Weighted Training Equipment with Internal Polymer Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing weighted sports equipment often have external weights that concentrate weight in specific areas, disrupting athletes' balance, timing, and accuracy due to uneven weight distribution.
Innovation Solution
The development of weighted training equipment with a hollow shaft containing weights made from polymer materials of varying densities within the internal cavity, allowing for even weight distribution and increased strength and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If external weights are added to the outside of the shaft, then the weight can be added to the equipment, but the weight becomes heavily concentrated in a specific portion of the shaft, negatively affecting the athlete's balance, timing, and accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The weight is nested inside the hollow shaft rather than attached externally. The hollow shaft contains an internal cavity that receives the weight, creating a nested structure where the weight is enclosed within the shaft. This nesting approach distributes the weight more evenly along the shaft's length and prevents concentrated weighting at specific external locations, thereby maintaining balance, timing, and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The weight is positioned at specific locations within the internal cavity based on training requirements. By controlling the position, orientation, and distribution of the weight inside the cavity, different local quality characteristics can be achieved along the shaft, allowing customization for specific muscle groups or training objectives while maintaining overall balance.
2Weight of moving object
If external weights are added to the shaft, then weight can be added for training, but the heavy concentration of weight in a specific portion interferes with athlete performance
Solution Approach 1:
The weight is nested within the hollow shaft's internal cavity, allowing the athlete to use the equipment with properly distributed weight. This nesting configuration prevents the weight from creating imbalance or interference with the athlete's natural movement patterns, thereby maintaining ease of operation and athletic performance while still providing the desired training resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The density of the weight material can be varied to achieve different weight configurations within the same volume. By changing the density parameter of the weight material, different training intensities and weight distributions can be achieved without altering the external dimensions or balance of the equipment, thus maintaining ease of operation across different training scenarios.
3Ease of manufacture
If the internal cavity is filled with a single density material, then manufacturing is simplified, but the ability to achieve precise weight distribution and balance is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The internal cavity can be divided into multiple segments or zones, each filled with materials of different densities. This segmentation allows for precise control over weight distribution in different portions of the shaft, enabling fine-tuning of balance and weight characteristics while maintaining a systematic manufacturing approach that is not overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
Composite materials consisting of multiple components with different densities can be used to fill the internal cavity. These composite materials allow for precise adjustment of weight distribution and balance characteristics. The composite approach enables manufacturers to achieve high precision in weight distribution while using a unified filling process, balancing manufacturing simplicity with precision requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Training equipment includes a hollow shaft having a sidewall defining an internal cavity and at least one polymer material filling at least a portion of the internal cavity. The polymer material may fill the entire internal cavity of the hollow shaft. The polymer material may be a visco-elastic polymer material or polyurethane. A spacer or a filler may fill at least a portion of the internal cavity. A method of making weighted training equipment with a hollow shaft having a sidewall defining an internal cavity may include injecting a curable composition into at least a portion of the internal cavity. The method may further include curing the curable composition into a polymer material.