Design,manufacture,and evaluation of traction features on sprint footwear using laser sintered nylon-12 sole units

Abstract

A novel method for incorporating traction features within sprint shoe sole units using laser sintered nylon-12 was investigated. The design, manufacture, and mechanical testing of the sprint shoe sole units are detailed. Three proof-of-principle concept sole units, incorporating traction features typically embodied in commercially available sprint shoes, were developed and manufactured using laser sintered nylon-12 and assembled with standard sprint shoe uppers. The traction properties of both commercially available and laser sintered outsoled sprint shoes were tested on a bespoke rig. Under the prescribed testing conditions, the laser sintered outsoled sprint shoes compared favourably with the commercially available sprint shoes, with the laser sintered concept shoes generating mean peak traction forces to within 15 per cent of those exhibited by an individual commercially available sprint shoe. The results indicate the potential to create a fully functional sprint shoe sole unit using laser sintering technologies, and thereby to create one-off sprint shoes for athletes, is viable in terms of the shoe being able to provide traction levels close to conventional sprint shoes. However, as the strain rates encountered during sprinting are considerably higher than in the test methods implemented, further human performance testing is recommended.