The invention generally relates to a rubber composite, a rubber sole, and a manufacturing method thereof. Particularly, the invention relates to a rubber composite for use in the outsole or insole of shoes, a rubber sole, and a manufacturing method thereof.
In order to make the user feel comfortable and reduce wearing burden, footwear soles often use elastic materials, such as rubber. However, in order to achieve a certain degree of support and to prevent the soles from being easily broken, rubber soles usually have a considerable thickness and weight, so that the weight of the shoes cannot be reduced, thereby increasing the user's wearing burden.
It is known that a cushion pad is formed by injection-molding rubber on a film, but the manufacturing cost of the injection molding technique is relatively high and the adhesion force of the rubber on the film is also weak, making the rubber easily separated from the film.
In view of the prior arts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rubber composite which utilizes a textile having mesh structure, so rubber can be bonded not only to the surfaces of the textile but also to the inner side of the meshes to promote the bonding between the rubber and the textile.
It is another object of the invention to provide a rubber composite which utilizes a textile layer formed by high-weight durable yarn to improve the support strength, so the rubber composite can have a relatively thinner thickness and is light-weighted and suitable for use in outsole or insole of shoes.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of forming a rubber composite, which utilizes the hot-pressing technique, so the rubber is melted and flows through the meshes of the textile to encapsulate the textile in various dimensions, such as upper surface, lower surface, and inner lateral surface of the meshes, to effectively promote the bonding between the rubber and the textile and reduce the production cost.
In an embodiment, the invention provides a rubber composite including a textile layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a rubber layer covering the upper surface and the lower surface of the textile layer; the textile layer has multiple meshes formed by weaving or knitting at least one yarn, and a portion of the rubber layer extends into the meshes to be located between the upper surface and the lower surface of the textile layer.
In an embodiment, the portion of the rubber layer extending into the meshes at least partially encapsulates an inner lateral surface of the at least one yarn of at least one mesh of the multiple meshes.
In an embodiment, the portion of the rubber layer extending into the meshes substantially completely fills in at least one mesh of the multiple meshes, so the at least one mesh has no unfilled space.
In an embodiment, the multiple meshes have an average mesh width between 0.2 mm and 4 mm.
In an embodiment, the at least one yarn is a 25-denier yarn capable of sustaining a weight of 1000 kilograms.
In an embodiment, the at least one yarn includes a chemical fiber yarn or glass fiber yarn.
In another embodiment, a rubber composite includes a textile layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, an upper rubber layer bonded to the upper surface of the textile layer, and a lower rubber layer bonded to the lower surface of the textile layer; the textile layer has multiple meshes formed by weaving or knitting at least one yarn, wherein at least one of the upper rubber layer and the lower rubber has a connecting portion passing through the multiple meshes to connect the upper rubber layer and the lower rubber layer.
In an embodiment, the connecting portion is bonded to an inner lateral surface of the at least one yarn of at least one mesh of the multiple meshes.
In an embodiment, the connecting portion substantially completely fills in the at least one mesh.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a rubber sole including the rubber composite mentioned above.
In an embodiment, the lower rubber layer has an upper surface and a lower surface; the upper surface of the lower rubber layer is bonded to the textile layer; the lower rubber layer has a plurality of protrusions protruding from the lower surface of the lower rubber layer.
In an embodiment, the textile layer includes a first textile portion and a second textile portion disposed apart from each other; the first textile portion corresponds to a ball portion of a foot, and the second textile portion corresponds to a heel portion of the foot.
In an embodiment, the lower rubber layer includes a first rubber portion, a second rubber portion, and a third rubber portion; the first rubber portion and the second rubber portion are bonded to the first textile portion, and the third rubber portion is bonded to the second textile portion.
