The Professor’s Piece of the Puzzle in the Olympic Waxing Team

Nazanin Emami, Professor of Machine Elements, has spent a considerable amount of time in the ski waxing trailer during the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. In collaboration with the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC), the Swedish Ski Association and the Swedish Biathlon Federation, researchers at Luleå University of Technology are working with the waxing teams to optimise the contact between ski and snow.

It is a somewhat secretive professor who has returned home from the Olympic Games in Italy. She cannot reveal the exact details of the collaboration with the waxing teams, but she can say that together they examine the relationship between skis, bases, structure, wax and snow conditions. During testing days, hypotheses are formulated and then tested in the field to analyse the results, often under significant time pressure.

“My role in the collaborative project with the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) is to answer questions and suggest improvements to reduce friction when the ski is in contact with snow, essentially polymer tribology, which is my research area. It is about providing deeper insights and perhaps proposing solutions that can further reduce friction and make the skis even faster,” says Nazanin Emami, Professor of Machine Elements at Luleå University of Technology.

Polymers that affect glide

For more than four years, the SOC, the ski federations and Luleå University of Technology have been collaborating in the pursuit of the ultimate material. Nazanin Emami is an expert in polymers, molecules made up of long chemical chains, commonly referred to as plastics. The ski base is a polymer system in which the arrangement of the molecules, the percentage in crystalline form, and the surface structure all play an important role. All these factors affect the thin layer of water that forms between ski and snow, how it is distributed and how it moves as the ski glides.

Each wax blend, in turn, consists of polymers with specifically selected hydrocarbon chains and additives adapted to the shape of the snow crystals, temperature and humidity. Small variations in molecular composition can have a decisive impact on competition results.

“In the waxing cabin, polymer theory is put into practice. Observing how the waxing technicians selected, prepared and structured the skis was like witnessing applied polymer physics and interface science at the highest level in an Olympic championship. The margins were small and the stakes were high. Minor molecular differences can result in incredible Olympic performances and podium finishes,” says Nazanin Emami.

Relationship of trust

During the Olympic Games, the immense public interest in skiing reaches its peak, and the waxing team often finds itself in the spotlight. A single photograph of Nazanin Emami standing beside the women’s national team’s Olympic medallists was enough for sports journalists to wonder who she was.

“I understand that skiing as a sport goes straight to the heart of the Swedish people and that there is enormous interest, and that is precisely why athletes and waxing technicians should be allowed to work in peace and quiet. I have enormous respect for both our talented athletes and the fantastic waxing teams in cross-country skiing and biathlon. We have built a relationship of trust that makes our collaboration work. I contribute one piece of the puzzle, in the form of expertise in polymer materials,” says Nazanin Emami.

Theory meeting practice

At Luleå University of Technology, several researchers are engaged in sports-related development. Both the researchers and the SOC are looking forward to continued collaboration.

“We have a very successful partnership where theorists and practitioners meet. It has delivered results in the short term, but perhaps above all for the future. We hope to continue our collaboration along the same path,” says Tomas Mårtensson, Project Manager for Research and Development at the SOC.

“It was incredibly educational to be part of the Olympic Games. We are already discussing what results this collaboration may yield in four years’ time, research is not a quick fix. One needs to be at the absolute top in terms of ski bases, structure, wax and athletes to reach the podium,” says Nazanin Emami.