CONTROLLING FRICTION CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT MEMBERS USING NEAR-SURFACE MICROSTRUCTURES
First Claim
1. A resilient member having an anisotropic near-surface architecture, said resilient member comprising:
- a unitary body constructed of an elastomeric material, said unitary body comprising;
a backing layer having a lower surface and an upper surface;
a plurality of ridge members extending from said upper surface of said backing layer, each of said plurality of ridge members being elongated along said upper surface and terminating in a distal end; and
a contact film layer joined to said distal ends of said plurality of ridge members.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Resilient members having near-surface architectures including microstructures for controlling friction are provided. A film-terminated array of fibrils having a sharp film/fibril juncture exhibits an unexpectedly large enhancement of adhesion, static friction and sliding friction. The enhancement is provided against so rough indenters. A film-terminated array of elongated ridges and valleys unexpectedly exhibits low adhesion, and an unexpectedly large enhancement of sliding friction. The film-terminated ridge/valley design provides an anisotropic structure with direction-dependent frictional properties. The increase in sliding friction force varies as a function of interfibrillar spacing, and corresponds to a mode is in which buckling of the terminal film occurs. The near surface architectures may be designed with varying scales and varying parameters to provide performance characteristics tailored to various applications. By way of example, the film-terminated ridge/valley array may be incorporated in motor vehicles tires to provide low rolling resistance and high sliding friction allow for high-performance braking during vehicle operation.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A resilient member having an anisotropic near-surface architecture, said resilient member comprising:
a unitary body constructed of an elastomeric material, said unitary body comprising; a backing layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; a plurality of ridge members extending from said upper surface of said backing layer, each of said plurality of ridge members being elongated along said upper surface and terminating in a distal end; and a contact film layer joined to said distal ends of said plurality of ridge members. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11-15. -15. (canceled)
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16. A resilient member having a near-surface architecture for providing enhanced friction characteristics, said resilient member comprising:
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a backing layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; an array of support members, each support member of said array extending a distance (D) from said upper surface of said backing layer and having a cross-sectional profile, adjacent ones of said array of spaced support members being separated by a spacing (S); and a film layer joined to said distal ends of said plurality of support members, said film layer having a thickness; wherein said backing layer, said array of support members, and said film layer are constructed of materials having respective material properties; and wherein materials, distance, said cross-sectional profile, said spacing, and said film layer thickness are selected in combination to cause folding of at least one of said array of support members and said film layer in response to a predetermined loading condition of said resilient member. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A resilient member having a near-surface architecture imparting enhanced static friction properties, said resilient member comprising:
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a backing layer having a lower surface and an upper surface, said backing layer defining a thickness between said lower and upper surfaces; a plurality of fibrils arranged in an array, each of said plurality of extending from said upper surface of said backing layer and terminating in a distal end; and a contact film layer joined to said distal ends of said plurality of fibrils by a sharp juncture. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29)
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22. (canceled)
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26. (canceled)
Specification