HYPOTHESIS:  If we can increase the friction between a shoe and an ice surface, then we can reduce the likelihood of slipping and falling.

• Prediction 1 (footwear): The sole of a shoe will affect the likelihood of slipping on ice.
• Prediction 2 (material): Select materials put on an ice surface will reduce the likelihood of someone slipping than if nothing is added on the ice.

QUESTION:  What is the best way to prevent slipping on ice?

• 18% of falls for seniors are associated with walking on snow or ice according to the Public Health Agency of Canada “Senior Falls in Canada” 2017-18 report. This number was 16% in the 2009/10 report.
• When we are walking, our shoes make contact with the ground. On ice, we tend to slip. 
• A thin film of water is actually what makes ice itself slippery.
• “FRICTION” is defined as the force that opposes the motion of surfaces in contact with each other. It is a property which determines the extent to which a certain material will slip on a surface
• Higher friction = less slipping; Lower friction = more slipping
• Not all footwear perform the same on ice - the tread and surface area of the sole are factors which can affect friction.
• Adding a material to an ice surface changes how the footwear and ice contact each other.

Independent variable: footwear (7 types) , material (4 types)

Dependant variable : time (for footwear to reach the bottom of the inclined ice surface)

Controlled variables :

• Condition/amount of ice (Experiments done on the same ice patches that we prepared in a boot tray of size 43cm x 89cm)
• Date of experiment (January 4^th, 2024) 
• Temperature (+2℃)
• Location (Area under shade)
• Slope (Inclined boot tray to 12° so shoe could slide down independently)
• Used right foot shoe for every tested pair of similarly sized footwear
• Same person released the footwear every time
• Same person was timing 
• Same person was collecting data 
• Used a two pound weight inside of each shoe for every trial

Step 1. Prepare an ice test surface

• We used a clean oversized boot tray 43cm x 89cm
• The boot tray was filled with water and set outdoors from Dec 24, 2023 to Jan 4, 2024 to make an ice surface closest to a real life ice patch
• Inclined boot tray to 12° so shoe could slide down independently

Step 2. Test each type of footwear - Experiment 1

• 7 types of footwear were tested
• A stopwatch was used to record data
• A minimum of 20 trials were conducted
• The average and standard deviation of the data was calculated
• The footwear that took the longest time to slide down the ice patch was ranked as best

Step 3.Test different materials - Experiment 2 

• 4 types of materials were tested with 2 types of shoes
• The qualitative data was recorded
• We created a “MA” scale to measure the data and for easy data analysis
• The results were ranked to determine the material which provided the least slippage or best grip

Every model of footwear slipped down the inclined bare ice patch, but the time it took each to slide down the patch was different.

Adding some material on the ice surface was beneficial compared to having no material in terms of preventing slipping.

Experiment 1 : We analzyed the sole surface, tread and material, studied why some soles did better than others.

Experiemnt 2 : We analyzed the inferred chemical compostion of materials and the general behavior, studied why some materials did better than others. 

Conclusion for Experiment 1 : Footwear on ice

The longest slide time was concluded to have the best friction.

The sole of the footwear affected the time for the footwear to slide down the ice patch. Surface area and tread had the most effect on slipping.  The longest time (most friction) related to soles with large area and varying tread pattern. 

Conclusion for Experiment 2 : Materials on ice

• Both salts/de-icers worked the best. They provided better friction :
  • When sitting on the surface of the ice and 
  • When the salt melted the ice, it transformed the once smooth surface into a bumpy, jagged surface. 
• Both shoes performed the same on each material.  
• The material had a bigger influence on preventing slipping than the individual type of footwear.  

Future Directions : Anti-Slip Resource Kit for Seniors and High Risk People

• Avoid ice if possible
  • Seek out a “snow angel” to keep your sidewalks clear of snow
  • Choose your path carefully
  • Try to minimize the distance you walk on ice
• Footwear
  • Top recommendation: boots with tire-like tread 
  • Backup:  avoid smooth soles if possible; walk like a penguin!
  • Consider adding grippers to your shoes or use a walking stick with a spike 
    • Caution: We did not test these!
• Anti-slip material
  • Top recommendation:  salt (de-icer)
  • Backup:  ‘pickle’ from City of Calgary 
  • Consider keeping a container of anti-slip material in your vehicle so you can apply it when needed (for example, icy parking lot)

Our project's data was recorded using a stop watch. The time was recorded in seconds to 2 decimal points (centiseconds). We realized this can be a source of error as we had to be precise while starting and stopping the watch. To account for human error we took 20 trials for each of the shoes. 

Injury and Trauma Emergency Department and Hospitalization Statistics, 2021-22 by Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2023  Seniors' Falls in Canada, Second Report by Public Health Agency of Canada, 2014 https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/migration/phac-aspc/seniors-aines/publications/public/injury-blessure/seniors_falls-chutes_aines/assets/pdf/seniors_falls-chutes_aines-eng.pdf

Activity associated with fall-related injury, age 65+, Canada, 2009/10 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/aging-seniors/publications/publications-general-public/seniors-falls-canada-second-report.html#s2-1

Activity associated with self-reported injuries resulting from fall in last 12 months, household population aged 65 or older, Canada,2017-2018 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/surveillance-report-falls-older-adults-canada.html#a2.1

Slippery Soles : A Lesson in Friction https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/slippery-soles-lesson-friction/                                   What Are Non-Slip Shoes and How Do They Work? https://www.overlookboots.com/blogs/boots/what-are-non-slip-shoes-and-how-do-they-work 

Footwear sole material research

Tall Winter Boot: https://www.theshoecompany.ca/en/ca/product/elements-youth-girls-waterproof-winter-boot/868101435?activeColor=120 

High Heel Boot: https://www.theshoecompany.ca/en/ca/product/clarks-womens-bayla-light-ankle-bootie/164102186?activeColor=110 

Dr. Martens: https://www.drmartens.com/ca/en_ca/1460-smooth-leather-lace-up-boots-white/p/11822100 

Work Boot:  https://www.kodiakboots.ca 

Fashion Boot : https://www.globoshoes.com/ca/en/brands/k-studio/women/carramadar-beige/p/13729055

Running Shoe : https://intersport.com.au/product/nike-star-runner-3-kids-shoes-8/

Salt/Ice melt research

Why Does Salt Melt Ice?  https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-salt-melt-ice 

What is Ice Melt?  Selecting the Best Ice Melt for Your Facility https://www.imperialdade.com/blog/ice-melt-types

City of Calgaryhttps://www.calgary.ca/roads/maintenance/free-sand-salt.html              https://www.calgary.ca/roads/conditions/snow-ice-faqs.html

We wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following people to our project.

We thank our teachers, Mr. Rip and Mr. Klaassen, for supporting us with the Science Fair.  We especially appreciate Mr. Rip helping us by discussing our project, giving us good feedback, and challenging us.

We thank Amelia’s grandparents’ condo building, St. Stephen’s Church, and Kelly (and Sylvester, the cat)  for donating salt and kitty litter.

We are also grateful to our parents who supported us through all stages of our project by brainstorming ideas, offering advice when we needed it, asking challenging questions, and helping us edit and improve our work. We could not have done it without them.