Horse Riding in the Paralympics: A Dark Horse?

Horse-riding is an immensely popular sport, with an estimated 15 million horse-riders in Europe alone, the adoption of dressage in the Paralympic games in 1996 was inevitable, if not overdue. Dressage, from the French word for preparation or training, is an intricately choreographed performance where riders guide their own horses through a series of obstacles during a ‘test’.

There are several medals available from these tests, in team and individual formats, awarded by judges who score the riders based on individual movements and the routine as a whole. Paralympians participating in dressage are classified and given a grade according to the level of their impairment; the expectations of, and hence scoring by the judges are based on this grade level. Visually impaired riders can even use specially located ‘callers’ to help them find their way around by ear. The sport is generally safe and accidents are infrequent – however, falling from a horse can be very dangerous and often results in fractured limbs. For this reason, riders wear protective equipment, which must be stringently tested to ensure satisfactory performance in the event of an accident.

Read here how our drop-towers can be used to provide safety assurance for this classic sport. Read more

Recycling at London 2012

At any large event, an inordinate amount of rubbish is generated and the Paralympics is no exception – it has been estimated that 8,500 tonnes of rubbish has been generated just by the Olympics alone. With London 2012 being heralded as the first ‘zero waste games’, all of this rubbish will be winding its way to various recycling centres. Much of the material is in the form of plastic bottles, bags, and other forms of packaging.

Fortunately this type of rubbish can easily be recycled, in a process which involves sorting, granulating, blending, and melting the recyclate. From here, the material can either be recycled directly into new, low-quality product or ‘compounded’ with additives, colourants and virgin material into tiny pellets to be used as a raw material. The biggest problem faced by the compounder or recycler is the inconsistency of the material. Even materials that are technically the same may have been processed in different ways and exposed to different conditions which can affect chemical composition and physical properties. Primarily, the manufacturer needs to know the appropriate processing conditions in order to produce consistently satisfactory product.

One way of determining these conditions is to measure the Melt Flow Index (MFI), a quantity which is also useful in quality control processes. The MFI represents the amount of material flowing through a die of predetermined size and shape in ten minutes, and is measured as Mass Flow Rate (MFR). With knowledge of the melt density, the Melt Volume Rate (MVR) can also be calculated. Melt Flow Indexers measures MFR and MVR in an accurate and repeatable manner; the machines are ergonomic and computer controllable, ranging from the basic model to the advanced, automated, multi-weight machine.

Read here for more information regarding Melt Flow and Volume Rate testing. Read more

Cruising and Composites

The Composite Materials Handbook (CMH17) Meeting was held at MIT in Cambridge, MA the week of August 20, 2012. The meeting, held every 8 months in rotating locations, provides an opportunity for members to review the guidelines and technical information to standardize requirements for composite materials.

We were happy to take part in the hosting "duties" and took the attendees on a narrated boat cruise of the Charles River and Boston Harbor. We sailed through the locks from the Charles River to Boston Harbor and underneath the Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge – landmarks of particular interest for their engineering ingenuity.

The cruise was attended by members from the US, UK, Canada, Korea, Austria, Israel, the Netherlands, Brazil, and France.

Did you take a cruise around the harbor? Leave a comment below!

Information about CMH17
The Composite Materials Handbook provides information and guidance necessary to design and fabricate end items from composite materials. Its primary purpose is the standardization of engineering data development methodologies related to testing, data reduction, and data reporting of property data for current and emerging composite materials. In support of this objective, the handbook includes composite materials properties that meet specific data requirements. The Handbook, therefore, constitutes an overview of the field of composites technology and engineering, an area which is advancing and changing rapidly. As a result, the document is constantly changing as sections are added or modified to reflect advances. Read more

Sailing the Seas Again

Previously featured in one of our newsletters, the USS Constitution, nicknamed Old Ironsides for its extremely strong and cannonball-repelent surface, was a war ship during the War of 1812.

Over the weekend, the residents of Boston, MA commemorated the war's 200th anniversary. The highlight - the sailing of Old Ironsides, which reportedly is only the second time the ship has sailed (on its own) in more than 130 years.



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From Helmets to Sticks: Testing Hockey Equipment

For almost 100 years, hockey has been a favorite sport to watch in the (winter) Olympic games. With fans cheering for their favorite team or players, it's easy to get caught up in the rivalry and sport of the game, forgetting that it can be quite dangerous on the ice ... from flying pucks at top speeds to swinging sticks with great force. Luckily, the manufacturers of hockey equipment don't lose sight of these dangers and routinely test their equipment for various safety measures.

Watch this video to see how the equipment is tested to protect our favorite players.

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Precision and Talent at the Games

Practiced in more than 140 countries, archery made its Olympic debut in 1900. After taking a 64 year hiatus, it once again became an Olympic sport during the Munich games in 1972. Although watching this year’s Olympians make it look so easy, one would have to imagine much training and talent is required for this precision sport.

Shooting at a target 70m away (roughly 230 feet), each Olympian needs to be strong and steady. And while they rely on their arrows to flow flawlessly towards the center of the target, their bows need to be finely constructed and tested.

Using Hoyt Archery bows, constructed of carbon fiber structures and tested in bend and compression, Team Hoyt made its way into the Olympic Games using the lightweight bows that reduce vibration and sound to extremely low levels. The team’s consistent success is a testament to talented shooters and reliable equipment. Read more

Cheers to Quality Sports and Quality Equipment

Thank you for tuning in during the London 2012 Summer Olympics. We hope these past few weeks have been fun and informative for you.

