Improving Slip Resistance on Ice: Surface-Textured Composite Materials for Slip-Resistant Footwear

Abstract

Falls present a massive health risk for older adults. Half of those over 80 will fall at least once a year with 1 in 5 suffering a serious injury. Footwear outsole material that provides good grip on ice and snow can potentially prevent many of these injuries. Our team has developed our own promising patent-pending composite outsole materials with a unique structure that consist of soft rubber compound with hard microscopic fibers protruding out from the surface. In this study, we attempt to optimize the ice friction performance of our composite for extended use. We investigate the effect of manufacturing and testing parameters using the Taguchi method for robust design. Our results on optimization of process parameters demonstrate that fiber content at 8% volume fraction with mold temperature sets at 120 °C lead to maximum ice friction properties before and after simulated wear. The optimized composite design showed a higher coefficient of friction (COF) on ice than any on the market now, which highlights the capability of the material to provide improved traction on icy surfaces and prevent fall-related injuries.