Footwear with traction lugs bonded to a midsole

1. A footwear construction comprising:

a midsole constructed from a first material having a first durometer, the midsole including a midsole upper surface, a ground facing midsole lower surface, and a plurality of lug recesses, each lug recess defined in the midsole lower surface and bounded by a recess bottom and a recess boundary edge, the midsole including a deformation region above each lug recess; and

a plurality of outsole lugs disposed in respective ones of the plurality of lug recesses, each outsole lug constructed from a second material, different from the first material, and having a second durometer greater than the first durometer, the outsole lug projecting outward from the respective recess, the outsole lug comprising:

a base plate;

a post extending upward from the base plate into the midsole;

a cap formed with an upper end of the post so that a void is formed between the cap and the base plate; and

a lug body, the lug body including a lug wall that transitions from the base plate downward to a lowermost surface of the lug, the base plate including a lug perimeter flange extending laterally outward from the lug wall and including a flange lower surface and a lug flange edge, the lug flange edge being adjacent and facing the recess boundary edge, the base plate including a contact wall that is bonded to the recess bottom, below the deformation region;

wherein the outsole lug is operable in a soft traction mode in which the lug extends below the midsole lower surface a first distance between 0.1 mm and 15 mm, and a hard traction mode, in which the lug compresses upward into the deformation region of the midsole so that the outsole lug extends below the midsole lower surface a second distance less than the first distance, and so that at least a portion of the midsole lower surface is a midsole ground contacting surface,

wherein the cap includes a cap outermost edge above the void,

wherein the cap includes a cap upper surface above the cap outermost edge,

wherein the first material of the first durometer is bonded directly to the cap upper surface and the cap outermost edge, and is disposed in the void below the cap outermost edge,

wherein the outsole lug is molded and forms a single-piece lug including the base plate, the post, the cap, and the lug body, such that the base plate, the post, the cap, and the lug body are commonly constructed from the second material having the second durometer,

wherein the flange lower surface is at least one of above the midsole lower surface and flush with the midsole lower surface,

wherein the second distance is such that the midsole lower surface and the lowermost surface of the lug simultaneously contact an underfoot terrain in the hard traction mode to provide a combined ground contact surface having a greater surface area than that of the lug alone, whereby traction on the underfoot terrain is enhanced.

2. The footwear construction of claim 1 ,

wherein the post includes a post axis,

wherein the cap extends radially outwardly from the post axis so that the void is formed between the cap and the base plate.

3. The footwear construction of claim 2 ,

wherein the first material mechanically interlocks with the cap so that the outsole lug is impaired from mechanical removal from the midsole.

4. The footwear construction of claim 1 ,

wherein the cap extends above the lug perimeter flange,

wherein the cap includes a cap outermost edge that extends outwardly from a post axis,

wherein the cap outermost edge is disposed inwardly a distance from the lug perimeter flange, closer to the post axis than the lug perimeter flange.

5. The footwear construction of claim 1 comprising:

a fabric embedded and encapsulated in the outsole lug and in the midsole, the fabric being concealed in the outsole lug and the midsole, the fabric providing additional mechanical bonding to secure the outsole lug to the midsole to prevent delamination of the outsole lug from the midsole.

6. The footwear construction of claim 1 comprising:

a fabric disposed in the void adjacent the cap and extending adjacent the base plate and adjacent the midsole lower surface,

wherein the fabric is embedded and encapsulated in the first material of the midsole,

wherein the first material of the midsole extends into the void;

wherein the fabric and the first material in the void provide additional mechanical bonding to secure the outsole lug to the midsole to prevent delamination of the outsole lug from the midsole.

7. The footwear construction of claim 1 comprising:

a fabric including a plurality of adjacent strands with a plurality of interstitial spaces between the adjacent strands,

wherein the fabric is joined with the outsole lug so that the second material extends through respective ones of the plurality of interstitial spaces, the second material encapsulating respective ones of the plurality of adjacent strands coextensive with the outsole lug,

wherein the fabric is joined with the midsole so that the first material extends through respective ones of the plurality of interstitial spaces, the first material encapsulating respective ones of the plurality of adjacent strands coextensive with the midsole.

8. The footwear construction of claim 7 ,

wherein the fabric is embedded and concealed in the outsole lug and the midsole, and not visible to a viewer of the midsole from a bottom view thereof.

