WO2010130231A1

WO2010130231A1 - Blast protective boots with optimized design components

Info

Publication number: WO2010130231A1
Application number: PCT/CZ2010/000038
Authority: WO
Inventors: Libor Zeman
Original assignee: Libor Zeman
Priority date: 2009-05-14
Filing date: 2010-04-02
Publication date: 2010-11-18
Also published as: WO2010130231A4; EP2461709A1; EA201171408A1; CZ2009297A3; UA103389C2

Abstract

Protective boot (see fig. 1) is made up of an upper (1) with a tension insole and an attached system of bottom boot segment based on at least two middle soles and a sole. At least one layer of para-aramid fiber based reinforcing textile (2) is inserted and/or cemented between the top material (1) and the lining. The tension insole and/or at least one of the middle soles (5, 8) are based on composites of at least three layers of para-aramid fiber textile fixed in a polymer matrix and the whole bottom segment of the boot is formed by a sandwich design. The density of the individual material parts in this sandwich system of middle soles (5, 8) and the sole (9) in the bottom segment of the boot differs in a way that the difference in the density of the various composite materials used in the adjacent middle soles (5, 8), or to be more precise the sole (9), and the difference in the density of the adjacent layers in the sandwich multilayer structure of the corresponding middle sole (5, 8) must be at least 0.1 g/cm3 and the material hardness in the individual parts of the system of middle soles (5, 8) and the sole (9) in the bottom segment of the boot differ in a way that difference in the hardness of the composite materials in the adjacent middle soles (5, 8), or to be more precise sole (9), and the difference in the hardness of the adjacent layers of the sandwich multilayer structure of the corresponding middle sole (5, 8) must be at least 1 ShA. Thickness of each individual middle sole (5, 8) and the sole (9) of the sandwich system must be at least 10 mm and the total thickness of the middle soles and sole system in the bottom segment of the boot must be at least 30 mm.

Description

Blast protective boots with optimized design components

Field of invention

The invention involves special protective boots against the effects of land mines with optimized design components, while the optimization helps the human body protective function to be of maximum efficiency, especially with respect to the lower limbs.

Description of prior art

The currently manufactured anti-infantry land mine prototypes are classified as weapons of mass of destruction and with their effectivity these are not much behind nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. It is known that due to their character mines affect mainly civilians frequently long after the conclusion of an armed conflict. It is estimated that today there are over a hundred million land mines buried underground, i.e. approx one mine for every fifty people on Earth. In addition these mines are often developed in a way that they do not directly kill, but only to cause painful injuries with permanent consequences. With respect to the above stated facts the effort to keep developing and optimizing special protective boots to protect a person exposed to the dangerous effects of landmines as much as possible is understandable.

Historically the oldest protective equipment of this type are multi-chamber protective pillows, which are attached to ordinary shoes through a frame with binding. Individual chambers mutually linked along sides of the pillow are constructed from an inner rubber tube and from an exterior material that is resistant against abrasion and piercing. The pillow is furthermore fitted with for example Velcro straps on the frame with bindings. Although protective pillows do provide relatively good protection against the landmines, wearing them significantly complicates and limits movement, which under military conditions is not permissible.

The next solution present the same difficulty, although not to such an extent, and this being the protective platform, which is formed by a special impact deflector - deflecting prism, stored under a groovy sole from sponge-like polyurethane. The walking platform surface is fitted with slip proof surface. In addition the binding is mounted on the platform - a shell that reaches above the ankle, provides support while you walk and protects from shrapnel. This binding is then used to mount an ordinary boot via belts. The impact deflector is placed along the entire length and width of the foot. It has a conical shape with a top angle of less than 90° and is placed in such a way that its peak is pointing to the stepping side of the platform. Number one this enlarges the area impacted by the landmine and number two the conical shape of the impact deflector walls will redirect the path of the shrapnel in the desired direction. From the design perspective the deflector can either be full or hollow, manufactured from metal or plastic composites. The recommended design offers a pipe-like plastic composite wrapped in a cloth. As was already stated, the above stated design (protective platform) is categorized as special protective equipment, which well protects the human body from the effects of landmines, but at the same time it also quite significantly restricts the natural striding motion, especially during running, jumping and so on.

