Sole assembly for article of footwear

Abstract

The invention relates to a sole assembly for an article of footwear. Specifically, a footwear construction has a strobel-stitched bottomed upper and a sole assembly with a topsole disposed above the strobel board. The topsole is manufactured from a foam having an average modulus at a stress of 535 kilopascals of from about 750 kilopascals to about 950 kilopascals. The foam also has an energy efficiency of at least about 78%, and a dynamic compression set of less than about 10%. The sole assembly may include an inner sole disposed above the topsole. The inner sole may be manufactured from EVA foam. The topsole may have a thickness of at least 1mm, the inner sole may have a thickness of at least 3mm, and the total thickness of the topsole and inner sole may be at least 5mm. The sole assembly may include a midsole, and possibly an outsole, disposed below the strobel board.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to footwear, and in particular to sole assemblies for articles of footwear. Background technique [0002] With footwear so ubiquitous, it is easy to underestimate the complexity of engineering required to meet the ever-increasing demands on footwear. This is especially true for performance footwear intended for use in high performance applications such as sports and other physical activities. [0003] Running shoes are one of the most advanced types of footwear. Running is a demanding activity in which shoes play an important role. It is important for running shoes to meet high technical specifications for cushioning and energy return while being lightweight and highly durable. One function of a running shoe is to protect the runner's body from excessive local loads generated during the ground-contact phase of the stride. Resilient foam is one example of a material used in the sole of a shoe to absorb some of the impac...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

As another example, with a construction that includes an insole of traditional EVA foam (either alone or in combination with a foam-strobel board laminate), the insole (and the foam-strobel board laminate) is irreversibly damaged over time. The plastic deformation makes it unable to fully rebound

Thus, a structure incorporating traditional EVA foam over a Ströbel plate would be either too thin to fully conform to the shape of the forefoot under peak loads, or so thick that permanent compression set caused by repeated loading would substantially alter the fit of the shoe. Spend

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