From the 18 – 22 April, World Sailing carried out an inspection of the RS:X equipment that will be supplied for the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
The aim of this inspection was to measure and inspect the RS:X equipment that will be supplied by Neil Pryde for the next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.
Two days were spent at the Performance factory in Shenzen, China for the inspection and measurement of the pre-selected RS:X masts and sails and two and a half days were spent at the Cobra factory in Chonburi, Thailand for the inspection and measurement of the pre-selected RS:X boards, fins and centreboards.
A good level of organization before and during the audit in both factories made it possible to inspect and measure most of the equipment that will be used at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and World Sailing would like to thanks Neil Pryde for their cooperation and assistance during the inspections.
Masts
All masts were premeasured by Neil Pryde and re-measured by World Sailing and the data obtained was compared with the Quality Control (QC) data. Both parts of the mast, top and bottom, were weighed separately and then assembled and bend test to obtain the Indexed Mast Check System (IMCS) which is based on the mid-point deflection. Deflection at one-quarter and three-quarters of the length of the mast was also measured. All the measurements were within the QC tolerances and all masts were accepted. Visual inspections also showed no issues.
Sails & Battens
Random samples of Olympic Men’s (9.5 sqm) and Women’s (8.5 sqm) sails were inspected and measured. All the sails panels were from the same batch of monofilm etc. Sails had the battens in but were without the camber inducers. The sails were unrolled on the floor on a flat surface and visually inspected. Some sails were put one of top of the other and stiches and panels compared.
Sails were later moved to a table where the luff, leech and foot were measured along with the luff curve at the battens, and the length along the battens. The sail was then fully-rigged always to the same boom and mast and with the same tension, the camber depth was measured at 200mm, 400mm, 600mm, 800mm and 1000mm from the outermost point of the luff and along battens 5 and 6. A marked string was used for this purpose and the sail positioned vertically (clew up) to minimize the sag. The data obtained shows a great level of consistency between the measured sails.
Random battens were also inspected with no issues found.
Boards
The boards for the Games have being built using a new single mould to increase consistency in its dimensions.
The inspection and measurement of the boards were carried out as follows:
Boards were put on a threshold, bottom down and visually inspected for cracks, damages etc. All screw holes were checked with a pin to make sure they were clean from glue or other residues left by the manufacturing process. The boards were then put upside down and visually inspected for any damage or imperfections.
Cobra’s measurement jig was then applied to the bottom of the boards and the eleven main points along the board profile were measured.
Ten wooden templates made by Cobra were also applied to the board’s edge, four to each side at pre-determined points, one in the tip and one in the kicker. These templates make sure that the board does not exceed its maximum thickness at different points.
The same fin was fitted without screws in the fin box of every board, to check for misalignment. This was made using a specially made template
Finally, the board was weighed with a mast track on.
Fin & Centreboards
Only the women’s 60cm fins were available for inspection at this time. 46 of these fins were selected to be shipped to Rio de Janeiro. Inspection of the 66 Men’s fins will be carried out by World Sailing in mid-June.
The inspection and measurement of the fins were carried out as follows:
Initial visual inspection was carried out with particular emphasis on the straightness of the fin.
The length of the fin was then checked with the help of a template. Every 100mm from the tip the thickness of the chord of the fin was also measured.
The fin root was subsequently fitted in a template which replicated a board’s fin box. After this the fin was fitted into a template to check the shape of the leading and trailing edges.
The fin was then subjected to a flex test, clamping the fin root, applying a 10kg weight on the tip and measuring the distance that the fin bends at certain pre-determined points 200mm,300mm,400mm and 500mm from the tip.
The fin was then subjected to a twist test in a similar way. All the results were checked against QC measurements made by Cobra and EM. All measurements were well within the tolerances.
Conclusion
The equipment is consistent and quality is well controlled for the Olympic equipment. Some items of equipment were excluded but the equipment is more consistent than four years ago.
Some extra measurement control methods have been implemented by Neil Pryde which have, in consequence, contributed to more uniform results in the equipment. It is worth mentioning that although the resilience of the equipment will only be tested in the field, the results obtained during this inspection have shown a very good degree of uniformity and quality.
All the RS:X equipment and spares have now been selected by World Sailing ready for shipping to Rio de Janeiro and random allocation to teams on the 26 July.
World Sailing
