Thermal comfort of trekking boots: experimental and numerical studies

Abstract

In this paper a study on the design and development of functional shoe linings with thermal comfort specifications is presented. The comfort of foot wear (trekking boots) perceived by the user, depends greatly on the ability of the boot to maintain the foot surface in an equilibrium state in terms of thermo-physiological comfort [1]. This is related to the capacity of removing the moisture resulting from transpiration away from the foot surface. Having these premises in mind, a study on the development of new lining constructions using different raw materials was conducted. As far as methodology is concerned, this study has involved two different stages. The first stage has included an objective evaluation of the thermal comfort of the boots. This stage involved several tasks, including the conception and development of the fabrics to be used in the inner layer of the boots and the development of a thermo-physiological model of the human foot, in order to simulate the temperature and moisture behavior in the developed fabrics. The second stage consisted in a subjective evaluation of the thermal comfort using prototypes of the developed boots. Subjective evaluation assessment was done through a questionnaire, in which the study subject were able to indicate where they experienced thermal discomfort in the foot, as well as a laboratory physical task used to simulate the “real” use of the boots.