Parameter study using a finite element simulation

Authors: Peter Federolf Anton Lüthi Markus Roos Jürg Dual

Publish Date: 2010/03/28

Volume: 12, Issue: 3, Pages: 135-141

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Abstract

For ski manufacturers it is important to know how a given skibinding system performs under different loading conditions Important performance parameters are the ski deformation and the resulting turn radius This study focuses on carving turns The aims of this study were 1 to investigate the dependence of the turn radius on edging angle load on the binding and snow hardness using a finite element FE simulation and 2 to compare the results with predictions of a frequently used model introduced by Howe The FE simulation used a quasistatic approach similar to Howe’s model but the ski–snow interaction model incorporated the groove that forms in the snow during a carved turn Up to edging angles of 40° the results of the FE simulation agreed well with Howe’s model However for large edging angles 50° the calculated turn radius leveled out whereas Howe’s model tends to zero This effect was more pronounced for soft snow than for hard snow conditions Increasing forces on the binding caused a decrease in the calculated turn radii In summary the FE simulation showed that particularly at large edging angles the groove in the snow needs to be considered in models of the ski–snow interaction or in computations of the turn radius

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