The inability to take into account the type of base material (floor, pavement, soil), as well as the inability to
take into account the variable friction conditions – load, intermediary medium (water, loose abrasive, sand or
other soil particles), sliding velocity, and ambient temperature – is a significant limitation the use of friction
methods and devices used so far in the footwear industry to precisely anticipate the behavior of the bottom
materials in the actual operating conditions of the footwear.
These limitations prompted the authors to adapt a tribological tester for this purpose, used in the area of
construction and operation of machines and material engineering. A research methodology was developed
and, in order to verify it, measurements of the coefficient of friction and wear of polyurethane used for shoe
soles in combination with a raw and varnished wooden substrate were carried out.
The obtained test results are characterized by diversity, which proves the high research resolution of the
developed method. It allows determining the coefficient of friction of associations influencing the slip of the
footwear and the wear and tear that determines the length of use of the footwear.