This is why now there is a push to try and develop such blast protective boots, which would protect not only during a possible landmine explosion, but at the same time their design would not differ much from ordinary boots. In this respect we now for example know of such a protective boot design, which in its middle sole or sole contains at least one protective surface formed by at least 10 layers of para-aramid, mostly Kevlar, textile placed on top of each other. Although this design can achieve very good protection against the effects of landmines in the sole and middle sole, it does not solve resistance of the boot as a whole.

A similar shortfall is seen in yet another well known protective boot design, which is formed by an upper with tension insole having a sole connected directly or through a middle sole. The essence of this design according to Czech patent No. 286532 lies in that the insole and/or middle sole are made as a compact semi-finished product from an overall composite material, which is formed by up to 6 layers of para-aramid fiber, fixed in a polymer matrix. At the same time there is a dampening conical shape component with a peak pointing to the stepping side of the sole, which is formed by hollow armor of corresponding shape and an internal honeycomb structure filling.

Probably the most successful protective boot type to date according to CZ patent No. 291156 and the PCT application WO 03037125 is formed by an upper with an insole and at least two middle soles connect the sole here. The essence of the invention is that the insole and/or at least one of the middle soles are made from a composite material based on a at least three layers of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix, the upper has at least one layer of para-aramid fiber based reinforcing textile placed between the lining and the top material, while the lining between these middle layers in the stepping part of the boot is covered with at least three layers of para-aramid textiles, which have their perimeter border segments split and folded upward and are oriented in a way that the perimeter bonds in the folded border segments on the individual layers are mutually shifted and overlapped. Composite based protective segments formed by at least one layer of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix are built into the area of the tip, heel and/or the insole boot structure. The bottom segment of the boot contains a system of middle soles and a sole connected to these. While at least one of the middle soles of the upper part of the system is made of composite material, at least one of the middle soles of the bottom section of the system is then made from a sponge- like polymer material. The invention for the structure of the sole includes at least a single fixed layer of para-aramid textile. The protective boots can furthermore be fitted with an insole insert, where its benefit is the composite material based on at least a single layer of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix with air fillings. The benefit of this protective boot lies it the effort to balance the requirements on the boot's protective effect, weight and flexibility of the boot during walking, running, possibly jumping and the life span of the boot while worn. The entire protective segment of the boot is designed as a compact unit based on an overall composite material, which has layers of para-aramid fiber based textiles fixed and mutually connected in a polymer matrix without any foreign element — the boot does not contain any metal components. Despite these undisputable benefits even this type of design boot is revealing new opportunities for optimizing solutions that further increase the boot's protective function without restricting user comfort.

Nature of the invention

The blast protective boots contribute to the solution of this issue with their optimized design elements according to the invention, formed by a shoe upper with an insole and connected to this we have the system in the bottom segment of the boot based on at least two middle soles and a sole.

The essence of the invention lies in the fact that the shoe upper has at least a single layer of para-aramid fiber based reinforcing textile inserted and/or cemented in between the lining and the top material, the tension insole and/or at least one of the middle soles is based on composite of sandwich structures made of at least three layers of para-aramid fiber textile fixed in the middle layers of polymer matrix and the entire bottom segment of the boot is formed by a sandwich system. The density of materials of the individual parts in this sandwich system of middle soles and sole in the bottom segment of the boot mutually differs in a such way that the difference in the density of the used composite materials of the adjacent middle soles, eventually sole, and the difference in the density of the adjacent layers in the sandwich multilayer structure of the said middle sole must be at least 0.1 g/cm³. Material hardness of the individual parts of the system of middle soles and sole in the bottom segment of the boot differ in a way where the difference in hardness of the composite materials in the adjacent middle soles, or more precisely the sole, and the difference in hardness of the adjacent layers in the sandwich multilayer structure of the said middle sole must be at least 1 ShA. Thickness of each individual middle sole and the sole of the sandwich system must be at least 10 mm and the total thickness of the middle soles and sole system in the bottom segment of the boot must be at least 30 mm.

