Contoured Fluid-Filled Chamber for Footwear Midsole
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional polymer foam midsoles in athletic footwear deteriorate with repeated compressions, leading to decreased compressibility and force attenuation, which affects the comfort and performance of the footwear.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a fluid-filled chamber within the midsole, formed by encapsulating a pressurized elastomeric polymer material within the polymer foam, which enhances ground reaction force attenuation and maintains performance over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional polymer foam material is used in the midsole, then the midsole provides initial comfort and cushioning, but the material deteriorates with repeated compressions leading to decreased compressibility and force attenuation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines polymer foam material with a fluid-filled chamber to create a composite midsole structure. The fluid-filled chamber contains a fluid under pressure that provides sustained force attenuation, while the polymer foam provides structural support. This composite approach addresses the deterioration issue by using the fluid's incompressibility to maintain cushioning performance over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a fluid-filled chamber filled with fluid under pressure (hydraulic principle) to provide sustained force attenuation. The fluid pressure within the chamber resists compression forces, maintaining the midsole's cushioning properties over repeated use. This hydraulic mechanism complements the polymer foam to prevent the deterioration that occurs with foam alone.
2Reliability
If a fluid-filled chamber is incorporated into the midsole, then the midsole maintains compressibility and force attenuation characteristics, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid-filled chamber is nested within the polymer foam midsole structure. The chamber is positioned inside the foam material, with the foam serving as both structural support and encapsulation for the fluid chamber. This nesting approach integrates the complex fluid-filled component into the existing midsole design without requiring separate external structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid-filled chamber is enclosed by a flexible membrane or thin film that allows the chamber to expand and contract with foot movement while maintaining fluid pressure. This flexible enclosure simplifies the overall structure by using a thin barrier rather than rigid walls, enabling the chamber to function within the curved anatomy of the foot.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the fluid-filled chamber is pressurized, then the chamber maintains its shape and provides consistent force attenuation, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid-filled chamber is pre-sealed and pre-pressurized during the manufacturing process before being integrated into the footwear. The chamber is filled with fluid and sealed while still in the factory, allowing quality control of the sealing and pressure before final assembly. This preliminary action ensures proper sealing without requiring complex precision during final footwear assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process utilizes controlled parameter changes, such as temperature and pressure, to achieve proper sealing and fluid filling. By controlling these parameters during manufacturing, the chamber can be sealed and pressurized to the correct specifications without requiring extremely tight tolerances in the final assembled product.
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 fluid-filled chamber maintains the midsole's compressibility and force attenuation characteristics, providing improved comfort and performance by resisting deformation and maintaining shape under pressure.
Implementation Method 1
the fluid-filled chamber maintains the midsole's compressibility and force attenuation characteristics, providing improved comfort and performance by resisting deformation and maintaining shape under pressure
Implementation Method 2
Suitable polymer foam materials for the midsole include ethylvinylacetate or polyurethane that compresses resiliently under an applied load to attenuate ground reaction forces
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid-filled chamber (40) may be incorporated into footwear and other products. The chamber is formed from a polymer material that defines a first surface (41), a second surface (42) located opposite the first surface, and a sidewall surface (43) extending around a periphery of the chamber and between the first surface and the second surface. A plurality of bonds (45) are spaced inward from the sidewall surface and join the first surface and the second surface, and the bonds are distributed to form a regularly-spaced array, such as a hexagonal array. In some configurations, the first surface and the second surface may define elliptically-shaped structures between the bonds. In addition, the bonds may be formed to have a slope that is an average of slopes of the first surface and the second surface in areas proximal the bonds.