Microtopographic inspection of thermoplastic rubber shoe's sole. The influence of surface roughness on sole to leather gluing

In the process of making a high quality shoe the strength and quality of the gluing of the sole to leather is of major importance. In order to help in adherence a chemical product is applied on the sole's surface before applying the glue. The chemical interaction produces a change in the sole's structure, including the topographic structure. In this work we explore the possible influence of the roughness of the surface of thermoplastic rubber soles on the shoes' pasting quality. The topographic inspection was performed by non-contact optical methods. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.