Calzados Fal renovates and expands its own laboratory

If there is one thing that defines Chiruca® footwear, it is quality. It is well known that footwear for professional use is subjected to meticulous analysis through tests carried out at the FAL laboratory. A laboratory that is a basic part of the company’s quality philosophy, and which has just been completely renovated.

Equipped with sophisticated equipment, the FAL laboratory is able to carry out a large number of tests based on international standards with the utmost rigour. Here, two people check each of the components that make up the shoes and boots, to ensure that the quality standards required by the various regulations are met.

The tests that those in charge of the laboratory subject footwear to can be classified into two large groups: those carried out on raw materials (leather, laces, textiles, insoles, soles…) and those carried out during the manufacturing process (polyurethane soles and complete footwear).

TESTS ON RAW MATERIALS

By means of a sampling procedure, all raw materials arriving at the factory (leather, laces, textiles, insoles…) are subjected to various tests to check their suitability.

Tests on the leather

I.- Tensile / Tearing test: the leather used will be subjected to many stresses by the user. This test is carried out on all types of leather, and tries to find out if the material can withstand the stresses and demands of the manufacture and use of each shoe. The tensile test determines the maximum load that the material is capable of withstanding until it breaks.

II.- Flexion test: any footwear is subjected to flexion where the foot bends, an area where the leather is subjected to constant stress, which can lead to deterioration. The flexion test tries to simulate the conditions of use, evaluating the aspect that the leather will have after use.

III.- Test to determine the impermeability of the leather to water: it tries to reproduce what happens when the leather is subjected to a continuous bending movement and introduced in water. Waterproof leathers are subjected to this test to determine their resistance to the passage of water and the percentage of water absorbed.

IV.- Capillarity test: waterproofed leathers are subjected to this test to check that the waterproofing is not only superficial and that the absorbed water is not transmitted through the leather. The wicking test determines the tendency of the leather, by capillarity, to absorb water.

V.- Leather elasticity test: it tries to determine the extension and resistance to traction of the leather grain. With this method we try to define the behaviour of the leather when it is moulded, if it is able to adapt to the shape of the footwear.

Tests on laces

The laces are subjected to the tensile test, to determine if they are capable of resisting the force to which they can be subjected by the user.

Tests on Textile Materials

Textile materials are subjected to the tear test, in which the maximum and minimum load that the material can withstand until it tears is determined.

Tests on Insoles and Insoles. The insoles and insoles are subjected to two tests:

I.- Water absorption and elimination test: This is to determine the capacity to absorb foot perspiration during the working day.

II.- Abrasion test: when walking, the sole of the foot rubs against the insole and/or the insole, with the consequent wear. The abrasion test on insoles and insoles tries to determine if they are able to withstand the contact with the foot without wearing out.

TESTS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Throughout the footwear manufacturing process, several tests are carried out to control the quality of the product during the manufacturing process.

Tests on soles

I.- Resistance to abrasion of the sole: this is to evaluate the wear of the sole with use. Safety footwear can be used on different surfaces, so the wear is different. The purpose of this test is to determine the abrasion resistance of the sole when subjected to the action of an abrasive agent. The wear of the sole pads is evaluated and the density and volume variation is determined.

II.- Resistance to sole flexion: The aim is to reproduce the flexion movement that occurs when walking and how it can cause cracking in the soles. It is a test based on the resistance of the sole to being subjected to bending stresses during a high number of cycles simulating the movement of the foot.

III.- Sole hardness: it is used to determine the hardness of the outsole (to know the user’s comfort, since an outsole that is too hard would cause discomfort in the foot, and too soft would cause insecurity in the tread), as well as the hardness of the compact (if it is too soft, when treading on irregular surfaces it would transmit them to the foot).

Tests on the complete footwear

I.- Resistance to the union between the upper and the sole: one of the parts of the shoe that suffers the most is the union between the leather upper and the sole. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the joint between both is solid and durable. This test is based on measuring the force required to separate the upper from the sole or cause tears in the upper or sole.

With this new laboratory, which triples the surface area of the previous one, Chiruca® strengthens its commitment to innovation, research and the materials used, which are just some of the many characteristics that differentiate Calzados Fal from other manufacturers, and which make this company stand out for its quality and for applying the latest technologies to its footwear.