Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Materials around us Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company The aim of this module is to introduce you to three areas in which discoveries and developments in materials have helped to improve our technology in three key areas: Turbofan engines for civil aircraft Biomedical materials Sports equipment Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company The session aims to demonstrate that advances in sporting performance are down to the materials rather than manpower. At the end of this session you should be able to: Give examples of sports in which performance has improved due to advances in materials Describe how the materials used in bicycles have changed Appreciate the materials used in a range of different sports to improve performance Explain a case where materials have been used to worsen performance Describe how materials can be used in impact protection Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company We all watch top level athletes competing in various disciplines and envy their level of commitment to training and their athleticism. When was the last time you looked at the equipment they are using? Chances are this has played just as important a role in advancing their performance. Sports equipment developed by teams of scientists and engineers working together can be used to break world records in top level sport but also to improve the performance of sports men and women competing at lower levels, or indeed, just for fun! Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Draisenne or Dandy Horse, Penny farthing Technology improved with the introduction of : Crank and pedals Pneumatic tyres Chain and gears Lighter materials Safety devices such as reflectors Accessories such as paniers, computers and GPS.

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Track cycling bikes are made from carbon fibre composite as it is light, stiff and strong. Frame is moulded in one piece and then saddle and handlebars are added. Track bikes have no brakes. Wheels and frame are designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. Road racing bikes have a traditional shape, dropped handle bars and spoked wheels. Frame, forks and many other parts are made from carbon fibre composite. Metallic components such as gears are made from lightweight titanium alloys.

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Originally made from solid then laminated wood. Aluminium frames introduced in 1970s. Modern racquets made from CFC with fibres laid up to give optimum properties. Bigger head means more power. Carbon nanotubes now used to give even greater performance.

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Poles originally made from hickory and then bamboo. Modern poles made from carbon and glass fibres embedded in an epoxy resin matrix. Composite poles are efficient at storing and releasing energy as they bend and then straighten.

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 IAAF rules state that javelin must be m and >800g for men or m and >600g for women. Centre of mass moved forwards by 4cm to make the nose heavy and reduce possibility of it being thrown out of the stadium. Made from either composite or steel or aluminium alloys.

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Traditional materials are bulky and can restrict natural movement. D3O is lightweight and flexible but its stiffness is strain rate dependent. Absorbs impact energy to protect the body and used in a wide variety of applications including clothing for motorcycling, skiing, mountain biking, skate boarding etc, military clothing, PPE, running and ballet shoes and laptop and phone covers.

Armourers and Brasiers Company In the constant drive to beat sporting world records atheletes and materials work together to improve performance. Advanced materials have played a key part in advancing performance in most sports. In some cases this is in the obvious equipment that the athletes use, in others the influence of materials is more subtle (such as the interaction of shoes on running surfaces). Materials scientists and engineers are employed my most sports equipment manufacturers. Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Pole vaulting calculations Impact protection practical

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Following are a list of suggested practical activities, ideas for discussions and links to websites that you could use to support each session. This is by no means a comprehensive list and we encourage you to come up with other ideas and share these with us for future years. Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3 Pole vaulting calculations Impact protection practical

Armourers and Brasiers Company During a vault the kinetic energy of the athlete running is converted into potential energy as the pole bends. This energy is released again as the pole springs back to shape to propel the athlete over the bar. The energy required to lift the vaulter depends on their weight and the stiffness of the pole can be tailored to a particular athlete. Consider an 80kg athlete running at 10m/s (this is equivalent to running 100m in 10s). If all of their kinetic energy is converted to potential energy then we can use the equations (right) to calculate the maximum jump height (assuming g=9.8ms -1 ). As the vaulter’s centre of gravity is already approximately 1m off the ground this gives a maximum jump height of 6.1m which fits with current performance. Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Crash Helmets for Eggs is a simple design and build activity which can be used to investigate the effectiveness of difference materials in providing impact protection. The activity can be done in under and hour but the more time the better. The activity uses cheap, everyday materials that are easy to obtain. Full running instructions are provided as a separate file. Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3

Armourers and Brasiers Company Cycling: If you are close by this might be worth a visit: Tennis Pole Vaulting Javelin javelin-designs-whats-the-significance/ javelin-designs-whats-the-significance/ Impact protection There are also lots of video clips of this material in action on You Tube. Prepared by Dr Diane Aston, IOM3