Microstructure arrangement for gripping low coefficient of friction materials

• US 10,889,005 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2019
• Issued: 01/12/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoowaki, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hoowaki, LLC
• Inventors: Hulseman, Ralph A., McPherson, Cameron L., Ravikumar, Nakul
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Catherine A.
• Application Number:
  US16/451,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20190314999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2005/005 Article surface comprising protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/00 Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the special shape of the product
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/08 with one or more parts not made from powder B22F7/062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0028 with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces

Abstract

A microstructure arrangement for gripping low coefficient material comprising: a substrate disposed on a gripping surface; a set of pillars disposed on the substrate; and, wherein the set of pillars have the physical property of a grip force in excess of 50.0N with a contact area of 25% or less as determined by the friction testing method. A first set of pillars can be disposed on the substrate having a cross section area in the range of 100 μm² to 160,000 μm², height relative to the substrate in the range of 10 μm to 400 μm, and a pitch determined from the center of the pillars, in the range of 20 μm to 1000 μm; and a secondary set of pillars disposed on the first set of pillars having a cross section area less than that of the pillars in the first set of pillars.

Claims

1. A microstructure arrangement for gripping a low coefficient of friction material comprising:

a substrate disposed on a gripping surface wherein the substrate has a higher Young'"'"'s modulus than the low coefficient of friction material to be gripped;

a first set of pillars disposed on the substrate with each pillar having a cross section area in the range of 10 μ

m² to 400 μ

m², a height relative to the substrate in the range of 10 μ

m to 400 μ

m, and a pitch determined from the center of the pillars in the range of 20 μ

m to 1000 μ

m;

a second set of pillars disposed on said first set of pillars with each pillar of said second set of pillars having a cross section area less than that of the pillars in said first set of pillars;

wherein said second set of pillars are defined by pillars each having a cross section width from 0.5 μ

m to 100 μ

m, a height of from 1 μ

m to 100 μ

m, and a pitch determined from the center of the second set of pillars in the range of 1 μ

m to 200 μ

m;

wherein said first and second set of pillars are configured to cooperate to have the physical property of a grip force in excess of 50.0N with a contact area of 25% or less, as determined by the friction testing method; and

,

wherein said first and second set of pillars are configured to cooperate to have a coefficient of friction in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.4.

2. The microstructure arrangement of claim 1 wherein said grip force is in excess of 55.0N with a contact area of 20% or less.

3. The microstructure arrangement of claim 1 wherein the grip force in excess of 60.0N with a contact area of 10% or less.

4. The microstructure arrangement of claim 1 wherein said substrate is formed from the material selected from the group consisting of steel, polyester terephthalate, and modified polyester terephthalate.

5. The microstructure arrangement of claim 4 wherein said substrate is steel and the material to be gripped is polytetrafluoroethylene, and wherein said substrate with said first and second set of pillars has a coefficient of friction in the range of 0.7 to 0.9 against said polytetrafluoroethylene.

6. The microstructure arrangement of claim 4 wherein said substrate is steel and the material to be gripped is styrene-butadiene rubber, and wherein said substrate with said first set and second of pillars has a coefficient of friction of about 1.4 against said styrene-butadiene rubber.

7. The microstructure arrangement of claim 4 wherein said substrate is steel and the material to be gripped is Nylon, and wherein said substrate with said first and second set of pillars has a coefficient of friction of about 1.0 against said Nylon.

8. The microstructure arrangement of claim 1 wherein said first set of pillars have an angle of orientation to said substrate of greater than 75 degrees.

9. A microstructure arrangement for gripping a low coefficient of friction material comprising:

a substrate disposed on a gripping surface wherein the substrate has a higher Young'"'"'s modulus than the low coefficient of friction material to be gripped, and wherein the substrate has a coefficient of friction relative to a polymer against steel of about 0.2 or less without any microstructure arrangement;

at least a first set of pillars carried on the substrate with each pillar having a cross section area in the range of 10 μ

m² to 400 μ

m², a height relative to the substrate in the range of 10 μ

m to 400 μ

m, and a pitch determined from the center of the pillars in the range of 20 μ

m to 1000 μ

m; and

,

wherein the at least said first set of pillars define a microstructure arrangement on said substrate configured to provide a coefficient of friction in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.4 against a polymer with said substrate made of steel.

10. The microstructure arrangement of claim 9 wherein the material to be gripped is selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, styrene-butadiene rubber, nylon, high-density polyethylene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester terephthalate, polyacetal resin, silicone rubber, isoprene rubber, thermoplastic elastomers and polyurethane rubbers.

11. The microstructure arrangement of claim 9 wherein said at least said first set of pillars covers at least about 25% of the surface area of a gripping side of said substrate.

12. The microstructure arrangement of claim 9 wherein said at least said first set of pillars have a generally uniform height from the surface of said substrate.