameter specifications ensure consistent stress distribution benefits while maintaining reasonable manufacturing precision standards for production environments.
Data Source
AI summary
Flexible straps for a carrier include a strap body having a top, bottom, two lateral and two end surfaces. The strap body has a lengthwise axis, a widthwise axis and a thickness axis. At least one aperture can extend through the strap body from the top to the bottom surface and can be space apart from each other along the lengthwise axis by a spacer portion. The flexible strap includes a spacer cross-sectional area defined by an area of a cross-section of the spacer portion cut by a plane oriented orthogonally to the lengthwise axis. The flexible strap includes an aperture cross-sectional area defined by an area of a cross-section taken at a widthwise widest point of at least one of the apertures cut by a plane oriented orthogonally to the lengthwise axis. The aperture cross-sectional area is greater than at least two-thirds of the spacer cross-sectional area.