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Research Article | Open Access

Comparative tribological and drainage performance of additively manufactured outsoles tread designs

Shuo Xu1Shuvodeep De2Meysam Khaleghian2( )Anahita Emami1( )
Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos 78666, USA
Department of Engineering Technology, Texas State University, San Marcos 78666, USA
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Abstract

This study investigates the effect of various tread designs to enhance grip on both dry and wet friction, aiming to reduce slip and fall accidents, especially in slip-prone workplaces and among the elderly. The research involves analyzing frictional performance and deformation characteristics through dry and wet friction testing. Computer-aided design (CAD) software was used to create digital models of various tread patterns, and two different additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, fused filament fabrication (FFF) and stereolithography (SLA) printing, were used for three-dimensional (3D) print block samples with tread patterns, and the materials used were thermoplastic rubber (TPR) filament and photocurable elastomeric resin. A specialized friction testing machine was used to measure the friction force of the treads on a glass surface under dry and wet conditions. A high-speed camera recorded the treads’ deformation and water drainage during testing. The results revealed the influence of tread pattern designs with two different rubber-like materials on friction and deformation, as well as performance on various contact surfaces.

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Friction
Article number: 9441024
Cite this article:
Xu S, De S, Khaleghian M, et al. Comparative tribological and drainage performance of additively manufactured outsoles tread designs. Friction, 2025, 13(5): 9441024. https://doi.org/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441024

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Received: 06 May 2024
Revised: 23 September 2024
Accepted: 18 October 2024
Published: 01 April 2025
© The Author(s) 2025.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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