Rubber Wiper Blade with Migrating Friction Reducing Agent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional windscreen wiper blades face a trade-off between abrasion resistance, low friction, and slip properties, with coatings that improve one quality often compromising others, and may wear out over time, increasing friction and reducing performance.
Innovation Solution
A windscreen wiper device with a longitudinally extending wiper strip made of flexible material incorporating a friction reducing agent, such as amides, which migrates to the surface to form a low-friction film that replenishes itself during use, providing hydrophobic properties and reducing noise and water buildup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a coating with hydrophobic properties is applied to the wiper strip, then friction is reduced and lifespan is extended, but the coating wears out over time and becomes costly and difficult to apply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the friction-reducing hydrophobic coating functionality directly into the rubber compound formulation of the wiper strip itself, rather than applying it as a separate coating layer. This merging eliminates the need for separate coating application processes while maintaining the beneficial low-friction properties throughout the service life of the wiper blade.
Solution Approach 2:
The wiper strip is designed to be self-sustaining by incorporating the hydrophobic friction-reducing properties directly into its material composition. The rubber compound itself provides the low-friction surface without requiring external coatings, making the system self-service and eliminating maintenance of separate coating layers.
2Manufacturing precision
If soft rubber is used to achieve exceptional wipe quality, then wipe quality is improved, but frictional resistance increases and lifespan is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by incorporating hydrophobic friction-reducing agents specifically into the rubber compound formulation at the wiper strip surface region. This allows the wiper strip to maintain soft rubber properties for good wipe quality while locally providing low-friction characteristics through the hydrophobic agents, thus extending lifespan without compromising wipe quality.
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 extends the lifespan of the wiper device by minimizing load and maintaining low friction and hydrophobic properties, reducing noise and water accumulation, and enhancing wipe quality under both wet and dry conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Upon vulcanization, a portion of the friction reducing agent migrates to the outer surface of the wiper strip and forms a friction reducing film along an exposed outer surface of the flexible material. In addition, as the friction reducing film wears down during use of the wiper device, portions of the friction reducing agent continuously migrate to the outer surface of the wiper strip to replenish or renew the friction reducing film.
Implementation Method 2
The friction reducing film also has hydrophobic properties, and thus can prevent or reduce the size of water beads, and also prevent the build-up of water, ice, and snow.
Data Source
AI summary
A windscreen wiper device is provided including a longitudinally extending wiper strip of a flexible material. At least one carrier of a spring-like material operatively supports and biases the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration. The windscreen wiper device further includes a connecting device for connection with a wiper arm. The flexible material is formed of flexible material, such as rubber, with a friction reducing agent consisting of at least one amide distributed homogeneously throughout the flexible material. Upon vulcanization, a portion of the friction reducing agent migrates to an outer surface of the flexible material to form a friction reducing film having hydrophobic properties. The friction reducing film provides a low friction interface between the flexible material and a windshield under wet and dry conditions. The low friction minimizes the load on the wiper device and thus extends the life of the wiper device.