Shoe Design Research Articles

Effect of tread design and hardness on interfacial fluid force and friction in artificially worn shoes

Shoe wear is a major contributor to slip risk. Knowledge of the impact of shoe design features on wear progression and its impact on friction performance is emerging. This study investigated the effect of tread geometric design and shoe hardness on the shoe’s friction response to wear. Three tread designs (two designs using large tread lugs and one tread design using small-patterned tread features) each at three different hardness levels underwent available coefficient of friction (ACOF) and under-shoe fluid pressure testing on a vinyl composite tile contaminated with 90% glycerol solution. These tests occurred at baseline and after each of six iterations of an accelerated wear procedure. The results of this study revealed that tread design influenced under-shoe fluid force, friction, and their response to wear. One of the lug designs experienced high fluid pressures and low friction performance even in its new condition although its performance improved with wear. The other lug design exhibited good drainage, good friction performance, and resilience to wear. The small-patterned tread experienced high ACOF and low fluid pressures at baseline and declined in performance with wear. Thus, lug designs offer a wide range of friction performance and resilience. No effects were observed due to hardness. This study determined that tread geometry is an important factor for designing shoes with durable traction performance.

Out of the box and into the workplace—the friction mechanics of worn shoes

Shoe tread reduces the risk of slips and falls by improving shoe-floor friction and under- shoe fluid dispersion. Shoe design and friction standards exist to improve shoe safety, though these stand...

Evaluating longitudinal bending stiffness testing for performance footwear

Longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) is a critical factor in performance running shoe design. Moreover, the recent appearance of carbon-fiber plates in running shoes has created increased interest ...

Response to select comments on the proposed paradigm shifts in running

Background: Six experts in the field of running-related research have critically addressed a proposal to abandon the paradigms of ‘impact force’ and ‘pronation control’ when investigating running shoes, running injury, and running performance. Further, these experts have commented on the suggestion of the new paradigms of ‘muscle tuning’ and the ‘preferred movement path’ that can be used to investigate questions related to running injuries and performance as well running shoe design and comfort. This publication synthesizes and addresses the main criticisms of the experts and describes future directions to further develop the ‘muscle tuning and ‘preferred movement’ paradigms.

Thermophysical interaction in the shoe-foot system during sport activity

The purpose of the present paper is to give a quantified estimation on the distribution of the temperature and humidity inside of the elastic knitted sport shoe at different conditions and shoe materials. For that, a coupled mathematical model of the heat and moisture transport in the system foot- shoe- environment is developed and implemented in an in- house code. Simulations performed at different temperatures of ambient air, polyamide and polyester shoe materials and sport activity show that these factors strongly influence the skin temperature and humidity resulting in an essential change of the foot thermal comfort. Under the assumption of a uniform sweating distribution on the human foot, the lowest thermal comfort on the foot surface is detected under the heel. A special attention is paid to the foot volume change caused by the sport activity which leads to a reduction of the internal thin air layer. Simulations revealed that its influence on the shoe comfort in terms of the skin temperature and humidity is small. The results can be used for the estimation of the comfort in shoes at different conditions and development of new shoe designs to make shoes more comfortable.

Design of Intelligent Shoes Based on Multi-sensor

To collect and analyze movement data of human foot, an intelligent shoe system was developed to collect foot pressure, foot acceleration and angular velocity data. Intelligent shoes include pressure insole module, wireless transmission module and sports data receiving software in addition to the shoe body. The foot movement data is collected by the intelligent shoes, which is sent to the receiving software through Bluetooth, and displayed and stored. Three basic movement behaviors including sitting, standing and walking were identified through the multilayer long short-term memory (LSTM) network, and the accuracy of motion behavior recognition model based on LSTM and the validity of motion data collected by intelligent shoes were verified. The intelligent shoes can be used in the study of human motion behavior recognition.

