Low-Thickness Braided Jackets With Flattened Strands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional braided cords with a central core surrounded by a braided jacket suffer from rigidity, thickness, and surface roughness issues, which limit their flexibility and functionality, especially in applications where space is limited, such as medical textiles.
Innovation Solution
The development of core-sheath structures with a selectively flattened braided sheath that dynamically conforms to the core's surface, allowing for controlled texture and reduced thickness, achieved by shaping untwisted strands with a cross-sectional aspect ratio of at least 3:1 and using synthetic fibers with a tensile strength greater than 12 cN/dtex.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional braided jackets are formed by braiding twisted strands, then the jacket provides structural integrity and protection, but the jacket becomes rigid and thick
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and geometric parameters of the strands by flattening them before braiding. The flattened strands have a reduced cross-sectional dimension perpendicular to the braid direction, which directly reduces the jacket thickness while maintaining the protective function through the braided structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin flattened strands as the building blocks of the braided jacket, creating a thin-film-like structure that provides protection with minimal thickness. The flattened geometry allows the strands to pack more efficiently and create a thinner overall jacket structure.
2Volume of moving object
If the braided jacket thickness is reduced, then the volume and diameter of the cord are minimized, but the load-bearing capacity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining flattened strands with specific braiding patterns and core structures. The flattened strands are arranged in a braided configuration that optimizes load distribution, allowing the jacket to contribute to load-bearing capacity while maintaining minimal thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the jacket structure into multiple flattened strands arranged in a braided pattern, where each strand contributes to the overall load-bearing capacity. This segmentation allows for efficient stress distribution across the thin jacket structure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If twisted strands are used in the braided jacket, then the strands resist flattening and maintain structural form, but the surface roughness increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using twisted strands that naturally resist flattening, the patent inverts the approach by using flattened strands that are specifically engineered to maintain their flattened geometry during braiding. This inversion of the conventional strand geometry eliminates the surface roughness issue while maintaining structural stability.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are methods for producing core-sheath structures by shaping at least one filament bundle containing a plurality of filaments to form at least one shaped strand of filaments, and braiding a plurality of strands, including the at least one shaped strand of filaments, over a core to form the core-sheath structure containing a braided sheath of the strands surrounding the core, wherein the shaped strand of filaments is an untwisted strand having a twist level of less than 1 turn per meter, a cross-sectional aspect ratio of the shaped strand of filaments is at least 3:1, as measured in the braided sheath, a thickness of at least a portion of the braided sheath ranges from about 10 to about 200 μm, and the braided sheath comprises a synthetic fiber having a tensile strength of greater than 12 cN/dtex. Also disclosed herein are core-sheath structures formed by such methods.