Evaluation of Some Factors Affecting Measurements of Slip Resistance of Shoe Sole Materials on Floor Surfaces

Abstract Research done at Liberty Mutual Research Center consisted of 7090 slip tests in an attempt to show it is possible to determine differences in the slip-resistant qualities of various shoe soles. The tests included seven floor materials, eleven shoe sole materials, three sole pressures on wet and dry floors, and four widely different relative humidities. Thirteen operators took the measurements, using the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter. The measurements proved to be sensitive to relative humidity, sole pressure, repetitive measurements, and wet and dry conditions. Each operator demonstrated that consistent measurements can be taken with the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter. The conclusion is that it is possible to identify shoe sole materials that have desirable slip-resistant qualities for various floor surfaces under wet and dry conditions.