A BOARD ON WHICH A PERSON RIDES ON LAND
This invention relates to a board on which a person rides on land. The board may be an all terrain board or a skate board.
Known boards such as all terrain boards and skate boards are usually manufactured from a wooden plyboard material or a solid plastics material, which give only a small amount of shock absorption. The materials used do not give enough shock absorption for allowing the board to absorb shocks due to rough ground conditions. This is especially so when the board lands after a jump movement. The jump movement may be for executing a predetermined stylistic manoeuvre, for example in a competition, or the jump movement may be simply to avoid an object in the way. The failure of the board to absorb the shock results in the person riding on the board possibly having their back and/or their legs jolted. This may cause damage to the person's spine and/or legs.
In order to increase the speed of a terrain board on a downhill slope, a person riding on the board can increase speed by lifting the board from the ground surface at every opportunity. This results in the resistance force of the wheels on the ground surface being reduced, with the result that the forward motion speed is increased. This action again tends to produce the above mentioned undesired shocks for the person's back and/or legs.
Generally, the known boards are such that they have minimal elasticity. In addition to this causing problems to a person due to the
person's back or legs being jolted, the rigid nature of the known boards often makes it more difficult to cause the boards to take off for an air jump and/or to be steered, for example to avoid objects in a chosen path.
It is an aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned problems.
Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided a board on which a person rides on land, which board comprises roller members, and a body on which the person rides, the body being made of a moulded fibre reinforced plastics material, and the body being of a thickness which enables the body to flex consequent upon the board landing on the land after a jump.
The board of the present invention may have a flexibility which enables it to return to its original shape much faster than traditional wooden boards.
The ability of the board to flex may be advantageous in enabling the board to be steered. The board may have flexibility in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.
The board may be one in which the plastics material is a thermosetting plastics material or a thermoplastic plastics material. Presently preferred plastics materials are polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and nylon. Other plastics materials may be used.
The fibre reinforcing is preferably a woven fibre reinforcing. Other types of fibre reinforcing may however be employed. Preferably, the woven fibre reinforcing is woven into a 4:1 bias fabric.
The fibre reinforcing is preferably glass fibre. However other types of materials may be used to provide the fibre reinforcing. The body may comprise:
(i) 30 - 50% by weight of the plastics material; and (ii) 50 - 70% by weight of the fibre reinforcing.
Preferably, the body comprises:
(i) 40% by weight of the plastics material; and
(ii) 60% of the fibre reinforcing.
The body is preferably formed of layers of the fibre reinforced plastics material.
A preferred body may comprise 40% by weight of polypropylene plastics material, 60% by weight of glass fibre reinforcing, the glass fibre being woven into a 4:1 bias fabric, and each one of the layers being such that it weighs approximately 935g/m2.
The body may be such that it has 12 - 16 of the layers laid on top of one another. The layers form plies.
The body may have a flexural modulus of 18Gpa in a longitudinal direction, a flexural modulus of 6Gpa in a width direction, a flexural strength of 380Mpa in the longitudinal direction, and a flexural strength of 160Gpa in the width direction.
The body may be 10 - 30mm thick. The thickness of the body may vary in dependence upon the weight of persons for which the board is designed. Preferably, the body is 15mm thick.
Advantageously, the board is one in which the body is curved upwardly with respect to the land.
The board may be one in which there are two of the roller members at the front of the body, and two of the roller members at the rear of the body, and in which the roller members are wheels.
The board may be one in which the body is 1000mm long, 230mm wide, the distance between the body at its greatest point of curvature and the land is 195mm, the distance between adjacent peripheries of the front and back wheels is 700mm, and in which the body is higher from the land at the back than the front. Preferably, the body is 5mm higher at the back than the front. Other height distances may however be employed.
In an alternative design, there are one of the roller members at the front of the body and one of the roller members at the rear of the body, and in which each one of the roller members extends across the width of the body.
The board may be one in which the roller members are mounted on axles, and in which the axles are bonded to the body. Other means for securing the roller members to the body may however be employed. Thus, for example, the axles could be bolted or riveted to the body.
