Transcript Slide 1

Introduction
For my GCSE CDT Product Design Unit I am aiming to design a complete set of
snowboarding gear. This will include a snowboard, boots, bindings and possibly a bag. I
think there is a need for this as most snowboarders get their board from one company,
boots from the other and unbranded bindings and a bag which is not designed to carry
snowboards.
As a snowboarder I know a lot about how the weight of the boarder spreads on the board
and how the natural “spring mechanism” can be used to achieve higher ollies (ollie is a
word used in snowboarding/skating to describe a jump which is achieved by springing off
the back foot, or as one might say “popping the tail”).
My second concern is the binding, I never had my snowboard break on the slope, but I
had my binding doing it. It usually happens when the screw of the strap is slowly
becoming loose due to movement of the strap (about 15 degrees), which is essential for
fitting with the boot during riding (also the strap would break if it couldn’t move). This
mostly happens with the front leg’s largest binding strap, because when the boarder leans
back he/she pulls back the boot along with the binding and the strap.
If you think there is no difference in boots that you ride in, you are wrong. I noticed the
difference when I got my Salomon Symbio boots, I felt the difference as soon as I got on
the board. Salomon Symbio boots made it easier to manage the balance, gaining more
control over some tricks that require precision and good balance like rails (those pipes
you slide along).
Lastly every boarder needs a bag to put his/hers boots in when he/she is going off the
slope and taking the average 1 mile walk back to the hotel, also strapping the board to the
bag would help.
Introduction
Because walking a mile with a 8 lbs snowboard in one hand that additionally has a sharp
edge, hurt your fingers even with gloves on. For this purpose I have always used a
skating bag which unfortunately cannot support the weight of my board (board + boots =
1stone 4lbs) an ideal bag would have a bag hung down to support the board by the nose
or tail.
Bag with straps to
regulate how low it
hangs
Introduction - Snowboarding
Snowboarding dates back to 1960s, but a snowboard that looks like today's
snowboards has been developed in the late 1970s. Snowboarding is a very young
sport comparing to skiing, some sources claim that even Vikings used skis.
Once in a village of Muskegon, Sherman Poppen was outside his house one day
sledding with his daughters, when his 11 year old
was going down the hill, standing on her old sled. Mr.
Poppen then ran to his house and screwed two skis
together. Then he put a rope in the nose, this board was
impossible to ride backwards just like a ski because it
would dig into snow.
This innovation was called Snurfer by Poppen's
family, also because of it's similarity to surfing (the “snu” prefix came from “snow”).
Poppen then held competitions for snurfers, then in 1979 Jake Burton showed up
with a custom built board that had prototype bindings to strap his feet to the board.
Jake Burton established Burton Snowboards in 1977.
In late 1980s there was animosity between snowboarders and skiers, and that led
to banning of snowboarding in ski resorts.
Introduction - Snowboard
So what is the Snowboard made of?
Top
Usually a layer of acrylic with a printed graphic.
Core
Made of laminated wood then sandwiched between multiple layers of
fibreglass.
Underside “Base”
Different compositions of plastic, it is then regularly waxed for smooth
sliding.
Edge
Strap of metal around the edges of the board, although I have seen a
board with a metal plate inside it. Acting as both core and edge.
The hourglass structure of the board makes it easier to perform turns,
because when one of the edges is being pressed against the slope the
board is flexed into a curve.
Snowboard More Detail
Top
Usually a layer of acrylic with a printed graphic.
Core
Beech and poplar are very common woods, but other woods are used such as bamboo
(salomon's new production line) and birch. Many manufacturers are trying to make
aluminum, composite honeycomb and other cores. I have seen an aluminium hybrid of a
core and an edge. Desired properties of the core are dampening, rebound, strength, flex
and reduced weight.
