EP0543744B1 - Ski with a non-rectangular cross-section - Google Patents

Abstract

Ski comprising a filling core, for example made from polyurethane foam, a shell forming the upper face and the lateral faces of the ski, a lower face equipped with longitudinal metal edges and with a central sliding running sole. According to the invention, this ski comprises two longitudinal reinforcement elements (8) extending at least in the central part of the ski, arranged on either side of the core (2), in contact both with the latter and with the parts of the inner surface of the shell (3) forming the lateral faces, each reinforcement element including a lower face extending to a large extent over the width of the corresponding edge (6), so as to provide it with an effective support, and extending over at least a part of the height of the ski. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a shaped ski, of non-rectangular section.

It is more and more frequent to produce shaped skis, that is to say skis of non-rectangular section having a shell forming the upper face and the lateral faces of the ski, these lateral faces possibly being inclined on at least part of their height. In this case, this inclination can be constant, or variable over the length of the ski, and provided by flat or curved surfaces.

It is also advantageous to produce skis comprising a filling core made of synthetic foam, for example polyurethane, which has excellent properties of stability over time, and is of low weight.

The advantage of a traditional ski, is in particular that it has rigid edges, for example in ABS or in phenolic laminate, ensuring an excellent transmission of the forces exerted by the snow surface on the edges of the ski, towards the upper face. of it equipped with the fixation for a shoe of the skier.

The documents FR 2 611 519 and WO 91/08029 describe a ski with hull whose lateral walls are inclined, comprising a core of rectangular section, and in which the transmission of the forces between the edges and the upper face is carried out by elements of reinforcement located in contact with the inclined walls, and formed for example by sheets of fabric impregnated with resin. The space between the central core and the side faces is occupied by a filling material.

Documents FR 2 611 518, FR 2 615 404 and EP 0 394 835 relate to shaped skis, comprising a shell forming the inclined lateral faces of the ski, a core of rectangular section, reinforcing elements in contact with the inclined walls, with space management between the inclined walls and the core, which is filled with viscoelastic elements having a vibration damping power.

The disadvantage of these different solutions results from the fact that there are no large elements ensuring a direct transmission of forces from the edges to the upper face equipped with the fixing since the core does not bear on the edges , and that the reinforcing elements of the hull are pressed against the inclined blanks thereof and take a punctual support on each edge.

This therefore results in skis which have average behavior characteristics, and which cannot meet the required criteria, especially in competition where the desired guidance precision for skis requires as perfect a transmission of forces from the edges towards the upper face of the ski.

The object of the invention is to provide a shaped ski, of non-rectangular section, comprising a filling core, for example made of synthetic foam, and in particular of polyurethane, the upper face and the lateral faces of which are constituted by a shell, in order to have the quality of finish of skis comprising a shell, while offering the technical qualities of traditional skis by ensuring, at least at the level of the skate, a direct transmission of the forces from the edges to the upper face of the ski equipped with fixing.

To this end, the ski according to the invention comprises two longitudinal reinforcing elements extending at least in the central part of the ski, arranged on either side of the core, in contact with both the latter and the parts of the inner surface of the shell forming the lateral faces, each reinforcing element comprising a lower face extending largely over the width of the corresponding edge, so as to provide it with effective support, and extending over at least part of the height of the ski.

The longitudinal reinforcing elements provide excellent support for the edge, as well as the transmission of the forces received by each edge towards the upper face of the ski provided with the binding. Each reinforcement element can extend practically over the entire height of the ski and serve as a support, on the one hand, for an edge and, on the other hand, for the upper face of the ski, or on the contrary only extend over part of the height of the ski, and be associated with a reinforcing element in contact with the upper wall of the shell, and taking up the forces transmitted from the edge. This force recovery element can be constituted for example by a fabric impregnated with resin.

Each reinforcement element may have a face located on the side of the core, perpendicular to the plane of the sole or, on the contrary, inclined relative to the perpendicular to the plane of the sole, have a constant width over the entire length of the ski, the core having a variable width, or, on the contrary, having a variable width along the ski, the core having in such a case a constant width.

Each reinforcing element can be produced in several parts butted in the longitudinal direction and produced in materials having different characteristics, or in several parts juxtaposed and produced in different materials.

