COMFORT FACTORS IN LEATHER FOOTWEAR
Abstract
Comfort in leather footwear is discussed as the result of physiological and environmental factors that influence its wearability, rather than as a matter of good fit, which is an obvious pre requisite. Ranking low in importance for comfort are such properties as thermal expansion, color, air permeability, and the heat of wetting. Properties that depend largely on the tanning process used, such as stiffness and dimensional changes, deserve careful attention but do not usually create serious comfort problems. The most important combination of properties is one that copes both with foot perspiration and with the danger of ''getting wet feet''. In dealing with foot perspiration, the water vaporperme ability and the capacity of leather to absorb liquid and vaporized water come into play. To avoid ''wet feet'', water resistant leathers have been developed. The report reviews methods of evaluating these properties in the leather that goes into footwear and in the shoes and boots themselves. It discusses comfort factors of uppers, insoles, and outsoles; the water balance around the foot; the distribution of body weight; and the weight of footwear. The report also discusses the difficult topic of the subjective evaluation of footwear by means of wearer questionnaires and interviews.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0418390
Entities
People
- Ludwig Seligsberger
Organizations
- United States Army Soldier Systems Center