Underside “Base”
It is mostly made of a porous, plastic (polyethylene) material, that is later waxed to make the
underside a smooth, hydrophobic surface (not saturating water). Bases are made to have
amorphous areas that are porous to wax. Wax is an important finishing product for all base
materials. It allow the snowboard to have a smoother glide, it also allows to change the
characteristics of the base and adjust the board to the snow conditions. Different base
waxes are used for different temperatures. Although people who can ride, not only show off
with snowboards use a simple candle to wax their board. If a base is left without wax for too
long, it will begin to oxidise and it wont saturate with wax. A stonegrind can remove layers of
oxidation from the board and open up its amorphous areas too more readily accept wax. If
the base is damaged it will create friction and will become oxidized unreversibly.
Snowboard More Detail
Edge
Strap of metal around the edges of the board. Sharp edge can make riding on ice
possible, but can result in a crash on a rail because it would digg into it.
Laminate
The snowboard's core is sandwiched by at least two layers of fiberglass. The
fiberglass adds stiffness and torsional strength to the board. The fiberglass
laminate may be:
biaxial fibers running the length of the board and more fibers 90 degrees
perpendicular to it
triax fibers running the length of the board with 45 degree fibers running across it
quadrax biax and triax joined together
Some snowboards also add carbon and aramid (also known as Twaron or Kevlar)
stringers for additional elasticity and strength.
The Boot
Snowboard Boots have a similar construction to that of ski boots, they consist of
the inside boot which is like a 1 inch thick sock and an outer shell. The difference
is that a ski boot shell is made of plastic and has three plates, that disable any
movement of the ankle. The sole on a snowboard boot provides more grip and
makes walking up slopes easier than walking up slopes in ski boots. Also it is
worth mentioning that snowboard boots use laces.
Boots' function is to transfer the rider's energy into the board, to support the ankle
(if you tried snowboarding in similar looking boots but not snowboarding ones,
you would end up with your ankles broken), and keep the rider's feet warm. Boots
can have different features like lacing styles (speed lace - salomon), heat molding
liners (thermofit – this technology makes the inside of the boot mould around your
feet to make it more comfortable), and gel padding. There are snowboard boots
that are made for most bindings and some that are made for "step in" style
bindings, but I will not discuss those. Snowboard boots differ from other types of
boots in that they provide internal support to transfer the rider's movements to the
board. Some boots that look like snowboard boots, but are not real snowboard
boots, are unsuitable for snowboarding and will break your ankles.
Difference Between Freestyle and Freeride
Most people don't realise the
difference between Freeride and
Freestyle. The technical
difference between those two is
basically that a Freeride board is
more stiff and firm to withstand
high speeds (40mph-80mph), so
its like a ram and nothing will
disturb it's trail. If a Freeride
board would be too flexible (like
the Freestyle board) it would fit
the shape of any lump and start
to make turns on its own. Of
course this would only happen if
there were large forces acting on
the board (like when speeding at
40mph).A Freeride board is more
flexible, and there are reasons
behind it. Well first of all the
boards need to be flexible because
ollies require a board to be flexible.
The way it works is that the board is
being flexed, by leaning back and
lifting the nose then jumping off the
tail. Now the more elastic the board
is the more force it gives back, while
returning to the original shape and
therefore acting almost like a spring
in the tail.
Nose/Tail rolls on a Freestyle board
is way easier than on a Freeride.
This is because the board can flex to
the point only the nose/tail is
touching the ground, so you can
rotate yourself and the board. The
nose/tail is the centre of rotation as it
is the only point on the ground
Other Snowboarding Terms
Twin Tipped Boardthis means that the distance from
the bindings to both ends of the
board is the same. This makes it
easier to ride backwards.
Half PipeA half pipe (or "pipe") is a trenchlike half-tube made of snow.
JibbingRiding or grinding anything that is
not snow.
Radii
The sidecut (edge) is a part of a
circle set on a radius of 9-18 metres,
a bigger radium results in a smoother
curve and a smaller radius results in
sharp turns, because the shape of
the curve.
Sidecut
The cut out part in the side of the
snowboard which makes it look like
an hourglass.
