Transparent Foam Shoe Sole Member Balancing Weight and Cushioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoe sole members struggle to achieve a balance between being lightweight, providing excellent cushioning properties, and maintaining transparency, which are essential for both functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A shoe sole member is developed using a foam with specific properties, including transparency, an elastic modulus of 0.02 MPa to 1.4 MPa, an expansion ratio of 1 to 3 times, and an average cell diameter of 0.8 mm to 20 mm, produced through a core-back injection molding process that involves injecting a polymer composition with a foaming agent into a heated mold and expanding the cavity to create the foam.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the polymer composition is brought into a foamed state to reduce weight and adjust cushioning properties, then lightweight properties and cushioning performance are improved, but transparency is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the expansion ratio (1.05-3 times), average cell diameter (0.5-20 mm), and elastic modulus (0.02-1.4 MPa) of the foam to achieve a balance between lightweight properties, cushioning performance, and transparency. This allows the foam structure to provide weight reduction and cushioning while maintaining sufficient light transmission for aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a transparent or translucent polymer composition with a foaming agent to create a foam structure that maintains optical properties. The specific polymer composition is selected to ensure both the foam structure provides cushioning and the material remains transparent or translucent, resolving the contradiction between foamed state benefits and transparency loss.
2Strength
If the hardness is adjusted by increasing plasticizer content, then cushioning properties are improved, but density control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the expansion ratio and cell structure of the foam rather than relying solely on plasticizer content to adjust cushioning properties. This approach allows independent control of density and cushioning performance, as the foam structure provides cushioning through its cellular architecture rather than solely through material softness, thereby maintaining better density control.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a soft polymer composition is used for cushioning, then elastic deformability is improved, but the shoe lacks aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting specific polymer compositions and controlling foam parameters (expansion ratio, cell diameter, elastic modulus) to achieve both elastic deformability and transparency. The controlled foam structure provides the necessary elasticity for cushioning while the transparent or translucent nature of the material maintains aesthetic appearance, resolving the contradiction between soft material properties and visual appeal.
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 solution results in a shoe sole member that is lightweight, offers superior cushioning, and maintains transparency, enhancing both the wearability and visual appeal of the shoe by allowing the internal structure to be visible, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.
Implementation Method 1
a core-back step of expanding a volume of the cavity with the injected polymer composition placed therein, the core-back step including foaming the polymer composition to produce a foam
Implementation Method 2
an injection step of injecting a polymer composition including a foaming agent in a heated and molten state into a cavity of a forming mold
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe sole member formed by a foam includes cells having a certain size and being excellent in transparency in order to provide a shoe sole member being lightweight and excellent cushioning properties while having transparency.