Slide Fastener Overlay Material Gap Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slide fasteners with water-repellent or oil-repellent properties face issues with flexibility and gap formation at coupling portions under lateral pulling forces, and existing configurations compromise on either liquid-tightness or flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A slide fastener design featuring a pair of fastener tapes with a core member and an elastically deformable overlay material on one surface, where the overlay material extends beyond the centerline, allowing the intermeshing head to compressively deform and maintain contact, preventing gap formation and enhancing flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an overlay material is provided on one surface side of the fastener tape to prevent water or oil entry, then liquid-tightness is improved, but flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The overlay material is selectively provided only on one surface side of the fastener tape rather than both surfaces, creating a localized liquid-repellent layer. This local quality approach maintains liquid-tightness where needed while preserving flexibility in the overall fastener structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlay material is designed with specific physical parameters including elastically deformable properties and a thickness of 1-10 μm. These parameter changes allow the material to be sufficiently thin to maintain flexibility while being thick enough to provide effective liquid-repellent functionality.
2Reliability
If the overlay material thickness is increased to improve liquid-tightness, then liquid-tightness is improved, but flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The overlay material thickness is precisely controlled within the range of 1-10 μm. This parameter optimization ensures the material is thick enough to provide effective liquid-repellent properties but thin enough to maintain the flexibility and deformability required for fastener operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlay material is formed from a composite structure combining the fastener tape base material with an elastically deformable overlay layer. This composite approach allows the overlay to provide liquid-tightness while the elastic deformability maintains flexibility through controlled compression and recovery.
3Reliability
If the fastener element row configuration is changed to prevent gap formation under lateral force, then liquid-tightness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overlay material is preliminarily positioned and configured on the fastener tape surface before the fastening operation. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when lateral forces are applied during normal operation, the overlay material is already in position to prevent gap formation between the fastener elements, eliminating the need for complex additional structural features.
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 design ensures liquid-tightness and flexibility by preventing gap formation at coupling portions even under large lateral forces, while improving the production process for continuous fastener chain production.
Implementation Method 1
an overlay material that has liquid-tightness and is elastically deformable is formed on an entire surface of one of front and rear surfaces of each of the fastener tapes
Implementation Method 2
a water-repellent agent or an oil-repellent agent is attached to the core thread 52
Implementation Method 3
a water-repellent agent or an oil-repellent agent is attached to the core thread 52
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a slide fastener that has a flexible fastener tape, exhibits liquid-tightness, and can prevent a gap from being formed in a coupling portion, and a method of producing the slide fastener. An overlay material is formed on a front surface of a fastener tape so that the overlay material formed on a surface of a core member extends beyond a centerline in a front-rear thickness direction of a tape member. When a pair of fastener element rows engages with each other, a tip of an intermeshing head of a fastener element presses the overlay material formed on the opposite core members.