Identifying shoe wear mechanisms and associated tribological characteristics: Importance for slip resistance evaluation

Abstract

The role of shoe wear on the tendency to slips and falls has been less studied than the contributions of floor surfaces to fall-related injuries. The purpose of this study was to better understand the principal aspects of shoe wear mechanisms and to identify the associated tribological characteristics of shoe/walking surface frictional behaviour. Dynamic friction tests were conducted amongst four types of shoes and two different floor specimens. Wear features and their development on the shoe surfaces were quantitatively and qualitatively examined before and after the tests. Test results showed that the initially unique micro- and macro-tread patterns experienced massive changes and severe damages. The worn surfaces of shoe heels acquired dissimilar wear shapes, sizes, and patterns. The main differences in their wear developments were strongly related to the material characteristics. Findings from this study provided new insights concerning the primary features of shoe wear such as abrasion patterns, crack formations, ruptures, structures, and damage propagation. The abrasion patterns of heel surfaces resulted from crack propagation at the root of the wear tongue and subsequent tearing of those tongues when they reached their maximum sizes. Wear behaviour of the shoe surfaces was significantly affected not only by the rate of crack propagation along a low angle of asperity slope, but also by the rate of crack propagation. Findings of this study may have potential applications to improve shoe designs for safer heels and soles.