At least one of the middle soles of the upper part of the sandwich system is made from a composite material and at least one of the middle soles of the bottom part of the sandwich system is made of a sponge-like polymer material. The structure of a middle sole of the sandwich system of middle soles and sole can a composite based protective shoe bottom segment built in it, where the polymer matrix of which will have at least three para-aramid textile layers fixed in it. It is furthermore of benefit that at least one of the middle soles is fitted with carved or pressed grooves.

The structure of the tension insole contains a composite based protective insole segment built in or fixed on it and this is formed by at least three layers of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix.

Para-aramid textile in the structure of the above stated boot component can generally be Kevlar, Twaron or ballistic textile. The polymer matrix is then an elastomer mixture based matrix, especially of rubber or pol yurethane. However, this polymer matrix can also be thermoplastic based, this especially of an Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer.

Individual layers of the para-aramid textile in the middle sole can be mutually fixated by a composite material and/or cementing. The middle sole of the upper part of the middle soles system can also be made directly from a composite material with para-aramid textile content.

The middle sole of the bottom part of the sandwich system is made of a sponge-like based elastomer material, possibly from material based on sponge-like polyolefin, especially of copolymer of Ethylene vinyl acetate.

The sole of the protective boot can also be fitted with an air chamber in the area of the heel.

The main benefit of the blast protective boots according to the invention is given by the unique properties of the sole's sandwich structure, which consists of 2 layers of materials with various densities in combination with a reinforcing para-aramid fiber (ballistic) based material. The primary pressure wave caused by the explosion of the mine is broken up and deflected upon its passing through the transitional plane between the two materials having various density and hardness. This therefore forms secondary counter waves, which generate force against the primary pressure wave. The layered sandwich material is at the same time being separated by gradual peeling of the individual layers and therefore absorbs the energy of the primary wave. The ballistic material in the sandwich dampens the primary wave and at the same time it works as an anti perforation protection, meaning it prevents shrapnel penetration.

Brief description of the drawings

The enclosed drawings help to clarify the essence of the invention, where Fig. 1 - presents the overall design of the protective boot according to the invention; Fig. 2 - presents a scheme of the insoles and sandwich arrangement composition of the middle soles and sole;

Embodiment of the invention

Figure 1 shows us the overall view of the blast protective boot with optimized design elements in the sample design. As you can see in this Figure, the boot is made up of a shoe upper 1 with a tension insole and connected to this via the system of two middle soles 5, 8 we have the sole 9.

The shoe upper I contains at least one layer of a para-aramid fiber based reinforcing textile 2 inserted and/or cemented between the lining and the top material.

As shown in Fig. 2, the tension insole 4 structure contains a composite based insole protective segment 2 that consists of three layers of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix, possibly to a tension insole. The boot bottom segment contains an arrangement of two middle soles 5, 8 and these are connected to the sole 9, while the middle sole 5 in the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles is based on a composite material of the sandwich structure with a built in shoe bottom protective segment 6 made of a composite formed by four layers of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix with carved or pressed grooves 7 and middle sole 8 in the bottom section of the system is made from a sponge-like polymer material. The sole 9 is fitted with an air chamber H) in the area of the heel.

