Implementation of finite element analysis into the athletic shoe design process

Abstract

Finite element analysis is used by companies throughout the world as a substitution for manually testing prototypes. With the assistance of finite element analysis many companies and industries have decreased the time and cost of product production. Currently, the athletic shoe industry does not use finite element analysis in the shoe development process. The goal of this project was to implement finite element analysis into the athletic shoe design process with the intent of decreasing time to market and cost. This effort determined finite element analysis is not recommended to design and test an entire athletic shoe. The human factors and variability make simulation wear-tests on an entire shoe nearly impossible to accurately replicate via finite element analysis. Though human factors affect the entire shoe the most critical component, the heel cushion, is affected only slightly. Since a person's heel is in the shape of a ball, the variation of external forces caused by human factors is not significant. Thus, finite element analysis can be used to design and test the cushion of athletic shoes.