Sports

New records and sporting wins

Industry

Today, sport is not just a hobby or job. Sport is a way of living, continuous self-improvement, pushing oneself beyond their limits. Global manufacturers of sports gear and wear are using state-of-the-art technologies for continuous improvement of the sports industry.

Ultralight bicycles, skis, snowboards, skateboards, longboards for downhill racing, tennis rackets, hockey sticks, golf clubs, and many more items are made of carbon fiber composites.

Lightweight and strong sports gear

Advantages of carbon composites

Carbon fiber prevails over glass fiber, aluminum, and other metals in sports gear by many parameters. Carbon fiber is lighter, stronger, more resilient, vibration damping, contemporary, and neat-looking.

Advantages of carbon fiber composites over conventional materials in sports gear:

  • Light weight
  • High strength
  • Low deformability
  • Vibration resistance
  • High specific rigidity

Carbon fiber versus other materials

Fiber type




Tensile strength, MPa Tensile modulus, GPa Elongation at break, % Density, g/cm3
Carbon fiber made of PAN precursor high strength, standard modulus 3500-5000 200-280 1.4-2.0 1.75-1.80
high strength, intermediate modulus 4500-7000 280-325 1.7-2.1 1.73-1.81
high modulus 3500-5000 325-450 0.7-1.4 1.75-1.85
ultra high modulus 2500-4000 450-600 0.7-1.0 1.85-1.95
Glass E-glass 2500-3800 70-75 4.5-4.7 2.5-2.7
S-glass 4000-4500 80-90 5.0-5.3 2.5
Organic Aramid 3000-3600 60-180 2.4-3.6 1.45
Polyethylene 200-3000 5-170 3-80 0.96
Steel high strength 1200-2800 200 3.5 7.8
stainless 800-2000 190 3.0 7.8
Basalt 3000-4800 90-110 3.0 2.6-2.8
Boron 3500-4000 350-400 0.5-0.7 2.6

Applications


Carbon fiber helps sports performers win, create records, use sports gear longer.

Dozens of items for different events are made of carbon fiber and composites. Those include bicycles, hockey sticks, golf clubs, skis, ski poles, snowboards, skateboards, and longboards.

Carbon fiber materials are also used for sports wear and protective outfit: knee pads, elbow pads, etc.

Experience


Carbon fiber is widely used for sports gear.

Zaryad in Naberezhnye Chelny manufactures hockey sticks with high strength carbon fiber from UMATEX. The lightweight and strong hockey sticks are fully compliant with international standards. By some parameters they prove to be superior to standards.

Lightweight and strong carbon fiber reinforced plastic is used in ski sports. A sports performer with carbon skis can pick up a greater speed by the same effort.

Audi and the German Ski Association developed hi-tech Audi Carbon Skis. They feature a wooden core wrapped in layers of aluminum and titanium and coated with high strength carbon fiber. The skis weigh 1,550 grams which is 200 grams lighter than their competitors. Carbon fiber allows for optimal strength and torsional rigidity performance.

Summary

Carbon fiber composites in sports gear are driving out conventional materials such as wood and metal alloys.


Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is much lighter, stronger, more resilient, and vibration resistant. The said properties help sport performers create records.