Segmented Snow Sock Thickness Layout for Ice Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Snow socks currently waste excess fabric due to the uneven length requirements and lack of effective traction enhancements on ice and snow surfaces, limiting their performance and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The snow sock design incorporates multiple thickness sections around its circumference, made from various materials, which increase the sock's thickness and traction by attaching or positioning them to enhance grip on ice and snow without wasting leftover fabric, allowing for improved traction and reduced waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If fabric is unwound from rolls to construct snow sock covering, then the covering can be produced, but leftover fabric is wasted because the remaining amount is not long enough to form the necessary circumferential length
Solution Approach 1:
The snow sock covering is divided into multiple covering segments that can be constructed from separate fabric pieces and then joined together. This segmentation allows leftover fabric from different rolls to be utilized in different segments, eliminating the waste problem while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding leftover fabric that is insufficient for a complete covering, the invention recovers and reuses these remnants by incorporating them as individual covering segments. The leftover fabric is thus transformed from waste into a useful component of the final product.
2Reliability
If uniform thickness snow sock is used, then the construction is simple, but the traction performance on ice and snow is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The snow sock incorporates thickness sections with different thicknesses at specific locations around the circumference rather than maintaining uniform thickness. These localized variations in thickness provide enhanced traction at critical contact points while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The snow sock combines multiple materials with different properties - the covering fabric and the thicker traction-enhancing sections may be made from different materials optimized for their specific functions, creating a composite structure that improves overall performance.
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 increased thickness sections enhance traction performance on ice and snow, reducing waste by utilizing leftover fabric and improving vehicle acceleration and grip during initial movement on snowy surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
The increased thickness sections enhance traction performance on ice and snow
Data Source
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AI summary
A snow sock is provided that includes a covering that extends in a circumferential direction. The covering has a thickness and an outer surface. A first thickness section is present and extends along a first arc length, and has a first thickness section inner surface that engages the outer surface of the covering. At least 50% of the first thickness section inner surface engages the outer surface of the covering and/or a first fill element. A second thickness section is also provided and is spaced from the first thickness section. The second thickness section extends in the circumferential direction along a second arc length, and has a second thickness section inner surface that engages the outer surface of the covering. At least 50% of the second thickness section inner surface engages the outer surface of the covering and/or a second fill element.