—Introduction to the classification and performance of sports shoe sole materials

1. Rubber: used in the outsoles of various sports shoes. Advantages: good wear resistance, non-slip, elastic, not easy to break, good softness, good extensibility, stable shrinkage, good hardness, and good bendability. Disadvantages: heavy weight, prone to frost (a quality issue), not easy to corrode (environmental issue)

2. PU: Polymer polyurethane synthetic material, often used in the midsoles of basketball and tennis shoes, and can also be directly used in the outsoles of casual shoes. Advantages: high density, hardness, wear resistance, good elasticity, good oxidation resistance, easy corrosion, environmental protection, and not easy to wrinkle. Disadvantages: strong water absorption, easy to turn yellow, easy to break, poor elongation, not resistant to water, easy to rot at the bottom.

3． EVA: vinyl acetate polymer, polymer material. Commonly used in the midsoles of jogging, jogging, casual shoes, and foot training shoes. Advantages: light, elastic, flexible, not easy to wrinkle, has excellent colorability, and is suitable for various climates. Disadvantages: easy to absorb water, not easy to corrode, not environmentally friendly, easy to get dirty.

4. PHYLON (MD): It is an EVA secondary high-pressure molded product. It is the main material for the midsoles of running shoes, tennis shoes, and basketball shoes internationally. It can also be used for the outsole of casual shoes. Advantages: light, elastic, thin appearance, good softness. Easy to clean, good hardness, density, tensile strength, tearing and elongation. Disadvantages: It is not easy to corrode and is not environmentally friendly. It is easy to wrinkle and shrink at high temperatures.

5. TPR: TPR granules are hot-melted and then injection molded. It is often used in the midsoles and outsoles of jogging, jogging, and casual shoes. Advantages: easy to shape and cheap. Disadvantages: heavy material, poor abrasion (not wear-resistant), poor softness, poor flexibility (not resistant to folding), poor shock-absorbing ability

6. Performance comparison: TPR has a large specific proportion, is heavy, has average elasticity and average wear resistance. The rubber sole has a higher specific gravity but is softer, very wear-resistant, has strong grip, but has poor elasticity. It is generally used in indoor football shoes and casual shoes. The EVA bottom is very light and elastic, but the elasticity decreases after being worn for a long time and becomes more solid. PU and MD soles are elastic and durable without deformation. They are more flexible and comfortable during exercise. They have small specific gravity and are very light, so they are widely used (PU is denser than MD and has better shock absorption effect, but it is also relatively heavier). Generally, the large negative film is made of rubber, which is wear-resistant and non-slip.

7. In terms of price, TPR is the cheapest, PU = TPR × about 2 times, MD = TPR × about 4 times, MD air cushion = TPR × 4 times more, PU air cushion = TPR × 4-6 times more.

(2) Introduction to the classification and performance of sports shoe surface materials:

The fabrics of sports shoes include PVC, PU, ??nubuck, microfiber, natural leather, mesh, etc. The major categories are briefly explained below:

1. PVC: Most are cheaper, have poor texture, are not cold-resistant, and are not resistant to folding; products do not use PVC as fabric.

2. PU leather and nubuck: are the most commonly used materials on the market. PU leather is soft, elastic, feels good, and has a shiny surface. The surface of nubuck is mostly frosted, rough to the touch, rarely shiny and has a matte surface, and most of it is inelastic. Although nubuck and PU are different, they have their own characteristics when used. Relatively speaking, PU is more widely used, and the price ranges from more than ten yuan to hundreds of yuan. Sports shoes use mid-range or above nubuck and PU leather as uppers.

3． Microfiber: soft texture, uniform texture, performance very close to natural leather, but more uniform thickness and more balanced elasticity than natural leather. It is one of the best materials in artificial leather. The cheapest ones are more than 60 yuan per yard, and the good ones are as high as more than 200 yuan. Currently, most of our shoe models use this material.

