A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes
According to standards, the heel soles of running shoes are currently tested with an energy absorption of 5 J. This study offers an alternative method to improve the measurement of cushioning properties. The new method uses the ratio of absorbed energy to applied force and determines the maximum of...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Bioengineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/12/5/467 |
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| author | Franz Konstantin Fuss Tizian Scharl Niko Nagengast |
| author_facet | Franz Konstantin Fuss Tizian Scharl Niko Nagengast |
| author_sort | Franz Konstantin Fuss |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | According to standards, the heel soles of running shoes are currently tested with an energy absorption of 5 J. This study offers an alternative method to improve the measurement of cushioning properties. The new method uses the ratio of absorbed energy to applied force and determines the maximum of this ratio (optimum or shoulder point) and the associated optimal force, energy, and displacement. This method was applied to 112 shoe models using compression testing. The method was found to be insensitive to strain rates and identified shoes that were over-, well-, or under-designed (running before, at, or after the shoulder point, respectively) relative to the range of the first ground reaction force peak (0.700–2 kN). The optimum ratio was between 0.6 J/kN (barefoot shoes) and 11.2 J/kN (Puma RuleBreaker), the optimal energy was between 0.5 and 40.6 J, the optimal force was between 0.1 and 4.6 kN, and the optimal displacement was between 3 and 23 mm. Participants ran at or near the shoulder point (within the design forgiveness range) unless they were too heavy and ran at their preferred running speed. This study proposes replacing current standards with the new method, allowing consumers to make informed decisions regarding injury prevention while running. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3828020dbffc458ba5f778df6b81d067 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2306-5354 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioengineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-3828020dbffc458ba5f778df6b81d0672025-08-20T03:47:50ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542025-04-0112546710.3390/bioengineering12050467A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running ShoesFranz Konstantin Fuss0Tizian Scharl1Niko Nagengast2Chair of Biomechanics, Faculty of Engineering Science, University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyChair of Biomechanics, Faculty of Engineering Science, University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyChair of Biomechanics, Faculty of Engineering Science, University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyAccording to standards, the heel soles of running shoes are currently tested with an energy absorption of 5 J. This study offers an alternative method to improve the measurement of cushioning properties. The new method uses the ratio of absorbed energy to applied force and determines the maximum of this ratio (optimum or shoulder point) and the associated optimal force, energy, and displacement. This method was applied to 112 shoe models using compression testing. The method was found to be insensitive to strain rates and identified shoes that were over-, well-, or under-designed (running before, at, or after the shoulder point, respectively) relative to the range of the first ground reaction force peak (0.700–2 kN). The optimum ratio was between 0.6 J/kN (barefoot shoes) and 11.2 J/kN (Puma RuleBreaker), the optimal energy was between 0.5 and 40.6 J, the optimal force was between 0.1 and 4.6 kN, and the optimal displacement was between 3 and 23 mm. Participants ran at or near the shoulder point (within the design forgiveness range) unless they were too heavy and ran at their preferred running speed. This study proposes replacing current standards with the new method, allowing consumers to make informed decisions regarding injury prevention while running.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/12/5/467shoe testingenergy absorptionratio of energy to forceshoulder pointclassification of shoe designdevelopment of test standard |
| spellingShingle | Franz Konstantin Fuss Tizian Scharl Niko Nagengast A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes Bioengineering shoe testing energy absorption ratio of energy to force shoulder point classification of shoe design development of test standard |
| title | A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes |
| title_full | A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes |
| title_fullStr | A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes |
| title_short | A New Method and Set of Parameters for Evaluating the Cushioning Effect of Shoe Heels, Revealing the Inadvertent Design of Running Shoes |
| title_sort | new method and set of parameters for evaluating the cushioning effect of shoe heels revealing the inadvertent design of running shoes |
| topic | shoe testing energy absorption ratio of energy to force shoulder point classification of shoe design development of test standard |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/12/5/467 |
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