9. A footwear construction comprising:

a midsole constructed from a first material having a first durometer, the midsole including a midsole upper surface, a ground facing midsole lower surface, and a plurality of lug recesses, each lug recess defined in the midsole lower surface and bounded by a recess bottom and a recess boundary edge, the midsole including a deformation region above each lug recess; and

a plurality of outsole lugs disposed in respective ones of the plurality of lug recesses, each outsole lug constructed from a second material different from the first material and having a second durometer greater than the first durometer, the outsole lug projecting outward from the respective recess, the outsole lug including a base plate and a lug body, the lug body including a lug wall that transitions from the base plate downward to a lowermost surface of the lug, the base plate including a lug perimeter flange extending laterally outward from the lug wall and including a flange lower surface and a lug flange edge, the base plate being bonded to the recess bottom, below the deformation region;

a post extending upward from the base plate into the midsole; and

a cap joined with an upper end of the post so that a void is formed between the cap and the base plate, the cap including a cap outermost edge that transitions to a cap upper surface,

wherein the outsole lug is operable in a soft traction mode in which the lug extends below the midsole lower surface a first distance and a hard traction mode, in which the lug compresses upward into the deformation region of the midsole so that the outsole lug extends below the midsole lower surface a second distance less than the first distance,

wherein the first material of the first durometer extends into the void and is bonded directly to the cap upper surface and the cap outermost edge;

wherein the entire flange lower surface is at least one of above the midsole lower surface and flush with the midsole lower surface,

wherein in the hard traction mode, the midsole lower surface and the lowermost surface of the lug simultaneously contact an underfoot terrain to provide a combined ground contact surface having a greater surface area than that of the lug alone, whereby traction on the underfoot terrain is enhanced.

10. The footwear construction of claim 9 , wherein the lug flange edge is spaced by a gap from the recess boundary edge.

11. The footwear construction of claim 10 ,

wherein the first material of the midsole extends into and fills the void;

wherein the first material in the void provides mechanical bonding to secure the outsole lug to the midsole,

whereby delamination of the plurality of outsole lugs from the midsole is impaired.

12. The footwear construction of claim 9 ,

wherein the outsole lug in the soft traction mode extends below the midsole lower surface a first distance of 0.1 mm to 15 mm inclusive,

wherein the outsole lug compresses upward into the deformation region of the midsole in the hard traction mode so that the outsole lug extends below the midsole lower surface a second distance less than the first distance,

wherein the base plate bends upward in the hard traction mode, with the recess deforming convexly upward.

13. The footwear construction of claim 9 ,

wherein the first durometer is less than 50 Shore D,

wherein the second durometer is greater than the first durometer.

14. The footwear construction of claim 9 comprising:

a fabric substrate extending through and embedded within the outsole lug and the second material,

wherein the fabric substrate extends away from the outsole lug and is embedded within the midsole and the first material, adjacent the midsole lower surface,

wherein the fabric substrate is initially embedded in the first and second materials in different molds.

15. A footwear construction comprising:

a midsole constructed from a first material having a first durometer, the midsole including a midsole upper surface, a ground facing midsole lower surface, and a plurality of lug recesses, each lug recess defined in the midsole lower surface and bounded by a recess bottom and a recess boundary edge, the midsole including a deformation region above each lug recess;

a plurality of outsole lugs disposed in respective ones of the plurality of lug recesses, each outsole lug constructed from a second material different from the first material and having a second durometer greater than the first durometer, the outsole lug projecting outward from the respective recess, the outsole lug including a base plate and a lug body, the lug body including a lug wall that transitions from the base plate downward to a lowermost surface of the lug, the base plate being bonded to the recess bottom, below the deformation region;

a post extending upward from the base plate into the midsole; and

a cap extending outward from the post so that a void is formed between the cap and the base plate,

wherein the cap includes a cap outermost edge above the void,

wherein the cap includes a cap upper surface above the cap outermost edge,

wherein the first material of the first durometer is bonded directly to the cap upper surface, and fills in the void below the cap outermost edge,

wherein the outsole lug is operable in a soft traction mode in which the lug extends below the midsole lower surface a first distance and a hard traction mode, in which the lug compresses upward into the deformation region of the midsole so that the outsole lug extends below the midsole lower surface a second distance less than the first distance, and

wherein in the hard traction mode, the midsole lower surface and the lowermost surface of the lug simultaneously contact an underfoot terrain to provide a combined ground contact surface having a greater surface area than that of the lug alone, whereby traction on the underfoot terrain is enhanced.

16. The footwear construction of claim 1 ,

wherein the post is a fixed length between the cap and the base plate.

17. The footwear construction of claim 1 ,

wherein the lug perimeter flange includes a flange upper surface extending from the edge toward the post, wherein the flange upper surface is planar,

wherein the flange lower surface is planar.

18. The footwear construction of claim 1 ,

wherein the lug body includes a plurality of additional lug walls, wherein each additional lug wall tapers toward a respective lug axis as each additional lug wall extends from the flange lower surface to the lowermost surface of the lug,

wherein each additional lug wall forms a polygonal surface.