In all cases, it is advisable that in the central part of the ski, that is to say in the skate zone, the reinforcing elements are rigid, the end zones of these same elements being able to be more flexible and produced. for example in a viscoelastic material.

The rigid part of each reinforcing element can be made of a solid material, such as wood, a synthetic material, or else be made from fabric impregnated with resin and folded back on itself, or else in a multimaterial complex, such as Zicral-ABS, Zicral being a registered trademark for an aluminum alloy and ABS being acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.

It is also possible to play on the characteristics and on the respective shapes of the two opposite reinforcing elements of the same ski, to give this ski certain behavioral characteristics. Thus the two opposite reinforcing elements of the same ski can have different characteristics of rigidity and damping, or have different geometric characteristics, such as width and / or height.

Advantageously, the reinforcing elements extend over the entire active length of the ski, that is to say substantially between the front and rear contact zones of the ski on snow, while the shell completely covers the reinforcing elements.

According to another characteristic of the invention, a seal of viscoelastic material is interposed locally in the end zones of the ski between the hull and the upper part of each reinforcing element, or between the hull and the edges.

Such a ski can be obtained with prior production of the core and assembly in the mold of the shell reinforcement elements, or else by pre-assembly of the reinforcement elements with the shell before in situ molding of the core. It is also possible to extrude the reinforcing elements with the shell, before molding the core.

• Figure 1 est une vue de côté d'un ski selon l'invention ;
• Figure 2 et 3 en sont deux vues en coupe transversale et à échelle agrandie respectivement selon les lignes II-II et III-III de figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 est une vue en coupe transversale et à échelle agrandie d'une variante d'exécution de ce ski ;
• Figure 5 est une vue en coupe transversale et à échelle agrandie d'une autre variante d'exécution de ce ski ;
• Figures 6 et 7 sont deux vues de dessus d'un ski sans la coque montrant deux possibilités de réalisation des éléments de renforcement.

In any case, the invention will be clearly understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawings showing, by way of nonlimiting examples, several embodiments of this ski:

• Figure 1 is a side view of a ski according to the invention;
• Figure 2 and 3 are two views in cross section and on an enlarged scale respectively along lines II-II and III-III of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of an alternative embodiment of this ski;
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of another alternative embodiment of this ski;
• Figures 6 and 7 are two top views of a ski without the shell showing two possibilities of realization of the reinforcing elements.

The ski shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a shaped ski, of non-rectangular section, comprising a filling core 2, for example made of polyurethane foam, a shell 3 forming the upper face 4 of the ski and the two lateral faces 5 thereof, longitudinal metal edges 6, and a sliding sole 7.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this ski comprises two longitudinal reinforcing elements 8, extending at least in the skate zone of the ski, arranged on either side of the core 2, between the latter and the inclined faces 5 of the shell 3. Each reinforcing element 8 has a lower face serving to support an edge 6, so as to provide it with effective support.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, each reinforcing element 8 extends almost over the entire height of the ski and serves to support the upper face 4 of the hull. In addition, each reinforcing element has a face, intended to bear against the core, which is perpendicular to the plane of the sole. FIG. 3 shows the location between the edges of the shell 3 and the base of the reinforcing elements and the edges 6, in the end zones, of a layer of viscoelastic material 9.

FIG. 4 represents a variant of the ski of FIGS. 1 to 3, in which each reinforcement element 18 extends over only part of the height of the ski, and is integral with a reinforcement element 19 constituted for example by a fabric impregnated with resin, which is itself in contact with the upper face 14 of the shell, and which is intended to transmit to the latter the forces to which the edges 16 are subjected.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of this ski, in which each reinforcing element 28 has a face intended to bear against the core 22, which is inclined relative to the perpendicular to the plane of the sole.

FIG. 6 represents a ski, without the shell, in top view, in which each reinforcing element, designated by the general reference 38, has a constant base width over its entire length, the core 32 having for its part a width variable to take account of the ski's dimension lines. In addition, in this embodiment, each reinforcing element is constituted by a multimaterial complex, comprising at least two different materials, for example a central layer of Zicral 38a and two lateral layers of ABS 38b.

