Shoe Sole Buffer Mounting Structure for Shear Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoes with midsole and buffer members experience excessive shear deformation during grounding due to large shearing forces, which can lead to instability and reduced effectiveness of the buffer mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A sole design featuring a midsole body with a mounting portion that includes a reference surface and protrusions, and a buffer member with recesses that surround the protrusions, allowing for a non-adhesive attachment, where the buffer member is made of a softer material than the midsole body, preventing excessive shear deformation and enhancing stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a soft buffer member is mounted on the midsole body to reduce impact, then the buffer performance is improved, but the buffer member undergoes excessive shear deformation during grounding
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting portion is divided into multiple protrusions that are distributed across the interface between the midsole body and buffer member. This segmentation allows the shear force to be distributed across multiple localized connection points, preventing excessive deformation at any single location while maintaining overall buffer performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection structure is extended from a simple planar interface to a three-dimensional structure with protrusions having specific heights and cross-sectional shapes. This dimensional enhancement provides both vertical anchoring and horizontal resistance to shear forces, improving stability without compromising buffer function.
2Reliability
If the buffer member is made softer to enhance cushioning, then the impact absorption is improved, but the resistance to shear deformation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer member is designed with non-uniform properties: softer material in the main body for impact absorption, and harder material in the protrusions for shear resistance. This local differentiation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting portion utilizes composite construction with regions of different material hardness. The protrusions are formed from material with higher hardness than the main buffer body, creating a composite structure that simultaneously provides cushioning and shear resistance.
3Ease of manufacture
If a non-adhesive mounting method is used to simplify assembly, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the connection stability between midsole and buffer member is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions act as mechanical intermediaries that transfer and distribute loads between the midsole body and buffer member. These geometric features provide a physical mechanism for stable connection without requiring adhesive materials, achieving both assembly simplicity and connection stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions are integrated directly into the molding process of either the midsole or buffer member, allowing the connection structure to be created automatically during manufacturing. This self-forming approach eliminates separate assembly steps while ensuring precise geometric features for stable mounting.
Data Source
AI summary
A sole includes a midsole body and a buffer member made of a material having hardness lower than that of a material constituting the midsole body. A mounting portion that mounts the buffer member is formed on a surface of a rearfoot region of the midsole body. The buffer member is mounted on the mounting portion in a non-adhesive state. One of the mounting portion and the buffer member includes a reference surface and a protrusion. The other of the mounting portion and the buffer member includes a recess. The recess includes a surrounding wall having a shape that entirely surrounds a periphery of the protrusion.