Sliding on ice at speeds exceeding 90 mph is terrifying for most
people, but the USA Luge team is seeking assistance from the U.S. Army
Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) along with academic and
industry leaders to go even faster.
In the sport’s rule book, luge is afforded a great deal of
engineering leeway to customize their sleds and runners. They have their
own team of technicians to manufacture the sleds, and athletes
routinely engage in the design/build process making luge not only a
competition of technique but also one of technology.
It’s all about moving fast on ice, and as such, the team reached out to Dr. Emily Asenath-Smith, lead of the Ice Adhesion Facility at ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL).
“We first started discussions about high-speed ice friction research
about six years ago,” said Asenath-Smith. “Ice adhesion and ice friction
are both interface phenomena. They are essentially ice interacting with
materials, and they are very related research areas."
“CRREL has worked in this space for a number of years,” she added. “The Army cares a lot about ice friction — whether they are pulling sleds in cold regions or driving vehicles across frozen ground.”
Unfortunately, when USA Luge first contacted Asenath-Smith, there wasn’t enough time to develop a productive collaboration.
“They were getting ready for the 20...