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Dynamic Ice-Skate  DEVELOPMENT OF A DYNAMIC ICE-SKATE Main Report Marc Bloem 1144383 Graduation Project 2010 Preface This final report is the result of my graduation project during the master program of Industrial Design Engineering. It shows the development of a new dynamic ice-skate. The so-called new dynamic ice-skate contains a new innovative solution to make the sport more accessible for all audiences. The ultimate goal for this product is to put ice-skating at an higher level and get new World Records. A dynamic-ice-skate is a new type of ice-skate which maintains optimal contact with the ice. The bend of the skate-blade adapts during skating by pressure changes in the foot so optimal contact is maintained with the ice-surface. In other words, the shape of the ice-skate adapts dynamically due to the movement of the skater. This graduation project was set-up in a very interesting way. During my search to an interesting subject, the department of Biomechanics (3ME, TU Delft) came along. My mentor, Otto den Braver, was working on several skating projects like the Peakstake. The Peakskate is an ice-skate with a variable rocker. After some interesting brainstorms the idea of a variable bending came around, which resulted in this graduation project. Enjoy reading! Development of a dynamic ice-skate Marc Bloem Graduate Student Ruud van Heur Chair – Industrial Design TU Delft Leo Wartenbergh Mentor –Industrial Design TU Delft Otto den Braver Company mentor – O’Sports Summary Since the introduction of the klapskate it seems there is not much improvement going on in ice-skates. Nothing is further from the truth. This is specifically for the ice-skates used in short track skating which are bend in the direction of the corner to gain more grip. Several researches showed that the process of bending is difficult to master and requires a great deal of knowledge and experience. Nevertheless many benefits can be achieved by implementing a bending into an ice-skate. The product is called a dynamic ice-skate. The dynamic behaviour of the skate follows and adapts automatically to the trajectory of the skating stoke. This means that the skates have a better grip on the ice during the turns and the straight ends, improving the skaters performance. For this implementation no expensive bending tools and specific knowledge is required. The skate is compatible with current skating products such as skate-shoes and sharpening tools. The dynamic (bending) behaviour is based on a simple principle. Tilting the shoe ensures that the curved upper-blade deforms the skate-blade into a bend. A ball joint bearing which is incorporated into the tube helps to tilt the upper-tube. This principle is based on a simple sketch-model which is illustrated below. Introducing the product will be first done for competition skaters. They can use this skate as a fixed skate and it will help to improve their technique even more. If the product is successful in this group (which happened also with the well known klapskate), the implementation towards the elite skating league will be easily made. Index 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Ice-Skating ........................................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Innovation ........................................................................................................................ 16 1.3 Design Assignment .......................................................................................................... 18 2 Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 21 2.1 Visual product mapping ................................................................................................... 22 2.2 Online Questionnaire ........................................................................................................ 24 2.3 Video Observation ............................................................................................................ 25 2.4 Projected radius ............................................................................................................... 28 2.5 Target group .................................................................................................................... 28 2.6 Design space ................................................................................................................... 29 2.7 Biomechanics .................................................................................................................. 31 2.8 Program of Requirements ................................................................................................ 35 3 Design ..................................................................................................................................... 39 3.1 Concept generation ......................................................................................................... 40 3.2 Proof of concept .............................................................................................................. 43 3.3 Theoretical model ............................................................................................................ 46 3.4 Optimization .................................................................................................................... 50 3.5 Concept details ................................................................................................................ 55 4 Evaluation ................................................................................................................................ 63 4.1 Program of requirements.................................................................................................. 63 4.2 Product recommendations ............................................................................................... 64 4.3 Implementation ................................................................................................................ 66 4.4 Project evaluation ............................................................................................................ 67 5 References .............................................................................................................................. 68 5.1 Literature ......................................................................................................................... 68 5.2 Internet ............................................................................................................................ 68 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... 69 Marc Bloem 6 Development of a dynamic ice-skate 1 Introduction Several aspects will pass by in this section. The first aspect is about ice-skating in general. The second aspect is to show how innovation can improve this sport. The last part of this section will be the design assignment for this project. 7 Marc Bloem 1.1 Ice-Skating In all branches of sport is it a primary goal to improve yourself (and others) and achieve your personal goals. For professionals this goal is even more wider. They want to achieve the best possible result and set new (world) records. In other words, sport is accessible for everyone no matter what level you perform it. The official Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, which is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger”. A more informal but well known motto, is “The most important thing is not to win but to take part!” Both mottos were introduced by Pierre de Coubertin, on the creation of the International Olympic Committee in 1894. This shortly explains why sports is important for all the people. Disciplines of ice-skating Ice-skating is moving on ice with ice-skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, travelling, and various sports. The most known ice-skate disciplines are: Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Short-Track and Long Track Skating. Ice-skating is very popular in the Netherlands. Especially the two speed disciplines are popular, “Speed skating or Long track” and “Short track skating”. There are some major differences between the sport disciplines. Short track skates are high and have a stiff shoe (Figure 1.1). They skate small laps (oval track of 111m) and the first one who finishes wins. Long track skating takes place on a 400m oval with klapskates. The person with the fastest overall time wins. high cups Figure 1.1 – From left to right: a traditional long track skate, long track klapskate, and a short track skate with high cups The construction of a klapskate (Figure 1.2) is more complex and consists of more of parts than a traditional long track skate. The construction is also more fragile and the hinge introduces extra loads on shoe and bridge. Short track skates have higher fixed cups and do have a very stiff shoe. shoe hinge tube blade spring bridge Figure 1.2 – Klapskate 8 Development of a dynamic ice-skate Products Ice-skates have been developed for a long time. The First ice-skates as we known were from the 12th century. Bones of animals (cows, horses, sheeps, etc) were used in West- Europe for transport over ice. Today, ice-skates are still developing. New innovations make the sport faster and creates ultimately new World Records. This section shows several skating
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