The present invention generally relates to tribological structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to a surface structure with a unique design that is made entirely of a geometric pattern featuring fractal hexagons to provide optimal surface tribology for a solid object interacting with any other objects and/or environment. The present invention is used as a coating/film or to form the body and surface of a solid object.
An object with a surface designed to provide tribological features and improved finish, including anti-stick characteristics, is in demand.
The surfaces of articles and products can have various beneficial characteristics, and the initial topography of the surfaces used in various objects can vary depending on their intended use. For example, a metal surface may be polished with aluminum oxide to give it a mirror finish. Likewise, an article's surfaces can interact with the environment and/or other objects to form various surface films: a metal surface can interact with the environment to form oxides, nitrides, or hydroxides, and the surface of a rubber tire can produce friction with the road surface, allowing the wheels to exert force on the road that propels the vehicle.
In many circumstances, reducing friction can be important and even critical to achieve desired and/or optimal performance. For example, ice hockey depends on a puck's being able to slide across ice, as does curling. Likewise, a golf ball's surface may be designed to part the air around the golf ball, reducing drag/friction and making the ball travel farther. An airplane's exterior shape and surfaces need to be specifically configured for optimal tribology to achieve high speed and at the same time save energy.
Various product surfaces can include lubricants that reduce friction. Many compounds can be added to conventional oils to act as extreme pressure or anti-wear additives in lubricants. Solid film lubricants can also be applied to surfaces so as to reduce adhesion, friction, and wear.
Various manufacturers have attempted to produce a range of beneficial surface effects through the surface design and treatment of a product, but many times such beneficial effects are limited to a specific product or structure. Thus, there is a need to develop a material and technology that solves these problems.
The present invention is intended to address problems associated with and/or otherwise improve on conventional technology and articles of manufacture through an innovative surface structure that is designed to provide a tribological means of producing various beneficial effects while incorporating other problem-solving features.
The present invention offers a user an innovative hexagonet that can be integrated and/or attached to any solid objects. Once applied to an object, the hexagonet provides a unique surface structure to achieve optimal tribological performance during interactions of the object with any other objects and/or environment. The hexagonet comprises fractal hexagons that can reduce both friction and the force of friction, thereby increasing the performance and reliability of the object by increasing balance and consistency in motion and at rest. Each fractal hexagon comprises regular hexagons in fractal form, with each regular hexagon repeating in a decreasing size, ultimately to a nano scale, thus, can provide a protective surface which is repellent to other matter and will not allow bacteria, germs, water or indeed any kind of particle to adhere to the surface for any period of time. Additionally, the design of the hexagonet provides slippery, anti-fouling and anti-bacterial properties and promotes a decrease in contamination thus enabling the object to be more effective and less hazardous than objects without the present invention.
Positioned on the exterior surface of the object the hexagonet of the present invention creates a tribological effect to significantly reduce friction while creating less heat and disturbance, less contamination and less wear and tear comparing with any other existing objects. The hexagonet can be used to significantly reduce friction between the hexagons and the environment and balance in motion of the object to achieve efficient motion/balance and save energy: faster with less energy than objects without the present invention. Thus, the hexagonet of present invention can achieve versatile applications for the solid object, including, but not limited to, solid-to-solid, solid-to-liquid, and solid-to-air interactions, etc.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
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The applications of the hexagonet include, but are not limited to, solid-to-solid interactions such as surfaces of motor vehicles, gears, engine parts, trains, solid-to-liquid such as boats, pipes, vessels, solid-to-air such as balls, golf clubheads, airplanes, rockets, bullets, etc. The hexagonet can be applied to objects with materials of any density. The hexagonet can be applied to the entire surface of any object, or certain sections of the object (sides, facets, etc.) as deemed appropriate and beneficial. Further, the hexagonet can be applied to an internal layer of the object and/or can be applied gradually. A static product also receives benefit from the non-stick uniform property of the present invention. In a state of rest the product is effectively smooth, thereby repelling matter coming into contact with the surface virtually instantly.
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In some embodiments, the numerous design members of the hexagonet 10 can be impressed onto the surface of the solid object 30 when the hexagonet 10 is injection molded. The hexagonet 10 of the present invention is not subject to any particular limitations on the inner construction of the solid object 30. In short, the invention is applicable to all types of solid object 30, including objects made of a multilayer construction and one or more intermediate layers situated between the core and the cover, which can be made of the hexagonet 10 of the present invention. The hexagonet 10 may be of any shape, size, and material suitable for the solid object 30 or any article that may use the present invention as a cover or an outer surface. Such suitable materials for the solid object 30 that interact with air flow environments (e.g., sports balls, including golf balls) may include, but are not limited to, a thermoplastic material or a blend of thermoplastic material. In some embodiments, ionomer carriers may be used to modify the specific gravity of the thermoplastic blend, controlling the moment of inertia and other like properties. In some embodiments, the multiple effects provided by the fractal hexagon 11 may create access to energy in a cyclical and ongoing condition, effectively recycling and optimizing the energy forces. The multiple effects and benefits of the design and technology of the present invention, as applied to the surface of any relevant product, shall improve the efficiency, cleanliness, and performance characteristics of the product in a multitude of ways. Cleanliness can be improved via the nonstick properties of the solid object 30 surface by creating a lasting antibacterial finish. The surface tribology may also offer benefits related to heat and UV resistance.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 63/068,661 filed on Aug. 21, 2020.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63068661 | Aug 2020 | US |