Physics in the Boot and Shoe Industry

Abstract

THE nineteenth lecture in the “Physics in Industry” series of the Institute of Physics was delivered by Mr. H. Bradley, director of the British Boot, Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association, on May 23, on “Physics in the Boot and Shoe Industry”. A problem of first-rate importance in the boot and shoe industry is mensuration or anthropometry. How shall a foot be measured in order to specify concisely and accurately its shape ? The industry has hitherto relied on the eye and skill of handicraftsmen of the old school; few of these now remain and there is need for a scientific method of foot specification. A useful start has been made on this investigation, and experiments with the most recently designed foot-measuring instrument have proved most successful. Measurements of the foot when stationary should be supplemented by a knowledge, either qualitative or quantitative, of the requirements of the foot in motion. As yet very little is known in this direction and experimental investigations were planned several years ago. The proposed experiments are closely allied with physiological studies. More about the change in conformation of the foot during walking is required. Further-more, in the case of normally healthy feet the arches of which have not broken down, there are three main points of pressure, namely, under the heel, the inside joint or ball, and the outside joint; it is necessary to know how the body weight is distributed among these several points of support and how this distribution changes during walking. For a material in common everyday use, leather has received little attention from physicists, particularly in Great Britain. The science of leather has developed during the past thirty years mainly on the chemical side from the point of view of its manufacture. A line of investigation into the physical properties of leather, which has been selected because there is a likelihood of its being profitable in two or three directions, is the reaction of leather to the influence of water both in the liquid and vapour state.