Flexural Load-Bearing Strap With Differential Stretch for Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional straps and harnesses cause discomfort and inefficiency in load distribution due to edges digging into the body, lack of conformity to body shape, and inadequate breathability, leading to issues such as pain, fatigue, and restricted movement, particularly in applications like military gear, duty belts, and prosthetic limb attachments.
Innovation Solution
A textile assembly with a stretch substrate and patterned laminate that includes holes and gaps to create a gradient of flexibility and compliance, enhancing breathability and load distribution while conforming to the body's shape, using a combination of stretch and non-stretch materials to transition smoothly across the width.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If wider straps are used to distribute load more effectively, then load distribution is improved, but movement is restricted and the strap may gap and lose contact at edges
Solution Approach 1:
The strap incorporates zones of differential stretch where different portions of the strap have different elastic properties. The central load-bearing portion has limited stretch to maintain load support, while edge portions have increased stretch to allow movement and maintain contact with the body, resolving the contradiction between load distribution and movement freedom
2Object-affected harmful factors
If padding is added to provide relief from load weight, then comfort is improved, but movement and body function are impaired due to bulkiness
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding physical padding that increases bulk, the invention changes the mechanical parameters of the strap material itself by incorporating elastic fibers and zones of differential stretch. This provides pressure relief through material compliance rather than added thickness, maintaining movement capability while reducing harmful pressure effects
3Force
If conventional straps are used to bear heavy loads, then load-bearing capability is achieved, but edges dig into the body causing pain and fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The strap features zones of differential stretch with the edges having higher elasticity than the center. This allows the edges to stretch and conform to body contours under load, distributing pressure more evenly and preventing the digging-in effect while maintaining overall load-bearing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The strap incorporates dynamic elastic properties that allow it to adapt to body movement and deformation. The zones of differential stretch enable the strap to dynamically adjust its shape and pressure distribution as the body moves, preventing edge digging while maintaining load support
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 textile assembly provides improved comfort and load distribution by reducing pressure points and enhancing breathability, minimizing edge digging, and allowing natural movement, thereby reducing fatigue and discomfort in load-bearing applications.
Implementation Method 1
a stretch textile substrate and a patterned textile laminate. The stretch textile substrate has a width extending from a first edge to a second edge. The patterned textile laminate is formed of one or more non-stretch or low-stretch materials, and is coupled to the stretch textile substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Textile assemblies may be incorporated into a textile strap and include a stretch textile substrate and a patterned textile laminate. The textile substrate has a width extending from a first edge to a second edge. The patterned textile laminate is non-stretch or low-stretch, and coupled to the stretch textile substrate. The patterned textile laminate has a plurality of holes formed therethrough, configured to enhance breathability of the textile assembly. A span of the patterned textile laminate has a plurality of gaps formed therethrough to create a gradient of flexibility and compliance within the span of the patterned textile laminate, such that the stretch of the textile assembly varies along a continuum across the width of the textile assembly. Straps and/or harnesses of various uses may incorporate such textile assemblies, including harnesses for supporting prosthetic limbs, climbing and safety harnesses, and military or policy duty belts.