The Effect of Hardness and Surface Roughness of Elastomer on Friction Between Shoe Soles and Particle-Contaminated Floors

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dc.contributor.authorŽůrek, Michalcs
dc.contributor.authorMarkusík, Davidcs
dc.contributor.authorRebenda, Davidcs
dc.contributor.authorKalina, Lukášcs
dc.contributor.authorHartl, Martincs
dc.contributor.authorVrbka, Martincs
dc.coverage.issue3cs
dc.coverage.volume73cs
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-21T12:56:56Z
dc.date.available2025-08-21T12:56:56Z
dc.date.issued2025-07-19cs
dc.description.abstractNearly one third of workplace injuries results from slip- and trip-induced falls. Solid particles are among the most common floor contaminants in both occupational and outdoor environments, reducing shoe-floor friction and increasing slip risk. This study investigates how rubber hardness and surface roughness affect the frictional behaviour of shoe soles on smooth, particle-contaminated floors. Coefficient of friction (COF) measurements and post-test surface wear analyses were conducted using nitrile rubbers with hardness between 57.9 and 84.0 ShA and varied surface roughness. Samples were slid against smooth epoxy flooring in a pin-on-plate test simulating the heel-strike phase of walking. The floor was either clean or uniformly covered with corundum particles (40-50 mu m, 120-140 mu m, or 280-315 mu m). On clean floors, increasing rubber hardness and roughness significantly decreased COF (p < 0.0001) due to reduced real contact area. Under contaminated conditions, softer and rougher rubbers yielded higher COF values (p < 0.0001). Higher COF correlated with greater floor wear, showing long scratches and grooves, suggesting slip occurs mainly at the particle-floor interface. Rubber hardness and surface roughness primarily influence the strength of the particle-elastomer interface; greater particle-elastomer strength suppresses particle rolling and thereby leads to an increase in COF. These findings indicate that, on particle-contaminated smooth floors, slip resistance is governed more by particle-floor interactions than by rubber adhesion. Increasing outsole roughness and reducing hardness can help mitigate the adverse effects of particle rolling within the contact area and improve the frictional performance of the outsole.en
dc.formattextcs
dc.format.extent15cs
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfcs
dc.identifier.citationTribology Letters. 2025, vol. 73, issue 3, 15 p.en
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s11249-025-02046-4cs
dc.identifier.issn1573-2711cs
dc.identifier.orcid0009-0008-8167-626Xcs
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-5407-1336cs
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0001-8127-8175cs
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0001-5432-6645cs
dc.identifier.orcid0000-0002-2845-3752cs
dc.identifier.other198509cs
dc.identifier.researcheridB-1770-2017cs
dc.identifier.researcheridD-8261-2012cs
dc.identifier.researcheridF-5568-2012cs
dc.identifier.scopus55255338000cs
dc.identifier.scopus7005196946cs
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11012/255461
dc.language.isoencs
dc.publisherSPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERScs
dc.relation.ispartofTribology Letterscs
dc.relation.urihttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11249-025-02046-4cs
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalcs
dc.rights.accessopenAccesscs
dc.rights.sherpahttp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/1573-2711/cs
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/cs
dc.subjectSlip resistanceen
dc.subjectParticle contaminationen
dc.subjectRubber frictionen
dc.subjectSurface wearen
dc.subjectWorkplace safetyen
dc.titleThe Effect of Hardness and Surface Roughness of Elastomer on Friction Between Shoe Soles and Particle-Contaminated Floorsen
dc.type.driverarticleen
dc.type.statusPeer-revieweden
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen
eprints.grantNumberinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MSM/EH/EH22_008/0004634cs
sync.item.dbidVAV-198509en
sync.item.dbtypeVAVen
sync.item.insts2025.08.21 14:56:56en
sync.item.modts2025.08.21 14:34:13en
thesis.grantorVysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta chemická. Ústav chemie materiálůcs
thesis.grantorVysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta strojního inženýrství. Ústav konstruovánícs
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