Aspects Regarding the Physiological and Comfort Parameters in Shoes Made of Leather Substitutes

The issue of replacing natural leather with leather substitutes is increasingly common in the leather goods industry. In this paper, it was addressed the issue of ensuring the physiological and comfort parameters when wearing leather substitute shoes. The aim of the paper is to analyze how the sanogenetic indicators influence the hygienic properties of footwear products starting from the porosity of the materials subjected to experimental determinations. Poromeric skin substitutes will be used, which allow the passage of water vapor and air. Both types of leather substitutes for shoe uppers and some types of textile materials for linings will be subjected to laboratory analysis, using the pycnometric method. In conclusion, the values obtained for porosity fall between 47 and 58%, limits also provided by the specialized literature. It is noted that the porosity values of leather substitutes are close to those of chrome-tanned leather, so as a result, the value of leather substitutes use will increase (they have sanogenetic properties similar to natural leather). Currently, leather substitutes are used more and more in the manufacture of footwear products, because they maintain a thermal transfer balance between the foot and the surrounding environment, favoring the elimination of moisture produced by the foot when wearing the footwear in the outdoor environment.