As was already stated, from the perspective of the function to protect from the effects of landmines it is vital that material density of individual parts of the sandwich system of middle soles 5 and 8 and the sole 9 of the bottom segment of the boot differs in a way that the difference in the density of the composite materials used as well as the difference in the density of the adjacent layers within the sandwich multilayer structure of the middle sole 5 in the upper section of the sandwich system must be at least 0.1 g/cm³. The hardness of the materials in individual components in the system of middle soles 5 and 8 and the sole 9 in the bottom segment of the boot differs in that the hardness of the composite materials in the adjacent middle soles 5 and 8, or eventually sole 9, and the difference in the hardness of material in the adjacent layers in the sandwich multilayer structure of the middle sole 5 in the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles must be at least 1 ShA. The thickness of each individual middle sole 5, 8 and the sole 9 in the sandwich system of middle soles is at least 10 mm and the total thickness of the system of middle soles and sole system in the bottom segment of the boot is at least 30 mm.

In this particular sample design the middle sole 5 in the upper section of the sandwich system of middle soles is made based on a composite material of the sandwich system with a built in shoe bottom protective segment 6 from a composite made of four layers of para-aramid textile — specifically Twaron, fixated in a polymer matrix formed by rubber. The outer layers of this sandwich composite matrix have a density of 1.24 g/cm³ and hardness of 72 ShA, two internal middle soles under these have a density of 1.11 g/cm3 and a hardness of 55 ShA, the center middle sole has a density of 1.21 g/cm3 and hardness of 58 ShA.

The middle sole 8 in the bottom part of the sandwich system of middle soles is made from a sponge-like rubber with a density of 0.12 g/cm³ and hardness of 20 ShA.

The sole 9 is made from a compact rubber, which has a density of 1.24 g/cm³ and a hardness of 72 ShA.

The reinforcing textile layers for the tension insole 4, middle sole 5 of the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles will be fixated and mutually connected and/or will be fixated in the sandwich structure of the tension insole protective segment 3, or more precisely the shoe bottom protective segment 6 by a polymer matrix, which is a reaction product of a rubber composition based on a combination of natural, polybutadiene and butadiene-styrene rubber with a sulfuric vulcanization system and a combination of black-calcium carbonate fillers. Alternatively the polymer matrix can also be plastic based (PE, PP, PUR).

The individual layers of the sandwich composed of the tension insole 4, middle sole 5 of the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles can also be mutually cemented while being alternated with middle layers of rubber mixture or plastic and this sandwich can then be connected into a polymer matrix.

The reinforcement of the shoe upper 2 made from at least a single layer of para-aramid fabric will be cemented or placed into the boot between the liner and top material when the shoe upper 1 is being sown. When the blast protective boot according to this invention is completed the tension insole 4 will additionally be fixed by a sticker, possibly via a staple to the last, the shoe upper i with a layer of para-aramid fiber reinforced textile 2 will be stretched on top of this between liner and the top material. Next is the stretching of the top area of the shoe upper 1 in the following order: toe, side, heel with a polyester and polyamide thermoplastic cement. In the end the boot's stretched shoe upper J_will be left to cure.

Next phase of production includes the process of using a soluble cementing material to cement the shoe upper I with middle sole 5 of the boot's upper segment of the sandwich system of middle soles made from a composite material with carved or pressed grooves and middle sole 8 of the boot's bottom part of the sandwich system of middle soles made from a sponge like porous polyolefin material. In the end the solvent cementing material will be used to cement the sole 9.

The sole can also be made separately as a production of a unit sole, where the middle sole 5 of the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles made from a composite material containing a Kevlar textile 6 with carved or pressed grooves 7 will be cemented by a solvent cementing material to the middle sole 8 of the boot's bottom part of the sandwich system of middle soles made from a sponge like porous polyolefin material. In the end the sole 9 will be cemented with a solvent cementing material and the unit sole created this way will have either a carved or cut finish. A unit sole made by this method, which is comprised of a system of at least two middle soles 5, 8 and the sole itself 9, will be cemented to a stretched ^: shoe upper 1 by using a solvent cementing material.

