Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces
Traumatic injuries caused due to slipping and falling are prevalent in India and across the globe. These injuries not only hamper quality of life but are also responsible for huge economic and compensation burdens. Unintentional slips usually occur due to inadequate traction between the shoe and flo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Surfaces |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9637/5/4/35 |
| _version_ | 1827636808406532096 |
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| author | Shubham Gupta Subhodip Chatterjee Ayush Malviya Arnab Chanda |
| author_facet | Shubham Gupta Subhodip Chatterjee Ayush Malviya Arnab Chanda |
| author_sort | Shubham Gupta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Traumatic injuries caused due to slipping and falling are prevalent in India and across the globe. These injuries not only hamper quality of life but are also responsible for huge economic and compensation burdens. Unintentional slips usually occur due to inadequate traction between the shoe and floor. Due to the economic conditions in low and middle-income countries, the public tends to buy low-cost footwear as an alternative to costly slip-resistant shoes. In this study, ten high-selling formal shoes under $25 were considered. These shoes were tested on three commonly available dry floorings and across contaminated common floor surfaces (i.e., water and floor cleaners). The traction performance of the shoes was quantified by using a biofidelic slip tester. The majority of formal shoes were not found to produce the slip-resistant performance across common slippery surfaces. Shoes with softer outsoles exhibited increased slip-resistant performance (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.91). Shoe outsoles with less-to-no treads at the heel region showed poor traction performance as compared to other shoes. The apparent contact area was found as an important metric influencing the slip risks in dry and wet slipping conditions (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.88). This research is anticipated to help the public and footwear manufacturers select safer shoes to reduce slip-and-fall incidents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:50:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8c7a7bf76a0d45e487719b08d4da33e1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-9637 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:50:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Surfaces |
| spelling | doaj.art-8c7a7bf76a0d45e487719b08d4da33e12023-11-24T18:05:15ZengMDPI AGSurfaces2571-96372022-11-015448950310.3390/surfaces5040035Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery SurfacesShubham Gupta0Subhodip Chatterjee1Ayush Malviya2Arnab Chanda3Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi 110016, IndiaCentre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi 110016, IndiaCentre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi 110016, IndiaCentre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi 110016, IndiaTraumatic injuries caused due to slipping and falling are prevalent in India and across the globe. These injuries not only hamper quality of life but are also responsible for huge economic and compensation burdens. Unintentional slips usually occur due to inadequate traction between the shoe and floor. Due to the economic conditions in low and middle-income countries, the public tends to buy low-cost footwear as an alternative to costly slip-resistant shoes. In this study, ten high-selling formal shoes under $25 were considered. These shoes were tested on three commonly available dry floorings and across contaminated common floor surfaces (i.e., water and floor cleaners). The traction performance of the shoes was quantified by using a biofidelic slip tester. The majority of formal shoes were not found to produce the slip-resistant performance across common slippery surfaces. Shoes with softer outsoles exhibited increased slip-resistant performance (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.91). Shoe outsoles with less-to-no treads at the heel region showed poor traction performance as compared to other shoes. The apparent contact area was found as an important metric influencing the slip risks in dry and wet slipping conditions (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.88). This research is anticipated to help the public and footwear manufacturers select safer shoes to reduce slip-and-fall incidents.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9637/5/4/35slipsfallfootweartractionsurfacefriction |
| spellingShingle | Shubham Gupta Subhodip Chatterjee Ayush Malviya Arnab Chanda Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces Surfaces slips fall footwear traction surface friction |
| title | Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces |
| title_full | Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces |
| title_fullStr | Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces |
| title_full_unstemmed | Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces |
| title_short | Traction Performance of Common Formal Footwear on Slippery Surfaces |
| title_sort | traction performance of common formal footwear on slippery surfaces |
| topic | slips fall footwear traction surface friction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9637/5/4/35 |
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