A TRIO of Deakin University graduates have put their knowledge to the test to create a carbon fibre surfboard that can carve waves with the best.<\/p>\n
Aerospace engineers Dr Filip Stojcevski and Andreas Hendlmeier, and organic chemist James Randall, have all done their PhDs on carbon fibre.<\/p>\n
Dr Stojcevski said the idea to direct their knowledge on the material towards surfing came from an unlikely source.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just been playing with carbon fibre forever really, and we\u2019re just engineers and chemists for who this is our entire field, where we do research and try to make it better.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea came about a couple of years ago. I had a French student whose name was Gaspard. He was a 19-year old kid who came to Australia on the premise that he was going to do research but really, he just wanted to go surfing. I couldn\u2019t really get him interested in the lab, so I said to him \u2018Alright, if your lab work picks up, the university will pay for a surfboard for you, but you\u2019ve got to do all the engineering behind it and choose all the materials.\u2019 But I was the one paying for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually he picked up his game, and a couple of weeks later he had some of the best shapers in Torquay coming to Deakin to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how it started, and we just thought \u2018Isn\u2019t this cool using a material to actually do something as opposed to just sitting in a lab and doing research?\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renowned Torquay surfboard shaper Eiji Shiomoto was the first to test his skills shaping a carbon fibre board.<\/p>\n
Dr Stojcevski said Mr Shiomoto quickly adapted to the challenges the new material presented.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe straight away knew how to do it. It\u2019s not a material that\u2019s used commonly but he\u2019s been in the industry forever and was super-patient with us and he was excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carbon fibre had previously been trialled for surfboards but had generally been deemed too stiff compared to fibreglass.<\/p>\n
But having published about 20 papers on modifying carbon fibres for better bonding, Stojcevski, Hendlmeierand and Randall were well-equipped to solve the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, anybody that\u2019s ever made a carbon fibre surfboard has found them too stiff,\u201d Dr Stojcevski said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it is not because carbon fibre is three times stiffer than glass fibre, but (because it) is up to four to 10 times stronger than glass. So, the problem the industry was having before was not that carbon fibre is too stiff, but we were using too much in the one direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, just by understanding the engineering and mathematical principals about how much fibre you should use in one direction, and really looking into the suppliers and whose able to provide the right type of fabric, we\u2019ve been able to solve the flex problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing that experience, we were able to get a board that feels exactly like a glass board but it\u2019s stronger. Carbon fibre is lighter, so if we get it perfectly made it will be lighter than a glass board, it should be more delamination-resistant because of the chemistry, and it all comes at the same price as a glass board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through partnering with Deakin University\u2019s SPARK Deakin Accelerator 2020 program, they have created a platform for themselves to produce and sell the boards.<\/p>\n
As they have produced their boards under the banner of JUC Surf, Dr Stojcevski said they have looked locally to get their material.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is locally sourced. All the recycled material we\u2019re even getting locally from Carbon Revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he had been pleasantly surprised at the support they had received from the local surfing industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we started, we didn\u2019t really know many people from around here. But since we\u2019ve started this adventure, everyone\u2019s been super welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A TRIO of Deakin University graduates have put their knowledge to the test to create a carbon fibre surfboard that can carve waves with the best. Aerospace engineers Dr Filip Stojcevski and Andreas Hendlmeier, and organic chemist James Randall, have all done their PhDs on carbon fibre. Dr Stojcevski said the idea to direct their […]<\/p>\n