Abstract: A footwear construction includes a midsole including a lateral sidewall and a medial sidewall, and a mesh substrate layer covering the lateral sidewall and medial sidewall to protect the surfaces of those sidewalls from abrasion, wear and damage, and in some cases to provide tuned stiffness to the sidewalls and thus the midsole. The mesh substrate layer can wrap partially above and below the midsole so that edges of the layer can be conceals between the midsole and an upper, or between the midsole and an outsole layer. The mesh substrate can include a mesh material and a film sheet bonded to one another, with the film sheet facing the midsole and the mesh textile facing outward in the finished footwear. A related method of manufacture also is provided.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component is provided including projecting elongated pins into a mold cavity in the shape of the footwear sole component and partially filled with an expandable material including multiple unexpanded beads, and introducing steam into the cavity through ports defined by one or more cavity walls and through the pins in an internal region of the expandable material, to expand both exterior beads and interior beads in the internal region a predetermined amount. With the elongated pins, the interior beads can be expanded more, less and/or the same amount as exterior beads to provide particular physical characteristics to the component. For example, the interior beads can be fully expanded to a similar density as exterior beads, or expanded less to provide more density and rigidity in the internal region, or expanded more to provide less density and rigidity in the internal region.

Abstract: A footwear construction includes a midsole including a lateral sidewall and a medial sidewall, and a mesh substrate layer covering the lateral sidewall and medial sidewall to protect the surfaces of those sidewalls from abrasion, wear and damage, and in some cases to provide tuned stiffness to the sidewalls and thus the midsole. The mesh substrate layer can wrap partially above and below the midsole so that edges of the layer can be conceals between the midsole and an upper, or between the midsole and an outsole layer. The mesh substrate can include a mesh material and a film sheet bonded to one another, with the film sheet facing the midsole and the mesh textile facing outward in the finished footwear. A related method of manufacture also is provided.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component is provided including projecting elongated pins into a mold cavity in the shape of the footwear sole component and partially filled with an expandable material including multiple unexpanded beads, and introducing steam into the cavity through ports defined by one or more cavity walls and through the pins in an internal region of the expandable material, to expand both exterior beads and interior beads in the internal region a predetermined amount. With the elongated pins, the interior beads can be expanded more, less and/or the same amount as exterior beads to provide particular physical characteristics to the component. For example, the interior beads can be fully expanded to a similar density as exterior beads, or expanded less to provide more density and rigidity in the internal region, or expanded more to provide less density and rigidity in the internal region.