Cyclitech 2016 teaser: Luescher Teknik on the future of composites in the cycling industry

Luescher Teknik is an Australian sports engineering consultancy company founded in 2008. Areas of expertise include non-destructive testing of composite structures, repair, fabrication, tooling, quality, sensors and testing. They have assessed and repaired over 3200 items for clients including insurance, manufacturers, shops and public customers with in-house ultrasound capability to reliably detect damage and flaws.

As a carbon fiber expert, what do you think are the current challenges and future trends of the use of composite materials in the cycling industry?

Some of the current challenges can be found in the area of quality assurance and production consistency. As part weight decreases, common production flaws such as wrinkles, porosity and voids are more critical to the performance of the part. It is one thing to design and model the optimum laminate for a structure, however it is another challenge entirely to produce it in volume with repeatable quality. More production testing is required to ascertain that the as designed mechanical properties are being met consistently.  

Ensuring cyclists’ safety is one of the major issues faced by manufacturers. Your presentation will delve into ultrasonic inspection, can you tell us a little more about this technology and how it helps prevent in-service failure?  

Ultrasonic inspection is the standard non-destructive inspection method used in aerospace composites due to its suitability in finding planar type defects, porosity, voids and inclusion type flaws. It is safe, reliable and adaptable to the variety of parts and geometry found on modern bicycles. Luescher Teknik uses ultrasonic scans on in-service bicycles and components to find a variety of damage conditions such as impacts, crash damage, handling damage as well as production flaws. By being able to identify these potential safety issues before they cause a possible injury or catastrophic failure we can offer our customers a service that provides peace of mind knowing that the level of inspection we offer is second to none.

What kind of expertise does Luscher Teknik contribute to this field? 

As the director of Luescher Teknik, Raoul Luescher brings over 25 years of experience in composite quality assurance, design and manufacture in both production and research disciplines in the aerospace and defense sectors. This experience covers a range of non-destructive inspection methods and quality systems. This, combined with a passion for sports being a former elite athlete and an in-depth knowledge of cycling and bicycles allows Luescher Teknik to provide clients with real solutions to their challenges. The main mission is to ensure people enjoy sport in a safe manner by using the best technology to maximize their performance potential.