Footwear Bladder with Inner Bonds for Oscillation Dampening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid-filled chambers in footwear midsoles fail to adequately dampen foot oscillations while providing acceptable cushioning and attenuating ground-reaction forces.
Innovation Solution
A bladder design for footwear that includes a plate with tensile layers and barrier layers, where the tensile layers are joined through the plate with inner bonds, and the barrier layers are joined to the tensile layers to form fluid-filled chambers with different pressures and shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fluid-filled chamber is designed to provide cushioning by compressing resiliently under applied load, then ground-reaction forces are attenuated, but foot oscillations are not adequately dampened
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid-filled chamber is divided into multiple compartments by partitions, with each compartment containing a different fluid or having different characteristics. This segmentation allows each compartment to contribute differently to the overall performance, providing both cushioning and oscillation dampening through the combined effect of multiple specialized sections
Solution Approach 2:
The chamber incorporates composite construction with layers of different materials including fluid-resistant layers, tensile layers, and potentially viscoelastic materials. This composite structure enables the chamber to simultaneously provide resilient compression for cushioning while dissipating oscillation energy through the combined properties of different materials
2Strength
If the fluid-filled chamber is pressurized to increase support for the foot, then cushioning responsiveness is improved, but oscillation dampening capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the chamber are designed with different fluid pressures or fluid types. Areas requiring higher support are pressurized more or contain stiffer fluids, while areas requiring oscillation dampening contain less pressurized or more viscous fluids. This local differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of support and oscillation control in different zones
Solution Approach 2:
The chamber design utilizes fluids with varying viscosity, compressibility, and pressure characteristics. By selecting and positioning fluids with different physical parameters throughout the chamber structure, the system achieves both high support in critical areas and effective oscillation dampening in other areas through parameter variation
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 bladder effectively dampens foot oscillations, provides enhanced cushioning, and attenuates ground-reaction forces by utilizing the unique configuration of the tensile and barrier layers.
Implementation Method 1
the chamber is pressurized with a fluid, such as air, and may incorporate tensile members to retain a desired shape of the chamber when pressurized
Implementation Method 2
compressing resiliently under an applied load to attenuate ground-reaction forces
Implementation Method 3
fails to adequately dampen oscillations by the foot as the fluid-filled chamber compresses to attenuate ground-reaction forces
Data Source
AI summary
A bladder for an article of footwear includes a plate, a first tensile layer disposed adjacent to a first side of the plate, and a second tensile layer disposed on an opposite side of the plate from the first tensile layer, the second tensile layer joined to the first tensile layer through the plate by a plurality of inner bonds. The bladder additionally includes a first barrier layer disposed adjacent to the first tensile layer and joined to the first tensile layer by a plurality of first outer bonds to form a first chamber, one or more of the first outer bonds interposed between adjacent ones of the inner bonds.