In an embodiment, the first rubber portion has a first sidewall; the second rubber portion has a second sidewall; the third rubber portion has a third sidewall; the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the third sidewall protrude beyond the upper rubber layer to define a sole cavity.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of forming a rubber composite. The method includes (a) providing a textile layer formed by weaving or knitting at least one yarn, the textile layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, the textile layer having multiple meshes, (b) disposing an upper rubber layer on the upper surface of the textile layer, (c) disposing a lower rubber layer on the lower surface of the textile layer, and (d) hot-pressing a combination of the upper rubber layer, the textile layer, and the lower rubber layer in a mold, so at least one of the upper rubber layer and the lower rubber layer is at least partially melted to form a connecting portion, the connecting portion passing through the multiple meshes to connect the upper rubber layer and the lower rubber layer.
In an embodiment, the step (a) includes providing a textile layer having an average mesh width in a range of 0.2 mm to 4 mm.
In an embodiment, the step (a) includes providing a textile layer formed by a 25-denier yarn capable of sustaining a weight of 1000 kilograms.
In an embodiment, in the step (d), the connecting portion is at least partially bonded to an inner lateral surface of at least one of the multiple meshes.
In an embodiment, in the step (d), the mold has a predetermined pattern, so after the step (d), a plurality of protrusions protruding from a lower surface of the lower rubber layer are formed.
Compared with the prior art, the rubber composite, the rubber sole, and the method of manufacturing the rubber sole of the invention enable the rubber not only to be bonded to the surface of the textile but also to interconnect with the inner lateral surface of meshes of the textile to reinforce the bonding, increasing the support strength and allowing the rubber composite to have a relatively thinner thickness and a light weight, which is advantageous for use in sole or insole of footwears and reduces the manufacturing cost.
In the preferred embodiment, the rubber composite of the present invention can be used as a sole or insole for footwear based on its elasticity, lightness, thinness, and enhanced supportability, but not limited thereto. As shown in
As shown in
The upper surface 112 ad the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 110 are the topmost surface and the bottommost surface of the mesh structure formed by the yarns 110a and 110b (or the yarn 110c). For example, when the textile layer 110 is a single-layer structure, the distance between the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 110 is generally the thickness of the yarns. When the textile layer 110 is a multiple-layer mesh structure, the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 114 are surfaces constructed by the topmost yarn and the bottommost yarn, respectively. In a preferred embodiment, the yarn 110a, 110b, or 110c is a 25-denier yarn capable of sustaining a weight of 1000 kilograms and more preferably capable of sustaining a weight of 2000 kilograms. Therefore, the textile layer 110 formed by such yarns can provide a greater supporting strength and is not easily broken. For example, the yarn 110a, 110b, or 110c is preferably a chemical fiber yarn or glass fiber yarn, such as fiber glass reinforced plastics (FRP) yarn, but not limited thereto. The supporting strength of the rubber composite 100 can be improved by using high strength yarns to form the textile layer 110. Therefore, the rubber composite 100 can have relative thinner thickness and is light weighted, so as to be suitable for the application of outsole or insole of shoes.
The textile layer 110 is preferably embedded in the rubber layer 120, so the rubber layer 120 is bonded not only to the two-dimensional planes (i.e. XY planes) where the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 110 extend, but also to the inner lateral surface of at least one mesh of the multiple meshes 116 along the thickness direction between the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 110 (i.e. Z direction). Therefore, the bonding force between the rubber layer 120 and the textile layer 110 can be enhanced. In other words, the rubber layer 120 is not only bonded to the yarns 110a and 110b (or 110c) of the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114, but also exits within the meshes 116, so a portion of the rubber layer 120 is bonded to the inner lateral surface of at least one mesh 116. That is, the rubber layer 120 bonded to the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 110 is interlocked with the textile layer 110 by having a portion of the rubber layer 120 bonded within or extended into the meshes 116 to form an interlock structure.
