Friction at the Tennis Shoe-court Interface: How Biomechanically Informed Lab-based Testing can Enhance Understanding

• Published in: Procedia engineering Vol. 72; pp. 883 - 888
• Main Authors: Carré, Matt J., Clarke, James D., Damm, Loic, Dixon, Sharon J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2014
• Subjects: court; friction; shoe-surface interactions; tennis; shoe-surface interactions; court; tennis; friction
• ISSN: 1877-7058; 1877-7058
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2014.06.151

This paper presents some of the methodology, observations and findings from a 30-month study, aiming to improve the understanding of tennis shoe-court interactions and the biomechanical implications of changes in friction between the shoe and surface. A detailed programme of biomechanical player testing on different court surfaces provided the boundary conditions with which to develop a lab-based rig capable of simulating the key aspects of shoe-surface interaction that are required for acceptable performance (e.g. push-off to accelerate) within expected levels of consistency (e.g. for a controlled slide). Large- scale parametric testing could then be carried out for a variety of surface types and components under a range of loading conditions, without the risk of injury to human participants. Two case studies are described to demonstrate the value of a combined approach of biomechanical field testing and lab-based rigs that simulate shoe-court interactions. These include a study that compared different artificial clay court designs; and a study that examined the effect of different acrylic hard court parameters on friction and the tribological mechanisms that explain the observed interaction