Chinese bobsleds take on the world

Engineers at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology are renowned experts when it comes to carrier rockets and the development of space planes.

In recent years, though, they have diversified their product portfolio to items ranging from air purifiers to medical devices. Their latest non-core item has been designed for a popular winter event－the bobsled.

Designers and engineers at the academy's Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology have designed and manufactured two generations of bobsleds, putting an end to Chinese athletes' absolute dependence on foreign equipment.

Zhou Yu, who is in charge of the bobsled program, said sled quality is naturally very important to athletes in the sport, but Chinese contestants once had no choice but to use foreign equipment.

"The technological level of the sleds available to our teams was much lower than those specifically designed for teams from European countries and the United States. Given that fact, it was extremely difficult for our athletes to compete with their foreign peers," he said.

"In the competition, the speed of a bobsled is determined by a mixture of the athletes' skills, the sled's weight, and air and friction drags, so it is crucial for our competitors to have tailor-made sleds with high performance and safety levels but low drag."

Zhou said his institute specializes in aerodynamic design, advanced materials and modern manufacturing techniques, all of which are essential for making top-quality bobsleighs.

In October 2019, he and his colleagues were tasked with developing the country's first bobsled.

"However, none of us had even seen a real bobsled in person at that time. We had to make it from scratch," he said.

To build the sled, the engineers carefully studied the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation's technical requirements and Chinese athletes' needs. They decided to use an integrated structural design and a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite, a lightweight material that has been used in the nose cones of rockets, to build the sled, Zhou said.

They also invited specialists in aerodynamics, sports science and 3D printing to take part in the development work, he added.

The first-generation sled was completed in January 2021 and quickly put into testing.

Based on the test results, Zhou's team cooperated with engineers from the China First Automobile Works, a major carmaker, to design the second-generation model, aiming to further improve its chassis structure, steerability and user-friendliness.

In September, the upgraded versions rolled off the production line and were delivered to the athletes.

One of the fastest sports in the world, the bobsled has been a part of the Winter Games since the first edition in 1924, but China only established its national team in 2016.