Skis equipped with an ingenious new self-waxing device could make a dramatic entry onto the skiing scene in the 2008-09 World Cup ski season, if British researchers have their way.
The device continuously applies fresh wax to the bottom of the ski. Its developers are now working with ski manufacturers, with the aim of incorporating it into skis used in top international competition as early as next year.
Wax is applied to ski bases to reduce surface tension from a minute layer of water created by the heat generated by the ski's friction on snow, allowing the ski to glide. The device, developed by Wildfire Snowsports Limited, a spin-off company from the University of Sheffield, building on university research projects funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), uses only gravity and the skier's natural leg and foot motion to pump a waxy fluid onto the ski bases, and developers assert that it therefore complies with all existing International Ski Federation (FIS) rules.
A sealed reservoir containing a waxy lubricant is attached to the ski under the front of the foot, replacing the anti-friction device (AFD) between the boot toe and the binding platform. A series of tiny valves and pipework continuously deliver an optimum amount of lubricant to the base of the ski. The normal pumping motion of the skier's legs is harnessed to push the fluid through the system - no supplementary energy source is needed.
The biodegradable and environmentally friendly lubricant, a polymer whose composition is a closely guarded secret, was also developed as part of the project. Overall, the initiative has harnessed expertise in the fields of chemical engineering, chemistry, polymer science, mechanical engineering and physics.
