Self-healing pole vault poles?
When I look at the innovations I saw at the JEC World, the largest trade fair for composite materials and composite technology, I am firmly convinced that our engineering team at ESSX is way ahead when it comes to the most efficient pole vault pole on the market right now. But we must not rest on our laurels because technologies are always evolving. For me, the most exciting discovery at the JEC World was the company CompPair from Switzerland. CompPair produces a so-called “self-healing resin”, a regenerative matrix system that allows repairing composite materials such as carbon or fiberglass by simply heating the surface to about 100 degrees Celsius. Imagine your pole vault pole has superficial scratches that have not yet completely destroyed the structure of the carbon and/or fiberglass. If we were to use the self-healing resin from CompPair instead of the epoxy resin traditionally used by all manufacturers to build our poles, we would have a pole vault pole that you could repair yourself with a hairdryer if it has deeper scratches, after it has hit the stand, for example, or if someone accidentally stepped on it with spikes again. Take a look at this video, pretty impressive, isn’t it?Of course, there is also an ecological and circular economy component at play here. A self-healing pole vault pole would last significantly longer and follow the principles of waste management hierarchy. The integrated repair function prevents future waste and environmental pollution associated with the production of pole vault poles, and the regenerative property of the matrix system reduces the need for raw material extraction. Naturally, poles built this way would also be much better suited for our leasing program since they would be significantly more durable.
Biodegradable pole vault poles?
And thus, we come to the second major theme of the JEC World, the theme of sustainable composite materials made from biological materials and plant fibers. There are already skis, snowboards, surfboards, and countless other sports equipment made from sustainable, plant-based composite materials, but no pole vault poles yet. This is primarily because the fiber composite materials available so far are all unsuitable in terms of elongation, compression, and strength to build a safe pole vault pole. However, the Lower Franconian company Cordenka is currently working on carbon, made from rayon. Rayon is a high-strength cellulose-based chemical fiber mainly used as reinforcement material in high-performance tires, mechanical rubber goods, and composite materials. As a bio-based and biodegradable fiber, rayon is an established material that exhibits important properties for a sustainable future. The exciting thing is that carbon based on rayon has better properties in terms of “elongation,” “compressibility,” and “strength” than currently used carbon.
Isn’t that a great vision? In a few years, to jump with an ESSX pole vault pole that is even more efficient, that can be repaired with a hairdryer for minor damages, and that is mostly or maybe even completely made from biodegradable materials?
