The Physics of Luge

Luge

History of Luge

Luge: French word for sled

Caspar Badrutt, a Swiss hotel owner, had trouble attracting people to his hotel during the winter season. As a way of attracting guest to his St. Mortiz hotel, he persuaded hotel regulars to come to his “winter resort.” Many of the guests would use the delivery boys’ sleds and run down the streets up of St. Mortiz. As the sport became more serious and sliders collided with pedestrians Badrutt made a half pipe to accommodate the sliders. As time passed luge turned into a competitive sport and debuted in the Olympics in 1964.

Every piece of equipment the luger wears/uses is designed to be aerodynamic, reducing the amount of air friction to help the slider have better times.

Racing suit- Slider’s have special full body suits made out of a smooth rubberized material to minimize air resistance. Each skin-tight suit is only used once in order to prevent ripping or flapping.

Booties- the shoe forces the slider’s foot to a straight position reducing the frontal drag. The “straight position” is key when sliding down the hill because it keeps the slider’s feet in an ideal position that lessens the amount of air friction. Like the suits the slider races in new booties every time so as not to have a snag in the suit, which could mean the difference in losing and in wining

Sled- Luger are very particular about their sleds, they contract private companies to design them. Sleds proportions are based on the weight and height of the luger, i.e. each sled is custom made. The sled itself is made out of fiber glass and steel. The sled has many parts to it. On each side of the slid there are two grips for the slider to hold on to as he travels down the course. The slider lies on a pod, which is supposed to be between his or her shoulders and knees. However all pods are 55.1 cm wide and 12 cm thick. To turn the sled slider use runners or kufens. The bow, which is part of the runner, is where the slider places his or her feet; they apply pressure to one of the two bows to navigate the track. Bridges connect the two runners, there are two on each sled one on the front and the other in on the back. The bridges are also used to support the pod and connect it to the rest of the sled. The sled has two steels, which are the only part of the sled to touch the ground. The steels connect to the runners.

Rules

Since the force of gravity pulls the slider down the track the more force you have the faster you go. Male sliders must be at least 90 kg and female sliders must be at least 75 kg. Although sliders who weigh less can attach weights to themselves to even the playing field. The sleds also have weight limits on them. Single sleds can’t exceed 23 kg and double sleds mustn’t exceed 27 kg. Racing suits can’t be more than 4 kg. The sled’s steels can’t be heated. The heating of the steels would melt the ice on the track, reducing the friction between the sled and the ice. Lastly sled’s can’t have mechanical brakes.

How Luge Applies to Physics

The conservation law applying to luge is the conservation of energy. At the beginning of the run its mostly gravitational energy and then it transitions into kinetic energy as it goes on increasing in speed and kinetic energy.

FBD/Energy Flow:

Deminsions of the track

• Luge silver medalist David Moeller needed medical attention after biting his medal for photographers.

• There is no Olympic record for luge as every Olympic track is different

• The gold medal winners of luge in the Olympics are both entitled to free "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity" breakfasts at IHOP for life.

• Natural tracks are adapted from existing mountain roads and paths

• People have been sliding down hills for over 1,000 years

• Fastest Winer Oympic sport, fastest speed 153.98 kilometers per hour

• There are no brakes on the sled

Attributions:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49503002894@N01/4381427944

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41237417@N08/4363939510

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7369050@N05/4363209069

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7369050@N05/4367751455

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41237417@N08/4363115005

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49503002894@N01/4377867647

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41237417@N08/4363115521

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41237417@N08/4363230159

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29619840@N00/3453411635

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/snow-sports/luge2.htm

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/46394

http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Sports/All-Sports/Luge/Luge-Equipement-and-History/

Equipment

Helmet- Luger’s helmets have a clear or tinted visor that goes down under their chin and is rounded to decrease the air resistance.

Spiked gloves- after coming out of the gate they use spiked gloves to gain more acceleration.

Fun Facts

Medalist

kamil

Free Body Diagrams:

Luge- Men’s Singles

Gold: Felix Loch, Germany Run Time: 48.171s

Silver: David Moeller, Germany Run Time: 48.330s

Bronze: Armin Zoeggeler, Italy Run Time: 48.459s

Luge- Women’s Singles

Gold: Tatjana Huefner, Germany Run Time: 41.617s

Silver: Nine Reithmayer, Austria Run Time: 41.839s

Bronze: Natalie Geisenberger, Germany Run Time: 41.901s