3D-Printed Shoe Sole Structure With Tilting Grip Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shoe soles do not adequately enhance grip performance beyond what is provided by columnar protrusions, necessitating further improvements.
Innovation Solution
A sole structure with longitudinally extending columnar portions featuring protrusions on their outer circumferential surfaces, which tilt and engage with the ground for enhanced grip, utilizing 3D printing technology to integrate these features into a single, elastic body that functions as both midsole and outsole.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple columnar protrusions are provided at the lower surface of the sole, then anti-slip properties and grip properties are improved, but grip performance can be further enhanced by adding protrusions on the outer circumferential surface of the columnar portions
Solution Approach 1:
The sole structure is segmented into multiple functional components: columnar protrusions for initial ground contact and additional circumferential protrusions on the columnar portions for enhanced grip. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while working together to improve overall grip performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional ground-contact surface to a three-dimensional structure by adding protrusions on the outer circumferential surface of the columnar portions. This dimensional change enables the protrusions to engage with the ground in multiple directions, significantly enhancing grip performance beyond what a flat surface could provide.
2Reliability
If the columnar portions are made to tilt under load to engage protrusions with the ground, then grip performance is improved, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The columnar portions are designed with dynamic tilting capability that allows them to rotate or tilt under load to engage the circumferential protrusions with the ground. This dynamic behavior enables the structure to adapt to varying loading conditions while maintaining stability through the engagement mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The sole structure utilizes composite material properties to achieve both flexibility for tilting and rigidity for stability. The material composition allows the columnar portions to tilt under load while maintaining structural integrity, and the engaged protrusions provide additional stabilizing contact points with the ground.
3Manufacturing precision
If the sole body is integrally formed with columnar portions and protrusions through 3D printing, then manufacturing complexity increases, but production efficiency and precision are improved
Solution Approach 1:
The sole body, columnar portions, and circumferential protrusions are merged into a single integrally formed structure through 3D printing. This combining of multiple components into one piece eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly steps, improving integration precision while the additive manufacturing process manages the overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical manufacturing processes (molding, assembling multiple parts) are replaced with additive manufacturing (3D printing). This substitution enables complex integrated geometries to be manufactured directly as single pieces, achieving high integration precision while the digital manufacturing process provides control over the overall production complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The sole structure for a shoe further increases grip performance. The sole structure includes a longitudinally extending sole body. The sole body has a plurality of columnar portions provided at the lower surface of the sole body. The bottom surface of the respective columnar portions has a ground-contact surface. The outer circumferential surface of the respective columnar portions has a plurality of protrusions that protrude laterally.