As the Olympics come to a close, we look forward to the upcoming Paralympic Games. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced that a record number of tickets for the Paralympics have been sold:  2.1 million. The Games begin August 29, including sports such as wheelchair tennis, judo, and para-cycling. During this global competition, we will continue to show the importance of testing equipment for these top athletes. 

As always, continue to check the blog for other news, tips, and the opportunity to ask questions of our application engineers. Read more

Measuring Inflation Pressure in Sports Balls

Imagine what the media might say if a volleyball deflated in the middle of a serve or a basketball stopped bouncing when an Olympian was dribbling. For athletes relying on sports balls not to deflate, testing for maximum capacity is pertinent.

Dynamic tests measure energy lost and stored, and depending on the testing application, the operator can learn how material properties are affected by various levels of strain.

In one study, the relationship between over- and under-pressurization and energy loss at various levels of deformation was observed. An ElectroPuls™ E3000 and WaveMatrix™ dynamic testing software was used to cyclically compress entire balls at constant frequencies. Find out what happened during the study. Read more

GOAAALLLL: A Stadium That Can Hold Its Ground

As millions of spectaculars travel to London to see the Olympic Games, eyes focus on a key landmark, Wembley Stadium. The renovated arena opened its doors in 2007, becoming the home to concerts and sports competitions alike.

For construction of this iconic venue, the foundation required tons of concrete and rebar (reinforcement bar) to hold its weight. With Wembley’s deepest foundation at 35 meters (nearly 115 feet), visitors want to know that the compression strength of the steel used to hold the concrete can withstand the pressure of a victory or defeat. Normally, the strength of rebar is assessed with tensile and bend tests to various international standards including ASTM A370, A615, A996, BS449, and EN 10002-1, which should give the guests sitting in any of the 90,000 seats a bit of confidence in the strength of the structure. Read more

A Foundation for Success?

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize celebrates the best of new British architecture. Its 2012 shortlist, just released, appropriately features the Olympic Stadium as the new favorite for this prestigious award.

The 2012 London Games has aimed to create an impressive first-class venue for the global event with the hope to leave a lasting legacy and provide a sustainable facility for future use in the capital city. To ensure the sustainability of this venue, an incredible 5,000 units of reinforced concrete columns have been set to provide the foundations of the Stadium’s structure.

Concrete materials used in construction are tested to ASTM C78  to determine their flexural strength and tolerance for the long term. The SATEC™ Series 300DX testing system, fitted with flex fixtures and Partner™ software, can be used to test concrete materials to ASTM C78.

Learn more how to validate concrete structures here. Read more

Ensuring Olympic Sailboats Perform in Challenging Conditions

Sailing requires strategic maneuvers and a level of trust from the captain. The 2012 Olympic sailing events will take place in the open waters of Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour, where the conditions are ever-changing. Therefore, the athletes must have complete confidence in their crafts.

To battle the waters, sailboat materials must have exceptional thermal tolerance, water resistance, and a high surface finish for the structural elements. Since resins and composites with resin matrices have these qualities, they are widely used in the nautical sector.

This creates a need for Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) testing on resins and composites with resin matrices to meet two Standards: ISO 75 and/or ASTM D648. Read more

Matching the Endurance of Athletic Footwear to the Athlete

As we watch today’s Olympians achieve new records, setting new precedents, the inspired onlooker may give little thought to what shoes these pioneers are wearing. However, for some athletes, the durability of their footwear is essential to take them over the finish line.

As we learn here, the ElectroPuls system is able to simulate the impact and fatigue from forces more than ten times a person’s body weight. To measure comfort, the materials and structures in different sole designs are evaluated for their cushioning properties.

Watch the video below to see a test in process:

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The Shocking Ride to Victory

The Olympic 2012 Mountain Bike Competition is not going to be as easy as riding a bike for the competitors. 

The 4.7km mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm has been a year in the making with added rocky paths, tricky climbs, and technical descents. The London 2012 Organizing Committee is “confident that the London 2012 course remains one of the most technically challenging courses to ever be used at the Olympic Games”.

Nerves of steel, a great deal of stamina, and the use of effective shock absorbers is key for the Olympians to successfully ride their way to victory.

Competitive mountain bikes use both front and rear suspension systems to allow the wheels to absorb large shocks from landing jumps. This protects both the bike and the rider from harm and gives the rider more control.

Instron supplies 8800 Servohydraulic Testing Systems to test the durability of the shock absorbers used on competitive mountain bikes by running dynamic tests with WaveMatrix™ software. To learn more about durability testing for shock absorbers, click here.

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Impact Testing of Resins for Olympic Slalom Canoes

The Canoe Sprint is making its Olympic debut in 2012, while the Canoe Slalom, modeled after Slalom Skiing, has been an Olympic sport since the Barcelona games 20 years ago.

The disciple requires 13,000 liters of water to rush down the course every second. These canoes must navigate a course with up to 25 gates in white water conditions. Needless to say, the impact forces on both the internal and external layers of the canoe materials are significant and must be capable of withstanding these harsh conditions.

By using resins and composites with a resin matrix, which are widely used for building hulls and products destined for permanent water contact, including competition boats and surfboards, these canoes will be ready to take on the course.

The best way to test the impact resistance of the resins used is to perform fully instrumented impact tests according to ASTM D3763 or ISO 6603-2. Read more