Main Snowboarding Brands
Salomon Snowboards
The board is the most
important., it's the
actual thing that you
ride on. This one is a
member of the
versatile family, so it's
useful both for fast
rides in virgin snow
and snowparks.
Is certainly my favourite make of
snowboarding gear. It’s because
I got the first professional boots
made by Salomon last
christmas and I fell in love with
them. Why?
Because those boots gave me
incredible precision and
balance.
Force is not a
breathtaking technology,
but the strengthened
straps (its tucked
between the back plate
and the ankle cap) give
excellent control over
turns.
Rossignol
Most of ski rentals, especially Xscape own Rossignol equipment to rent out. I cannot say all rental
Rossignol equipment is poor quality however the bindings and the boots at Xscape look like recycled.
The rental bindings are manufactured entirely out of aluminium (because if it was anyother metal they
would be very heavy) and look as if they are made of recycled cans. This look might have been a result
of excessive use.
The rental board however if very flexible, it’s almost as if it was designed for Xscape. I think so because
this kind of board would snap on black and red tracks, also Xscape has no rocks on the slope however
real mountains do and the forces acting on the board are more severe*. The boards rented at Xscape
lack a layer of acrylic on the top. However the boards perform very well on ramps and rails.
The boots’ shells are very soft so they do not provide ankle support, this can lead to injuries to the foot
area.
K2 Snowboarding
On this one I had to aid myself with a review posted on the internet. According to it, K2 Snowboards are
very manoeuvrable considering it is very short. Keep in mind that short snowboards make very sharp
turns because of the radius of the edge (or curve) is smaller.
Quoted From an On-Line shop, about K2’s bindings:
“The magnesium base, aluminium heelcup, plus the plasma highback exude durability. The
buckles are sturdy, the straps are comfortable; the ankle strap length can be adjusted by
hand, tool-free. “
Burton
Burton is probably the oldest snowboarding brand in the world. It has been
established by Jake Burton, and made snowboards as we know them today. Burton
was the first company to develop WORKING bindings for snowboards.
Burton is a high quality manufacturer and usually I haven't seen beginners riding
Burton equipment. Probably because most people learn to ride Freeride instead of
Freestyle and most of equipment made by Burton is targeted at SnowPark/Freestyle
riders.
This company has the most experience in making snowboards in the world (over 35
years).
Logo
This logo was the first one that came
to my mind so I cannot show any
questionnaire results and which logo
people have chosen or refining
process because there was only one
idea.
Here is a version with colour.
Questionnaire
I think I will post this questionnaire on snowboarding in UK forums for people to tell me
what features they would like to see in snowboards. SCUK
Q1) What Snowboard do you ride?
Freeride
10
Freestyle
8
None
1
Versatile (does almost both) 2
Q2) How Much Are You Willing To Pay For Snowboard+Boots?
£175 / less 6
£176-235 5
£236-295 3
£296-365 1
£366-445 3
£446-535 2
£536-635 0
£636 / more1
Q3) Would you like a board with a radii (The curve (edge) is a part of a circle set
on a radius of 9-18 metres, a bigger radium results in a smoother curve and a
smaller radius results in sharp turns, because the shape of the curve.)
a) 18 metres
1
b) 15 metres
9
c) 12 metres
8
d) 9 metres
3
Q4) Have you heard of any of these materials used for snowboards ? (multiple
answer)
a) Aluminium
12
b) Kevlar
3
c) Twaron
1
d) Bamboo
16
e) Oak
3
f) Birch
14
g) Pine
17
h) Any of evergreens 21
Q5) What is your Shoe Size (EUR)
a) -36
3
b) 37-39
5
c) 40-42
7
d)43-44
5
e) 45+
1
Q6) What boots do you ride?
a) Standard (soft boots)
20
b) the ones that work with those weird bindings (hard boots)
1
Q7) Have you heard of a technology that fits the inside of the boot to your feet
according to your feet’s temperature?
a) Yes 14
b) No 7
Q8) What lacing system would you like ?
a) normal (haves to tie shoe laces like in a a normal shoe) 5
b) with a wheel to quickly fasten it
16
Q9) What Type of Bindings would you like to see on the board?
a) step-in
3
b) strap in (toe cap)
11
c) strap in (without the toe cap)
7
Q10) Judge your level of experience IN RIDING
Beginner 6
Intermediate 10
Advanced 5
Questionnaire Results - Price
This Graph shows what amount of money people are willing to pay. So I should
keep the costs of manufacture within the range of £150-300. I could possibly
make another model for the price range £370-535. This way I could satisfy 66%
with the regular model and 24% with the premium model.
