Running Base Surface Preparation Using Sequential Abrasive Grits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preparing running bases, such as skis and ice skates, often result in uneven surfaces and insufficient hydrodynamic lubrication, leading to suboptimal glide performance, especially at lower temperatures, due to the formation of transverse ripples and reliance on coarse sanding techniques that compromise smoothness.
Innovation Solution
A method involving sequential treatment with progressively finer abrasive materials, followed by lapping abrasives with particle sizes of 40 microns or less, to achieve a uniform micro surface topography, reducing friction and wear while maintaining effective hydrodynamic lubrication, and optionally incorporating rilling for enhanced grip and water management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If coarse sanding techniques are used to prepare running bases, then material is removed quickly, but the surface becomes uneven with transverse ripples that compromise smoothness and hydrodynamic lubrication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the surface preparation process into multiple sequential stages, each using progressively finer abrasives (e.g., 80 grit → 120 grit → 220 grit → 320 grit → 400 grit → 600 grit → 800 grit → 1000 grit → 1200 grit → 1500 grit → 2000 grit). This staged approach allows efficient material removal in early stages while achieving uniform smoothness in later stages, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent systematically changes the particle size parameter of abrasives throughout the process, transitioning from coarse (80 grit, 180 microns) to ultra-fine (2000 grit, 7 microns) particles. This parameter progression enables the surface to evolve from rough to uniformly smooth, simultaneously achieving high material removal efficiency and precise surface uniformity.
2Reliability
If the running base is made smoother to reduce friction, then hydrodynamic lubrication is improved, but insufficient melt water is generated at lower temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a uniformly smooth surface with specific micro-texture characteristics that optimize the balance between friction and melt water generation. The consistent surface quality across the entire running base ensures reliable hydrodynamic lubrication while maintaining adequate friction for melt water formation, even at lower temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical sanding system with a more refined abrasive progression system that uses progressively finer grits. This substitution enables precise control over surface smoothness, achieving the optimal balance between reducing friction for hydrodynamic lubrication and maintaining sufficient friction for melt water generation at various temperatures.
3Reliability
If frequent sanding is performed to maintain smoothness, then glide performance is preserved, but the running base requires frequent maintenance and resurfacing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing a comprehensive multi-stage abrasive treatment that progresses through increasingly fine grits, creating a uniformly smooth surface that is highly resistant to degradation. This thorough initial preparation reduces the frequency of subsequent maintenance needed to preserve glide performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by transitioning through a systematic sequence of abrasive grits (from 80 to 2000), creating a surface with optimized micro-geometry that maintains its smoothness characteristics longer. This parameter progression produces a surface that requires less frequent resurfacing to maintain glide performance.
4Manufacturing precision
If ultra fine polishing is applied to running bases, then surface smoothness is maximized, but hydrodynamic lubrication is compromised due to insufficient friction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite approach by combining multiple abrasive materials with progressively different particle sizes (from coarse 80 grit to ultra-fine 2000 grit) in a sequential treatment process. This composite abrasive system creates a surface that achieves high smoothness while retaining sufficient micro-texture for friction-based melt water generation, preventing the loss of hydrodynamic lubrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent carefully controls parameter changes by progressing through a specific sequence of abrasive grits, stopping at 2000 grit rather than going finer. This parameter control achieves the optimal balance point where surface smoothness is maximized while sufficient friction remains for hydrodynamic lubrication, avoiding the harmful effect of over-polishing.
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
This method significantly improves glide performance and reduces the need for frequent resurfacing by creating a smooth, uniform surface that maintains optimal lubrication and edge sharpness, enhancing speed, control, and extending the life of the running base and skate blades.
Implementation Method 1
a first step in which at least one portion of the running base is sequentially treated with one or more abrasive materials having a progressively smaller particle size
Implementation Method 2
an optional second step in which the at least one portion of the running base is sequentially treated with one or more lapping abrasive materials having a progressively smaller particle size, wherein the final lapping abrasive material in the second step has a particle size of 40 microns or less
Implementation Method 3
reducing friction and wear while maintaining effective hydrodynamic lubrication
Implementation Method 4
the presence of friction is nevertheless indispensable for assisting in the formation of a very thin layer of melt water, which in turn provides boundary lubrication between the surface of the snow or ice and the surface of the running base
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to running bases with improved speed and gliding characteristics when they run over water, snow or ice surfaces or artificial materials that mimic these surfaces. In particular the invention relates to a method comprising sequentially treating at least a portion of the running base with one or more abrasive materials having a progressively smaller particle size.