Composite materials give athletes a more competitive advantage in the Summer Olympics

The Olympic motto-Citi us, Altius, Fortius-means “higher”, “stronger” and “faster” in Latin. These words have been applied to the Summer Olympics and Paralympics throughout history. Athlete’s performance. As more and more sports equipment manufacturers use composite materials, this motto is now applicable to sports shoes, bicycles, and all kinds of products on the racing field today. Because the composite material can increase the strength and reduce the weight of the equipment, which helps the athletes to use a shorter time in the competition and obtain more excellent results.
By using Kevlar, an aramid fiber that is commonly used in bulletproof fields, on kayaks, it can be ensured that a well-structured boat can resist cracking and shattering. When graphene and carbon fiber materials are used for canoes and hulls, they can not only increase the running strength of the hull, reduce weight, but also increase the sliding distance.
Compared with traditional materials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have higher strength and specific stiffness, so they are widely used in sports equipment. Wilson Sports Goods (Wilson SportingGoods) used nanomaterials to make tennis balls. This material can cause air loss when the ball is hit, thereby helping the balls maintain their shape and allowing them to bounce longer. Fiber-reinforced polymers are also commonly used in tennis rackets to increase flexibility, durability and performance.
When carbon nanotubes are used to make golf balls, they have the advantages of optimized strength, durability and wear resistance. Carbon nanotubes and carbon fibers are also used in golf clubs to reduce the weight and torque of the club, while increasing stability and control.

Golf club manufacturers are adopting carbon fiber blends more than ever, because composite materials can achieve a balance between strength, weight, and less grip compared to traditional materials
Nowadays, bicycles on the track are often very light. They use a full carbon fiber frame structure and are equipped with disc wheels made of a single piece of carbon fiber, which significantly reduces the weight of the bicycle and reduces the wear of the wheels. Some racers even wear carbon fiber shoes to protect their feet without gaining weight.
In addition, carbon fiber has even entered swimming pools. For example, swimwear company Arena uses carbon fiber in its high-tech racing suits to increase flexibility, compression and durability.

A sturdy, non-slip starting block is essential to push Olympic swimmers to record speeds
Archery
The history of composite recurve bows can be traced back thousands of years, when the wood was covered with horns and ribs to resist compression and tension. The current bow consists of a bowstring and a handle equipped with aiming accessories and stabilizer bars that dampen vibration when the arrow is released.
The bow must be strong and stable to allow the arrow to release at speeds approaching 150 mph. Composite materials can provide this stiffness. For example, Hoyt Archery of Salt Lake City uses triaxial 3-D carbon fiber around the synthetic foam core to improve speed and stability. Reducing vibration is also critical. Korean manufacturer Win&Win Archery injects molecularly bound carbon nanotube resin into its limbs to reduce “hand shake” caused by vibration.
The bow is not the only highly engineered composite component in this sport. The arrow has also been fine-tuned to reach the goal. The X 10 arrowhead is produced by Easton of Salt Lake City specifically for the Olympic Games, bonding high-strength carbon fiber to the alloy core.
bike
There are several cycling events in the Olympic Games, and the equipment for each event is quite different. However, regardless of whether the contestant is riding a non-brake tracked bicycle with solid wheels, or a more familiar road bike, or the highly durable BMX and mountain bikes, these devices have one feature-the CFRP frame.

The streamlined track and field bike relies on a carbon fiber frame and disc wheels to achieve the light weight required for racing on the circuit
Manufacturers such as Felt Racing LLC in Irvine, California pointed out that carbon fiber is the material of choice for any high-performance bicycles today. For most of its products, Felt uses different mixtures of high modulus and ultra-high modulus unidirectional fiber materials and its own nano Resin matrix.
track and field
For the pole vault, athletes rely on two factors to push them over the horizontal bar as high as possible-a solid approach and a flexible pole. Pole vaulters use GFRP or CFRP poles.
According to US TEss x, a manufacturer of Fort Worth, Texas, carbon fiber can effectively increase stiffness. By using more than 100 different types of fibers in its tubular design, it can precisely fine-tune the properties of its rods to achieve The balance of incredible lightness and small handle. UCS, a telegraph pole manufacturer in Carson City, Nevada, relies on resin systems to improve the durability of its prepreg epoxy unidirectional fiberglass poles.

 


Post time: Aug-09-2021