In an embodiment, the portion of the rubber layer 120 extending into the meshes 116 substantially completely fills in at least one mesh of the multiple meshes 116, so the at least one mesh substantially has no unfilled space. As shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In this embodiment, the upper rubber layer 220 and the lower rubber layer 230 can have same material or different materials. The connecting portion 240 can be a portion of the upper rubber layer 220 and/or a portion of the lower rubber layer 230 that is melted and flows into the meshes 116 of the textile layer 110 during the hot-pressing process. After the rubber composite 200 is formed by hot-pressing, the connecting portion 240 is not only located within the meshes 116 of the textile layer 110, but also connect the upper rubber layer 220 and the lower rubber layer 230. In other words, the yarns of the upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the textile layer 110 are bonded to the upper rubber layer 220 and the lower rubber layer 230, respectively, while the connecting portion 240 is located within the mesh 116 and preferably boned to the inner lateral surface of the mesh 116, and the upper end and the lower end of the connecting portion 240 passing through the mesh 116 are connected to the upper rubber layer 220 and the lower rubber layer 230, respectively. As such, the connection between the upper rubber layer 220 and the lower rubber layer 230 can be enhanced, and the bonding between the upper rubber layer 220 and the textile layer 110 and between the lower rubber layer 230 and the textile layer 110 can also be enhanced. Therefore, the bonding strength of the rubber composite 200 is enhanced, and the upper rubber layer 220 and the lower rubber layer 230 are not easily separated from the textile layer 110.
In another embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of
At step 410, a step of providing a textile layer formed by weaving or knitting at least one yarn is provided, wherein the textile layer has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the textile layer has multiple meshes. Specifically, in step 410, the textile layer 110 of
At step 420, a step of disposing an upper rubber layer on the upper surface of the textile layer is provided. At step 430, a step of disposing a lower rubber layer on the lower surface of the textile layer is provided. Specifically, as shown in
At step 440, a step of hot-pressing a combination of the upper rubber layer, the textile layer, and the lower rubber layer in a mold is provided, so that at least one of the upper rubber layer and the lower rubber layer is at least partially melted to form a connecting portion, and the connecting portion passes through the multiple meshes to connect the upper rubber layer and the lower rubber layer. Specifically, as shown in
For example, at step 440, by using the hot-pressing technique, the connecting portion 240 is at least partially bonded to the inner lateral surface of at least one of the meshes 116, as shown in
For a given support strength, the rubber composite 100 or 200 can have a relatively thinner thickness and is light-weighted, so the rubber composite 100 or 200 is very suitable for the application of outsole or insole of shoes without the problems of conventional thin rubber sole that is easily broken upon pulling, and is comparable to the strength provided by a conventional thick rubber sole. As shown in
Corresponding to the application of rubber composite 100 or 200 to the outsole or insole, the method of the invention further includes, in the step 440, providing a mold having a predetermined pattern, so a plurality of protrusions protruding from a lower surface of the lower rubber layer can be formed. Specifically, as shown in
Moreover, in response to different types of shoes, the rubber sole made from the rubber composite 100 or 200 can have different designs. As shown in FIG. 8A and
Specifically, by modifying the design of the mold 300 or 300′, during the hot-pressing step, the front portion of the upper rubber layer 220 and a portion of the first rubber portion 230a and the second rubber portion 230b are melted and flow into the meshes of the first textile portion 210a to connect the upper rubber layer 220 and the first rubber portion 230a and the second rubber portion 230b. The rear portion of the upper rubber layer 220 and a portion of the third rubber portion 230c are melted and flow into the meshes of the second textile portion 210b to connect the upper rubber layer 220 and the third rubber portion 230c. Moreover, the first rubber portion 230a, the second rubber portion 230b, and the third rubber portion 230c are melted to correspondingly form the first sidewall 231a, the second sidewall 231b, and the third sidewall 231c. As such, the rubber sole 10′ is formed and the bendability and functionality of the rubber sole 10′ are enhanced by the textile layer 110′ with the separately disposed first textile portion 210a and second textile portion 210b and the lower rubber layer 230′ with separately disposed first rubber portion 230a, second rubber portion 230b, and third rubber portion 230c. Moreover, the lower surface of the first rubber portion 230a, the second rubber portion 230b, and the third rubber portion 230c can be also formed with the protrusions 236 shown in
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. The preferred embodiments disclosed will not limit the scope of the present invention. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201710061314.6 | Jan 2017 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2018/073970 | 1/24/2018 | WO | 00 |