Cutting shoe design for open caissons in sand: influence on vertical bearing capacity

Open caisson shafts are a widely adopted solution for a range of geotechnical applications. An external ‘cutting shoe’ is a common construction feature used to reduce the soil frictional resistance acting on the caisson during sinking. This forms an annular void encircling the caisson which is filled with a support fluid to maintain excavation stability. The primary aim of this paper is to explore the influence of the cutting shoe geometry on the resulting vertical bearing resistance in sand. Finite-element limit analysis is adopted for this purpose. Additional parameters considered in the modelling include the roughness of the caisson cutting face and cutting shoe, and the caisson radius and embedment depth. The results show that the influence of the cutting shoe is highly dependent on the caisson cutting face roughness and the soil friction angle, illustrated using detailed soil failure mechanisms. The roughness of the cutting shoe is also shown to cause a significant increase in the vertical soil reaction for large caisson embedment depths. By way of example, a recent case study in the UK, involving the construction of a 32 m dia. caisson, is used to highlight the potential influence of the cutting shoe on the bearing resistance during caisson sinking.

Effect of Pole Shoe Design on Inclination Angle of Different Magnetic Fields in Permanent Magnet Machines

Electromagnetic modelling of electrical machines through finite element analysis is an important design tool for detailed studies of high resolution. Through the usage of finite element analysis, one can study the electromagnetic fields for information that is often difficult to acquire in an experimental test bench. The requirement for accurate result is that the magnetic circuit is modelled in a correct way, which may be more difficult to maintain for rare earth free permanent magnets with an operating range that is more likely to be close to non-linear regions for the relation between magnetic flux density and magnetic field strength. In this paper, the inclination angles of the magnetic flux density, magnetic field strength and magnetization are studied and means to reduce the inclination angles are investigated. Both rotating and linear machines are investigated in this paper, with different current densities induced in the stator windings. By proper design of the pole shoes, one can reduce the inclination angles of the fields in the permanent magnet. By controlling the inclination angles, one can both enhance the performance of the magnetic circuit and increase the accuracy of simpler models for permanent magnet modelling.

PERLINDUNGAN HUKUM BAGI PEMEGANG HAK DESAIN INDUSTRI SEPATU TERHADAP IMITASI (Studi Perbandingan dengan Amerika Serikat)

The development of the shoe industry in Indonesia today raises new problems where the similarity of shoe designs between several brands is a new problem that arises. The shoe industry design rights holders which should be highly protected have not fully received strong legal protection and there are no regulations that discuss in detail about design imitation. This writing uses a comparative method, namely the author compares with the United States that has protected industrial design rights holders since 1989 and has proven successful in protecting industrial design rights holders, therefore this comparison is important so that regulations on industrial design rights in Indonesia can benefit rights holders.

A Study on Stator Design for Electromagnetic Noise Reduction in Washing Machine Motor

Received:11 november 2020; Accepted: 27 December 2020; Published online: 05 April 2021
 Abstract : For low cost, spoke type ferrite magnet motors with small air gap are using to washing machine. At that time, a noise problem occurs, so a design to reduce the noise is required. In the washing machine, set noise increased due to the reduction of air gap of motor at high speed spin mode. Not only the overall noise, but also the harmonics noises are greatly increased at set. As a result of set noise test and noise analysis through finite elements method, a stator tooth shoe shape in which the magnetic flux changes rapidly is cause of noise. Its shape creates many harmonics of load torque. The harmonics component of the load torque increases the overall noise of the set. The harmonics noise of the set has a large correlation with radial force component as well as the torque ripple. Especially, it is found that the harmonics noise of the set is related to harmonics component of load torque and the harmonics component of the radial force at stator tooth. The noise is reduced by applying the new design of stator tooth shoe that can minimize the change in magnetic flux through the noise cause analysis. Through this research, the harmonics noise as well as overall noise are reduced at small airgap motor. Therefore, it is possible to develop cost reduction motor for washing machine.

