Feasibility of application of finite element method in shoe slip resistance test

Finite element analysis (FEA) has been widely used in engineering and construction in simulating forces and interactions and its application in footwear have become quite ripe by being researched for over 30 years. The aim of this study was to investigate the slip resistance of the outsole to learn (1) the feasibility of FEA in the test of outsole slip resistance (2) frictional interactions between outsole and contact surface by experiment test and finite element analysis. A static friction tester was used for static slip resistance test and a SATRA STM 603 slip resistance tester was used for dynamic slip resistance test. Outcome showed that value of SCoF was a little bit higher than that of DCoF both in ET and FEA, and value of coefficients obtained in ET was higher. With the increase of COF value, the displacement of outsole decreased while stress of the outsole increased. In conclusion, FEA application is feasible in footwear resistance testing. Stability of the outsole with superior slip resistance is good in both longitudinal and transverse direction. During walking, it has a strong resistance to the slipping tendency to prevent tumble and sprain.