Patterned Adhesive Laminate Structure for Flexible Quiet Textiles

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional laminated articles with uniformly bonded layers suffer from stiffness, noise, and residual lamination stresses, which affect the performance and comfort of waterproof, breathable garments, particularly in applications requiring flexibility and noise control.

Innovation Solution

A laminated article with a non-uniform adhesive pattern featuring adhesive regions and regions substantially free of adhesive, allowing preferential bending and reducing stiffness and noise, while maintaining waterproof and breathable properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If layers are uniformly bonded with adhesive, then layer bonding strength is improved, but garment stiffness and noise increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelayer bonding strengthVSAvoidgarment flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive layer is segmented into discrete adhesive regions separated by unbonded regions, creating a patterned adhesive distribution. This segmentation allows the laminate to maintain bonding strength at adhesive regions while gaining flexibility and noise reduction at unbonded regions, resolving the contradiction between uniform bonding strength and garment flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the adhesive layer are given different properties: adhesive regions provide strong bonding, while unbonded regions provide flexibility and noise reduction. This local differentiation of properties allows the laminate to simultaneously achieve both strong bonding and garment flexibility where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Strength

If layers are uniformly bonded with adhesive, then layer bonding strength is improved, but garment noise increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelayer bonding strengthVSAvoidgarment noise

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive layer is segmented into discrete adhesive regions separated by unbonded regions, creating a patterned adhesive distribution. This segmentation allows the laminate to maintain bonding strength at adhesive regions while gaining flexibility and noise reduction at unbonded regions, resolving the contradiction between uniform bonding strength and garment flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the adhesive layer are given different properties: adhesive regions provide strong bonding, while unbonded regions provide flexibility and noise reduction. This local differentiation of properties allows the laminate to simultaneously achieve both strong bonding and garment flexibility where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If layers are fully bonded, then laminate stability is improved, but stretch properties deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelaminate stabilityVSAvoidstretch properties

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive layer is segmented into discrete adhesive regions separated by unbonded regions, creating a patterned adhesive distribution. This segmentation allows the laminate to maintain bonding strength at adhesive regions while gaining flexibility and noise reduction at unbonded regions, resolving the contradiction between uniform bonding strength and garment flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The unbonded regions provide dynamic movement capability, allowing the laminate to stretch and flex as needed while adhesive regions maintain structural stability. This dynamic characteristic enables the laminate to adapt to garment movement while maintaining overall stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS9121130B2Laminated articles having discontinuous bonded regions

Publication Date: 2015.09.01 WL GORE & ASSOC INC

AI summary

Laminated articles that include a first textile and a functional film layer bonded together by an adhesive layer having a non-uniform adhesive pattern is provided. The non-uniform adhesive pattern creates regions free or substantially free of adhesive that permits the laminate to preferentially bend in those regions. The adhesive regions, together with the non-adhesive regions, create a visible pattern on the surface of the laminate. A second textile may optionally be bonded to the functional film layer opposing the first textile by an adhesive. The first textile or the film layer may be elastic, shrinkable, or expandable. In such embodiments, raised portions of the laminate corresponding to the non-adhesive regions and curled portions corresponding to the adhesive regions are visible. The laminated article is waterproof, liquid-proof, breathable, and aesthetically pleasing and demonstrates a reduction in stiffness, improved insulation properties, improved stretch properties and a reduction of noise associated with bending the article.