MICROSTRUCTURE ARRANGEMENT FOR GRIPPING LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION MATERIALS

• US 20190314999A1
• Filed: 06/25/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,889,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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;

at least 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 600 μ

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

m to 1000 μ

m;

wherein the at least said first 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 the at least said first 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 a second set of pillars are 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.

3. The microstructure arrangement of claim 2 wherein said second set of pillars are defined by pillars each having a cross section width from 0.5 μ

m² to 100 μ

m², 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

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

5. The microstructure arrangement of claim 2 wherein the first set of pillars and the second set of pillars are configured to cooperate to have the physical property touch aesthetic that is painless as determined by the tactile testing method.

6. The microstructure arrangement of claim 2 wherein the grip force in excess of 60.0N with a contact area of 10% or less.

7. 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.

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

9. The microstructure arrangement of claim 7 wherein said substrate is steel and the material to be gripped is SBR, and wherein said substrate with at least said first set of pillars has a coefficient of friction of about 1.4 against said SBR.

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

11. 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.

20. The microstructure arrangement of claim 1 wherein the at least said first set of pillars are arranged in a rectangular lattice.

12. 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 without a microstructure arrangement has a coefficient of friction relative to a polymer against steel of about 0.2 or less;

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 600 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 a substrate made of steel.

13. The microstructure arrangement of claim 12 wherein the material to be gripped is selected from the group consisting of PTFE, SBR, Nylon, HDPE, PE, PP, PET, POM, ABS, polycarbonate, silicone rubber, isoprene rubber, thermoplastic elastomers and polyurethane rubbers.

14. The microstructure arrangement of claim 12 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.

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

16. 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;

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 600 μ

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

m to 1000 μ

m;

wherein the at least said first set of pillars define a microstructure arrangement on said substrate configured to provide 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 the substrate is made of steel and the material to be gripped is human skin.

17. The microstructure arrangement of claim 16 wherein the grip force is increased as the contact area of the at least said first set of pillars is decreased.

18. The microstructure arrangement of claim 16 wherein the grip force is in excess of 60.0N with a contact area of 10% or less.

19. The microstructure arrangement of claim 16 wherein the grip force is in about 78.0N with a contact area of about 2%.