The board may include feet gripping means. The feet gripping means are preferably feet straps but other types of feet gripping means may be employed.
The board may include handle bars. When the board includes the handle bars, then the handle bars may be made of the same material as the body. If desired, different materials for the handle bars may be employed including metals. The handle bars will usually be tubular but they may be solid.
The board may include electro-magnetic coils positioned between the body and the wheels for producing an electric current for recharging at least one battery on the board. Other types of electricity generating means may also be employed.
The board may be an all terrain board. Alternatively, the board may be a skate board.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a board on which a person rides on land;
Figure 2 is a side view of the board shown in Figure 1 ; and
Figure 3 shows handle bars which may optionally be fitted to the board shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a board 2 on which a person rides on land. The board 2 is in the form of an all terrain board. The board 2 comprises roller members 4 and a body 6 on which the person
rides. The body 6 is made of a moulded fibre reinforced plastics material. The body 6 is of a thickness which enables the body to flex consequent upon the board 2 landing on the land after a jump. The flexing may absorb shocks in which case the flexing may be basically in a longitudinal direction. The flexing may also be in a sideways direction and this type of flexing may be useful for steering the board 2.
The body 6 is made of 60% by weight of continuous glass fibres imbedded in a 40% by weight polypropylene matrix. This material is known by the registered trade mark Twintex. The material is woven into a 4:1 bias fabric. The body 6 has 12 - 16 layers of the 4:1 fabric laid on top of each other. Each layer weighs approximately 935g/m2. The layers are heated and moulded together under pressure. The layers then form a solid flexible moulded laminate.
The body 6 formed as above has a flexural modulus of 18Gpa in a longitudinal direction, and 6Gpa in a width direction. This gives a flexural strength of 380Gpa in the longitudinal direction, and 160Gpa in the width direction.
Twelve plies give a moulded thickness of approximately 7.5mm and 16 plies give a moulded thickness of approximately 10mm.
As shown in Figure 2, the body 6 is curved upwardly with respect to the land. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the body 6 has two of the roller members 4 at the front 8 of the body and two of the roller members 4 at the rear 10 of the body. The roller members are in the form of wheels. As also shown in Figures 1 and 2, the body 6 is 1000mm long, 230mm wide, the
distance between the body 6 at its greatest point of curvature and the land is 195mm, the distance between adjacent peripheries of the front and back wheels is 700mm, and the body 6 is higher from the land at the back 10 than the front 8. Preferably, as shown, the body is 5mm higher at the back 10 then the front 8, with the front height distance being 135mm as shown and the rear distance being 140mm as shown.
Figure 2 shows how the body 6 is mounted with respect to the roller members 4. More specifically, each end 14 of the body 6 is secured by fasteners 16 such as rivets or bolts to a platform support 18 which connects to an axle 20.
Figure 3 shows how handle bars 22 may be provided on a support tube 24 connected to and upstanding from the front 8 of the body 6.
If handle bars 22 are to be provided, they can be removably connected via the support tube 26 to the body 6. With such an arrangement, the board 2 can be used with or without handle bars 22.
It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the body 6 may be made of materials other than the above mentioned material. The number of layers employed for the body 6 may be varied in dependence upon the required length of the board and the required weight of the rider. The length of the board can be varied as desired.
A peel ply cloth may be provided on the surface of the body 6. The peel ply cloth may be removed after moulding in order to provide a non-slip
finish. Alternatively, a non-slip finish for the body 6 may be bonded onto the body 6 after the moulding. Coloured or printed surface veils may be provided for surface decoration. Plastics foam cores such for example as lightweight synthetic foam cores may be provided in the middle of the body 6. The curvature as well as the length of the body 6 may be varied as shown. Other fibre reinforced plastics materials may be employed including various thermoset and thermoplastic materials. Alternative fibre concentrations, fibre orientations and numbers of layers may be varied as required. Any suitable and appropriate moulding pressures and temperatures may be employed. The board may alternatively be formed as a skateboard or other type of vehicular board.