Covering member, fabric material-reinforcing structure, and sport shoe including same

Abstract

A covering member is provided in a portion of an upper of a shoe. The covering member includes: a fabric material comprised of a stretchable mesh fabric; and an overlay material made of an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer and integrally provided on a surface of the fabric material. A direction intersecting with a stretch direction of the fabric material is defined as a width direction. The covering member has such strain rate dependence that a tensile load per unit width with respect to a strain amount of the covering member is higher and the covering member is less stretchable when a strain rate of the upper in the stretch direction of the fabric material is in a high strain rate region than when the strain rate of the upper is in a low strain rate region.

1 . A covering member for covering a body, the covering member comprising: a stretchable fabric material; and an overlay material made of a thermoplastic elastomer and integrally provided on a surface of the fabric material, wherein
 a direction intersecting with a stretch direction of the fabric material is defined as a width direction,   a strain rate region with strain rates higher than a reference strain rate is defined as a high strain rate region,   a strain rate region with strain rates equal to or lower than the reference strain rate is defined as a low strain rate region, and   the covering member has such strain rate dependence that a tensile load per unit width with respect to a strain amount of the covering member is higher and the covering member is less stretchable when a strain rate of the covering member in the stretch direction of the fabric material is in the high strain rate region than when the strain rate of the covering member is in the low strain rate region.   
     
     
         2 . The covering member of  claim 1 , wherein
 the overlay material is bonded to the surface of the fabric material via an extensible thermoplastic film material.   
     
     
         3 . The covering member of  claim 1 , wherein
 a relationship between the strain and the tensile load per unit width determined by a tensile test is that the tensile load P per unit width (N/mm) with respect to a strain amount of 1% is within the range of 0.05≤P≤1.09 in the low strain rate region, whereas the tensile load P is within the range of 0.65≤P≤2.47 in the high strain rate region.   
     
     
         4 . The covering member of  claim 1 , wherein
 a relationship between the strain and the tensile load per unit width determined by a tensile test is that the tensile load P per unit width (N/mm) with respect to a strain amount of 5% is within the range of 0.25≤P≤2.05 in the low strain rate region, whereas the tensile load P is within the range of 1.72≤P≤7.85 in the high strain rate region.   
     
     
         5 . A covering member for covering a body, the covering member comprising: a stretchable fabric material; and an overlay material made of a thermoplastic elastomer and integrally provided on a surface of the fabric material, wherein
 the covering member has such strain rate dependence that as a strain rate of the covering member in a stretch direction of the fabric material increases, a tensile load per unit width with respect to a strain amount increases and the covering member becomes less stretchable.   
     
     
         6 . A sport shoe comprising an upper having the covering member of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         7 . A fabric material-reinforcing structure comprising: a stretchable fabric material; and a reinforcing material made of a thermoplastic elastomer, integrally provided on the fabric material, and reinforcing a mechanical strength of the fabric material, wherein
 a direction intersecting with a stretch direction of the fabric material is defined as a width direction,   a strain rate region with strain rates higher than a reference strain rate is defined as a high strain rate region,   a strain rate region with strain rates equal to or lower than the reference strain rate is defined as a low strain rate region and   the fabric material-reinforcing structure has such strain rate dependence that a tensile load per unit width with respect to a strain amount of the fabric material-reinforcing structure is higher and the fabric material-reinforcing structure is less stretchable when a strain rate of the fabric material-reinforcing structure in the stretch direction of the fabric material is in the high strain rate region than when the strain rate of the fabric material-reinforcing structure is in the low strain rate region.   
     
     
         8 . The fabric material-reinforcing structure of  claim 7 , wherein
 the reinforcing material is bonded to the surface of the fabric material via an extensible thermoplastic film material.   
     
     
         9 . The fabric material-reinforcing structure of  claim 7 , wherein
 a relationship between the strain and the tensile load per unit width determined by a tensile test is that the tensile load P per unit width (N/mm) with respect to a strain amount of 1% is within the range of 0.05≤P≤1.09 in the low strain rate region, whereas the tensile load P is within the range of 0.65≤P≤2.47 in the high strain rate region.   
     
     
         10 . The fabric material-reinforcing structure of  claim 7 , wherein
 a relationship between the strain and the tensile load per unit width determined by a tensile test is that the tensile load P per unit width (N/mm) with respect to a strain amount of 5% is within the range of 0.25≤P≤2.05 in the low strain rate region, whereas the tensile load P is within the range of 1.72≤P≤7.85 in the high strain rate region.   
     
     
         11 . A fabric material-reinforcing structure comprising: a stretchable fabric material; and a reinforcing material made of a thermoplastic elastomer, integrally provided on the fabric material, and reinforcing a mechanical strength of the fabric material, wherein
 the fabric material-reinforcing structure has such strain rate dependence that as a strain rate of the fabric material-reinforcing structure in the stretch direction of the fabric material increases, the tensile load per unit width with respect to the strain amount increases and the fabric material-reinforcing structure becomes less stretchable.   
     
     
         12 . A sport shoe comprising an upper including the fabric material-reinforcing structure of  claim 7 .