Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety
71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA
Department of Industrial Management
Chung-Hua University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan
Institute of Technology
Chung-Hua University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan
Measurement of the coefficient of friction (COF) between the shoe/sole and the floor is essential in understanding the risk of slipping accidents. COF measurements between the footwear material and floor using a slipmeter were commonly performed using flat footwear pads. Such measurements might underestimate the actual slip resistance of people’s daily experiences because tread groove design on footwear is very common. This research investigates the effects of the tread groove width on the measured COF. The results indicated that tread groove width significantly (p＜0.0001) affect COF under various footwear material, floor, and contamination conditions. Wider tread grooves resulted in higher COF values with a few exceptions especially on oil contaminated floor. Stepwise regression was performed to establish a linear regression model between COF and the tread groove width under footwear material/floor/liquid-contamination conditions. A seven-independent-variable model with an adjusted R2 of 0.74 was obtained. The lack of fit test result for the model was significant at p＜0.0001, indicating that the model adequately fit the friction measurement data.
Keywords: slipping/falling, coefficient of friction, tread groove design, regression model
(*Contact: E-mail kaiway.li@libertymutual.com )
Cite this article as: Kai Way Li and Chin Jung Chen, "Measurement of Floor Slipperiness using Footwear Pads with Various Tread Groove Width Design," Journal of the Chinese Institute of Industrial Engineers, 22, 408-418 (2005).