MATERIALS RESEARCH

CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS USED IN PRODUCTS

The construction and materials developed at the Institute are used in a number of products:

BIOMORPHIC FIT

Biomorphic Fit is a term for a structural design where the shoe’s upper flexibly conforms to the foot’s form to improve fit.

Shoe uppers are usually designed based on the form of the foot at rest.

A foot in motion changes shape, and if the upper does not mirror this to the change in foot form then the foot can be forced to twist inside the shoe.

If this occurs, certain parts of the foot change form considerably, while other parts change form only slightly.

Solyte

Solyte is a mid-sole material that weighs approximately half the weight of mid-sole material EVA.

This innovative material was developed by ASICS using linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) blended with other selected thermal plasticity elastomers and strengthening agents.

Solyte was developed using linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) blended with other selected thermal plasticity elastomers and strengthening agents.

A light-weight sponge with sufficient mechanical strength was developed by optimizing foaming conditions.

The name Solyte is itself a composite:

｢so light｣

｢sol + light｣

｢sole + light」

Slender Balance Shaft

The ASICS Slender Balance Shaft was designed based on shock analysis of golf club shafts to find a solution to the problem of failure under stress.

Because the golf club shafts are made of wood, cracks can form, causing the shaft to break upon impact with the ball. Using shock analysis and analysis of stress during impact, the Institute learned that stress is concentrated in one point, causing cracks to form.

To solve this problem, a non-essential section of the Slender Balance Shaft was made more slender to disperse the concentration of stress, lightening the weight and impro

ving the overall strength of the club.

Solyte Polymer

Solyte Polymer is a resin sole material approximately 30% lighter than the polyurethane resins previously used in resin soles.

Reducing weight must not sacrifice resistance to wear. Through a variety of analyses, the Institute learned that two properties are critical for resin sole materials to resist wear:

・Moderate elasticity to repel sand and gravel

・Minimal changes in material properties from temperature shifts due to friction, season, or weather

By blending a number of special olefin resins based on the results of analysis, a lighter-weight material that remains resistant to wear was developed.