Coefficient of Friction -Related to Slip and Falls on Walking Surfaces - Some Thoughts for Consideration

Coefficient of Friction -Related to Slip and Falls on Walking Surfaces - Some Thoughts for Consideration

Human locomotion involves acceleration during start-up, slowdown, steady movement, and maneuvers. These accelerations are associated with tangential forces transferred from a walker’s footwear to the walking surface. To accomplish desired ambulation the tangential forces must be resisted by ground reaction forces. On uncontaminated dry floors, ground reaction forces are developed through friction. (static and dynamic)

In 1495 Leonardo da Vinci deduced the two basic laws of friction:

1. The friction force is dependent on the force pressing bodies together; 2. The friction force is independent of the apparent area of contact.

He found that the friction force was a fraction of the normal force, that is, F = μN, where F—friction force (tangential), μ—coefficient of friction (constant), N—normal component of the contact force between the contacting bodies. Leonard Euler, in 1725, established that the coefficient of friction was different for static conditions, μs, and for dynamic or kinetic conditions, μk.

He found that usually μs > μk. The static coefficient of friction is the ratio of horizontal force to normal force required to initiate sliding between two solid bodies. In 1875, Charles A. Coulomb discovered that kinetic friction, μk, is nearly independent of the sliding speed; this is often referred to as the third law of friction. These historical facts have been carefully chronicled by Duncan Dowson (1979) in his History of Tribology.

References:

‘‘Slip and Fall’’ Theory—Extreme Order Statistics --- https://www.ciop.pl/CIOPPortalWAR/file/2204/201303121267&2002-v8n2s135.pdf

SLIP RESISTANCE 101 – COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION --- https://www.srmax.com/education/blog/slip-resistance-101-coefficient-of-friction

The Probability of Slipping during walkiing: ... -- https://www.madonna.org/images/uploads-users/9_burnfield.pdf

COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION FOR FLOOR SAFETY ---- https://www.slipresistantsolutions.com/blog/coefficient-of-friction-for-floor-safety/

Floor Slip Resistance Test -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eCXB1yMFFk

Floor Slip Resistance explained -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--h5PnR6h3g

Finding the Coefficient of Static Friction on an Incline --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_cZlN_zGBI

Tribology: Friction, Wear, and Lubrication - MIT Short Programs ... Video for tribology --https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H_Oc6cN7Bk