Leather and Footwear Journal

Volume 9, no 1

Contents
- Contents PDF
Low Temperature Synthesis of MgAl2O4 Nano Spinel by Combustion
- Pages 3-10
  Mahila BIAZAR MARKIE¹, Maryam KHOSRAVI SAGHEZCHI², Hossein SARPOOLAKY²
  - ¹Department of Chemistry, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, IR
  - ²Department of Metallurgy and Material Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, IR, e-mail: maryam_khosravi_s@yahoo.com
  ABSTRACT: Nano crystalline spinel powder was synthesized using metal nitrates and urea at low temperature. In this work, combustion method has been developed to prepare nano spinel powder in different ratio of organic compound (urea) as the fuel mixed directly with metal nitrates without adding water. By directly mixing the reactant mixture having appropriate stochiometric ratio of urea to metal would transform into a flammable precursor. With combustion, the precursors were treated and yielded the very puffy powder. Resulting from experimental data, the feasibility of the proposed combustion synthesize method was proved to be appropriate and simple in becoming one of the suitable methods for mass production of ceramic oxide powder. Furthermore, a relatively very low sintering temperature is sufficient to sinter the spinel powder due to the particle sizes in nano-scale. The thermal decomposition of nitrate gels and the phase evolution of calcined powder were investigated respectively by DTA/TGA and XRD techniques. Also Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the microstructure of the products. Spinel prepared with stochiometric molar ratio of fuel showed a comparison of the agglomerated structure with particle size of 44 nm. Further studies also showed that the different molar ratios of urea as the combustion fuel have significant influence on the crystalline size of synthesized magnesium aluminate spinel powder.
  
  KEY WORDS: nanospinel, combustion, microstructure
Promoting Sectoral Social Dialogue in the Textile, Clothing and Leather/Tanning Industry in the New Member States and Candidate Countries
- Pages 11-22
  Luminița ALBU¹, Gustavo GONZALEZ-QUIJANO²
  - ¹INCDTP - Leather and Footwear Research Institute (ICPI), Bucharest, RO, email: icpi@icpi.ro
  - ²COTANCE - 3 rue Belliard, B-1040 Bruxelles, Belgium
  ABSTRACT. The paper presents the modality of European social dialogue - component of the European social model - implementation in textile and leather sectors from the new member states and candidate countries. Social dialogue takes two main forms - a bipartite dialogue between the European employers and trade union organisations, and a tripartite dialogue involving interaction between the social partners and the public authorities. It is shortly presented the sectoral social dialogue in textile, clothing and leather sectors (general issues and achievements) and its promoting.
  
  KEY WORDS: social dialogue, textile, clothing and leather
Comparative Study on the Assessment of Anthropometric Parameters Defining the 3D Shape of Diabetic and Arthritic Foot
- Pages 23-31
  Aura MIHAI¹*, Alina DRAGOMIR¹, Mariana DRIŞCU¹, Georghe BERIJAN²
  - ¹"Gh. Asachi" Technical University of Iasi, 63 Dimitrie Mangeron Blvd, Romania
  - ²INCDTP - Leather and Footwear Research Institute (ICPI), Bucharest, RO, email: icpi@icpi.ro
  ABSTRACT. Consumers are choosing currently footwear based of the length and width sizes though the 3D foot shape is accepted unanimously to be more complex. The paper investigates the normal, diabetic and arthritic feet by defining the anthropometric parameters characterizing their conformation. Three groups of subjects (control, diabetic and arthritic) were investigated, each of it having two subgroups: male and female. The anthropometric parameters for both left and right foot have been collected by 3D scanning techniques. Variation statistical indicators such as arithmetic mean (M), standard deviation (SD), and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated. Student T and Fisher F tests were performed for testing the statistic hypothesis. As tests have revealed no significant differences between the right foot and left foot, anthropometric parameters for the normal, diabetic and arthritic feet are to be compared by reference to the row of mean values. Statistic indicators are summarized in tables within the paper. The parameter foot length (Lp) has shown a larger range variation for diabetic women. In the men's group larger variations of toe girth (Pd) have been found for the diabetic foot (SD=20.01 mm) than in the control group (SD=12.91 mm). In the women's group, arthritic foot (SD = 15.59) has shown larger range changes of instep girth (Pr) than in control group (SD=10.08) or diabetic foot group (SD = 12.42 mm). Heel width (lc) has been affected more by arthritis than by diabetes both in women's and men's groups.
  
  KEY WORDS: footwear, orthopedics, statistics
Applications of Advanced Polymers in the Footwear Industry
- Pages 33-42
  Mihaela VȊLSAN, Maria FICAI, Mihai GEORGESCU, Laura PANȚURU, Ciprian CHELARU, Teodora DRAGOMIR
  - INCDTP - Leather and Footwear Research Institute (ICPI), Bucharest, RO, email: icpi@icpi.ro
  ABSTRACT: Polymer production and processing is the largest division of petrochemical industry. Many experts consider that the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century is the age of advanced polymers. These materials with programmable properties superior to traditional materials have entered top technology fields such as nuclear technology, implant medical building technology, chemical industry, footwear industry, as well as sports materials indu stry. Advanced polymers obtained and processed in the form of finite products include lower energy consumption than the materials they replace. With a relatively small capital investment, a large high quality production at reduced costs per product unit can be made. In today's society, considering the multitude of lifestyles, high quality footwear varies between classic and creative styles, and the new materials are characterized by physic mechanical properties superior to those of initial polymers. High quality footwear must have properties such as elongation, abrasion; tear resistance and flexibility at low or high temperatures etc. All these properties can be obtained using advanced polymer materials. High quality men's shoes, women's shoes and leisure and protection footwear benefit from flexibility and durability according to the materials used to process them. The footwear industry is currently the division using the largest quantity of thermoplastic polyurethanes.
  
  KEY WORDS: advanced polymers, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), footwear
Carbon - Carbon Composite Materials
- Pages 43-55
  Maria FICAI, Mihaela VȊLSAN, Mihai GEORGESCU, Laura PANȚURU, Teodora DRAGOMIR, Ciprian CHELARU
  - INCDTP - Leather and Footwear Research Institute (ICPI), Bucharest, RO, icpi@icpi.ro
  ABSTRACT. Composite materials are the first materials whose internal structural arrangement can be conceived by man, not only in their molecular chain, but also giving them favorable strengths in preferential directions. Composite materials are blends of two or more components with complementary properties, the result of which is a material with properties superior to the ones of each component. Carbon - carbon composite materials obtained by conventional methods imply large energy expenses and slow speeds of matrix formation around the carbonic preform of reinforcement. Because of the high costs of these methods, two less expensive procedures have been developed, which allow the composite material to be obtained in a shorter time of about 30%, at the same time allowing the compacting of the material. Due to exceptional qualities such as high tensile strength at high temperatures, dimensional stability, excellent thermal shock resistance, low density, carbon - carbon composite materials are applied in aeronautic industry, as well as to obtain equipments and components working at high temperatures. Due to biocompatibility and tensile strength superior to human bones, they are generally used in orthopedic surgery as prostheses for arms and legs. The paper presents methods of obtaining the carbon - carbon composite materials, their physicochemical properties and applications.
  
  KEY WORDS: carbon - carbon composites, physicochemical properties, applications of carbon - carbon composites