Development of a Steering System for Parasport Sleds Using Lightweight Design and Additive Manufacturing of Fibre-reinforced Polymers

Abstract

For some years now, additive manufacturing (AM) has offered an alternative to conventional manufacturing processes. The strengths of AM are primarily the rapid implementation of ideas into a usable product and the ability to produce geometrically complex shapes. It has also significantly advanced the lightweight design of products made of plastic. So far, the strength of printed components made of polymers is previously very limited.

Recently, new AM processes have become available that allow the embedding of short and also long fibers in polymer matrix. Thus, the manufacturing of components that provide a significant increase in strength becomes possible. In this way, both complex geometries and sophisticated applications can be implemented. This paper therefore investigates how this new technology can be implemented in product development, focusing on sports equipment. An extensive literature research shows that lightweight design plays a decisive role in sports equipment. In addition, the advantages of AM in terms of individualized products and low quantities can be fully exploited.

An example of this approach is the steering system for a seat sled used by paraplegic athletes in the Olympic discipline of Nordic paraskiing. A particular challenge here is the placement and alignment of the long carbon fibers within the polymer matrix and the verification of the strength by means of Finite-Element-Analysis (FEA). In addition, findings from bionics are used to optimize the lightweight design of the steering system. Using this example, it can be shown that the weight of the steering system can be drastically reduced compared to conventional manufacturing. At the same time, a number of parts can be saved through function integration and thus the manufacturing and assembly effort can be reduced significantly.