Project's synopsis
Walking is an important aspect of everyday life. Shoes manufacturers have launched several products allowing the customers to absorb ground roughness or to improve the feet transpiration. As far as the first point is concerned, main multinational companies are addressing several R&D efforts to develop new solutions.
The proposed solution is based on the know-how developed in space in the field of magneto-rheological fluids applied in the damping of structures. Magneto-rheological fluids are suspensions consisting of ferromagnetic particles of size 0.1-100 micron in a dielectric base fluid. Since the dielectric constant of suspensions particles differs from the dielectric constant of the base fluid, external magnetic field polarizes particles.
Project's characteristics
A sole for shoes endowed with shock absorbers against the stress produced in the feet during the walking process, containing within itself at least a fluid cushion embedded in a chamber (2 - Fig.1) made of flexible and pliable material located in the rear part of the sole and equipped with regulating means (6 - Fig. 1) acting on the fluid's viscosity. The latter is a suspension of magnetizable particles trapped in a vector fluid designed to run through a duct (4 - Fig.1) of non-iron magnetic material connecting such chamber (2 - Fig.1) with an auxiliary cavity (3 - Fig.1). The above-said regulating means are represented by a magnetic field generator (6 - Fig.1) close to the duct (4 - Fig.1) and other means (5 - Fig.1) able to vary the magnetic field's density in correspondence with the duct. In such a way the degree of the particles' magnetization can be varied and consequently also the mobility of the fluid in the duct. As a result, an adjustment of the degree of damping, thanks to the magneto rheologic fluid inserted in the sole, is obtained.