Questionnaire Results
Pie Chart Showing The Types Of
Snowboards Consumers Own
10%
5%
Freeride
47%
Freestyle
NONE
38%
Most people own Freeride board, this
is mainly because when riders start
snowboarding they usually purchase
a Freeride board. However more
advanced users are willing to
purchase Freestyle boards at a
higher price with a smaller radius of
the sidecut.
Versatile
Whay radius of the sidecut people
prefer
I think I should produce a
snowboard with a 13 metre
radius sidecut.
10
Number of
People
5
0
18
15
12 9 metres
metres metres metres
Questionnaire Results
Best known materials used for snowboards
25
20
15
10
5
0
Aluminium
Kevlar
Twaron
Bamboo
Oak
Birch
Pine
Any of
evergreens
This shows that not many people know about using oak as a core for a snowboard,
and kevlar or twaron used instead of fibre glass.
Questionnaire Results
Average Shoe Sizes
7
6
5
People who have this
shoe size
4
3
2
1
0
36-
37-39
40-42
43-44
45+
shoe sizes EUR
When I questioned people, it was mainly women that gave me the low shoe sizes.
So I think I should produce boots separately for men (37-45) and women (35-43).
Questionnaire Results
When I questioned people, it was mainly women that gave me the low shoe sizes.
So I think I should produce boots separately for men (37-45) and women (35-43).
Questionnaire Results
In this situation I don’t think I should bother designing a hard shell boot.
Questionnaire Results
This means that if my boot had the thermal fitting technology, and it manifested that
in the advert it would sell better.
Questionnaire Results
I think I should design a boot
with a wheel to tighten the
laces that can be takes off
easily and replaced by
conventional laces.
While analysing those results,
I have had an idea to supply a
strap-in binding with a
additional toe strap with a toe
cap. This is so that if one
prefers a toe cap, they can
replace the toe strap with a
toe strap that has a toe cap.
Material Research – SideCut
I need to use a material with high tensile strength so its does not permanently
deform or snap after a snowboarder performing a noseroll. But it must not resist
bending, because then it wouldn’t flex.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is the hardest kind of steel available. (From Wikipedia) As carbon content
rises the metal becomes harder and stronger but less ductile and more difficult to
weld. Higher carbon content lowers steel's melting point and its temperature
resistance in general. If its not temperature resistant then it will deform due to long
exposure to frost and then it usually gets put in a heated hardware room at ski centers. This
all happens in a short amount of time. Therefore the `rim’ will deform and come off the
board. It also rusts.
Titanal
Titanal is an alloy of aluminium and titanium, and it would be worth consideration
to use it for the rim. But I haven’t heard of titanal or titanium used for snowboard
edges.
Material Research – SideCut
Steel
The most widely used material for edges. In fact I haven't heard of any other
being used for the edge of snowboard. It has a downside, it rusts. I had
experienced that painfully while going to the Italian Alps. During the almost 24
hour drive the snowboard on the top of the roof has been exposed to water and
air, and my edges have rusted. Therefore to make the snowboard more durable
I could use Stainless Steel.
Conclusion
Both normal steel and high carbon steel rust, so I would depreciate using any
of these for the edge of the snowboard. I prefer stainless steel, which has
about the same properties as normal steel. No one has ever used titanal in a
snowboard edge so I wouldn't like to experiment.
