Footwear Sole Plate Geometry for Independent Flexion and Propulsion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear often lacks improved cushioning systems and structural characteristics, such as sole plates that provide rigidity or spring-like properties, leading to a desire for enhanced comfort and fit.
Innovation Solution
A sole plate design for footwear featuring a forefoot region with a medial side, lateral side, widest section, and narrowest section, including an outer edge with peaks and valleys, ribs, and apertures, constructed from materials like thermoplastic polyurethane and carbon fiber, to enhance stability and propulsion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional sole is used without a sole plate, then the footwear is simpler and easier to manufacture, but the sole lacks sufficient rigidity, stability, and propulsion
Solution Approach 1:
The sole plate is constructed from composite materials including thermoplastic polyurethane and carbon fiber, combining the durability and flexibility of thermoplastic polyurethane with the high strength-to-weight ratio of carbon fiber to achieve enhanced rigidity and propulsion while maintaining manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The sole plate is divided into distinct regions including a forefoot region with medial and lateral sides, a midfoot region, and a heel region, with each segment optimized for specific functions such as independent flexion in the forefoot and stability in the heel, allowing the complex structure to be systematically organized
2Reliability
If a sole plate with peaks and valleys is used, then the footwear provides improved cushioning and spring-like properties, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The outer edge of the sole plate features a series of peaks and valleys with curved surfaces that provide spring-like properties and cushioning through elastic deformation, where the curved geometry naturally distributes stress and enhances energy return while being manufacturable through molding processes
Solution Approach 2:
The sole plate incorporates varying thickness parameters and material density distributions across different regions, with thicker sections under high-stress areas and optimized curvature radii for the peaks and valleys, allowing cushioning performance to be tuned through parameter optimization rather than complex structural additions
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sole plate allows independent flexion of medial and lateral sides, then the footwear provides a more customizable fit, but the structural design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The forefoot region of the sole plate is designed with different structural characteristics on the medial and lateral sides, including varying peak heights, valley depths, and curvature radii optimized for the specific biomechanical requirements of each side, allowing independent flexion and customization for diverse foot types through localized structural variation
Data Source
AI summary
A sole plate for a sole structure of an article of footwear, the sole plate including a forefoot region including a toe end at the distal end of the forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region including a heel end at the distal end of the heel region. The sole plate further including a medial side, a lateral side, a widest section, and a narrowest section. The sole plate defines an outer edge, and the outer edge includes a first plurality of peaks and a first plurality of valleys. The first plurality of peaks and the first plurality of valleys are located on the lateral side of the forefoot region, and the first plurality of peaks and the first plurality of valleys are disposed between the widest section of the sole plate and the toe end of the sole plate.