Mechanical Characterization of Downhill Ski Performance

The product evolution of downhill skis is over 8000 years long; however, the most recent era in the ski industry has focused on material engineering to fine tune desired high performance characteristics such as bending and vibration. Bending properties represent the ability of the ski to deflect as it supports the load of the skier. Vibration in skis is caused by uneven terrain and can create a less enjoyable ride for the skier when not properly dampened. A comparison was done using experimental and analytical modeling to determine bending and frequency properties of skis with varying material composition. Experimental results were gathered from three ski samples provided by Deviation Skis and compared to a finite element analysis model for validation. The skis tested had a core consisting of ash, poplar, and purpleheart wood. The goal was to find tools that streamlined the potentially wasteful and costly testing process of ski design. The test results gathered that analytical modeling can offer a cheaper and consistent alternative to testing done in labs or on snow. The results provide companies the ability to fine tune their ski models for improved performance without the added cost of manufacturing each ski design revision.