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Wesley_Pang
15-01-2003, 03:26 PM
Substitute "flyrod" for "tennis racquet". The new Loomis GLY(replacing the GLX) graphite.



Boffins create $3m tennis racquet
January 14, 2003

FOR $3 million, Lleyton Hewitt can buy himself a tennis racquet 10 times stronger than the one he currently uses but weighs the same.

Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) today unveiled a new method of producing microscopic carbon tubes, set to be used in a new generation of tennis racquets.

The carbon nanotubes are 10 times stronger than carbon fibre but until now have been difficult to produce in bulk quantities - a carbon nanotube tennis racquet would cost about $3 million.

The new production technique pioneered at ANU enables the production of large quantities of carbon nanotubes, raising the potential to use them for everything from sporting equipment to car bodies.

"Carbon nanotubes are already used in small quantities to strengthen a new range of carbon fibre racquets but a racquet made entirely of carbon nanotubes would have significant advantages in racquet rigidity and power," said Ying Chen from the ANU's Physical Sciences and Engineering research school.

"Ask Lleyton Hewitt or Andre Agassi if they would like a racquet that is 10 times as strong but no heavier than their existing carbon fibre racquets and I expect they would probably say yes.

"Carbon nanotubes are far stronger than steel, ten times stronger than carbon fibre and would have a huge range of commercial applications if they could be produced for a reasonable cost."

Dr Chen said a ball milling process had been used to develop the new technique of producing carbon nanotubes.

He said the process involved mechanical grinding of cheap graphite powder and heating of the pre-treated materials at controlled temperatures.

"Compared with other synthesis method, the ball milling process has advantages of large quantity production and low cost," Dr Chen said.

"As production scales increase, the costs will come down - just as costs have come down for carbon fibre products."

AAP

Maxg
16-01-2003, 09:00 AM
Ah yes but you got the name wrong. It will probably be a TFO and about half the price and 50 times better.
But it will be a solid stick, very thin and absolutely unbreakable. If it comes in 6 weight you will need magnifying glasses to see it and thread line up the runners. Imagine trying to fit it together when you can't see the ferrules.Every step up the technology chain has its own little drawbacks.
But its just technology gone bonkers, again.
Like fishing lines you can't tie good knots in but will chop your fingers off.
Max

Steve_Ooi
16-01-2003, 12:23 PM
I think its a case of the better the technology gets the more the human errors start to show.
lower modulus rods have a great ability to smooth out those little flaws , while the higher modulus rods
need a more disciplined cast.
just like monofliment lines are more forgiving when it come to tying knots.

Poony

Maxg
16-01-2003, 05:30 PM
They need a more disiplined lot of things, not only casts mate. Too many busts doing normal things one does on glass sticks. I'd like to get a good modern technology glass stick, be quite a bit higher modulus than the older stuff and probably beat crap out of graphite for usability.
But think about Nano technology in a long 15 footer. A very long bike spoke. Vbg.
Max PS special heads for long rod on the way, 50 feet and 725 gns. go over the hill into next week.
This thing roll casts to 50 feet, with a 30 foot head, and you can do it continuously, without shooting line and the "d" goes like mad, real gas of a thing. Kind of mind boggling but it is not energy expensive, I don't ever get into deep breaths, so easy its ridiculous. Max

Stuie_02
21-01-2003, 05:44 AM
Hi Wes

3 Mill

That guys has way too much time shuld be fishing not swating flies with million doolar rackets.

Hopefully the technology comes down to us. although over the last couple of decades there has been some signifcant break thoughs.

Hey when has carbon fibre come down in price?

Cheers
Stuie