The Creation of Identifying Characteristics on Shoe Outsoles Depending on the Sole Material

• Main Author: Maier, Andreas Dennis
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Criminology; Forensic anthropology
• ISBN: 1085795691; 9781085795692

In this research project, scientific experiments were conducted to determine if the outsole material of a shoe has a major influence on the creation of identifying characteristics. One pair of shoes used in this experiment had rubber outsoles, and the other pair had EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) outsoles. An experimental study was performed with 10 voluntary participants. Each participant received an assigned pair of rubber sole shoes and one pair of EVA sole shoes to wear on a five kilometer walk on a gravel road. The outsoles were scanned after each kilometer to document the shape, location, and number of identifying characteristics. Statistical analyses of the data showed that EVA soles generate fewer characteristics than rubber soles within the parameters of this research. In addition to studying the impact of the outsole material on the creation of identifying characteristics, this project investigated if the outsole material has an influence in transferring the characteristics into an impression and subsequently onto a cast. At the end of every shoe being walked, shoe impressions were created in Bio-Foam® Impression Foam, and dental stone was used to create a cast of the impression. These impression casts were photographed and used to compare the characteristics on the impression with those on the outsole of the shoe. The casts showed that positive characteristics were transferred equally on both sole types and negative characteristics on EVA soles need a certain depth to be transferred into an impression.