Shoe Outsole Traction Zone with Angled Lugs and Intersecting Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shoe outsoles fail to provide improved traction on wet surfaces due to the lubricating effect of water, which reduces friction, and existing solutions either increase material cost or result in heavy, stiff, and uncomfortable designs.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates sloped or angled traction elements with multi-layered fluid flow channels to deflect and remove water, featuring a combination of ground engaging members with beveled surfaces and intersecting grooves that form channels for water exit, enhancing both traction and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional flat outsole designs are used, then manufacturing is simple, but wet traction is poor due to water lubrication
Solution Approach 1:
The outsole is segmented into multiple functional zones (heel zone with first channel, midfoot zone with second channel, forefoot zone with third channel) and further divided into ground engaging members (lugs) with individual water egress paths. This segmentation allows water to be channeled away from different areas of the outsole simultaneously, maintaining traction across the entire sole while using a relatively simple integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds vertical dimensionality by creating channels that extend from the top surface through to the bottom surface of the outsole, and by incorporating ground engaging members that protrude from the bottom surface. This three-dimensional water egress system allows water to be removed from multiple levels, improving wet traction without requiring a complex assembly of separate components.
2Reliability
If higher friction materials are used, then wet traction improves, but material cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the water lubricant that causes poor traction by incorporating channels that actively remove water from between the outsole and ground surface. This allows the use of standard friction materials rather than requiring expensive high-friction specialized materials, as the water removal mechanism addresses the root cause of wet surface slippage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful water layer into a beneficial flushing mechanism by designing channels that use the water's own movement to carry it away from the traction surface. The water flow that would normally cause slippage is instead directed through channels to clean the outsole surface and maintain contact, eliminating the need for costly material substitutions.
3Reliability
If more ground engaging members are added, then wet traction improves, but weight and stiffness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outsole incorporates ground engaging members (lugs) strategically positioned in zones where they provide maximum traction benefit (heel and forefoot areas), while using fewer or smaller members in midfoot regions. This localized approach provides improved wet traction where most needed without uniformly increasing weight across the entire outsole.
Solution Approach 2:
The outsole structure incorporates a porous or open-channel architecture that allows water and debris to pass through, reducing the need for dense, heavy solid structures. The channel system creates an effective porous pathway network that maintains traction while keeping the overall outsole weight lower than solid lugged designs.
4Productivity
If deeper channels are created for water egress, then water drainage improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outsole channels are designed with predetermined angles and orientations that are optimized for water flow during normal walking or running motion. The heel channel, midfoot channel, and forefoot channel are pre-configured to intercept water at the source and guide it toward egress points, eliminating the need for complex adjustable or precisely variable geometry during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses specific geometric parameters for the channels (such as 45-degree angles for water deflection, specific width-to-depth ratios) that optimize water flow while remaining manufacturable with standard molding or cutting tolerances. These parameter choices balance drainage efficiency with practical manufacturing capabilities, avoiding overly precise or complex geometries.
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 solution effectively increases wet traction while maintaining comfort by efficiently draining water and providing a larger contact area with the ground, reducing wear and improving push-off and braking performance.
Implementation Method 1
Each cleat has sloped top surfaces to facilitate the deflection or flow of water
Implementation Method 2
maintain rubber contact with the ground
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe with an outsole having at least one traction zone, the traction zone including a base surface in a first plane, a plurality of ground engaging members in a second plane and a plurality of intersecting grooves defined by a pair of opposing walls and a groove surface located in a third plane. The base surface includes a plurality of spaced apart base surface elements. The plurality of intersecting grooves are positioned adjacent the plurality of base surface segments and the ground engaging members. The first, second and third planes are positioned elevationally in spaced apart arrangement from one another. The ground engaging members project out beyond the first plane while the intersecting grooves are recessed from the first plane toward a shoe upper. Each of the ground engaging members includes side walls and an angled first surface for contacting the ground.