Steel Toe Boots

Combat boots are normally equipped with steel toe guards, steel or plastic shank/heel guards. The evaluation included physical tests of the footwear material characteristics and biomechanical tests using human subjects.

In at least modern variants, steel or other protective metal inserts in portions of the sole as well, as befit a boot intended for an operating environment filled with metal hazards that can be accidentally kicked/dropped/stepped upon/et cetera (as opposed to the traditional combat boot designed for a sandy or muddy battlefield environment).

This study illustrates that optimal characteristics from commercially available boots can be combined to create a military prototype boot surpassing those in current use.