Material Research – Carbon Fibre
£6-7 per KG this makes it very competitive with steel (£0.25/kg). It’s UV resistant so it
does not loose strength due to exposure to sunlight or visible light. It is 50% more elastic
than Kevlar. It is a material made of extremely thin fibres about 0.005–0.010 mm in
diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded
together in microscopic crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of
the fiber. The crystal alignment makes the fiber incredibly strong for its size. Several
thousand carbon fibers are twisted together to form a yarn, which may be used by itself
or woven into a fabric. The carbon can become further enhanced, as high modulus, or
high strength carbon, by heat treatment processes. Carbon fiber heated from 2500 to
3000 °C (graphitizing) exhibits a high modulus of elasticity (531 kN/mm²).
I need my snowboard to be to be elastic and take to take pressure when the board falls
down from heights of 5 metres with the snowboarder on it.
Carbon fiber composites are anisotropic, meaning the high strength and modulus only
apply in the direction of the fiber's axis. Most parts are three dimensional so a CF is
woven impart X, Y, and Z directional strength.
This makes Carbon Fibre a good material to use instead of fibre glass in the
construction of the snowboard.
Carbon Fibre is already used in snowboards to make what is called “carbon stringers”
which add more pop (springs back) to the board.
Tensile Strenght Ultimate 5650 MPa But I should lower that to 5000MPa. This is equal to
850000 PSI.
Material Research – Glass Fibre
Glass fibre has the same strength length wise as width wise. This is because of the
structure. There are 4 atoms of oxygen and 1 of silicon and the oxygen atoms all
surround the silicon atom. This is the reason why the glass fibre has the same strength
along x and y axis.
Glass Fibre is a very good insulator and it has a very high ratio of surface area to
weight.
Glass Fibre is commonly used in the construction of the snowboard, it is used by most
manufacturers of snowboards to sandwich the core.
Tensile Ultimate Strenght of S-Glass 3450 MPa, E-Glass 4710 MPa but I should lower
that to 4250MPa. This is equal to 531250 PSI.
Fibres that were not used
I think of using Carbon fibre because it can take a lot more pressure. I
only considered the two fibres (carbon fibre and glass fibre) because
other options are unsuitable. If in the course of design carbon fibre will
be unsuitable for using it
First option was zylon. It’s very stiff so it would limit the flexibility of the
board. However it was much stronger than carbon fibre. It degrades
and looses a lot of that strenght within 30 months (bullet-proof vests
are known to have a warranty of 30 months, and then they are not
bullet-proof anymore), this is disqualifying for use with snowboards. It
also degrades but UV and visible light.
That’s also why I’m not using aramid fibres. They degrade by UV light.
I wont use Kevlar and Twaron because they are not resistant to UV
light. That is why I won’t use any materials that are not resistant to UV.
Material Research – Wood
Bamboo, Yew, Willow, Elm, Juniper, Hazel, oak, ash, birch &
hemlock.
Material Research – Boot
Sole will be made out of rubber as always, although it will
have metal spokes designed to produce extra grip on ice.
Design – Bag Outside
Snowboarders always take their a drink and food as well as
their screwdrivers, pen knifes, spare boots. So here I have a
couple of sketches of how the bag is going to look like. The
chest strap is optional, so I will make a questionnaire about
whether people want the bag with the chest strap or not.
The main idea is simple, the pieces of coated nylon polyester are sewn onto the
carbon fibre `frame' on which the snowboard is suspended. The frame is a
rectangle with two semicircles coming out of the top-right, bottom-right corner and
top-left, bottom-left corners to produce the shoulder straps. On the other side of
the rectangle there will be a semicircular length of carbon fibre which will be
attached to the middle of the top side of the rectangle and the middle of the
bottom. There will be loops coming out of each corner of the rectangle, to tie the
bindings of the board to it (two loops per binding). When the fabric is sewn onto
the frame the bag will look like a triangle looking from the top. It will have two zips
on either side of the single semicircle carbon fibre thread. The zips will have two
zip sliders ( just in case one wears out). So there will be a lot of free access to the
bag, and you can take out the items at the bottom without turning your bag upside
down, so this prevents the tools falling out of tool pockets.
