Developing a testing protocol to assess the mechanical properties of high-level cycling shoes

The goal of the project was to develop a methodology for the assessment of the mechanical properties of a cycling shoe in ecological conditions. The focus of this work was the sole, since it is arguably the structural component subject to the most significant stresses during the pedalling action. The system is based on a network of stress and strain sensors attached to the cycling shoe and a calibrated stand-alone synchronised data acquisition system, which can collect the stress and strain information from the instrumented cycling shoe. A data pipeline is then implemented to process the raw data from the sensor and to deliver meaningful information about the response and the in-vivo behaviour of the cycling shoe. A finite element model (FEM) analysis of the shoe sole was conducted to interpolate the data collected on the sole, and predict more detailed information about the local stresses, strains and deformations.