plastic skis. History of invention and production

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HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY, OBJECTS AROUND US
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plastic skis. History of invention and production

The history of technology, technology, objects around us

Directory / The history of technology, technology, objects around us

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Howard Head, born in 1914 in Philadelphia, wanted to be a writer since childhood and even entered Harvard's department of English literature at the age of 18. However, he soon discovered that he liked the technical disciplines much more than the humanities. He transferred to engineering and graduated summa cum laude in 1936 before joining the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory in Baltimore, where he designed the B-26 twin-engine bomber during the war, which used honeycomb-filled laminates and aluminum cladding. It was then that Howard got acquainted with the technologies that were destined to revolutionize the sports industry.

In 1947, 32-year-old Head first appeared at a ski resort in Vermont. The first descents were clumsy, and like most beginners, Head didn't blame himself, but the skis. But instead of improving his technique or just giving up this activity, Howard thought about the design of skis. Traditionally, these were long (more than 2 m) flat skids with a bend in the front, carved from a solid piece of wood, usually hickory.

After several descents, the wooden ski had to be lubricated with wax so that snow would not stick to it. The ribs of the ski from skiing on hard snow and ice quickly wore down and split. Puff wood skis were somewhat lighter than solid wood skis, but they were far from ideal.

Head decided to build a ski based on the B-26, using an aluminum shell with a plastic honeycomb inside. Putting together aluminum, plastic honeycombs and again aluminum proved to be a real challenge. A ski "sandwich" lubricated with shoe glue was placed in a rubber chamber, from which air was pumped out, then it was lowered into an iron box with engine oil heated with gas burners to a temperature of 180 ° C. All this was reminiscent of the work of a medieval alchemist.

The first samples were unsuccessful - they broke right in the hands during bending tests. Head replaced the fragile plastic honeycomb with a core glued from softwood veneer. He later said: "If I knew that more than 40 prototypes would be required, I would have abandoned this business. But each time we thought that the next option would be successful." When it turned out that snow and ice stuck to the metal skid, Head covered it with a thin layer of phenolic plastic and provided the ski with a sharp carbon steel edge.

plastic skis

By the spring of 1950, the final design was developed, but there was no money left - only debts, so it became completely clear that if the sample turned out to be unsuccessful, Head would have to "close the shop". However, the tests in New Hampshire exceeded all expectations of both the developer and the test instructors.

Howard Head applied for the invention of "composite wood-metal skis with a plastic sliding surface" and a few years later (in 1954) received a patent. Head called his first model Standard ("Standard"). In the winter of 1951-1952, Howard and two of his employees made 300 pairs and remained in the red. And by 1966, Head Ski was producing 300 pairs of skis in its own factory, employing 000 workers, and making $500 million a year from sales in 25 countries.

Author: S.Apresov

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