FIG. 7 represents another embodiment, in which each reinforcement element 48 has a variable base width along the ski over its entire length, while the core 42 has, for its part, a constant width along the ski. In addition, and to illustrate another possibility of the invention, each reinforcing element comprises a central part 48a extending at least in the ski skid zone, made of a rigid material, and two end zones respectively before 48b and rear 48c, which are butted longitudinally to the area 48a, and which are made of a material having different characteristics, for example in a viscoelastic material. Such a combination is advantageous insofar as it is necessary to have excellent support at the level of the pad, which is achieved by the rigid element 48a, and that it is advantageous to obtain good damping at the level of the ends, which is obtained thanks to the viscoelastic elements 48b and 48c.

As is apparent from the above, the invention brings a great improvement to the existing technique by providing a shaped ski, of non-rectangular section, having the presentation qualities of skis with a hull, while having the technical characteristics of behavior of the traditional skis.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the sole embodiments of this ski, described above by way of examples, on the contrary it embraces all of the variant embodiments covered by the appended claims. .

Thus in particular that the reinforcing elements could be monolithic, or that the reinforcing elements could only extend in the central part of the ski, or that some of the characteristics, described with reference to an embodiment, could be combined with features described with reference to another embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. Shaped ski with a non-rectangular cross-section, comprising a filling core, for example of polyurethane foam, a shell forming the top face and the lateral faces of the ski, a bottom face equipped with longitudinal metal edges and a central sliding bottom, characterised in that it comprises two longitudinal reinforcement members (8, 18, 28, 38, 48) extending at least in the central part of the ski, disposed on each side of the core (2, 22, 32, 42), in contact both with the latter and with parts of the inner surface of the shell (3) forming the lateral faces of the ski, each reinforcement member having a bottom face extending largely over the width of the corresponding edge (6), so as to afford it effective support, and extending over at least part of the height of the ski.
2. Ski according to Claim 1, characterised in that each reinforcement member (8) forming a side member extends over practically the whole height of the ski and serves as a support for the top face (4) of the shell (3).
3. Ski according to Claim 1, characterised in that each reinforcement member (18) extends over only part of the height of the ski, and is integral with a strengthening member (19) in contact with the top wall (14) of the shell, the aim being to absorb the forces.
4. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that each reinforcement member (8) has a face, designed to bear against the core (2), which is perpendicular to the plane of the bottom.
5. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that each reinforcement member (28) has a face, designed to bear against the core (22), which is inclined with respect to the perpendicular to the plane of the bottom.
6. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the width of the base of each reinforcement member (48), that is to say of the face of the latter turned towards the bottom, is constant over the entire length of the ski, while the width of the core (42) is variable over the entire length of the ski.
7. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the width of the base of each reinforcememnt member (38), that is to say of the face of the latter turned towards the bottom, is variable as a function of its longitudinal position on the ski, the width of the core (32) being constant over the entire length of the ski.
8. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that each reinforcement member (48) is produced in several parts (48a, 48b, 48c) joined end to end in the longitudinal direction, produced from materials having different characteristics.
9. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that each reinforcement member (38) is produced in several juxtaposed parts (38a, 38b) produced from materials having different characteristics.
10. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that each reinforcement member (48) comprises a rigid central part (48a) situated in the runner area, and two end parts (48b, 48c) produced from a viscoelastic material.
11. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the rigid part of each reinforcement member (8) is produced-from cloth impregnated with resin, and folded over on itself.
12. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the rigid part of each reinforcement member (8) is produced from a multi-material complex, such as Zicral-ABS, Zicral being a brand name for an aluminium alloy, and ABS being acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.
13. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the two opposite reinforcement members (8) on the same ski have different stiffness and damping characteristics.
14. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 13, characterised in that the two opposite reinforcement members (8) on the same ski have different geometric characteristics, such as different widths and/or heights.
15. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 14, characterised in that the reinforcement members extend over the entire active length of the ski, that is to say substantially between the front and rear contact areas on the snow, while the shell covers the reinforcement members entirely.
16. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 15, characterised in that a joint made from viscoelastic material (9) is interposed locally in the end areas of the ski between the shell (3) and the top part of each reinforcement member (8).
17. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, characterised in that the core (2) is produced independently, and then connected to the reinforcement members and to the shell.
18. Ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, characterised in that the reinforcement members (8) are first of all connected to the shell (3) or extruded with the shell, after which the core (2) is injected in situ.

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