Engineering in Performance—How We Strive to Turn Lead Weights into Gold Medals
As I have said before a “slider” can win or lose a race by .001 sec. That’s why precision equipment that achieves maximum speed is the key to winning. I appreciate the speed factor because it’s the same factor that makes us successful in our business. Doing your job excellently at the fastest possible pace is a basic measure of effectiveness in any endeavor.
In my last two posts I described how our engineering resources have served the USA Luge Team. We talked about (1) measuring the mirror image of the blade structure, and (2) contouring the surface area of the blades. These two areas are of paramount importance.
But there is more to the blades than mirror-imaging and contouring, so let me add a bit more information to your understanding about how the blades relate to performance.
The blades are typically a laminate of two different kinds of steel welded together. The part of the blade that makes contact with the ice is made from special steel. Much testing has been done and we’ve discovered that not all steels slide equally. Some alloys are slipperier than others.
These are the steels we want for our blades!
Also, blade design is important. The fastest sleds come equipped with blades that are slightly bowed, front to back, so they can tip back and forth like a rocking chair. Sliders use this “rock-ability” to manoeuver the sled into advantageous positions when steering throughout the run.
The runners are a key part of sled design. Also, called kuffins, the runners are the curved parts you can see sticking out of the front of the sled. This is where the athlete positions his or her feet. The runners extend back under the pod and attach to the bridges.
At this point, you should begin to have a picture in your mind of how all these pieces come together. The design that can optimize the integrated working of all of the pieces of the sled’s configuration will enable the most precise, highly controlled run—the run that gives the slider the best chance to win.
Lastly, to insure top performance, the sled is weighed to make sure it achieves the desired heaviness. If it weighs in too light, precision lead weights of the type Vulcan supplies to the team are permanently attached to the sled to bring it up to ideal run weight.
Now the slider is ready for the run. When he or she is lying in the sled and going down the track, steering is accomplished with very subtle moves. For example, to turn the sled to the right, the slider presses the left leg against the upwardly curved left runner. Simultaneously, pressure is applied in a downward direction with the right shoulder. Only the slightest movement is needed, barely more than visualizing these movements, to turn a sled hurtling along at 80 miles per hour in down the right path.
Continuously improving our sled technology, through design innovations and material selection, is of vital importance to the USA Luge Team. One of the young sliders Vulcan sponsors, Emily Sweeney of Suffield, Connecticut, took 14th place in the singles qualification at a Nations Cup event in Winterberg, Germany, on January 20, 2012. Read more about this at www.usaluge.org. You can sign up to receive news and keep up with our teams accomplishments.
Luge is one of the Winter Olympics’ most exciting sports. It is certainly one of the most competitive and thrilling to follow. Keep up with your team.
Also, find out more about Vulcan’s engineering capabilities at www.vulcangms.com