Mechanical Properties of textile fabrics for shoe - internal applications in footwear

Abstract

This study investigates the suitability of textile materials as replaceable shoe-internal linings in footwear, focusing on the concept of “Innovation on Replaceable Concepts”. The shoe-internal lining component is designed to be removable for enhanced convenience and hygiene. Various textile materials, including canvas, cotton, denim or terry cot are evaluated for mechanical strengths such as tensile, tear, water vapour permeability and abrasion resistance to ensure foot comfort. Denim, followed by canvas, exhibits higher tensile and tear strength but the lowest coefficient of variance, indicating superior durability after repeated washing. All tested fabric samples possess good abrasion resistance in dry and wet conditions, and flexing tests confirm their suitability as inner linings. However, canvas fabrics show higher compressive load values. Considering functional characteristics of the shoe’s internal component, properties such as flexibility, puncture resistance and impact resistance are evaluated, and results confirm that denim and canvas possess superior values on all parameters across washing cycles. Finally, canvas fabric is recommended as the optimal choice for shoe-internal linings due to its superior flexing properties, puncture resistance, and overall mechanical performance, making it an ideal choice for shoe-internal component footwear.