| KEYWORD |
Area Engineering
FE simulations for predicting footwear impressions
Thesis in external company
Reference persons CECILIA SURACE
External reference persons Prof. Andrea Spagnoli, Università di Parma
Thesis type NUMERICAL SIMULATION
Description Shoeprint recognition has been widely used as forensic evidence in criminal cases. Predicting the impressions left by a given shoe sole on a rigid surface is a complex task involving solid mechanics, contact mechanics as well as biomechanics.
In the present MSc thesis, the student will work on FE 3D simulations to describe the impressions given by sport shoe soles under given gait or running conditions. The mechanical response of the shoe sole (mainly composed by rubber-like strata) under the force components induced by the person’s movement is modelled in order to retrieve the geometry of the impression. In particular, the overall dimensions of the footwear impression is described, including details of sole pattern as well as carving and indentation minutiae which are inevitably present in the shoe sole.
The thesis work is carried out in collaboration with RIS (Raggruppamento Carabinieri Indagini Scientifiche), Parma and with a leading company producing running shoes.
The expected duration of the thesis is 4-6 months. Most of the work can be carried out remotely, with occasional visit to Parma. For further details please contact prof. Spagnoli at spagnoli@unipr.it.
Deadline 24/07/2025
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