title: Contribution of gait parameters and available coefficient of friction to perceptions of slipperiness.
abstract: Perceived slipperiness rating (PSR) has been widely used to assess walkway safety. In this experiment, 29 participants were exposed to 5 floor types under dry, wet and glycerol conditions. The relationship between their PSR and objective measurements, including utilized coefficient of friction (UCOF), gait kinematics and available coefficient of friction (ACOF), was explored with a regression analysis using step-wise backward elimination. The results showed that UCOF and ACOF, as well as their difference, were the major predictors of the PSR under wet and glycerol conditions. Under wet conditions, the participants appeared to rely on the potential for foot slip to form their PSR. Under glycerol conditions, some kinematic variables also became major predictors of PSR. The results show how different proprioceptive responses and ACOF contributed to the prediction of PSR under different surface conditions.
authors.affiliation: Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA. Electronic address: Wen.Chang@LibertyMutual.com.
authors.forename: Wen-Ruey
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA.
authors.forename: Mary F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lesch
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chien-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matz
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D005528:Foot; D017276:Friction / Q000502:physiology; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012449:Safety
keywords: Available friction; Friction demand; Gait kinematics