4. Natural leather: It is a material generally recognized by people. It is breathable, soft, resistant to peeling, folding, cold, and durable. The disadvantages are that it has flaws, many pores, irregular shape and is difficult to cut. Natural leather has always been loved by people; there are many kinds of leather for shoes, such as cowhide, pigskin, deerskin, ostrich skin, carp skin, snakeskin and so on. Sports shoes generally use cowhide. Cowhide can be divided into first layer leather and second layer leather. The first layer is also called pearl leather, and the second layer is called walnut leather or patent leather. Generally, the price of first layer leather is 35 times that of second layer leather. Sports shoes, especially basketball shoes, use a lot of first-layer cowhide, which is very valuable.

5. Mesh: It is mainly divided into three categories. The main material is mesh, which is used in the exposed areas of the upper. It is light and has good air permeability and bending resistance, such as sandwich mesh.

Neck accessories, such as velvet, BK cloth, and lining accessories, such as Lixin cloth. The main features are wear resistance and good breathability.

6. Note: The base material, upper material and shoe box of sports shoes are all marked for comparison. Let’s talk about the components of shoes: shoes are mainly composed of uppers, linings (linings), front and rear iron soles, front and rear toe caps, midsoles (also called insoles), soles and other parts. Upper surface: The materials are generally genuine leather (LEATHER) or artificial leather. The leather materials vary. The best is the first layer of genuine leather, which is soft and has good elasticity. Personally, I still prefer shoes made of fine soft sheepskin. There are many kinds of artificial leather. The most common one I come into contact with is PU leather. There are many kinds of thickness leather. The most common one I come into contact with is PU leather. The thickness is measured in filaments, usually 80 filaments, and good ones can reach 140 filaments, which is suitable for producing a single layer. The upper surface (not the lining) is comfortable to wear, especially Korean shoes, which are generally done like this. Today's most popular PU leathers include rubbed leather, rubbed leather, bubble pattern, crazy horse pattern, large and small patterns, Napa pattern, 18 pattern and many other patterns. Because Crazy Horse leather has a texture like real leather and the effect is good, it is very popular now, but the price is very high. Glue rubbing is the most classic type of leather. It has been popular for more than 10 years. Nowadays, there are many kinds of glue rubbing. The effects of rubbing are different. The color can be dark or light, and it has a lot to do with the wax used. The price is moderate. However, the workmanship is difficult, and it generally requires a specialized glue-wiping master to do it well. Nowadays, there is also leather that simulates cowhide, with a thickness of more than 200 threads, and the price is extremely high.

Inner lining and ironed sole:

Materials are generally genuine leather, PU, ??PVC, etc. The leather upper is usually equipped with a genuine leather lining, which is comfortable to wear and has good heat dissipation. It is easy to produce "athlete's foot". Generally, PU linings are much better than PVC, but they are more expensive! The sole is an important part of the shoe, including PU sole, TPR sole, PVC sole and combination sole. The advantages of PU bottom are light weight, soft texture and good hand feel. Many customers in the Middle East and Europe like soles made of PU material, but they are expensive (the price of PU has risen horribly recently, and the cost has increased significantly, but the price of shoes has not increased, which has made it difficult for many factories). Nowadays, polyurethane injection molding ( After PU INJECTION, due to the large production volume and low cost, TPR soles are also very popular. TPR soles are moderate in weight and have a certain degree of softness, but they are cheaper than PU and have no odor. PVC soles are generally the cheapest. They are directly injection molded in the factory, but cold-bonded soles are also made of PVC material. The texture can be adjusted through pre-molding, and can be hard or soft. However, PVC soles have a somewhat peculiar smell because they are made of plastic. If good oil is used to mix the plastic, The smell is very light, but if you use return oil, the smell will be pungent and uncomfortable. In fact, this completely depends on the reputation of the factory. Other parts such as the midsole are just the layer between the sole and the upper, and they are made of a single material. , I won’t go into details here. The toe cap is actually a layer of cardboard, measured in millimeters. The toe cap produced in Taiwan is of better quality, and the 1.7mm toe cap is already very good, and is mainly used for toes and heels. It makes the leather shoes look sharp and has the effect of reinforcing the shape of the shoes.