Episode 30: μ: Engineering a Better Skateboard

Skateboards have some cutting edge polymers, ceramics, metals, & composites. Wood vs carbon-fiber composite lay-ups? Silicon nitride vs steel ball bearings? Titanium vs magnesium light-weight metal alloy trucks? High hardness vs soft & grippy urethane wheels? In this episode, we chat with Norman Woods, a professional skateboarder who helps us figure out if all the advanced materials translate to dramatically improved performance. This episode is sponsored by Matmatch. Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your next engineering project! This episode is also sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars and more. Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show! If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter. Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator, co-host, production), Ramsey Issa (co-host, production), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator, co-host, production), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing) Keywords: skateboard materials decks wheels trucks composites bearings professional sports equipment Support Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/materialism

Om Podcasten

In this podcast, Taylor and Andrew investigate the past, present, and future of materials science and engineering. Topic areas ranging from cutting edge materials technology, the history of different materials, the commercialization of new materials, and exciting advances in processing and characterization are all covered in detail. Our episodes include things like the unlikely discovery of superglue or teflon, the fascinating backstories about modern biomaterials like dialysis filters, and updates on new technologies including wearable electronics, next generation batteries, and nanomaterials. In short, we hope to help listeners understand the critical role that materials have played in society and even glimpse into what the future may hold for new materials.