The completed boot will have finishes performed on it, where the plastic grid insole ϋ and anatomic sock lining Yl will be inserted and the boot will be laced.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. The blast protective boots against land mines with optimized design elements is formed by a shoe upper with an insole along with a connected system of the bottom segment of the boot based on at least two middle soles and a sole characterized by that the shoe upper (1) has at least a single reinforcement layer of para-aramid fiber based textile (2) inserted and/or cemented between the lining and the top material, the tension insole (4) and/or at least one of the middle soles (5, 8) is based on a composite of sandwich structure of at least three layers of a para-aramid fiber textile fixed in middle layers of a polymer matrix and the bottom segment of the boot is formed by a sandwich design, where the density of materials of the individual parts in this sandwich system of middle soles (5, 8) and the sole (9) in the bottom segment of the boot differs in such a way that the difference in the density of the composite materials used in the adjacent middle soles (5, 8), or eventually sole (9), as well as the difference in the density of the adjacent layers in the sandwich multilayer structure of the said middle sole (5, 8) must be at least 0.1 g/m³ and the hardness of the materials in the individual sections of the system of middle soles (5, 8) and the sole (9) of the bottom segment of the boot differs in such a way that the difference in the hardness of the composite materials used in the adjacent middle soles (5, 8), or more precisely the sole (9), and the difference in the hardness of the adjacent layers in the sandwich multilayer structure of the said middle sole (5, 8) must be at least 1 ShA and furthermore that the thickness of each individual middle sole (5, 8) as well as sole (9) of the sandwich system must be at least 10 mm and the total thickness of the middle sole and sole arrangement in the bottom segment of the boot must be at least 30 mm.

2. Blast protective boots according to claim 1 characterized by that it has at least one of the middle soles (5) of the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles made of a composite material and at one of the middle soles (8) of the bottom part of the sandwich system is prepared from a sponge-like polymer material.

3. Blast protective boots according to claim 1 characterized by that it has at least one of the middle soles (5, 8) fitted with carved or pressed grooves (7).

4. Blast protective boots according to claim 1 characterized by that it has a built-in composite based shoe bottom protective segment (6) in at least one of the middle soles (5, 8) and the sole (9), where its polymer matrix contains at least three layers of para-aramid textile.

5. Blast protective boots according to claim 1 characterized by that it has a composite based tension insole protective segment (3) formed by least three layers of para-aramid textile fixed in a polymer matrix is built inside the structure of the tension insole (4) or on the tension insole (4).

6. Blast protective boots according to one of the claims 1, 4 and 5 characterized by that the para-aramid textile is a Kevlar textile.

7. Blast protective boots according to one of the claims 1, 4 and 5 characterized by that the para-aramid textile is a Twaron textile.

8. Blast protective boots according to one of the claims 1, 4 and 5 characterized by, that the para-aramid textile is a ballistic textile.

9. Blast protective boots according to one of the claims 1 , 4 and 5 characterized by that the polymer matrix is a matrix based on elastomer mixtures, especially rubber or polyurethane. O. Blast protective boots according to one of the claims 1, 4 and 5 characterized by that the polymer matrix is a matrix based on thermoplastic polymer, especially copolymer Ethylene vinyl acetate.

11. Blast protective boots according to one of the claims 1, 4 and 5 characterized by that the individual layers of para-aramid textile in the middle sole (5) of the boot's upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles are mutually fixated by a composite material and/or cementing.

12. Blast protective boots according to claim 2 characterized by that it has the middle sole (8) in the lower part of the sandwich system of middle soles made from a sponge-like elastomer based material.

13. Blast protective boots according to claim 2 characterized by that it has the middle sole (8) in the lower part of the sandwich sysem of middle soles made from a sponge-like polyolefin based material, especially from copolymer Ethylene vinyl acetate.

14. Blast protective boots according to claim 2 characterized by that it has the middle sole (5) in the upper part of the sandwich system of middle soles directly formed by a composite containing para-aramid textile.

15. Blast protective boots according to claim 1 characterized by that it has the sole (9) fitted with an air chamber (10) around the heel.