Putting insoles through the paces

Abstract

Spurred on by the fitness boom of the last five years, athletic shoe manufacturers are developing biomechanically optimized models that incorporate the best available designs and materials for their soles and insoles. The insole is arguably the most important part of the shoe, as it forms the interface between the legs, which support the musculoskeletal system, and the ground. Each time a runner sets a foot on the ground, the leg does negative work (resulting in deceleration) followed by positive work (causing acceleration). The impact of the foot striking the ground is attenuated and dissipated partly by the runner's shoe, through the damping behavior of its insole. The shoe also returns some of the impact energy to the body. The material properties of the insole are therefore important to the health and performance of the runner. The paper provides data on the shoe insole material properties and presents graphs showing the compression of the insole material under the action of an impact force.

Publication Title

Mechanical Engineering

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