Shoelace Cover Layer Design for Knot Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoelaces have limited variability, insufficient friction, structural weakness, and poor durability due to their smooth surface and flat or round rope designs, making them prone to loosening and easy to break.
Innovation Solution
A shoelace design featuring a core material with a cover layer that covers 30-90% of its outer surface, providing a discontinuous surface with knitted strands and varying mesh sizes for enhanced strength and friction, featuring rib portions and connecting segments for stability and visual appeal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a smooth outer surface is used for the shoelace, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the friction force is insufficient causing the shoelace to loosen easily
Solution Approach 1:
The shoelace surface is designed with local quality variation through the cover layer configuration. The cover layer covers only 30-90% of the core material surface, creating localized textured regions that increase friction where needed (at the surface) while maintaining the simple core structure underneath. This resolves the contradiction by providing high friction force through surface texture without complicating the overall manufacturing process.
2Ease of manufacture
If a flat rope or round rope structure is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the structural strength and durability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The shoelace employs a composite structure consisting of a core material and a cover layer with specific coverage ratio (30-90%). This composite design combines the simplicity of basic rope structures with enhanced structural strength through the layered configuration. The cover layer provides additional durability and strength while the core material maintains the fundamental rope structure, achieving both manufacturing simplicity and improved strength.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the weaving method or color of strands is changed to vary the appearance, then the appearance variability is improved, but the processing steps become complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention achieves appearance variability by changing the coverage ratio parameter of the cover layer (30-90% coverage). This single parameter change provides diverse appearances without requiring complex weaving methods or multiple strand colors. The cover layer can be configured at different coverage levels to create various visual effects, maintaining processing simplicity while achieving appearance versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A shoelace is provided, including: a core material and a cover layer. The core material defines an axial direction, and the cover layer is sleeved on the core material. The cover layer covers 30% to 90% of an area of an outer peripheral surface of the core material. Therefore, the shoelace has a concave-convex outer surface and is not easy to loosen when tied, and provides good structural strength and appearance.