Effect of a carbon reinforcement for maximizing shoe outsole bending stiffness on plantar pressure and walking comfort in people with diabetes at high risk of foot ulceration

BackgroundDifferent shoe design features can reduce peak plantar pressure to help prevent foot ulcers in people with diabetes. A carbon reinforcement of the shoe outsole to maximize bending stiffness is commonly applied in footwear practice, but its effect has not been studied to date. Research questionWhat is the effect of a carbon shoe-outsole reinforcement on peak plantar pressure and walking comfort in people with diabetes at high risk of foot ulceration? MethodsIn 24 high-risk people with diabetes, in-shoe regional peak pressures were measured during walking at a comfortable speed in two different shoe conditions: an extra-depth diabetes-specific shoe with a non-reinforced outsole and the same type of shoe with a 3-mm-thick full-length carbon reinforcement of the outsole. The same custom-made insole was worn in both shoe conditions. Walking comfort was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (0–10, 10 being highest possible comfort). ResultsSignificantly lower metatarsal head peak pressures (by a median 10–22 kPa) were found with the reinforced shoe compared to the non-reinforced shoe (p < .001). In >83% of cases with the reinforced shoe and >71% with the non-reinforced shoe metatarsal head peak pressures were <200 kPa. At the hindfoot, peak pressures were significantly higher (by a median 24 kPa) with the reinforced shoe (p = .001). No significant shoe effects were found for the toes. No significant shoe effects were found for walking comfort: median 6.1 for the reinforced shoe versus 5.6 for the non-reinforced shoe. SignificanceAdding a full-length carbon reinforcement to the outsole of a diabetes-specific shoe significantly reduces peak pressures at the metatarsal heads, where ulcers often occur, in high-risk people with diabetes, and this does not occur at the expense of patient-perceived walking comfort.

Pedagogical guidance to educators in teaching sneaker design: the effectiveness of sketchbook practice

ABSTRACT This pedagogical project aimed to implement a new sneaker design course and better develop sneaker design content to integrate 3D printing application technology into an apparel design programmes curriculum. The study further investigated the effectiveness of students’ skills in sneaker design sketching through a series of practice tasks in in-class activities and assignments. A total of 12 undergraduate students attended a shoe design course consisted of three main sections: (a) sketching, (b) patternmaking, and (c) 3D printing, to complete a shoe prototype. A questionnaire consisted of demographic information, students’ reflection, sketching practice evaluation, and open-end questions. The findings revealed the overall course content provided a positive experience in which students honed practical competencies and learned problem-solving and critical skills. This study also suggests effective ways for educators to improve a current or future shoe design course for learning outcomes and for students to enhance their sketching skills.

Research on Establishing Size System and Designing Shoe Lasts for Female Diabetics in Vietnam

Shoe lasts are tool for designing and manufacturing shoes, mainlly deciding on the shape, fit and comfort of the shoe. The paper presents the method and results of setting up the size system and designing shoe lasts for female diabetics based on the results of studying foot shape and size, requirements of shoes for diabetics. The parameters of 7 shoe last sizes in length with 3 sizes of width/girth according to the Mondopoint international size system are built. The parameters of shoe lasts for female diabetics are much bigger than those for normal women, especially the ball is bigger than 24 mm, the ball width is larger than 6 mm. Using shoe last design software, 3D printing technology has designed and manufactured shoe lasts, that meet the requirements to make shoes for female diabetics in Vietnam.

Formation of theatrical sculptural costumes inspired by Arabic letters

The Arabic language has a great place in the world's languages. Because of its great advantages as a language for a large number of speakers, as it reaches 200 million people in more than 20 countries, in addition to the fact that the Arabic language is a Semitic language. This refers to a group of languages ​​that belong to the Afro-Asiatic language family. There are many forms of writing each letter of Arabic writing, depending on its position in the beginning, middle, or end of the word.There are many scripts in Arabic Calligraphy, Which are Naskh, Nasta'liq, Diwani, Thuluth, Reqa, and Kufic. The Kufic and Naskh scripts were the two main scripts developed for Arabic writing. Arabic letters are distinguished by their acceptance to be formed in any geometric shape compatible with any shape, and its essence is not subject to any change, and Arabic letters have a special aesthetic characteristic. The artist's awareness of and development of it, and given the ability of letters to form, designers used them in their designs. Clothing designers around the world are increasingly taking inspiration from Arabic calligraphy in their designs, such as Ezzedine Alia and Karl Lagerfeld from Chanel Couture, and recently, it is widely used in textiles, clothing, accessories, and even shoe designs, and there are many different studies on how to benefit from The Arabic letter, whether single or with Arabic motifs, is used in designing different fabrics and costumes. The researcher chose two types of Arabic calligraphy, one of them is geometric with sharp right angles, which is the Kufic type, and the other is the thuluth font, which is characterized by the abundance of curves and streamlined design. The purpose of choosing the two different types of fonts is to prove the validity of the hypothesis of benefiting from the aesthetics of Arabic letters in the design of sculptural costumes suitable for theatrical, lyrical, and cinematic performances, as well as for various celebrations and occasions because of their flexibility and flow. At the end of the research, the researcher concluded that it is possible to benefit from the aesthetics of Arabic letters in Creating and designing innovative costumes suitable for different theatrical productions, and final results and recommendations.

