Investigation of the effects of different shoe sole materials on foot biomechanics by finite element analysis

In this thesis, the human foot was modeled as a solid model with the help of various software programs and the stresses that occur while the static equilibrium position was calculated with different shoe sole materials. The human foot was prepared as a comprehensive model including bone, cartilage and soft tissue. The soles of the shoes were designed according to the combination of two different materials: hard and soft, and the interaction between the foot solid model and the full foot position was calculated with the help of finite element analysis. PVC, rubber and leather were chosen as the outsole material, while EVA and PU foam were preferred as the soft midsole material. According to the results of the analysis, it was observed that the stresses in the soles decreased with EVA midsole material and increased with PU foam midsoles. It was understood that the choice of material alone would not be sufficient for reducing the stresses in the foot bones. Key words: Finite element analysis, foot biomechanics, shoe sole