US EditionHarvard boffins crack the mystery of squeaky sneakers
Harvard researchers discovered sneaker squeaks come from pulse waves on ridged rubber soles sliding on smooth surfaces, with waves traveling near 300 km/h, study in Nature shows.
- On Wednesday, Harvard University postdoctoral researcher Adel Djellouli led a team that resolved why shoes squeak, publishing in Nature the wave-like contact producing high-pitched tones.
- The project started with a simple question: 'Why do basketball shoes squeak?' after Harvard University postdoctoral researcher Adel Djellouli noticed squeaks at a Boston Celtics game.
- In the lab, the team replicated the sneaker-court interface by sliding rubber blocks and sneakers against a special glass plate while recording squeaks with microphones.
- The Harvard team found that sneaker tread ridges act as a waveguide, confining pulses, while flat rubber samples produce broadband emissions and no squeak.
- Beyond shoes, researchers say the work could inform shoe designers to enhance or reduce squeak and The Imperial March demonstration links tribology of soft materials to earthquake dynamics.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Physicists Crack the Question of Why Basketball Shoes Squeak
If you’ve ever watched a basketball game, you’re familiar with the white noise of staccato squeaks from the players’ shoes as they maneuver across the court. Now, new research published in Nature is shedding light on this phenomenon. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . “This project started with a simple question: Why do basketball shoes squeak?” Harvard University applied physicist Adel Djelloul said in a statem…
Scientists finally explain why basketball shoes squeak
As he watched the Boston Celtics play from the stands of TD Garden, one noise kept catching Adel Djellouli's ear.“This squeaking sound when players are sliding on the floor is omnipresent,” he said. “It’s always there, right?”Squeaky shoes are part of the symphony of a basketball game, when rubber s...
Discovered how the squeaking of gym sneakers was born: it could help to control friction, with applications ranging from synthetic materials to geological faults (ANSA)
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