LONDON PRESS SERVICE INFORMS
Slick Research That Goes Downhill Fast
In a project that exemplifies the innovatory and entrepreneurial spirit
that the UK government is fostering among its world-leading academic researchers, a
university engineer has devised and successfully demonstrated a system to make skis run
faster.
Now, the Sheffield University spin-out company that Dr. Peter Styring
has formed to market his Wildfire continuous waxing system is negotiating with major ski
manufacturers to commercialise his invention.
Styring, a senior lecturer in chemical engineering, explained that the
new system exploits micro-fluidic technology to ensure continuous waxing of skis as they
move over a surface, reducing friction and increasing speed. Crucially, it does this
without moving parts, simply using gravity and the pressure from the skier’s feet,
apparently making it legal for use in races, including the Olympics.
Inspired by research backed by the UK’s Engineering & Physical
Sciences Research Council, the technology has been shown to increase speed on artificial
(or “dry”) ski slopes by up to 50 per cent. Although on the longer and more variable
alpine courses the speed is only increased by two per cent, this small margin could
represent the difference between finishing in 15th place and winning a medal in an Olympic
or World Cup downhill event, said Dr. Styring.
Rigorously tested by Styring, his team and other skiers in the Austrian
alps, he hopes the first Wildfire product will be on the slopes in the UK and Europe by
summer 2007.
Fluid dynamics: engineer Dr. Peter Styring (pictured) has devised a
continuous waxing method to make skis run faster. The Wildfire system can be retrofitted
to existing skis between the ski and binding, or built into new Wildfire skis.
Dr. Styring said: “We are at the start of a long and fruitful journey
into snow sports engineering. The hope is to see Wildfire on the podium at the next Winter
Olympics in Vancouver for 2010. For now it’s just good to see our research going
downhill fast.
“This research clearly demonstrates that science and engineering are
not just confined to laboratories or computer simulations and that they can be applied to
exciting areas such as sport.”
A keen skier and manager and coach of the county of Yorkshire’s
Freestyle Ski Squad, Styring said the continuous waxing concept came to him after watching
keen all-year-round ski enthusiasts applying various substances to their skis to reduce
friction and ensure a smoother, faster ride – including vegetable oil, ultrasound fluid
and chain grease – as well as working on them with waxing irons, scrapers and polishers
to prepare them for artificial or natural ski slopes.
It was while working on an Engineering & Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) project using micro reactors that he had a moment of inspiration.
“Watching the kids apply their different mixtures, and seeing it being removed even
quicker, made me realise that we needed a continuous waxing system that would constantly
replenish removed wax,” he explained. Lessons learned in his micro reactor research
helped in the development of such a system and eventually to a new ski design and a
spin-out company.
One of the main challenges in developing the continuous waxing system
arose from the fact that, to comply with Federation International du Ski regulations, such
a system cannot use an external power source.
“In our micro reactor research we were already working with fluidic
systems with no moving parts that transfer liquids from A to B,” added Dr. Styring.
“This was just what was required for a continuous waxing system, a design relying only
on gravity and skier pressure to move the fluids.”
He found that some existing ski designs already had an empty space –
between ski and binding – that would be ideal for storing a reservoir of fluid. “By
making a reservoir that was flexible, and with suitable valving, we were able to develop a
micro fluidic solution to the problem that was skier operated and increased performance
with no adverse effects,” he said.
Styring and his research team initially conducted studies in the
laboratory using small slopes constructed. Later, the system was tested on a full-size
artificial ski slope by Styring, and then at Sno!Zone slope at Xscape in nearby
Castleford.
“Importantly, this gave us access to indoor snow facilities, early in
the morning with controlled air and snow temperatures and no wind,” he said. “When we
were happy with the results we went out to the Austrian alps to test on professional glide
tracks with leading ski manufacturers.”
Up to this point Styring had done the testing himself with colleague Dr
Alex Routh (now at Cambridge) priming the skis and timing runs. To ensure impartiality,
the researchers brought in Snowsport England, the national governing body for English snow
sports, to conduct tests under controlled “blind” conditions, in which the skiers
involved did not know if they were using the new system or not.
The results of the rigorous testing programme showed the system works.
“The advantages are increased speed and reduced abrasive wear of the ski bases through
the reduction of friction, using a range of waxes and lubricants for different
conditions,” said Dr Styring. “In addition, the feedback we got from skiers and
boarders on plastic surfaces was that it felt as if they were skiing on snow; the ride was
smoother and the decreased friction made the turns much easier.”
While the gains on indoor and outdoor snow slopes were not as stunning,
they were still very significant. “I personally tested the system in 15 dual slalom
races,” added Dr. Styring. “Out of six races I skied with the system off I lost five,
while I won all nine races I skied with the system on.”
“We are in negotiations with major ski manufacturers to produce a
‘Wildfire Inside’ technology enabling consumers to purchase a complete system. We are
also investigating a retro-fit approach to modifying existing commercial skis to improve
their performance,” said Dr. Styring.
The firm aims to get its first products on to artificial slopes in the
UK and Europe by the summer when the warm weather starts to slow skiers down.
By David Welsh
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