Abstract
The invention relates to an expander (100) for training the muscles, especially the fast-acting muscle fibers, having an elastic element (110) that can be expanded against its restoring force for the purpose of training, as well as to a method for manufacturing such an expander.
According to the invention, the elastic element (110) consists of a composite of at least two different elastic materials (120, 130), with a first elastic material (120) being instantiated as a closed line pattern with an offset or non-offset four-fold or with a six-fold unit cell (E), with the closed line pattern being instantiated as boundary lines (121) of the tiles (122) of a tiling pattern, and with another elastic material (130) filling out the surfaces of the tiles (121).
The structure of the elastic element results in stress-strain diagrams with different gradients in different extension sections that are flatter in the working range and can therefore be used advantageously for training explosive strength and speed.
Claims
1. An expander (100) for training the muscles, having an elastic element (110) that can be expanded against its restoring force for the purpose of training, characterized in that the elastic element (110) consists of a composite of at least two different elastic materials (120, 130), wherein a first elastic material (120) is instantiated as a closed line pattern with a staggered or non-staggered four-fold or with a six-fold unit cell (E), the closed line pattern being instantiated as boundary lines (121) of the tiles (122) of a tiling pattern, and wherein another elastic material (130) fills out the surfaces of the tiles (121).
2. The expander as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the tiling pattern consists of geometrically identical or congruent tiles (122).
3. The expander as set forth in any one of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the area ratio of the at least two elastic materials (120, 130) in the composite is approximately the same, with a relative deviation of a material of less than 10% from a uniform distribution.
4. The expander as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the other elastic material (130) contains elastomer granules (140) and/or gas bubbles (150) which have a diameter of between 1 mm and 5 mm and a surface concentration of less than 20%.
5. The expander as set forth in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is instantiated as an elastic band (200).
6. The expander as set forth in any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is instantiated as a closed ring (300).
7. A method for manufacturing an expander as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by die-cutting a closed line pattern as boundary lines of the tiles of a tiling pattern from a strip of a first elastic material (120), embedding the previously obtained die-cutting (160) in liquid latex or elastomeric raw material, curing the liquid latex or elastomeric precursor.
8. The method as set forth in claim 7, characterized by extending the die-cutting (160) during the curing of the liquid latex or of the elastomeric starting material by a linear expansion of between 5% and 20%, preferably of between 8% and 11%.
9. The method as set forth in any one of claims 7 to 8, characterized by embedding elastomer granules (140) in the latex or elastomer, the elastomer granules (140) having a grain size of 1 mm to 5 mm and the surface concentration of the elastomer granules (140) in the latex or silicone being less than 20%.
10. The method as set forth in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized by foaming of the liquid latex or elastomeric raw material with gas bubbles (150) measuring between 1 mm and 5 mm, the surface concentration of the gas bubbles in the latex or elastomer being less than 20%.
Description
[0014] The invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the appended drawing, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a sketch of an expander in the form of an elastic band and a use of the expander during training,
[0016] FIG. 2 shows a sketch of an expander in the form of a closed loop and a use of the expander during training,
[0017] FIG. 3 shows a stress-strain diagram of an expander made of an isotropic elastic material from the PRIOR ART.
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a stress-strain diagram of an expander according to the invention,
[0019] FIG. 5 shows a first structure of an elastic element with a six-fold unit cell,
[0020] FIG. 6 shows a second structure of an elastic element with a six-fold unit cell,
[0021] FIG. 7.1 shows a third structure of an elastic element with a four-fold unit cell,
[0022] FIG. 7.2 shows the second structure from FIG. 7.1 in stretched form,
[0023] FIG. 8 shows a section of the composite material of the elastic element with embedded elastomer granules,
[0024] FIG. 9 shows a section of the composite material of the elastic element with embedded gas bubbles,
[0025] FIG. 10 shows a section of the composite material of the elastic element with embedded elastomer granules and with embedded gas bubbles.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of an expander 100 in the form of an elastic band 200 and a use of this expander 100 during training. For training, a band made of an elastic element is placed around the upper body or knotted into a ring, and a boxing movement is performed in the elastic ring created in this manner. This exercise is repeated multiple times in order to strengthen the muscles used. The exercise shown here is merely one of many possible exercises.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a schematic drawing of an expander 100 in the form of a closed ring 300 and a use of the expander 100 during training. For training, the closed ring 300 is placed around the upper body, and a boxing movement is performed in the elastic ring 300. This exercise is repeated multiple times in order to strengthen the muscles used. Here, too, the exercise shown here is merely one of many possible exercises.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a stress-strain diagram of an expander made of an isotropic elastic material from the PRIOR ART. An expander with an isotropic elastic material shown here is usually used in the range of a first extension d.sub.1 with a constant elastic modulus 81. In the end range of the elastic extension, further extension d.sub.2 follows which has an increased elastic modulus 22 that is associated with a greater restoring force per further extension. The elastic modulus in the end range is no longer constant, but usually increases nonlinearly. The exact characteristic of the elastic modulus in the end range of the elastic range of an elastomer is highly material-specific and differs between rubber-elastic materials (entropy-elastic) and non-rubber-elastic materials.
