Method of manufacturing an article of footwear incorporating a tensile element

摘要

An article of footwear may have a sole structure and an upper that includes a foundation element and a tensile element. The tensile element may include a base layer and a plurality of strands, with the base layer being joined to an exterior surface of the foundation element. In manufacturing the footwear, a thermoplastic polymer material in the base layer may be utilized to bond or otherwise join the tensile element to the foundation element.

主权项

1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
locating a plurality of strands between a base layer and a cover layer, at least the base layer including a thermoplastic polymer material; heating the thermoplastic polymer material to join the cover layer to the base layer and thereby forming a tensile element that comprises the base layer, the plurality of strands, and the cover layer; placing the base layer of the tensile element adjacent to a foundation element of an upper of the article of footwear, the foundation element having an interior surface and an opposite exterior surface, the interior surface defining at least a portion of a void within the upper for receiving a foot of a wearer; and joining the base layer of the tensile element to the exterior surface of the foundation element with the thermoplastic polymer material, at least a portion of the exterior surface of the foundation element being exposed beyond the tensile element to form an exposed surface of the upper.