Effect of gender and running experience on lower limb biomechanics following 5 km barefoot running

ABSTRACT Barefoot running has been increasing in popularity, yet there is a gap in understanding concerning the biomechanics of mid-distance barefoot running, especially between genders and runners of different running-experience levels. This study examines the effects of running-experience, gender, and their interaction on running biomechanics following 5 km barefoot running. Before and after a 5 km run, three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb joints and plantar pressure during barefoot running were collected from 20 participants. Participants were stratified by their running-experience levels (novice and marathon-experienced) and gender. This study revealed significant gender effects on lower limb biomechanics following a 5 km barefoot run. Increased plantar pressure under the lateral aspect of the foot was observed in the female cohort, while the male cohort exhibited reduced plantar pressure under the lateral heel. This study suggests that modified lower limb running biomechanics and modified lateral foot loading after 5 km barefoot running may create a different foot loading environment for female and male runners that should be accommodated in barefoot runningand minimalist shoe design.

An approach to implement STEP-NC in the footwear industry

There is a growing need to automate the footwear industry by introducing new methods and tools to improve footwear production. The use of CAD tools for the design of shoes and their components is increasingly common, but it is a sector in permanent adaptation to socio-economic changes where it is therefore complicated to incorporate high-tech machinery. The introduction of improvements in production is a necessity, so the use of technologies that allow the adaptation of old machinery with the latest technologies in the area of CAD/CAM would be an important advantage for the sector.So far, each component is designed and manufactured separately. In this way, the real dependence that exists between the different components required for manufacturing footwear means that a change in any of these elements implies a redesign (CAD level) of the rest of the elements. This fact increases the manufacturing cost. It is also necessary to modify the way of manufacturing the product (CAM level), which is a complex manual process in many cases. The introduction of changes in an industrial environment with limited resources means a very slow implementation.In this paper, a platform based on STEP-NC is defined to show the advantages that its implementation in footwear sector would imply, by relating all the elements involved in footwear manufacturing: CAD tools that generate the geometries of the components, CAM tools that define the paths for their machining, and the different machines that manufacture these components. Furthermore, additional advantages would be incorporated, such as process control, supervision, inspection, allowing information to flow in all directions.

Alternative upper configurations during agility-based movements: part 1, biomechanical performance

The objective of this research was to determine if three alternative shoe closures improve biomechanical performance measures compared to a standard lace closure in agility-based movements. NCAA Division 1 and club-level male athletes recruited from lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and rugby performed four court-based movements: Lateral Skater Jump Repeats (LSJ), Countermovement Jump Repeats (CMJ), Triangle Drop Step Drill (TDS), and Anterior-Posterior Drill (AP). Each athlete performed the movements in four shoe upper closures: Standard Closure, Lace Replacement, Y Wrap, and Tri Panel. Movement completion time, Ground contact time, peak eccentric rate of force development (RFD), peak concentric GRF, peak concentric COM power, eccentric work, and concentric work were measured. The Y Wrap configuration the Tri Panel configuration delivered improvements between 3 and 9% over the Standard Closure depending on the movement tested and variable of interest. The Lace Replacement had mixed results with some improvements and some declines in performance. This study allowed for the mechanical properties of the shoe bottom package to remain consistent across designs to examine if alternative upper configurations could enhance performance. We hypothesise that improved containment and possibly increased proprioception—due to the wrapping fit of the configurations influences these changes in performance. These findings suggest that the design and construction shoe upper is essential to consider in athletic shoe design.