[0029] FIG. 4 shows a stress-strain diagram of an expander according to the invention. What is special about the expander according to the invention is that the elastic modulus decreases in the end range. Even though the restoring force F increases with increasing elongation x, the increase in restoring force F is degressive. This type of stress-strain diagram of an expander is of interest, especially for the purpose of training powerful, fast movements, such as thrusting movements or striking movements. The further increase in the restoring force F decreases in the end range of the expander.
[0030] Depending on the geometry of the composite structure, the degression is more or less nonlinear. There are also composite structures in which the elastic composite structure suddenly collapses and one or more kinks can thus be observed in the stress-strain diagram, so that regions with elastic moduli .sub.1, .sub.2, and .sub.3 are formed. The diagram in FIG. 4 shows how the structure of the composite material in the elastic element 110 collapses in a marked working range, which extends over a kink in the elastic modulus .sub.1 and .sub.2.
[0031] FIG. 5 shows a first structure of an elastic element 110 with a six-fold unit cell E. In this case, the elastic element 110 consists of a total of three different materials. A first elastic material is a die-cutting of a first elastic material 120 having a closed line pattern with a six-fold unit cell E, the closed line pattern being instantiated as boundary lines 122 of the tiles 121 of a tiling. In this example, the tiling consists of geometrically identical tiles 121 made of another elastic material, the area ratio of the at least two elastic materials in the composite being approximately the same, with a relative deviation of a material of less than 10% from a uniform distribution. A third material constitutes pieces of a third elastic material that are present in the tiles 121 in the form of coarse elastomer granules 140, which granules have a diameter of between 1 mm and 5 mm and a surface concentration in the tiles of less than 20%.
[0032] FIG. 6 shows a second structure of an elastic element with a sixfold unit cell. In this case, the elastic element 110 consists of a total of three different materials. A first elastic material is a die-cutting of a first elastic material 120 having a closed line pattern with a six-fold unit cell E, the closed line pattern being present as boundary lines 122 of the tiles 121 of a tiling. In this example, the tiling consists of geometrically identical tiles 121 made of another elastic material, the area ratio of the at least two elastic materials in the composite being approximately the same, with a relative deviation of a material of less than 10% from a uniform distribution. A third material constitutes pieces of a third elastic material that are present in the tiles 121 in the form of coarse elastomer granules 140, which granules have a diameter of between 1 mm and 5 mm and a surface concentration in the tiles of less than 20%.
[0033] FIG. 7.1 shows a schematic drawing of a third structure of an elastic element with a fourfold unit cell. In this case, the elastic element 110 consists of a total of three different materials. A first elastic material is a die-cutting of a first elastic material 120 having a closed line pattern with a four-fold and rectangular unit cell E, the closed line pattern being instantiated as boundary lines 122 of the tiles 121 of a tiling. In this example, the tiling consists of geometrically identical tiles 121 of another elastic material, the area ratio of the at least two elastic materials in the composite being approximately the same, with a relative deviation of a material of less than 10% from a uniform distribution. A third material constitutes pieces of a third elastic material that are present in the tiles 121 in the form of coarse elastomer granules 140, which granules have a diameter of between 1 mm and 5 mm and a surface concentration in the tiles of less than 20%.
[0034] FIG. 7.2 shows the second structure from FIG. 7.1 in stretched form. Depending on the direction of extension, the zigzag or triangular line clearly visible in FIG. 7.1 linearizes during the extension. Before the triangular line is stretched, the restoring force is dominated by the overall combination of materials in the elastic element 110. If the structure collapses, the restoring force is almost exclusively dominated by the linearized triangular lines. Due to their small width, they have less to put up against an external force. As a result, the elastic modulus decreases in a degressive manner upon further extension. The restoring force does of course increase with increasing elongation, but to a lesser extent.
[0035] FIG. 8 shows a section of the composite material of the elastic element 110 with embedded elastomer granules 140. This illustration shows the elastomeric tiles, i.e., the tiles 121, from the structure in FIG. 6.
[0036] FIG. 9 shows a section of the composite material of the elastic element with embedded gas bubbles 150. The elastomer tiles, i.e., the tiles 121, from the structure in FIG. 6 are also shown in this illustration.
[0037] Finally, FIG. 10 shows a section of the composite material of the elastic element 110 from FIG. 6 with embedded elastomer granules 140 as well as with embedded gas bubbles 150.
TABLE-US-00001 LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 100 expander 110 elastic element 120 elastic material 121 tile 122 boundary line 130 elastic material 140 elastomer granule 150 gas bubble 160 die-cut 200 elastic band 300 closed ring - elastic modulus d elongation E unit cell F force x length
