Flex Testing

Flex testing setup

This is the setup that we used for our flexural test. The ski is mounted with the base upwards. One end is cantilevered with a pin support where the boot would be. We feel that this is close enough for our purposes to actual skiing forces. We applied loads of 18 and 25 pounds at various positions along the free end and measured displacement. See the results here. We also have access to another testing method pictured below. It consists of pneumatic cylinders that apply a force onto sets of aluminum tabs with strain gages mounted on them. If we can get this setup to work properly it will give us much more comprehensive data.

Edge tester