A Tribological Study of UHMWPE Ski Base Treated with Nano Ski Wax and its Effects and Benefits on Performance

In this work, the characteristics of two coatings and their contribution to a reduced coefficient of friction were studied. In addition, the structural changes of the ski base material due to the waxing process and subsequent skiing were also studied. The Fluorine content, both in the base material and the wax, was given special attention. Field and laboratory experiments on the ski base materials, both with and without waxes, were conducted, whereas the material characterization has been evaluated by using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and contact angle measurement of water droplets on the ski base materials. The friction properties of the ski running surfaces have been tested in outdoor gliding tests in which the ski running surfaces have been compared with each other, as well as to a reference ski. A tribometer was used in the lab tests to measure the coefficient of friction (COF), and it was found that the Fluorine content on the top surface is not directly comparable with the surface energy and the contact angle. On average, skiing performance improved significantly by 4% directly after the application of high fluorinated waxes, while the COF of the used ski base samples increased significantly by 55.4% and 96.3% after 34.1 km of skiing in free technique.