Sit on it and slide down? Snowmobile is not as simple as you think

The Winter Olympics is about to open. When talking about bobsleigh, many people may first think of Santa Claus driving a sleigh, but bobsleigh sports are much more exciting than Santa Claus's sleigh.

Image source: wikipedia

Simply put, bobsleigh refers to a sport in which a specially made, steerable bobsleigh is used to slide down a narrow, twisted, inclined ice track in a timed manner. It is also called bobsleigh.

Image source: olympics

The original form of the snowmobile was a recreational facility.

The first sled appeared in the late 19th century, but there are different accounts of where it originated. The most popular theory is that it originated in Switzerland in the late 19th century.

The earliest sleds were made of wood, transformed from wooden sleds used for delivery. They were a recreational facility for tourists. People initially rode homemade sleds to compete in entertainment on the narrow streets of Swiss towns. However, because they often hit pedestrians, local residents have always been very resentful of this activity.

Although in order to avoid hitting pedestrians, the sled makers added a "steering device" to the sled (this is the ancestor of the current bobsleigh), the activity was banned on public roads due to the strong opposition from residents.

In order to continue to generate revenue from this entertainment, its inventor opened up a natural ice track in a village outside the town, and thus the prototype of the bobsleigh competition emerged.

Early Swiss bobsleigh team, image source: Wikipedia

As practice progressed, the bobsleigh track evolved from a straight line to a track with twists and turns. The original wooden sleds also gave way to streamlined fiberglass and metal sleds, which are getting closer and closer to modern bobsleighs.

Snowmobile, it's not as simple as sitting on it and sliding down

The design of modern snowmobiles conforms to the principles of aerodynamics, retaining a streamlined front to minimize the impact of air resistance. The front half of the vehicle is connected to a pair of rudders and a steering wheel, the rear half is a pair of fixed parallel skateboards, and the rear is equipped with brakes.

Source: ABC News

Bobsleigh competitions are generally divided into three types: single-person bobsleigh, double-person bobsleigh and four-person bobsleigh. In single-person bobsleigh, the driver controls the direction and brakes, while in two-person bobsleigh, the drivers are divided into two roles: helmsman and brakeman. The helmsman is mainly responsible for steering and adjusting the direction to keep the bobsleigh running smoothly on the track.

Single-person bobsleigh competition, picture from the official website of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation

As a steersman, he/she must have both the skill to steer the sled and the timing to smoothly steer along the path that can generate the maximum speed. You know, at speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour, any slight turn may affect the situation of the game.

Two-man bobsleigh competition, photo courtesy of brock-news

The brakeman's task is to push the sled with the helmsman at the starting point to make the sled gain a faster initial speed. He/she must keep in mind every curve during the driving process and be prepared for braking. After the sled passes the finish line, the brakes must be pulled quickly to stop the sled safely. As a brakeman, his/her body also needs to keep tilting along the curve during the driving process to make the sled lighter and maintain better balance.

In bobsleigh, gravity is a very important factor. In addition to the brakeman's need to control his own gravity to keep the body stable, in the four-man bobsleigh project, the two pushers also have a similar function.

Four-man bobsleigh, photo courtesy of GQ Sports

The two athletes added to the four-person bobsleigh as the left and right pushers will push the bobsleigh on both sides when it starts, giving it a faster initial speed. Then they will find the right time to jump into the bobsleigh, adding weight to the bobsleigh, gaining more gravity acceleration, making the bobsleigh go faster.

The speed and passion of snowmobile

As one of the most thrilling events in the Winter Olympics, the average speed of bobsleigh is around 100 kilometers per hour, and the maximum speed can reach 150 kilometers per hour. The lightning-fast high-speed operation is the biggest attraction of the bobsleigh event.

A perfect bobsleigh event must take into account both the excitement of the competition and the safety of the athletes, so the design requirements for the track are very strict. Most tracks are set in mountainous areas with an altitude of 100 to 150 meters, and the length is about 1,300 to 2,000 meters. The bobsleigh track generally consists of 15 to 20 turns and is 1.4 meters wide. There are guardrails on both sides of the track, 1.4 meters high on the inside and 2 to 7 meters high on the outside. The radius of the track turns and the average slope of the slide must also be within the specified range. The radius cannot be less than 20 meters, and the average slope must be between 4°30' and 8°30'.

The difficulty of bobsleigh racing is related to the angle of the curve. During the competition, the contestants must skillfully use the potential energy brought by their own gravity and the kinetic energy of the initial speed of the bobsleigh to complete a 1,500-meter "ground flight" in just one or two minutes. From the start, there are various rapid turns and sudden stops, and the constraints of centrifugal force must be overcome. In this kind of bobsleigh racing, both for the contestants themselves and the audience, it is a real speed and passion.

In the upcoming Winter Olympics, the Chinese bobsleigh team will be riding a groundbreaking domestically produced bobsleigh. Let's look forward to its Winter Olympics debut.

END

Audit experts:

Zhu Guangsi, science writer

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Heart and Paper