Simplification and unfolding of 3D mesh models: review and evaluation of existing tools

Generation of planar patterns from 3D shapes is required in many fields such as design of airplane wings, car bodies, shoes and textile products. Unfolding and folding processes are common methods to form a 3D shape from 2D surfaces. A 3D mesh surface is segmented in unfolding process to form 2D patches without overlapping. The patches are then used as patterns for cutting materials to fold them back into the 3D shape. A mesh surface can be very complex with a large number of triangles. It is often required to simplify meshes with some preserved geometrical details before the generation of planar patterns for unfolding. This paper reviews and evaluates existing software tools for both mesh simplification and unfolding of 3D shapes. Performance is evaluated for different simplification algorithms implemented in software tools such as Meshlab and Instant-Meshes. The optimal number of meshes is searched for the minimal error. The algorithms are evaluated based on the efficiency and accuracy of the simplified model. Hausdorff Distance measurement is used for the accuracy assessment. The study presents a comprehensive comparison of three different software tools in unfolding for generation of a set of 2D patches from 3D models. The software tools, Pepakura Designer, Blender and SketchUp, are compared in terms of functionalities and performances in the execution time, automation, number of generated 2D patches and editing tools. Case studies are conducted to illustrate the evaluation in both mesh simplifications and unfolding procedures.

Optimization of shoe sole design according to individual feet pressure maps

Innovative technologies are shaping the future of product development in many industries. From the wide range of applications apparel industry as garments, footwear and accessories has involved advanced technologies in different steps of product development. The focus of companies is quality and fit of products, especially for footwear products, where fit is one of the most important elements for the wearer. This is strongly related with comfort and poor fit leads to foot injuries. Considering this fact, a case study of different steps for shoe designing according to individual foot shape will be presented. Taking into consideration the aesthetics of the sole and in a more sustainable view, through topological optimization reducing of material wastage for sole production will be presented. By means of the topological optimization in the shoe design process, sole optimization is realized. As a part of personalization, feet’s plantar pressure maps taken from 3 participants gave a better explanation of weight distribution of each foot. Following, sole personalization according the plantar pressure maps for each foot gives the possibility to obtain the best least material design according to the feet’s pressure while maintaining biomechanical performance and aesthetics.

Running into Fatigue: The Effects of Footwear on Kinematics, Kinetics, and Energetics.

Recent studies identified a redistribution of positive mechanical work from distal to proximal joints during prolonged runs, which might partly explain the reduced running economy observed with running-induced fatigue. Higher mechanical demand of plantar flexor muscle-tendon units, for example, through minimal footwear, can lead to an earlier onset of fatigue, which might affect the redistribution of lower extremity joint work during prolonged runs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a racing flat and cushioned running shoe on the joint-specific contributions to lower extremity joint work during a prolonged fatiguing run. On different days, 18 runners performed two 10-km runs with near-maximal effort in a racing flat and a cushioned shoe on an instrumented treadmill synchronized with a motion capture system. Joint kinetics and kinematics were calculated at 13 predetermined distances throughout the run. The effects of shoes, distance, and their interaction were analyzed using a two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA. For both shoes, we found a redistribution of positive joint work from the ankle (-6%) to the knee (+3%) and the hip (+3%) throughout the entire run. Negative ankle joint work was higher (P < 0.01) with the racing flat compared with the cushioned shoe. Initial differences in foot strike patterns between shoes disappeared after 2 km of running distance. Irrespective of the shoe design, alterations in the running mechanics occurred in the first 2 km of the run, which might be attributed to the existence of a habituation rather than fatigue effect. Although we did not find a difference between shoes in the fatigue-related redistribution of joint work from distal to more proximal joints, more systematical studies are needed to explore the effects of specific footwear design features.