Pre-preg Flange Injection Molded Surfboard Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fin mounts for water sports boards are prone to failure under stress, are heavy, and lack sufficient bonding with the board, leading to a suboptimal strength-to-weight ratio and increased board weight.
Innovation Solution
A board insert featuring a pre-preg flange extending radially from a central injection molded housing, serving as an intermediate bonding structure between the housing and an external polymer coating, enhancing structural properties and bonding strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional fin mounts are used to attach fins to surfboards, then the fin mounting process is simplified and fins can be detachably secured, but the fin mounts fail under stress and increase the overall weight of the surfboard
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite construction consisting of an injection-molded housing (typically polymer) combined with a pre-preg flange (fiber-reinforced composite material). This composite structure provides both the ease of detachable fin mounting and the bonding strength to withstand surfing stresses, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and structural reliability.
2Ease of operation
If conventional fin mounts are used to attach fins to surfboards, then the fin mounting process is simplified, but the fin mounts are heavy and increase the overall weight of the surfboard
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-preg flange made of fiber-reinforced composite material provides high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing the fin mount to maintain structural integrity while minimizing weight addition to the surfboard, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and weight reduction.
3Strength
If fins are glued directly to the board surface and reinforced with fiberglass patches, then bonding is achieved, but the process is labor intensive, time consuming and does not yield sufficient bond
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-preg flange is pre-impregnated with resin and pre-formed with fiber reinforcement before installation. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for labor-intensive on-site fiberglass patching and resin application, significantly improving productivity while ensuring consistent, high-strength bonding between the fin mount and surfboard.
4Reliability
If the pre-preg flange is used as an intermediate bonding structure, then bonding strength and strength-to-weight ratio are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the housing and flange into a single integrated fin mount component, where the pre-preg flange is molded as an integral part of the housing structure. This consolidation maintains the bonding strength benefits of the pre-preg construction while reducing overall device complexity by eliminating separate components and assembly steps.
Data Source
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AI summary
An insert for a water sports board, wherein the insert includes a pre-preg flange extending outwardly from an injection molded central housing to provide enhance structural properties of the insert, as well as enhanced intermediate bonding between the injection molded central housing and a surface polymer. The pre-preg flange further improves the strength to weight ratio when compared to conventional inserts.