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 th e 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 apply ing the glue. The chemical interaction produces a change in the sole's stru cture, including the topographic structure. In this work we explore the pos sible influence of the roughness of the surface of thermoplastic rubber sol es on the shoes' pasting quality. The topographic inspection was performed by non-contact optical methods. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.