Design – Bag Outside
The carbon fibre threads of which the frame is composed will have a diameter of
5mm. This gives rather a large overhead, so the bag is not going to fall apart when
the weight of the snowboard starts pulling it. Carbon fibre has a tensile strength of
59755kg/cm^2 (850000PSI) and the area of the cross section of the thread would
be 0.25cm^2. This means that I could suspend a maximum of just below 8.25
tonnes from one of the loops if tied in an Eskimo bowline ( remember my design
includes 4 loops).
This is the questionnaire that will determine whether my bag has the chest
straps.
Chest straps in between shoulder straps on a bag help to keep the shoulder
straps together, and therefore prevent the bag sliding off your shoulders.
However others consider chest straps ugly and claim that they grip their chest
too much. Would you like a snowboarding bag with or without a chest strap:
a) YES
b) NO
Design – Bag Outside
The bindings of the board will be tied to the bag by the loops. You can tie the
snowboard to the bag using:
farmer's loop
Artillery Loop
Miller's knot
After the free end of the loop
thread would be tied around the
heelcup of the binding, then it
would be secured using a
buckle to the shoulder straps
and in case of the bottom two
threads, the top of the bag.
Eskimo bowline
And obviously the
most basic one
Design – Bag Outside Sketches
Design – Bag Improvements
First of all I thought about how improve the waterproof propriety of the bag, and I
thought about the zips. The zips are not waterproof and snow easily gets to them
and then melts. I decided to introduce a flap over the zips that would prevent the
snow reaching the zip to some extent. The buckles were not in my original design,
because I was still debating over which fastening system I should use. I am sure
that metal buckles will manage to hold the weight. Because the buckles are metal
and are around the neck area (shoulders) they should be sanded to ensure there
are no sharp edges.
Design – Bag Manufacture
1)Then the sides of the bag are cut out from a nylon sheet.
2)The tool pockets and the inside of the bag are glued/sewn onto the inside of
back side of the bag.
3)The two front sides have zips sewn into them.
4)Every stitch is reinforced with glue
5) Bag left to dry.
6)The carbon fibre threads are place on the table along a template and fixed into
position temporarily.
7)the sides of the bag get sewn and glued to the `frame'
8) Bag left to dry
9) Padding on the back is added
10)Shoulder straps are constructed around the semicircular threads of carbon
fibre and the buckles are fixed on the carbon fibre threads within the shoulder
straps.
11) The buckles are added to each of the four loop threads.
12) The bag is then packed into a nylon sack (similar to the ones of the sleeping
bags)
Design – Bag Outside Manufacture
Costs:
Carbon Fibre (0.25xtotal_length): £0.00
This is since carbon fibre costs £?/kg and the density of carbon fibre is
?.?kg/m^2.
Aluminium (40 buckle parts): £0.00
Manufacture: £3
I am going to have the bag sewn together in a third world country where people
consider it very good to work for £0.75/hour.
This makes me think that I would be able to sell the bag for about £?? .
Snowboard Manufacture Brief
The snowboard is made of:
Topsheet with printed graphic
Fiber glass or epoxy
Wood or foam core
Steel inserts
Plastic base, (p-tex)
Metal edges
Those are my ideas for the top of the snowboard.
Snowboard Design
This is a screen shot of the snowboard I made in blender (a
free program available for Linux for 3D modelling). I could not
do that in ProDesktop unfortunately.
Snowboard Design cross section
Idea 1
Idea 2
Idea 3
Idea 4
Thickness
Weight
Price
Durability
0
0
0
3
Thickness
Weight
Price
Durability
0
1
1
3
Thickness
Weight
Price
Durability
1
2
2
2
Thickness
Weight
Price
Durability
2
3
3
0
After realising that idea one was both too heavy and to thick, I discarded idea 2
because it was also thick. This has left me with a less durable but lighten and
thinner design.