Sneaker heat diffusion through walking

[charlesworth]

Hi,

I'd like to figure out the amount of heat lost in the kinematic action of putting your foot on the ground while walking. I'm not interested in the diffussion of body heat through the shoe or anything, just the heat energy released by the impact itself. I know this is obscure, and probably impossible to do accurately, but anything will help.

I'm assuming that it will include variables like surface area, speed of impact, and material types.

Again, anything would be helpful, thanks,

-Ian

 

[Andrew Mason]

Hi,

I'd like to figure out the amount of heat lost in the kinematic action of putting your foot on the ground while walking. I'm not interested in the diffussion of body heat through the shoe or anything, just the heat energy released by the impact itself. I know this is obscure, and probably impossible to do accurately, but anything will help.

I'm assuming that it will include variables like surface area, speed of impact, and material types.

It depends on many factors. Walking is more efficient than running, for example. In walking, the body is constructed so that minimal up and down motion occurs. Very little energy is lost in the foot impacting the ground.

When running, there is more of an impact but the body muscles can act as a kind of spring (depending on how fit you may be) and may store some of that energy and release it when pushing off.

From a physics perspective, there is no energy lost if the force does not act through a distance. So if the person's legs are perfectly rigid on impact and no sliding of the foot on the surface, there is no work done so there is no energy lost on impact (ignoring sound).

AM