Improved ski pole design by thin-ply composite reinforcement

Abstract

For cross-country skiers, the ski poles are an essential tool for propulsion. To minimize the energy required for handling, the ski poles are to be light and stiff. The pursuit of lighter and stiffer ski poles has introduced Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) as the material class of choice. It has superior weight to stiffness properties compared to aluminum which is used for more basic ski poles. However, CFRP ski poles suffer from increased brittleness, whereby even small impacts may lead to sudden ski pole failure when it is used. By experimentally analyzing two generations of Skigo race 2.0 ski poles, the mechanical behavior in terms of stiffness and impact resistance has been characterized. The behavior from the experiments was captured using Finite Element (FE) simulations. The simulations were then used as a tool for generating new concept ski poles. Experiments were also conducted on the reference ski poles to obtain material properties used in the FE models. The project resulted in two concepts for more impact resistant ski poles which both have maintained weight and stiffness properties compared to the reference ski poles. To achieve this, the concept ski poles utilizes thin-ply CFRP and are arranged with and without a foam core. The intention of the concepts is to prove the benefits of using thin-ply CFRP to achieve increased impact resistance. Proceeding from the concept, prototypes need to be manufactured and tested to verify performance and before a potential commercialization the concepts suitability for mass manufacturing has to be evaluated. Keywords: ski pole, carbon fiber, CFRP, impact resistance, thin-ply, finite elements