Traction Element Coring Process for Athletic Shoe Studs

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for manufacturing traction elements for athletic shoes are time-consuming and material-wasteful, requiring drilling or boring to remove excess material, which also necessitates frequent tool sharpening or replacement.

Innovation Solution

A coring process is used to manufacture traction elements, where a metal insert is cast into a stud body, forming an interior cavity, reducing weight and cooling time while meeting performance and material standards, and a retainer is used for structural integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If drilling or boring is used to remove excess material from the stud body, then the interior cavity is formed, but the manufacturing time increases and material waste occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterior cavity formationVSAvoidmanufacturing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of casting the complete stud body and then removing material through drilling or boring, the patent inverts the process by first forming a core (cavity defining element) and then casting the stud body material around it. This creates the interior cavity as a void space from the beginning, eliminating the need for subsequent material removal operations and significantly reducing manufacturing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The core is placed in the casting mold before the stud body material is poured in. This preliminary placement of the cavity-defining element ensures the interior cavity is formed during the casting process itself, rather than requiring a separate post-casting operation to remove material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Volume of moving object

If drilling or boring is used to remove excess material from the stud body, then the interior cavity is formed, but material waste increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterior cavity formationVSAvoidmaterial waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of casting the complete stud body and then removing material through drilling or boring, the patent inverts the process by first forming a core (cavity defining element) and then casting the stud body material around it. This creates the interior cavity as a void space from the beginning, eliminating the need for subsequent material removal operations and significantly reducing manufacturing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The core acts as a removable placeholder that defines the interior cavity space. After the casting process completes and the stud body solidifies around the core, the core is extracted or removed, leaving the desired hollow interior cavity. This approach only uses the minimum necessary material for the final product.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Volume of moving object

If drilling or boring tools are used, then the interior cavity is formed, but tool maintenance frequency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterior cavity formationVSAvoidtool maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical drilling or boring process with a casting process. Instead of using rotating cutting tools to remove material, the invention uses a mold cavity and pouring material to form the stud body around a core. This substitution eliminates the need for sharp cutting edges and reduces tool maintenance requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of casting the complete stud body and then removing material through drilling or boring, the patent inverts the process by first forming a core (cavity defining element) and then casting the stud body material around it. This creates the interior cavity as a void space from the beginning, eliminating the need for subsequent material removal operations and significantly reducing manufacturing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Strength

If the stud body is cast with solid material, then structural integrity is achieved, but cooling time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidcooling time

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The stud body is segmented into a solid outer shell and a hollow interior cavity. The casting material forms a relatively thin-walled structure around the core, which allows heat to dissipate more quickly from the material. This segmentation maintains sufficient structural integrity for the traction element's function while dramatically reducing the mass that needs to cool down.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of casting the complete stud body and then removing material through drilling or boring, the patent inverts the process by first forming a core (cavity defining element) and then casting the stud body material around it. This creates the interior cavity as a void space from the beginning, eliminating the need for subsequent material removal operations and significantly reducing manufacturing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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 coring process enhances manufacturing efficiency, reduces material waste, and maintains performance standards by forming the interior cavity around the metal insert, providing a strong structural connection and faster cooling times.

Implementation Method 1

The casting material is injected into the casting cavity and cooled to form the stud body

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Data Source

PatentUS11618073B2Method for manufacturing a traction element using a coring process

Publication Date: 2023.04.04 PRIDE MANUFACTURING CO LLC

AI summary

Various embodiments for a traction element used with athletic shoes having a stud body with a metal insert that extends axially from the stud body and methods for manufacturing such traction elements are disclosed.